The Other Typist in Around the World in 80 Books

Apr 15, 2013 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-request, lib-has-audio, hf, a-lucky-one, library, crime-thriller-suspense

One word: Whaaaaaat?

Somebody read this and explain the ending to me. I thought it was pretty clear until the very last page. I must have missed something. 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it, but I don't know that I'd be pushing this book on multiple people, which is what I tend to do when I've enjoyed a book. The audio was ok, not bad, but not great. Maybe to really "get" this, I'd have to reread it, but it's not worth the reread, IMO.

And that's all I have to say about that.

ETA: I just read a quibble som ...more

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Nov 04, 2022 Pam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, fiction, new-york, 2022-books-read

How come I never heard of this one? Really good, loved the era, of course, and the twisted characters. Would make a good movie!

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Aug 31, 2014 Sera rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, library, literary-fiction

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this debut novel was.

The book is set in the flapper 1920s, when young women began entering the workforce, and the more bolder ones, bobbing their hair and dancing at speakeasies. The main character in the story is Rose, a 20-something typist for a police department. She befriends Odalie, another typist, who is hired by the department, and the story takes off from there.

What I really liked is that Rindell drops little clues throughout the story that start to ...more

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Sep 19, 2013 Carolyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, 2013-book-challenge

This book was engaging from the get go...one of those books that you can not wait to get back to while away from. It is set in the 20s and is the story of Rose, a mousy innocuous girl (at least that is how she describes herself in the beginning of the story). She falls mesmerized by Odalie, a fellow typist at the precinct Rose is employed at. Many others seem to fall under Odalie's spell as well, as she has a flamboyence, yet a reserve and a charisma about her. It is not long before we find out ...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Sam rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed, read-2013, 1-contemp-literary

In The Other Typist, the day that Odalie arrives to join Rose and the rest of the team of stenographers at a local police precinct marks the point at which Rose’s life is about to change. Plain and proper Rose gets swept into a glittery world of fabulous clothes and jewels and parties in 1920s New York. But what she likes the most is the attention that she gets from Odalie, whose charisma draws her into a darker world and has her taking questionable risks. As Rose chronicles how she navigates th In The Other Typist, the day that Odalie arrives to join Rose and the rest of the team of stenographers at a local police precinct marks the point at which Rose’s life is about to change. Plain and proper Rose gets swept into a glittery world of fabulous clothes and jewels and parties in 1920s New York. But what she likes the most is the attention that she gets from Odalie, whose charisma draws her into a darker world and has her taking questionable risks. As Rose chronicles how she navigates this new life with Odalie and the fallout of this friendship, readers begin to suspect that there might be more than meets the eye in Rose's description of events.

If you’re in the mood for a fluffy read, The Other Typist will probably hit the spot for you. However, for me, even though Rose and Odalie’s story is mildly engaging, I needed more substance than what’s in here. This one wasn’t memorable. The characters all seemed to be bloodless paper cutouts. Since the story is recounted in the first-person perspective, I understand that deep characterization and insight into motives can be difficult as we’re limited to the thoughts of our one narrator. Fine, this might still be okay if we at least get to know the narrator really well. However, even the portrait of Rose herself that readers are supposed to piece together from what she tells us (and what she doesn’t tell us outright) remains too superficial. We get a sense of her outlook on life and grudges, but after maybe the first third of the book, this seems to stall, while the rest of events that unfold kind of seem repetitive.

The book wants to be clever and mysterious (with unsubtle foreshadowing all over the place), but doesn’t quite pull it off smoothly enough. You get the feeling that the entire book is simply setting up for some kind of whammy at the end, but it forgets to make the journey we have to travel toward that kicker just as entertaining. The story drags a bit too much in the middle, so by the time I finished the book, I was too relieved to care very much about the eyebrow-raising end.

On the plus side, the setting in Manhattan during the Roaring Twenties gives the story a bit of the texture that I was missing in the characterization, and so kept me reading. The glimpses of the changing mores within society, particularly the role of women in this period, are also pretty well-done.
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Aug 08, 2013 Tanya rated it liked it

Shelves: 2013

Oh, how unsettling! But a good day's read for Suzanne Rindell has a way with words. Yes, I recommend this book. And I liked it better than Gone Girl which also leads one on a quest to discover what is real and what is not. ...more

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Oct 17, 2013 Andy Plonka rated it really liked it

Shelves: src

Set in New York during the 1920's, this is really the story of relationships gone bad, but the backdrop of the energy of the 20's is what makes the book. ...more

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Nov 22, 2021 Beverly rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, psychological-suspense-thriller, new-york, friendship, newtome2021, suspense

thoughts coming shortly

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May 02, 2013 Suzanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, historical-fiction, thriller

Wow, this was awesomely twisted!! The tension building is done subtly and inexorably. Great characters! Great description of the time period! Overall, an excellent story! (view spoiler) ...more

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