Kindle British Mystery Book Club discussion
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Safe and Sound
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Spoiler Discussion May 2021) Group Read -Safe and Sound by Philippa East
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Bill
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rated it 2 stars
May 03, 2021 04:43AM
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Sorry group readers ... I am giving up on this one. Have read the lst five pages twice and still can't tell you what i read. It just isn't catching my interest. I like mysteries and feel, as Bill suggested, that this book was mis-labelled. Not sure what genre it should be in but it is so slow paced I just couldn't finish and have abandoned it 1/3 of the way through
The characters are unlikeable, particularly the main character, Jen, who has so many personal issues that i couldn't relate to her. She is what is commonly referred to [here, where i am] as a "helicopter parent". None of her issues or her glued connection to her son have anything to do with the mystery of the dead woman.
the first person narration is also an issue for me. As with a previous choice, i can't appreciate this style of writing. Just not for me.
the mystery is really a side issue. I don't think this book should be included in the genre of "mystery"
I am moving on .
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My impression of the parent/child relationship between Jen and her son after first scenes of the two of them is that Charlie isn't a normal child but a special-needs one. I'm waiting for his handicap to be revealed. I based this on his extreme immaturity and Jen's caution with him, which seemed more appropriate for a much younger child than he.Were he an average boy of his age, I'd expect him to insist on more independence from Mother, especially leaving school around other children. Also, the message Jen received at work about his wellbeing led me to believe that he required more care than usual for his age.
Anyone else form first opinions of the relations between Jen and son, and of whether he has a condition requiring special schooling and attention?
