Customer Reviews: Read 232 more reviews...
 This book left me feeling cheated. November 29, 2008
I like strange endings, done well, especially in books that are well-written overall. This one had a good sense of humor and great characters, but in comparison to the care spent on many of the story's other details, the ending felt incredibly lazy. It is very rare for me to dislike a book that I mostly enjoyed reading because of an ending, but this one was jolting enough that I do. I don't really need (or want) to be "spoon-fed" (as one apparently more intellectual reviewer felt the need to put it) a blow-by-blow resolution to every question or loose end a book brings up, but if a mystery is waved tantalizingly in front of my face throughout an entire novel as a major plot point and something that is meant to keep me reading, I expect to find out slightly more about it by the end of the book than I knew near the beginning. Otherwise...what's the point? I'm sure the author felt she was being very clever with this, but I personally think it ruins an otherwise well-crafted story. Too bad. This had a lot of potential.
 A+ Style - C- Ending November 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this book from the first sentence....BUT..... I thrive on good literary composition and French is a "master" wordsmith. The development of her characters outstanding as well as the ability to put the reader right in the Irish countryside. Her style is very conversational and engaging. Having read the review I knew it was my "kind of book" and was not disappointed UNTIL the end. I watched for clues throughout; ie: Ryan slamming on the brakes because of a fast moving animal in front of the car in which he and Cassie are riding. What was THAT all about??? Especially then when attention is devoted to the laughing, swishing voice in the woods heard by several people. I was half way waiting for some kind of phantom to emerge which would have at least explained the disappearance of the children and the claw marks on young Ryan's shirt. French is an accomplished writer but I am most reluctant to read her next endeavor fearing I'll have the same sense of disappointment and anger at the ending. How about a sequel -- get Cassie and Ryan back together and uncover the 20 year old mystery?
An okay read. November 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was not a very suspenseful "psychological suspense" novel. I was curious about the ending, but not enthralled. I cast my vote with the other readers who were let down. I was not emotionally engaged and felt like the characters were too flat, the elements and diverging lines of investigation too diverse and coincidental, the introduction of the mysterious possibility of a mythical forest creature/monster too odd, and the resolution of the solved case too abrupt.
 CAPTIVATING READ! November 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For those of you who slammed this book for not wrapping everything up in a pretty package and delivering it to you I say : Get over it. This is an awesome book , I couldn't put it down. While it sometimes does annoy me when things are not resolved, I thought in this case it worked for the plot. It was realistic and added to the power of the story. This was an awesome book- don't be jaded by bad reviews, give it a chance!!! I loved it!!!!
Creepy, Haunting, a great read November 23, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
It seems like most of the complaints people have about this book revolve around one of the mysteries not being solved. Trust me--French did it that way on purpose, not because she 'couldn't think of anything', and it is brilliant. What you imagine from the terribly creepy, disturbing details you DO have surrounding the event is far more terrible than anything French could have handed to you in a nicely wrapped package. Furthermore, French prepares you-- she hints to the reader that the mystery is not going to be resolved. I wasn't expecting it to be. What I have formulated in my imagination is so much more terrifying and creepy than any 'logical explanation' might be.
I loved this novel. It was one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. (Some of my other favorites are Time Traveler's Wife, The Crimson Petal and the White, The Road, Fall on Your Knees, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. If you liked those, I think you'll like In The Woods). The book creeped me out, made me jumpy and haunted me for days. It was such a delicious, fun scare. The ending was maybe not a fairy tale sort, but it was well done and satisfying.
If you need everything spelled out for you, if you need to be spoon fed, then you might not like the book. If you like to do a little thinking and use your imagination, I think you'll love this incredibly well written, deeply haunting, delicious good read!
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