From the Bookshelf of Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge…

The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike, #2)

Robert Galbraith

Start date: January 6, 2015

Finish date: January 7, 2015

Why we're reading this: 01 - more than 500 pages
[close] 01 - more than 500 pages

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Apr 07, 2018 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries, audio, disability, 2018-reading-challenge, uk

For my 2018 reading challenge, I needed to read a book written by a female under a male pseudonym. I hadn't been dying to read the second Cormoran Strike mystery, but it met a challenge for me, and I remembered the first story, Cuckoo's Calling, being well-read on audio and engaging for a long car trip. The Silkworm is also engaging. I started listening to the story, remembered that I didn't really like Cormoran, hated Matthew, and didn't know why Hermione, I mean Robin, was wasting her time on For my 2018 reading challenge, I needed to read a book written by a female under a male pseudonym. I hadn't been dying to read the second Cormoran Strike mystery, but it met a challenge for me, and I remembered the first story, Cuckoo's Calling, being well-read on audio and engaging for a long car trip. The Silkworm is also engaging. I started listening to the story, remembered that I didn't really like Cormoran, hated Matthew, and didn't know why Hermione, I mean Robin, was wasting her time on either of them. I also didn't like how much this book actually read like it was written by a male author, especially in its descriptions of female characters, who are often defined in terms of their looks/ attractiveness/ sexual desirability. And yet, after my tentative listening to the first disc of the audio book, I was hooked on the mystery. I wanted to know who done it and why and how. So I continued on with the story.
Which turned out to be bloody long, and too full of obnoxious Matthew, and his unhealthy relationship with Robin, and with Cormoran still mooning over the vile Charlotte. I get that Strike's not that long out of a long and toxic relationship with Charlotte, but I found the copious amounts of story line dedicated to his feelings about that fact (and to Robin and Matthew's borderline abusive/ controlling relationship) pretty tedious. Some of the conversations felt overlong to me too. That is a complaint I've had about other authors as well, so perhaps I'm just not patient with dialogue, or perhaps a certain style of writing dialogue doesn't agree with me. Also, Cormoran is gross. the amount of junk he constantly eats, and how copiously he smokes and drinks. just ick.
Nevertheless I soldiered on with the story. Aside from my complaints about the dialogue and the romantic relationships, the story moved along, and kept my interest. I found the literary world setting interesting, and the story kept me guessing whodunit til very close to the end. The narrator does an excellent job on the audio book, much like he did with Cuckoo's Calling. The book felt dark, and overall I didn't love it, and felt a bit gloomy after it ended, but it was engaging enough to while away some tedious commute time in my car, and to check off a challenge from my annual list. I doubt I'll pick up later books in the series. I think "Galbraith"'s writing style is just not for me. ...more

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Jun 10, 2016 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, mystery

Another good one.

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Jun 23, 2019 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Such a treat. Twisty and dark, well written, characters I like and want to know better, and just a fun read.

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Feb 22, 2017 Christy Clements Hair rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, english-setting, 2017

Actually 4.7. I liked it better than the first that I would rate about 4.2. This one was darker. I really like the relationship between Strike and Robin.

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