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There are currently 24 member reviews
for Afterwards
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Justine J. (San Francisco, California)
Afterwards
An interesting and fresh twist on your typical whodunnit crime story. Lupton takes her reader on a fascinating ride into the supernatural as her ostensibly comatose female narrator attempts to solve an arson mystery which landed both her and her daughter in intensive care. Well-paced, vividly depicted and raising thought-provoking questions around the afterlife and the bond between parents and their children, this book was an easy and entertaining read. Recommended.
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Susan Q. (East Williston, NY)
A Good Choice
I found this book very easy to get into right from the beginning. The characters are well developed and the plot kept my attention. Although I found the ending to be predictable, it will be a good book club pick as there are a few twists and good conversation issues.
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Elizabeth W. (Newton, MA)
Of two minds . . .
Rosamund Lipton's Afterwards is a well-written, riveting novel. The characters are engaging; although the twists and turns of the whodunnit plot are surprising, they are believable. Nonetheless, as much as I enjoyed the fast-paced, readable book, I ended up of two minds about it. Why? The two main characters are disembodied souls of critically injured patients, and that situation felt somewhat forced and prevented me from becoming immersed in the story. I do, however, recommend it as a fun read that touches on a variety of current social issues.
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Eve A. (Henderson, NV)
Afterwards
I do believe in "out of body" experiences but I wasn't sure that I would enjoy a book with that theme. I almost didn't finish this book but once I decided to give it a chance, I found myself enjoying it more and more. The story is told in a unique way and the plot twists and turns to keep you interested. It is a well written commentary on family relationships - how much we know about our loved ones - how much we think we know - and how much we don't know. I think book clubs would love this book as there is quite a bit to discuss. I am now going to go back and read the first book by this author.
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Eileen F. (Drexel Hill, PA)
Ghost thriller
Page turning thriller that is told by not quite ghosts. At times the implausibility of it all was frustrating and hard to get past. As a detective story and a tale about familial love this story was firing on all cylinders. Another good book from Rosamund Lupton.
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Diana C. (Delray Beach, FL)
Parallel Universe Whodunit
After the sudden fire at a primary school, a mother embarks upon a crusade, with her daughter's aid, to get to the bottom of this senseless and horrific act. The twist here is that both mother and daughter have been existing in an outer-body dimension, which proves problematic for crime solving. Although this book is very well written with characters that evoke genuine feelings on the part of the reader, had this story been written in traditional prose, it would stand out as a top-notch mystery, with emotional and gripping unforeseen twists and turns.
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Duane F. (Cape Girardeau, MO)
Afterwards
This was an exciting thriller. It had a chilling story line and believable characters. However, I would have happily traded some of the "twists and turns" of the plots, (there seemed to be several) for a better exploration of the relationship between the mother, Grace and the daughter, Jennifer. I think that Ms. Lupton could have done both. She gave these characters the opportunity to be able to step outside themselves and she easily could have allowed them to explore being a mother and a daughter while the rest of the family raced against the clock to save them. I also felt that Jennifer would have more likely suffered brain damage rather the cardiac damage by the actions taken against her. So much of the story was about "who done it", there was ample time and opportunity to explore the tenuous relationship between a teenage daughter and her mother. The reader never doubted their love for each other or the need to protect Adam, but so much could have been done to allow the reader to come away with a better knowledge of the emotions between the two main characters. Exciting it was, but excitement just was enough for me.
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