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Book Review of What She Left Behind

What She Left Behind
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I read What She Left Behind with a reading buddy in my online book club, The Reading Cove. And quite honestly, reading this story was akin to chewing glass--pure torture!

Who wants to read about a character being subjected to an endless hardship, suffering gross injustice nonstop right up until the end?? There was one point where I was just flat out ready to throw the book against the wall it was so frustrating! I finished only because it was a buddy read. Clara Cartwright's story is nothing but an emotional razor blade for the reader with no satisfying redemption in the end at all.

The modern-day storyline with Izzy Stone was pure juvenile YA boredom and didn't provide a competent enough thread to make up for Clara's poorly rendered tragedy.

While the premise is initially compelling, well researched and keeps you turning the pages, the execution simply slaps the reader in the face. This book could've been SO much more interesting if the author didn't have such a doom, doom, doom agenda. The pacing was also sophomoric--it moves like a drunken snail when huge flashbacks and backstory dumps are crammed right into the middle of scenes in progress! Urgh. That abounds in the writing style, making it BEG to be skimmed so the narrative can move at a more natural pace.

So overall, I could never recommend this book. It's not a very good reading experience. And going forward, I'd be super hesitant to touch another novel by this author. C-