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Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

What we're reading

The Seven Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle

20 replies

aconcertpianist · 12/12/2018 11:01

Has anyone else been disappointed with this?

Foolishly, I hadn't really understood that it was some sort of fantasy book before picking it up but I was so disappointed.
It was repetitive, creaked and was, in my opinion, over-written. I struggled to see how it had even been published.

However, I seem to be in a minority of one!

OP posts:

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CraicMammy · 12/12/2018 11:06

I’m with you on this, I’m about half way through and I’m going to give up. I love a whodunnit/mystery story, but this is v disappointing. Its not thrilling, I have no desire to see what happens to the characters. It’s written without feeling.

It’s been published because it’s clever

usedtobeboss · 12/12/2018 11:15

Glad I'm not the only one! I hate giving up on books, and it promised so much, but I'm fed up with it. If anyone can give me a good reason for keeping going, I'll slog on, but it would have to be a very good reason...

DoraChance · 12/12/2018 11:20

I was really looking toward to this one but I just couldn't get past the first few chapters. Not my cup of tea!

aconcertpianist · 12/12/2018 11:25

I instantly feel better! Thank you!

OP posts:

madeleineinlondon · 12/12/2018 11:29

I'm also glad I'm not alone! I gave up on it halfway through too. I found it incredibly dreary and I just didn't care. Like you, I was expecting it to be more whodunnit and less fantasy. Not for me at all.

BitterLemonTart · 12/12/2018 11:36

I loved it 🤦‍♀️ However I did listen to the audiobook and was thinking it might be hard to read. I thought it was clever and showed how many directions one life could take.

Ilovewillow · 12/12/2018 11:43

I have read it and found the first half fairly laborious but kept going and quite enjoyed it in the end. Sadly it wasn't as amazing as I was hoping it was going to be. One for the charity shop rather than a keeper!

Slytherdor · 17/12/2018 23:27

I thought it was the best book I read this year!

I’ve even bought a few as Christmas presents!

Just loved everything about it

Alaaya · 17/12/2018 23:30

I loved it. Binge read it, couldn't put it down, was sad when it ended. Brilliant fantasy twist on a classic country house murder mystery.

TeaMeBasil · 19/12/2018 14:00

Blimey it's really love or hate with this book isn't it - sadly I was in the hate camp, really looked forward to it and gave up after 3 chapters, just couldn't get it! So disappointed!

boffin9207 · 21/12/2018 22:45

I am not a fan. Currently struggling to get past the first chapter! Can’t quite give up though.

Clawdy · 27/12/2018 16:22

Couldn't wait to get my hands on this one, but so disappointed. Far too many characters, very confusing. I battled on to nearly half way, then decided enough was enough. Such a let-down.

RyvitaBrevis · 27/12/2018 16:38

I loved the concept but I was a little disappointed with how complicated the solution was. I enjoyed it, though.

BeardedMum · 30/12/2018 15:50

I also loved the concept but gave up half way as it became too repetitive and I did not really gel with any of the characters.

toastedbeagle · 30/12/2018 16:11

I enjoyed it but felt the ending let it down.

DerelictWreck · 31/12/2018 12:05

Same as pps - really enjoyed it though the ending was a little anti-climatic.

Will say it took me a while to really 'get it' which is strange as I usually love books that jump in time and you race to figure out before you're told the answer!

About 1/3 of the way through I suddenly got enough clues to enjoy it and from then on it was really good.

pollyhemlock · 03/01/2019 13:31

I struggled a little to get into this, but now about halfway through and really enjoying the puzzle aspect. My theory is that they are all stuck inside a computer game. Probably completely wrong!

Panicmode1 · 04/01/2019 08:09

I thought the premise was brilliant, and it started strongly, but felt that the ending let it down. So, I loved the first half and found the second very laborious and over written.

pollyhemlock · 04/01/2019 14:30

Now finished this and I thought the ending was OK, though there were perhaps too many things left unexplained. An interesting twist on the country house murder mystery . The characters don’t have much depth, but I think that’s kind of the point.

PeckyOwl · 04/01/2019 17:42

Just finished this and I'm relieved it's over! I also didn't realise it was more fantasy than whodunit. Curiosity kept me reading but it just felt too clever for its own good... So many characters but not a single one I was interested in.

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