Literally Dead Book Club discussion
Platform Seven by Louise Doughty
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Justine
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Mar 17, 2020 09:20AM
I think I would have liked the book more if something had happened to Matthew. There was all this build up and I was hoping that the thing in the car park would like drag him to hell or something and then nothing. I feel like there was a more interesting end to the story of the murdered girl in the window than Lisa. She seemed like she was finally free and would travel the world doing everything she was not allowed to do. Maybe the point of the book was that most abusers get away with it and continue the cycle. I am not against a book that has a sad ending but the ending just seemed rushed and the story of the brother and sister just didn't fit. One positive I did have was I listened to the audio book and the narrator was great!
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I ended up dnfing at about 65%. It was just too slow for me. I really think the marketing let this book down by selling it as a spooky thriller. I found the writing dry and detached, and didn't really connect or care for any of the characters. Once the 'boyfriend' got introduced I immediately knew where the story was headed, which never happens to me. All in all I was just quite bored.
I gave this book a 3/5, but that is only after deciding to not pay attention to it being labeled a thriller/suspense. If it had been marketed as a domestic contemporary, I would have had SO MUCH MORE patience with this book. I know I’m basically parroting many people’s thoughts. I didn’t mind the writing, and I did like finding out about the workers in the Station, etc. I probably would have passed reading in the club this month if i had known it was about domestic abuse: thankfully It’s not a trigger for me, but isn’t a subject matter I like to read about either. Just a shame this was so incorrectly marketed and we didn’t have a better book for our second month! I’m sure next month’s will be much better!🤞🏼🤞🏼
Erin wrote: "Oh no, I voted for this and I really really didn't like it.I agree with what a lot of people are saying, especially about the misleading marketing. This was definitely NOT the book I thought I wa..."
Yes, exactly. The noise and lights of the freight train were emphasised when the man committed suicide and when his son came to platform seven, but Lisa didn't notice them. That is unbelievable to me.
Another dubious major plot point was Matthew visiting the dead body of the man in the morgue. Why did he do that? They had no connection. Or did I miss something? Plotwise, it puts PC Lockhart on his trail, but in the story-why?
I'm not sure if I'll end up giving it 2 or 3 stars, but it'll be somewhere in that range. I agree with everyone who says this definitely isn't a thriller, and it did hurt my enjoyment of the book quite a bit. It was just not what I expected, and the story that it turned out to be just wasn't very interesting to me. I was drawn in more during the flashback parts, but I also feel like it was obvious how things were going, and I feel like I've read this story multiple times already. If I had known it would be a slow-burn story about domestic abuse with a slight supernatural / ghostly twist, I probably wouldn't have picked this book up.Some parts were good, but overall I found the ghosts parts a bit dull and the flashback parts a bit too long. Not a big fan.
2/5I can't believe both reads from this book club have been 2 stars for me, so sad that I haven't liked them. I mean this book wasn't one that I was interested in, while voting so I shouldn't be surprised that I didn't like it.
This one was ROUGH to finish and I'm officially giving it all the blame for my reading slump this month.
I just found the characters completely forgettable and the opposite of compelling. I think this book was marketed poorly, and it definitely did not read like any kind of thriller. I was constantly forgetting who was who simply because Lisa decided to assign value to every rando at the train station, and by the time she goes to "say goodbye" to all the living people she's been stalking for no reason.. oh god, i've never skimmed so much in my life.
Can't wait to start fresh next month, since I like an Anonymous Girl, so I'm hoping Greer and Sarah can pull off a win.
Emily wrote: "I feel like everyone hated this but I was so surprised to love it (as much as you can love story about intimate partner violence). I wouldn't say this was a thriller/horror/mystery at all, but tha..."
I feel the same. I found it a fairly engrossing read, especially once we reached Lisa's backstory. Although I totally understand the criticisms people have of the book (especially the advertising), I guess the issues with it just didn't put me off as much as it did for everyone else.
I DNF’d this book. There’s a lot of abuse (kind of gratuitous imho) in this novel and really wish I looked up CW and TW.
