Tag Archives: j k rowling

the cuckoo’s calling parts 4 and 5

jk-rowling-the-cuckoos-calling

The Cuckoo’s Calling (kindle here) part 4 and 5 are combined because I accidentally finished it. I, well, wasn’t crazy about it. SPOILERS AHEAD. DEAD AHEAD.

Well, we found out the murderer. And I’m kind of annoyed about it. Making the murderer the person who hired the detective feels like a cheat and a gimmick, not a smart subversion of reader expectations.

Things did get a little juicier in the last parts. The pace picked up, and I read a little faster. Poor Rochelle is tossed over the edge, just like Lula was. Strike finally gets into some tough spots, even though one is with an elderly woman confined to a bed.

But the glimpse of celebs and some exciting detective work (I mean, a little bit at least) doesn’t make up for an ending (and middle?) that fell flat. I like an altercation with the killer as much as the next person, but why on earth would Strike, who is recently injured, has one leg, and has taken off his prosthesis, sit around his office and wait for Bristow to come do him in? I know he was a boxer, but what did he really expect to happen?

Continue reading “the cuckoo’s calling parts 4 and 5”

the cuckoo’s calling part 3

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You know, it’s surprising we didn’t guess it was Rowling right away. She’s got a thing for crazy names. Hermione. Cormoran. In part 3 of The Cuckoo’s Calling (Kindle here), we meet the mysterious Rochelle, have a run in with Lula’s angry racist uncle, and Robin flexes her deception muscles.

Strike is continuing his clue gathering and interviews. He finally met Lula’s friend from rehab, Rochelle, who seems as unreliable as just about everyone else he’s interviewed. Robin finds Rochelle by pretending to be Rochelle when she calls the hospital to ask when her appointment is. Then they stalk the entrance of the hospital until Rochelle arrives. Robin also pretends to be someone she’s not when she and Strike visit the boutique that Lula visited the last day she was alive. Robin has certainly been getting into this detective business. (Speaking of Robin, are her and Strike ever going to get it on?)

Continue reading “the cuckoo’s calling part 3”

the cuckoo’s calling part 2

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We enter part 2 of The Cuckoo’s Calling (Kindle here, my thoughts on part 1 here) to follow our heroes while they gather more clues. I actually feel more like I am in the board game clue than in a story. If security guard was in the wash room, and the boyfriend at the club, I propose Mr. Bestigui murdered Lula Landry in the drawing room with the candlestick.

As an editor/journalist/pretend police investigator, I like gathering clues and information. But as a reader, I’d like to get all of this info as the plot moves along or as characters develop. It seems like more talking than showing, more explaining than storytelling.

“Strike would have preferred Bristow not to intervene.”  See what I mean? Telling me what’s in his head is just so boring.

But since we spent all that time interviewing and clue gathering, let’s see what we know.

  • Lula has a friend from rehab named Rochelle who met with Lula on the day of her suicide/murder.
  • Lula had an on-and-off relationship with that dumb guy who wears a wolf mask to avoid the paparazzi because, sure, a wolf mask garners less attention.
  • Mr. Bestigui is mad about 200 roses being spilled in Deeby Mac’s apartment. If those roses don’t mean anything this is the biggest, most annoying red herring ever.
  • Lula’s driver is obsessed with fame and celebs, and he was not her driver the night she died.
  • The apartment security guard was away from his post when Lula fell.
  • Tansy Bestigui heard some yelling in Lula’s apartment. The police don’t believe she could have heard anyone–they clearly don’t live in a place where you can hear things through the vents.

What do you guys think? Have any bets on who the killer is? Are their big clues I’m missing? If you’ve finished, no spoilers please! See my thoughts on part 1 here, and keep reading! I’ll see you back here next week.

(I bought this book on my own and am not being paid to write about it. But I am a part of the Amazon Affiliates program, so if you buy through my links on Amazon, I’ll receive a little bit of money for it.)

the cuckoo’s calling part 1

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It is a not so secret desire of mine to become a police detective. It is my back up plan, my alternate universe career, and the subject of quite a few daydreams. I can’t stop watching cop shows or reading murder mysteries. (And yeah, I know that’s not exactly how it works in real life.)

