I would give it four, maybe four and a half stars.
The Basics
Book Title: The Woman In Cabin 10
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Year: 2016
Pages: 340
Available formats: Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback, Mass Market Paperback, Audio CD
Favorite or most memorable quotes:
On page 58, Lo basically thinks (Paraphrase):-The men are all fat and the women are all super skinny. She goes on to insinuate that if they were shipwrecked, the women could eat one of the men... lol.
The preceding is not a quote it's a paraphrase. The scene takes place on the first night when Lo, the main character, goes to the dining room for dinner and she takes the time to assess the other guests on the cruise. So far I'm only halfway through the book. We'll see if my favorite quote will change by the end. I was excited to read this book because it is a story set aboard a cruise ship. As you know, that's my specialty.
My preferred mode of reading is audible.com, however for this book, which was highly recommended by a friend and fellow author, Lucy Hedrick, I'm listening on audible at the same time reading the printed paperback book. This technique helps me to absorb more from the story.
The Review
The first four chapters were disorienting, only because it took quite some time to get to the ship. I feel as though the story should have started in chapter five. After the first three chapters, it felt like too much 'back story.' I'm only halfway through, so I imagine things foreshadowed in the first four chapters, will come to fruition at the end. Hopefully. With that said, it is all very engaging.Once you get onboard, everything happens quickly. The author does a fantastic job of describing the rich settings as well as each interesting character. Great cliff hanger chapter endings.By chapter 11, I'm not sure I like the heroine at all. However, a likable heroine is not necessary for a good book. Any book can be good as long as the character is a well-rounded and interesting person, flaws and all, which Lo certainly is. She behaves as an alcoholic, she is most definitely suffering from PTSD, and she is vastly unsure of herself, stutters profusely (though NOT a speech impediment). Yet she is opposing everyone in charge, and leading an efficient investigation, in unfamiliar territory, to solve a murder mystery? I don't quite buy it.As of right now, I'd still give it five stars. The story is well-plotted out and the characters are well-developed and distinct from one another. It's a page-turner for sure.
Finally Finished the book. It's a good read and certainly different with regards to the location. It wouldn't be my first choice to recommend as I feel it could have been just as good in three hours less than it took to read through--too much repetition and regurgitation of the same information. But alas, so goes the stream of consciousness type of writing on which this is heavy.
All in all, it is well written and it's still a page-turner. I do like the fact that through all the difficulties it ends well for the protagonist.
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