I agree with a lot of people that this book was not what was portrayed in the promotions. I did, however, finish it and give it a higher rating than most. I would have appreciated a CW for the abuse included, but I also think not having it helped me. Reading this book as a victim of emotional and psychological abuse helped me understand that I am not alone and that my experience is not unique. I'm a lot luckier than poor Lisa was because I made it out (my abuser dumped me) but the metaphor she uses about the frog is very true, as is the metaphor of how the book moves slowly and only comes together at the end- things "heat up" so slowly that it's hard to notice sometimes.I gave the book 4 stars for being chilling and scary in a way no horror fiction could be.
Damn. Looks like this month's read was a pretty big flop. I would say an average rating of three stars is generous. Lol. I am really looking forward to next month's though!
Catherine wrote: "I agree with a lot of people that this book was not what was portrayed in the promotions. I did, however, finish it and give it a higher rating than most. I would have appreciated a CW for the abus..."Wow your review is super important!
"I gave the book 4 stars for being chilling and scary in a way no horror fiction could be." - Amen!
I’m sorry but I did not care about this book at all. It was basically 200+ pages of the MC being nosy and judging other people’s’ lives, and I didn’t care about their lives. It wasn’t scary at all, I wouldn’t consider this a mystery or a thriller. Honestly if it wasn’t for the audiobook being background noise for the past couple of days I wouldn’t have finished this at all.
I have it a two because it wasn’t trash but it was kinda trash and I can’t believe I wasted that much time reading that book. Nothing happened. You know how the first 100 pages of a novel are kind of slow but you forgive it because you know it’s building things for you... the whole book was that shit. And then... nothing!
It was ... ok, the abusive bits were a sad reminder of an ex of mine, overall was ok but I was kind of expecting... more?
Really didn’t enjoy reading this. Way too slow and boring quite frankly. 2/5 cause a one feels too harsh but just didn’t enjoy at all
I dnf'ed this at like page 30, not for me
As with many people here, I think the marketing of this book was off. It really is more literary mystery than horror or thriller. While the main narrator is a ghost - which I liked - there are not any twists, turns or shocking reveals. The pace was much more slow burn than sprint.The story used a plot device that I don't like in books which didn't help my rating. I'm not a fan of one character making the other seem unreliable using mental illness, lies, twisting evidence, planting evidence, etc. Just not my thing.
Finally, I'm with all of you who feel that Matthew should have had something much more nasty happen to him. It would have been great if the ghost(s) could have messed around with his work performance - discredit him to the point where he actually commits suicide.
I rated the book 3 stars - I like Louise Doughty's writing which saved it from being a 2 star read for me.
I concluded that its book was not for me. The marketing threw me off and it was not what I was expecting. It has been 3 weeks since I started it and I lost motivation to continue reading it. I'm DNF'ing it on pg. 121.Sad this book didn't work for me, but I look forward to joining other readathons.
I think the only reason I got through it is because I listened to the audiobook. False advertisment as a horror-mystery, but for a domestic-mystery-romance (which I personally don't read) it was okay I guess.. (2 stars)
I hate this! I didn't even finish either. I was hoping for a good paranormal thriller type story, but instead, I thought it was more of a contemporary/mystery book. I don't know that's just my opinion. On the bright side, I do see how people take a liking to this.
I was really looking forward to this book. The synopsis of the book intrigued me but I was let down by the book. It was such a slow build up. I read to a little over 100 pages and ended up dnf the book. Which I normally don't dnf books, I think this just wasn't a book for my likes.
I just finished this and I wish I had DNF'd it. I felt like a lot of people. This was marketed as one thing and we got another. If this book had been just an examination of an abusive relationship, it would have been better, but the supernatural element and the station idea just did not work for me, even as a framing device. Just a very disappointing read all around.
I almost DNF'd this and pretty much just skimmed the last few chapters because I just didn't care at all. The characters and storyline were dull. It's 1.5 stars rounded up to a 2.It's a no from me.
4.5 ratingGlad to report although this was a slow listen. I enjoyed the perspective the story was told through. Picked up early in the novel that Lisa's demise may have been accidental or pushed. Experience some anger at Lisa's inability to see who and what Matthew was doing to her. His psychological, emotional and physical abuse was apparent from the on-set. As it usually does it began with little issues that lead to bigger issues. Getting ready to start the April book in a few days.