So I like a good detective story. I feel like I am reading about my imaginary colleagues. And though solving a mystery in a book isn’t at all like solving a mystery in real life, I’m pretty good at it. (Well, I’m not the worst at it.)

I have just finished part one of The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith J.K. Rowling (Kindle here). I can’t say I never would have read this book if it didn’t come out that Robert Galbraith was a pseudonym for Rowling (that secret didn’t last long, did it?), but I can say I didn’t hear about the book until that story broke. So I picked it up, along with thousands of others.

Continue reading “the cuckoo’s calling part 1”

family book club

I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I come from a family of readers (for this, I am #thankful). I’ve never known a moment where reading wasn’t celebrated or encouraged, and believe me when I say I am grateful and know this isn’t the norm for everyone. Now that we are all adults (I’m the youngest), we keep reading and talking and sharing our stories.

So this may have been a long time coming, but we’ve recently started Family Book Club. We are picking one book each quarter, and rotating who gets to choose. Our first book was The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (Kindle version here) purely by accident because several of us picked it up when it came out. Our discussions were loosely structured and a lot of fun. We decided to do one book each quarter, so one book for every three months.

This time, I get to pick the book. So whoever wants to participate (no pressure) will pick up Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Kindle version here) and we’ll talk about it on the phone or in person or on video chat or in email around the end of March.

middlesex jeffrey eugenides

So, friends, would you like to read it too? Whoever wants to should pick up a copy and join the discussion! It will be casual, it will be fun, and I’d love to talk about it with you. You have until March 31. If you’ve already read it, feel free to join in as well! We’d love to have you. I’ll post some of our talking points on here, so get ready to comment away. You can follow my reading also on Goodreads and find me always on Twitter.

Also also, I’m reading Safe as Houses by Marie-Helene Bertino so I can participate in Word bookstore’s book club meeting this weekend on Feb. 2. If you’re in the area please come with me! I’ve heard great things about this book and can’t wait to get some book club experience under my belt.

(I bought these books on my own and am not being paid to write about them. But I am a part of the Amazon Affiliates program, so if you buy it through my links on Amazon, I’ll receive a little bit of money for it. I am not affiliated with Word; I’m just a fan.) 

the casual vacancy

I finished this book with a glass of wine and a box of tissues. My tears fell for the characters in  the book, and their injustices, their pain, and the knowledge that real-life people are going through the same, and worse.

This isn’t the first time J.K. Rowling has made me cry. Her themes of respect, friendship, and death are as apparent in The Casual Vacancy as they were in Harry Potter. The Casual Vacancy opens with the death of Barry Fairbrother, a member of the town council in Pagford. Just like with Harry’s mother, Lily Evans, we learn about Barry mostly through the way people speak of him. He is kind, perhaps to a fault. He is generous. He is smart, works hard, and cares for people less fortunate than him. People like Krystal Weedon, a high school student from the poor side of town who Barry takes under his wing.

The tale that follows Barry’s death is full of gossip in a small town, and how it affects the city council election for Barry’s now open spot. There’s gossip, bullying, drinking, drugs, affairs, and sex. But also HOW that gossip, bullying, drinking, drugs, affairs, and sex affect the people involved. Through Rowling’s beautifully crafted characters, you learn about the bully and bullied. You see both sides, and Rowling poses no judgement. She leaves that to you.

My favorite thing about this book, and the Harry Potter series, is how Rowling illustrates respect. Harry respects living creatures, no matter how small or insignificant. He sees what’s in their hearts and not the purity of their blood. In The Casual Vacancy, almost everyone does bad things. But who is a bad person? Is it a drug addict prostitute mother? Is it a man who cheats on his wife? Is it a teenager with every privilege who harasses people for sport? Rowling finds humanity in all of them, and in doing so, she reminds her readers to do the same.

I have a lot more thoughts about this book. Want to talk about it with me? Lemme know. Email me at raesdays [at] gmail.com, leave a comment, or hit me up on twitter @rclnudson. (And if you’re my sister, Dad said you were reading it–let’s talk soon!) See what else I’m reading on Goodreads.