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#BookReview: Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner @k_faulkner

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Hi everyone.  My breathing remains troublesome, and I started an additional inhaler on top of everything else last week. Still no news on when I’ll have the chest x-ray. The waiting is hard. Today, I have a book review for you from an author I came across via NetGalley. After previous blog discussions, I have decided to post all reviews of three stars and upward >>>

About the Book:

 

Helen has it all …

Daniel is the perfect husband.

Rory is the perfect brother.

Serena is the perfect sister-in-law.

And Rachel? Rachel is the perfect nightmare.

When Helen, finally pregnant after years of tragedy, attends her first antenatal class, she is expecting her loving architect husband to arrive soon after, along with her confident, charming brother Rory and his pregnant wife, the effortlessly beautiful Serena. What she is not expecting is Rachel.

Extroverted, brash, unsettling single mother-to-be Rachel, who just wants to be Helen’s friend. Who just wants to get know Helen and her friends and her family. Who just wants to know everything about them. Every little secret.

My Review:

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for a FREE ARC of this book.

‘I know you asked me not to write to you again. But you need to know the truth, even if, after all this time, your hands are still clamped over your ears.’

From this opening line, we jump backward to when the main character is 24 weeks pregnant and about to attend her first antenatal class, where it all beings to go horribly wrong. The plot and pacing is a bit like the frog in boiling water … it heats up slowly, slowly, so slowly that you hardly notice … however, for me, it never really reached full boil.

I found the writing passive in the extreme and unpolished with lots of extraneous words such as ‘just’ ‘starts to’ ‘seem’, and etc. The sentence constructions rely heavily on split infinitives and some lack punctuation entirely. For example: ‘I tip the dirty water away put some music on and open the windows to air out the house.’ The narrative is written in first person present tense, which once you adapt to it, reads smoothly enough.

However, a couple of lines did stand out as done well: ‘The view from the window is blank and featureless, London’s landmarks too distant to make out, the city a scribbled line on the horizon.’ 

‘The rain scatters everyone, washes all the people from the streets.’ 

Furthermore, I guessed who was in trouble and who was blackmailing by about 14% of the way into the book. It took longer to suss out the why, though. All in all, an enjoyable enough read but not gripping or surprising or particularly new. Greenwich Park gets three soft stars from me, which means it was an okay read.

 

 

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NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

 

For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

 

20 Comments on “#BookReview: Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner @k_faulkner”

  1. Thank you for your efforts on informing us about the news, during your sad situation. Hope you are feeling a little bit better today, and wish you a fast recovery, Harmony. Be blessed! Michael

    • Thanks so much, Michael. I’ve started a new tablet now, so here’s hoping that helps. All the very best, Harmony 🙂

  2. Lines like the first one you shared would drive me insane! Thanks for sharing your review.
    I do hope you get your results soon and that the new med helps. {{{hugs}}}

    • I might have rolled my eyes and stared heavenward a couple of times, lols. Thanks, Joan 🙂

  3. Thanks for sharing your honest review of this book, Harmony. I do hope you are breathing easier soon!

    • With a little extra attention, this book could shine. Thanks for your well wishes, Jacquie 🙂

  5. I love that line about the rain washing people from the streets!

    I just came off a three star read not long ago, and can relate to a book having good points, but falling a bit short overall. Good review, Harmony.

    I do hope you get that x-ray soon. You’ve been waiting far too long!

  6. Sounds like a good developmental edit in the beginning and a good line edit at the end would have really made this one shine. Eh, we always have room to grow. Thanks for sharing.

    • So well said. We sure do. I learn so much from every book I read. Thanks, Staci 🙂

  7. There’s always another book somewhere. I wish you were getting better care. Hang in there.

  8. Thank you for sharing your review, Harmony. Thoughtful and astute, I found it very helpful. But I’m so sorry about the continued problem with breathing! I wish there was something I could do to help. Sending much love and prayers….

    • I’m so sorry you are still waiting and dealing with breathing issues, Harmony. Thank you for sharing your review. Sending healing hugs xo

    • Your ongoing support helps immensely. I’m glad you found the review helpful. Thanks, Gwen. Love your way as well! 🙂

  9. Yikes, sorry to hear about your continuing breathing issues! Hang in there.

    Fair review. Sounds like an entertaining read even if it wasn’t fabulous.