Erin wrote: "Do you guys think it would be a spoiler to warn people about the abuse? I wasn’t expecting it and there were sections that were incredibly uncomfortable to read. I want to warn others who may have ..."Katie wrote: "Yep"
I think it would be okay to give it as a trigger warning but I wouldn't say anything else about it. It was the biggest twist of the story, but I could see it being extremely harmful to people if they aren't aware it's going to happen.
Brittany wrote: "The marketing of this story was incredibly misleading. It is, in no way, a horror/thriller. If anything, I would say this is a contemporary domestic drama with a speculative element as the perspect..."I completely agree with you! I don't know if "enjoy" is the right word, but I found the parts of the story with Lisa exploring the path that her life took incredibly compelling and chilling, but the other aspects of the story diminshed that and took the book down a path it didn't need to go down.
I pretty much agree with everything you said.
I'm really sad I didn't like this book. Part of the reason, I know, is because I was expecting it to be a thriller and then it really wasn't. However, setting that aside and trying to take the book as what it actually was, I found it to be a bit boring, as many of you have stated. The abuse that was happening made me shudder and I just wanted to hit Matty over the head and yell at Lisa to run. I do think the abuse was well-depicted and even though some people think it was super obvious and should have been a clear red flag for Lisa, I do think it's an accurate portrayal of how these things occur and that, in the moment, people often can't see the difference between abusive behaviors and kind ones. That being said, I was really hoping for some retribution in the end and didn't get that, which brought the story down even more. Matty gets to continue being a terrible person for the rest of his life and Lisa doesn't get the rest she deserves. 2 stars.
I feel like this whole book, the plot, the twists, the character development had so much potential. There were chapters discussing subplots only to be discussed briefly at the end to give the reader a nice little package all wrapped up. I wanted more. I'm one of the few that didn't have prior knowledge of the hype or backstory so I'm not upset with it not being a thriller. However, nothing happened in the book! I gave it 3/5. Such a cool concept and it was wasted.
2.75ish? Meh. I liked a some elements of this a lot, but I just can't quite grasp what it was trying to do. Was it about abuse or death or loved ones left behind? All three I guess, but the end especially felt quite muddled.
I like the idea of a book set somewhere as mundane as Peterborough railway station, I like the idea of a ghost trying to figure out her own life...but something about the execution of this was off. I wanted more plot, maybe, or more definitive, focused ideas in the introspection. I liked the conclusion of Matty's story, though, ending up a blur in a car park.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I am glad I did because I probably would of DNFed it if I had read it physically. I enjoyed the parts where she was remembering her past and how she died. The parts with the present were really boring for me and too slow. I also had some interest in the story with the siblings and their awful father. I might have missed it but I did not see where the siblings story tied in with Lisa or how the one character wanted to look more into Lisa's death because of it. 3/5
I really enjoyed this book. It was obviously a sad read at times and difficult to swallow, however, it had a super important narrative in my opinion. I loved watching Lisa grow, dig back into all her pain and suffering and feel it all over again, just to choose at the end that instead of wallowing in her pain, she would be free and wish others only love. A lot of people have trouble getting over their grief and end up quite bitter but in this case we have a female protagonist that revisits her own trauma and triumphs over it in the end. You can see this narrative even clearer in her two foils the author presents: Matty the cruel individual who cannot see past his own selfish and evil desires and Warren, an abusive father who is doomed to spend the rest of his life reliving his death. These two characters, despite how horrid and terrible to read about, really help show how strong Lisa is step away from Peterborough and move on.
As someone who has been in a similar relationship, the domestic parts were hard to read. Having said that I found those parts boring. I feel like I'm in the minority that liked the beginning better. There was so much potential, but we got domestic, I don't want to call it thriller because it definitely wasn't. I quite liked the last chapter though. But I was very confused about how suddenly she can see the future. 2.5
But as I said it feels biased.
I didn’t like it. Although the part where she narrates the relationship with her boyfriend was really well done. The abuse is presented in a subtle way, and the way she reacted to all the micro aggressions and mind/psychological games was very realistic.The book is great to talk and analyze what an abusive relationship is like, but as a whole I found the book extremely boring.
Emily wrote: "I feel like everyone hated this but I was so surprised to love it (as much as you can love story about intimate partner violence). I wouldn't say this was a thriller/horror/mystery at all, but tha..."
