Is everyone starting to get spring fever, or is it just me? Well the season officially begins this week so get ready. Wahoo. Presently we have light snowflakes coming down here, but I can tell things are changing and warming up. In the photo at left is the little river valley we live near. I walk our dog along there and she swims in the river all summer. It’s a nice area and sometimes I’ll see a woodpecker, bald eagle, coyote, or an owl along the way.
This week I’m headed to visit my parents in California and I’m sure it’ll feel like a slice of heaven flying into Palm Springs. It usually does, with the San Jacinto Mountains in the background. I get about six days in SoCal so I’m thinking I’ll get a lot of reading done on my spring break, or at least I’m planning to. The novel I’m partially into right now — Mira T. Lee’s debut “Everything Here Is Beautiful” — is not entirely captivating me just yet, but I’m hoping that will change.
Meanwhile I finished A.J. Finn’s psychological thriller “The Woman in the Window.” I started it as an audiobook but somewhere along the line the library copy ran out on me — but just then by some miracle the library print edition became available to me so I finished reading it. It was quite a coincidence since some 532 people here are on the wait list to get their paws on one of the 70 copies the library has of it. (Hmm shouldn’t they be reading something more important like “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”? Ha. Actually that book has 482 library holds on it here. Glad to see people are paying attention.)
Surely people need an escape and “The Woman in the Window” has been immensely popular ever since it came out in January amid all the hype. Apparently the movie rights to it were bought even before the book’s publication date: holy smokes. Not to mention the author (writing under a pseudonym) was offered a $2 million, two-book deal for it at the publishing house — William Morrow –where he worked as a book editor. No word yet on who will play the novel’s kooky main character, though I’ll put in a word for Jennifer Jason Leigh, ha. She’d be perfect for it, if not for being a bit too old; this character is around 38 years of age. Hmm. But perhaps I could change that for the film version?
Someone on Goodreads said “The Woman in the Window” is like a cross between Ruth Ware’s thriller “Woman in Cabin 10” and Paula Hawkins’s “The Girl on the Train.” Since I haven’t read Ware’s book, I’ll substitute in Dennis Lehane’s “Shutter Island,” which was a particularly crazy read. Whatever the comparison, it’s among the genre of psychological thrillers that has certainly exploded in popularity over the past 10 years. I’m not a glutton for all these kinds of books — and missing people murders — but I get to a few of them for their page-turning qualities.
This one has a pretty nutty narrator (Anna Fox), a 38-year-old child psychologist who’s separated from her husband and daughter and has been holed up inside their Manhattan townhouse the past 10 months with a severe case of agoraphobia. She’s a pill-popping wino (she likes her Merlot), who watches old classic movies and spies on her neighbors across the park … that is until one day she sees a crime happen that she reports, but no one believes her. Her world then begins to unravel. Is she right, is she wrong — is she losing her mind? What really happened?
Oh this is a fast, twisty one. I was so gullible too, the author could’ve pointed me to a cliff and I probably would’ve fallen off it, LOL. Anna Fox drove me a bit batty at times with her ineptness and the boozy haze she’s under, but on the whole I thought the thriller was well done and entertaining — it plays out much like the classic films it pays homage to such as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window.” It’s neat in that way — and I probably should brush up on my viewing of “Rear Window” and “Gaslight” after reading this. As I said, I didn’t foresee the twists along the way or the whodunit — perhaps I should have — but instead I gullibly went along guessing between those the plot pointed me to, which proved oh so wrong. Shame on me.
What about you — have you read this one, and what is going on in your neck of the woods?
Lucky you. Palm Springs sounds wonderful right about now and I haven’t even had a tough winter! I hope you have a lovely time and get loads of reading done.
I wasn’t a big fan of The Woman in the Window. Just too much irrational behavior from an educated woman for me. I also saw the twist coming and had a hard time reconciling it with her being a psychologist. Oh, well! We can’t agree on everything. It keeps things interesting.
Hey Susie, thanks, looking forward to my trip. Isn’t okay you didn’t care for Woman in the Window. I can understand your points. Anna Fox certainly tested my patience and believability among other things! You are an astute reader. 🙂
Our weather continues to be back and forth but today was warm. I’m anxious for warmer weather but I’m not looking forward to the humidity that comes along with it.
I loved The Woman in the Window but did see one of the twists coming.
Hi Kathy, yeah that humidity down South is a bit hard to handle. It does a number on my hair. Glad you enjoyed Woman in the Window.
