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And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

And When She Was Good

A Novel

by Laura Lippman

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Published:
  • Aug 2012, 384 pages
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There are currently 33 member reviews
for And When She Was Good
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  • Cynthia C. (Peekskill, NY)
    And When She Was Good
    I am a big fan of Ms. Lippman in general, but I didn't particularly enjoy this book. Heloise wasn't a very likeable character and I had trouble with the flow and pace of the book. I usually whip through her books, but I struggled to finish this one.
  • Angela J. (Highlands Ranch, CO)
    And When She Was Good - Laura Lippman
    This book was plodding, and was far too long in the telling. The main character, Heloise is extremely unlikeable, and manages to blame everyone else for her troubles. None of the characters were fleshed out, so it was hard to stay interested.

    I enjoy her books, just not this one. Hopefully, her next book will be better.
  • Carole P. (framingham, ma)
    And When She Was Good
    I have read many Laura Lippman books and always enjoy them. She is an easy read, with usually an intense fast moving plot. This story line was intriguing. A woman is found dead. She was a madam with a "black book. Was she murdered or did she take her own life. The voice of the book is another woman, who is also a madam. We go back and forth in time, coming to understand how her life took this direction. Do we view her as a victim, pushed into her life by things she had no control over? Should we see her as a moral person or a player? Is she somehow connected to the dead woman? All of this in interesting. However, it took too long to tell this story. It was not up to the caliber of her previous books.
  • Marylou C. (Winfield, IL)
    Pretty much the same
    Looked forward to reading this book and was pretty much disappointed. Same story, different characters and an ending that was less than satisfying. Story was pretty much what was expected with just a minor twist here and there. Sorry, can't really recommend this one.
  • Kate T. (Cedarville, MI)
    And When She Was Good
    I must admit that I had a hard time connecting with Heloise, in fact I had to make myself finish the book. The story seemed rather predictable and difficult to follow. In the past I have enjoyed Laura Lippman's books but this one just didn't resonate with me.
  • Kristen K. (Atlanta, Georgia)
    And When She Was Good
    This book is the story of a "suburban madam". The woman's back story is revealed slowly through out the book. I did feel some sympathy for the main character and understood why she grew to suppress all emotion except for her son. The book kept me reading because I wanted to find out why she ended up where she did and what her motivations were. In the end I felt very lukewarm towards the heroine and doubted the life she hoped to make for herself and her son. I wouldn't recommend this book because I didn't really like the main character.
  • Julie D. (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA)
    And When She Was Good
    I received "And When She Was Good" as an advanced readers' copy. I understand sometimes authors will make changes before publication, so this review is based on the ARC.

    I liked the book. It was good, not great. It held my attention and would make a good summer reading choice for the beach. There isn't a whole lot of thinking that needs to go into reading the book which makes it a nice summer read.

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