Wednesday, October 30, 2024

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

I was really on the edge of my seat about The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. Birchie hated it, Stephany, Sarah, and Lisa loved it, and I was convinced I'd never get a copy because I was #200 or something like that on the waitlist. Anyway, it came in! How did it go?

It was so good! I found the first 80 pages or so really confusing with the multiple characters and multiple timelines. I really liked the way the author had the timeline at the beginning of the chapter, though, so you could tell who was the narrator for that chapter and where you were in the story. I found the visual super helpful and think I would have lost my mind if it had been an audiobook. 

What we have here is a mystery. A girl goes missing from a summer camp, a place where her brother had gone missing some years earlier. What's going on? We follow several different characters from the missing girl's bunkmate to the police officer to the mother of the missing children. 

I'm not sure what makes this book so riveting, but I just kept wanting to turn the pages. It felt like every chapter was a mini-cliffhanger and I needed to know how it would be resolved. The writing was good, but not great. I didn't write down any lines of note, for example. There were still loose ends at the end of the book, but that didn't stop me from finding the ending satisfying. I didn't guess the ending at all and was surprised by it, so that's another point in the book's favor. It was really a solid book for me to read while I was in bed for a day when I wasn't feeling well. 

4.5/5 stars

Hat mentions (why hats?):

He wore his hat indoors. (page 83)

Delphine had put on a hat that Alice had never seen before...(page 84)

"Vic?" she said, and he turned, embarrassed, his fisherman's hat in his hands. (page 105)

It was then that Carl remembered his hat, a floppy felt thing his wife had given him several birthdays ago. (page 118)

Louise, in her park and hat, felt like a friendly snowman. (page 253)

...inside she finds several articles of androgynous clothing and a neat row of fishing hats. (page 381)

The women wear small hats. (page 423)

Wearing a fishing hat with a floppy brim...(page 423)

26 comments:

  1. I'm glad to be in the minority for GOTW. The first 80 pages got me! My Libby hold took forever on this one as well, and I'd heard such good things about it that I almost caved and bought it. But then the hold finally came in.

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    1. I agree that the timeline was challenging at first and I can see how that would turn you off from it!

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  2. I think Jenny liked it too?

    I'm on the waitlist for this one at the library and it looks like it'll take forever.

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    1. I was surprised at how quickly my hold came in - hopefully yours will be the same.

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  3. This is so on my TBR are but it's not even available in my library.

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    1. Oh, no! I hate it when that happens.

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  4. I have this on hold and I am SO excited. I don't read much fiction, but I'm mostly excited because there is contention among Cool Bloggers about the book and I'm legit intrigued to see where I fall on the spectrum.
    Agreed with people above - I wonder if my hold will ever come in...*sigh*

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    1. I was so excited because even if I had not liked it, I wanted to be part of the conversation. Hopefully your hold comes in soon.

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  5. I was on the fence about reading this one, but I need a page turner this fall/winter, so I might just get it. I think it's on the lucky day shelf at my library.

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    1. Yes, get it! Hopefully it will keep you on the edge of your seat.

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  6. Jenny did like it too! And she was wondering how the audiobook would be since it went back and forth with times and characters. Well, I listened to it as an audiobook and I had no issues! In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy to follow, even while riding a bike at the same time. I also gave it 4.5 stars and am a fan! Sorry Birchie!

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    1. Oh, interesting. I think I would have been so confused without the visual to see the timeline. It's good to know that wasn't a problem.

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  7. In fact, your review matches the way I felt about this book. i might not have liked it quite as much as you, but I did like it. Again, it seems like it would have been super confusing on audiobook, and I agree, the writing wasn't GREAT. But it was definitely entertaining, and I didn't guess the ending.

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    1. Exactly. It was entertaining! I'm just a basic lady living a basic life wanting to read a basic mystery.

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  8. I liked this one, but didn't love it. What I DID love was the visual timeline technique. That was a great way to show where we were on such a complex timeline. Like you, I felt this book was very easy to read. I didn't want to stop. Not quite sure why I didn't "love" it? Maybe it just felt a little less... fresh than some stories? Like, it was a perfectly serviceable mystery, but nothing special? That feels super harsh -- I did like it!

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    1. I think we're in agreement. I liked this one! I didn't love it, though, and I'm not sure what's keeping me from a whole-hearted 5/5 stars.

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  9. Oh goodness, all the cool kids are reading it! I need to add it to my TBR pile. Physical book, or audio? Kyria said it's not hard to follow when listening, so maybe I'll go that route...

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    1. It's definitely the It Book of fall, I think.

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  10. I really loved this book so was a little nervous to see what you rated it! I am glad that you liked it. I thought it was so well done and very complex in terms of what was going on with the mental health of the mother. I also did not see the ending coming.

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    1. The ending was so surprising! I found it really satisfying.

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  11. This whole conversation makes me want to read it to see who I agree with!

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    1. Right? I had to order this book because I needed to know where I stood!

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  12. I have this on hold and it likewise looks like it's going to be forever, but yesterday I went into pick up one hold and there was another one that also looked like it would be a long time, so who knows. Looking forward to joining the conversation.

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    1. Oh, yes, you read a lot more mystery/thrillers than I do. I wonder if the end will surprise you. Can't wait to find out!

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  13. Yay - I'm glad you loved this one. I thought it was such a unique story and I loved the way it was told. And yes, that visual timeline was CLUTCH.

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    1. Yes! That visual timeline was so important to my reading enjoyment. I now wish other books would do this!

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