Denise’s review of Fox > Likes and Comments
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I know people laugh at readers' need for trigger warnings, but as someone who struggles a lot with books featuring child sexual abuse, I know that the warnings list is a necessity. I've added this to my Nevers list based on your feedback. I don't think I'll be able to get through this without affecting my head. Thank you very much for your detailed and helpful feedback, Denise.
Thank you Rosh! That made me feel like slogging through over 600 dreadful pages was worth it 😭😭
I am sorry you had to read something that hurts you, Denise. I hope your next book brings you joy. Wonderful review explaining your whys. 🤗💕
The story is taking place in 2013! The girls are 10 to 13 years old from “good” families. We knew then about what men did to young females. We had talked to our daughters about such things. We taught them to respect their own bodies and what to expect regarding their femaleness, and how males might entice them into inappropriate behavior. I forced myself to continue reading because it was JCO after all! Way too long, too many words without any progress. And SPOILER,
the ridiculous pretentious school mourns his death elaborately. Still the wonderful Mr Fox.
Never telling the students and their families the truth. No “learning experience” there. Joyce, it’s time to retire.
Completely agreed Joanna! It felt apologist for Mr Fox's crimes at the very least in the worst of ways
Completely agree! In fact the first sentence of your review is quite similar to mine. I need a really light hearted book to read now.
I rated the book a 4 not a 5 because it made my skin crawl but I could not put it down
@ James I found the pacing difficult myself, I found it dragged until the last 30%
Was a DNF, only lasted 50 pages.
Subject matter and description was very disturbing.
Yep. This author can absolutely right, she's always been able to write like a bat out of hell. But my problem with her has always been that she loves to delectate just a bit too much in the types of perversions she purports to decry. It's much, much farther than just a reflection on the barbarism of mankind, and without going into tedious detail here, I see a huge distinction between how she does it – how she always does it — and how Nabokov did it. I've had to really pump the brakes on her books for this reason. I knew this one would be about 450 pages of what I least like about her writing
Exactly, @ Necia! I could not have said it better
@ No I am not sure if this comment is disagreeing or agreeing with my review
100% agree - would not have changed the story to take some of the graphic child rape scenes out.
@Joyce I would have been okay with graphic, my problem was the sexualization
100% agree with your review….I’m relieved it’s over and definitely way too long!
Yes, you expressed my feelings exactly.
I agree with your review. The abuse scenes were overly graphic and I also thought it was completely unnecessary for the lead detective to be having sexy dreams about the victims.
I also didn’t like how the victims were all so defensive of him and it was almost like the reader is the crazy one for being outraged.
Then the epilogue was also a pile of ick with Eunice being a total sociopath and reflecting back on everything still with total admiration for her abuser. Get this girl a therapist.
It was so freaking long. When it was over I just thought thank goodness it’s over.
I honestly wish I never picked this book up. Waste of two weeks of my life.
I completely agree with this review. JCO is a very talented writer but the book was too long and there really wasn’t any character that was compelling.
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Rosh
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Jun 17, 2025 08:58PM
I know people laugh at readers' need for trigger warnings, but as someone who struggles a lot with books featuring child sexual abuse, I know that the warnings list is a necessity. I've added this to my Nevers list based on your feedback. I don't think I'll be able to get through this without affecting my head. Thank you very much for your detailed and helpful feedback, Denise.
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Thank you Rosh! That made me feel like slogging through over 600 dreadful pages was worth it 😭😭
I am sorry you had to read something that hurts you, Denise. I hope your next book brings you joy. Wonderful review explaining your whys. 🤗💕
The story is taking place in 2013! The girls are 10 to 13 years old from “good” families. We knew then about what men did to young females. We had talked to our daughters about such things. We taught them to respect their own bodies and what to expect regarding their femaleness, and how males might entice them into inappropriate behavior. I forced myself to continue reading because it was JCO after all! Way too long, too many words without any progress. And SPOILER, the ridiculous pretentious school mourns his death elaborately. Still the wonderful Mr Fox.
Never telling the students and their families the truth. No “learning experience” there. Joyce, it’s time to retire.
Completely agreed Joanna! It felt apologist for Mr Fox's crimes at the very least in the worst of ways
Completely agree! In fact the first sentence of your review is quite similar to mine. I need a really light hearted book to read now.
I rated the book a 4 not a 5 because it made my skin crawl but I could not put it down
@ James I found the pacing difficult myself, I found it dragged until the last 30%
Was a DNF, only lasted 50 pages. Subject matter and description was very disturbing.
Yep. This author can absolutely right, she's always been able to write like a bat out of hell. But my problem with her has always been that she loves to delectate just a bit too much in the types of perversions she purports to decry. It's much, much farther than just a reflection on the barbarism of mankind, and without going into tedious detail here, I see a huge distinction between how she does it – how she always does it — and how Nabokov did it. I've had to really pump the brakes on her books for this reason. I knew this one would be about 450 pages of what I least like about her writing
Exactly, @ Necia! I could not have said it better
@ No I am not sure if this comment is disagreeing or agreeing with my review
100% agree - would not have changed the story to take some of the graphic child rape scenes out.
@Joyce I would have been okay with graphic, my problem was the sexualization
100% agree with your review….I’m relieved it’s over and definitely way too long!
Yes, you expressed my feelings exactly.
I agree with your review. The abuse scenes were overly graphic and I also thought it was completely unnecessary for the lead detective to be having sexy dreams about the victims. I also didn’t like how the victims were all so defensive of him and it was almost like the reader is the crazy one for being outraged.
Then the epilogue was also a pile of ick with Eunice being a total sociopath and reflecting back on everything still with total admiration for her abuser. Get this girl a therapist.
It was so freaking long. When it was over I just thought thank goodness it’s over.
I honestly wish I never picked this book up. Waste of two weeks of my life.
I completely agree with this review. JCO is a very talented writer but the book was too long and there really wasn’t any character that was compelling.