A have not read any of these newer psychological thrillers. I also have not seen any of the films. This is not because I do not think that I would like them, it is just that I have not gotten to them. I really must give Girl on The Train a try. This does sound like Rear Window in some ways. It also sounds very good.
Hi Brian, the nutty narrators of these thrillers might not be your cup of tea. They will likely test your patience like they did mine. Still they are fast page-turners. Cheers.
I had a print copy of The Woman in the Window from the library, but it ran out on me after I’d read about 120 pages. Anna is definitely one nutty narrator! I haven’t been able to check it out again, so am glad I wasn’t totally invested yet. Hope to get another chance soon. Enjoy your trip!
Hi JoAnn, yeah I was a bit panicked when my copy ran out on me b/c I was close to the end; luckily I got the other copy right then. Anna Fox drove me pretty batty but I stayed with it. Hope you get to try it again. Looking forward to my trip, thanks!
SoCal this time of year must be amazing; hopefully not too warm or too cold, just right and sunny, the way I’m craving right now. I haven’t read any of the psychological thrillers that have made waves in the past few years; I have seen the movies though and I haven’t been impressed with the adaptations. Where have I been? Or it is rather, what have I been reading?! 🙂 The Woman in the Window sounds good. I like page-turners and this one seems to have met your standards. I’m reading The Cloister; it’s a solid four stars thus far, and a literary page-turner, which I wasn’t expecting at all. I hope it delivers throughout. I’ll keep you posted.
Hi Carmen, thanks I think SoCal should be perfect right around now. These thrillers are pretty much page-turning manipulations, not sure how believable a lot of them really are, but I fall for reading one every once in awhile. Glad you are reading The Cloister — really look forward to hearing what you think of it. Hope spring arrives soon in Connecticut. Cheers.
Well we are still not getting the warm temps we had in February. Rain rain and more rain, but that is fine. We are thankful for every drop.
I have not read The Woman in the Window. I am sort of obsessing on post apocalyptic fiction these days. But I will finish my 1963 list this month as well as the Lyndon B Johnson biography I have been reading slowly since February. I read the new Louise Erdrich novel, which got some lukewarm reviews, but I loved it: Future Home of the Living God. Otherwise I am waiting for the next novel to really do it for me. I have The Bear and the Nightingale on my shelf from the library. Soon!
Happy Spring Break!
Thanks Judy, I hear there will be rain when I get to Calif later in the week, but it’s okay. It’ll feel warm to me. Sounds like your reading is hitting some interesting ones. I have been slow lately but hopefully it’ll pick up on spring break. I have seen The Bear & the Nightingale around — look forward to hearing if it’s good. Not sure what’s ahead for me, but I might read David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Hmm. Enjoy your week.
I haven’t read The Woman in the Window yet because it does sound very much like Rear Window but I love that type of story and DO have a copy on my Kindle. I could see Leigh playing a kooky crazy woman.
So you are in Palm Springs right now! I love PS. Have you ever been to Elmer’s? BEST breakfast in the valley. Long lines to get in but it’s worth it. I am always sad though that Palm Springs isn’t big on bookstores. They have B&N and not much else. Beautiful libraries though. Clearly, retired folks like to borrow and not buy.
Hi Ti. I fly into PS tomorrow, wahoo! I have not been to Elmer’s (I should go!), we usually go to Spencer’s for lunch at the PS tennis club. But I won’t be staying in PS — I will drive on to my folks’ place in Redlands. Great library there too, I raid the sale section. I hear it will rain there this week, wow. Actual rain?! PS is great. I’ll be curious to see if you like Woman in the Window when you get to it. Pretty easy fast read. Cheers.
Palm Beach sounds wonderful! We have no snow but temperatures are still hovering around freezing, which I do not like. I believe there is snow in the forecast for the weekend too, so winter does not appear ready to relinquish control just yet. I am ready to put away the winter coats and heavy sweaters though.
Enjoy your trip!
Thanks Michelle. Yeah I’m in the desert, Palm Springs area actually, but it’s really a nice escape from winter back home. I hope Wisconsin – where you are warms up soon! Thx for stopping by.
I know I would like the Woman in the Window–my kind of thriller!
Hi Jane: yeah I thought it was pretty well done: I like how it ties in the classics with it. It’s fast too! Enjoy.
Spring feels right around the corner here too, I can’t wait! Part of Minnesota got a big snowstorm last night, but it missed us. I’m hoping this is the last one before the weather warms up again.
Hi Kim, Hope Minn warms up soon. I can’t wait for spring either! Still snow in our parts of Canada, argh. Enjoy the season there.