I must agree with you, but I 'just' gave it 3/5 stars because I couldn't get myself to pick it up for 15 days, after I read the first part for the book club.
Once we came to Lisa's life with Matthew I was rather enjoying it (not that I liked what he did to her, but it brought tension to the story) and read it in one go.
I'm just a little bit disappointed concerning the ending, because I feel like Lockhart's investigation should have been successfull, but oh well. But I fully understand that in reality things like that happen way to often, and that the abuser gets away to easily, either with just a few years in prison or no penalty at all.
I'm so disappointed with this book. I really enjoyed the beginning and while others thought it was slow and boring, I thought it was atmospheric and building up to be a creepy ghost story. And when Lisa introduces her abusive relationship with Matty, I was excited because I was hoping for some revenge and wanted Lisa to haunt this jackass to death. But unfortunately it fell flat and barely anything happened. I ended up giving it 2 stars. I'm hoping I like the next book a lot better.
I finally got to the end. I struggled so hard to get through this one, my emotions were all over the place with the storyline. Her ghostly viewpoint was incredibly boring but the relationship with Matt including the abuse hit really close to home and took me back to the time in my life where I had my own "Matt" and all the pain I went through. I need something light and fluffy to read after this
Gay wrote: "I finally got to the end. I struggled so hard to get through this one, my emotions were all over the place with the storyline. Her ghostly viewpoint was incredibly boring but the relationship with ..."I'm so sorry you had to endure abuse from someone who was supposed to love you. ♥
After thinking about the rating of this book for days, I decided to give it 2 stars. I think my problem with it was that I expected something completely different from the way the book was advertised.
This definitely wasn’t the paranormal thriller I was expecting like everyone else, I feel like this would have been better as two different books. One a story of domestic abuse as I feel that was done well with Lisa realising too late and the other a ghost haunting a train station after a supposed suicide. I enjoyed the writing and both ideas I just didn’t enjoy it together, the abuse was really hard to read because unlike other abuse stories I’ve read it wasn’t physical (expect a few rough grabs) and was all psychological and had Lisa doubting herself. I wish Matty had gotten what he deserved but at least Shelly got away, overall a three star read not terrible but not amazing.
Well, I finished it! This was definitely atmospheric, and I really liked the writing style. Yes it was quite slow, and I was a bit bored somewhere around 50%. Plus there wasn't any 'mystery' per se, because the ending didn't really add much to the conclusion of the mystery. There was still no connection between Warren's death and Lisa's, Matty didn't get charged and went on to abuse someone else, and we didn't even get to see Lisa's 'reunion'with her mum. Dalmar's storyline I quite liked, but I wanted more of Lockhart's. I felt like Melissa's chapters didn't really serve much value towards the whole story.
Also, I can't help but comparing this one to
- which I think is the superior version of the two (sorry!). Does anyone else get the same vibe?
I'm sorry, but I got so bored in this book :( I did not enjoy hearing about Lisa in her current ghostly state, it was so boring for me. I gave this book 2/5 stars and the only reason I didn't give it 1 star is because I enjoyed reading about her past, I thought that part was well done. Other than that, I was very bored. I didn't care to hear about the other characters or their stories, which is unusual because typically I like many different perspectives. Maybe I just didn't fully understand this book and what it did, but I did not like it.
I really didn't get why the book was structured like that. The middle part about her past with Matthew was the best part and the most tension filled. The rest didn't really matter to me. The beginning is key to the narrative I get that but there is such a shift in mood that it makes it feel like a different story (?). After she dipects how she died I think the story should have ended there with a bit of the cop trying to piece it together and not getting anywhere. That would have brought it home. How these stories of domestic abuse end up.
This last quarter was as bad as the first half. Giving it 2 stars because of the 3rd quarter. Wow, even more stereotyping and unnecessary parts.
Did I really need to read so much about Uluru ukuleles?
And what about the lady in orange, so not needed.
Ok let's see the live show tomorrow. The only thing that kept me going.
Erin wrote: "Do you guys think it would be a spoiler to warn people about the abuse? I wasn’t expecting it and there were sections that were incredibly uncomfortable to read. I want to warn others who may have ..."No I don't think that you would necessarily spoil the book if you mentioned some trigger warnings.
