The Girls (2016)

(AKA - I AM VICTIM, HEAR ME WHINE)

After reading The Girls I don't think it deserved all the hype. It was a decent read that was pretty much a retelling of the Manson murders. A little different, with some interesting writing and phrases, but nothing to go running around screaming with excitement.

I think that Emma Cline did a nice service to the voice of her character, Evie, as far as her level of bold honesty. Kind of writing to the bones if you will. I really hated, however, that there was a large part of Evie's character that was self loathing, playing a victim, and how much she sung the woes of being a woman. Some of her faults may have been necessary in order for her to show why Evie might have been the kind of girl that could be attracted to a cult, but it was the constant victimization of women that really made me want to shake her. I get that the novel is set in late 1969, and I know the plights of being a woman are a popular topic, but damn. Honestly, give me ANY group of people be it of man, woman, or child, and I can show you some level of oppression. I fount it good enough for Evie to have landed herself in the bad situation because of a bad home life, looking for love, and all that jazz, and hated her using being a woman as an excuse for her sorry ass life.

I appreciate the way that the reader is privy to the details of all the horrors of what went on and the way that Emma Cline delivered the information in tidbits, as needed, without too much graphic description. Her 'as you need to know approach was perfect for a book that must have been hard not to make too gruesome.

I recommend this book to readers who like to be just a little creeped out, and are interested in the cults, and/or the inner workings of the teenage mind in what was mostly a very realistic way.

For you ladies who are all about exploiting the women's rights movement, this one is definitely for you. You will love it. *rolls eyes ( )

After reading The Girls I don't think it deserved all the hype. It was a decent read that was pretty much a retelling of the Manson murders. A little different, with some interesting writing and phrases, but nothing to go running around screaming with excitement.

I think that Emma Cline did a nice service to the voice of her character, Evie, as far as her level of bold honesty. Kind of writing to the bones if you will. I really hated, however, that there was a large part of Evie's character that was self loathing, playing a victim, and how much she sung the woes of being a woman. Some of her faults may have been necessary in order for her to show why Evie might have been the kind of girl that could be attracted to a cult, but it was the constant victimization of women that really made me want to shake her. I get that the novel is set in late 1969, and I know the plights of being a woman are a popular topic, but damn. Honestly, give me ANY group of people be it of man, woman, or child, and I can show you some level of oppression. I fount it good enough for Evie to have landed herself in the bad situation because of a bad home life, looking for love, and all that jazz, and hated her using being a woman as an excuse for her sorry ass life.

I appreciate the way that the reader is privy to the details of all the horrors of what went on and the way that Emma Cline delivered the information in tidbits, as needed, without too much graphic description. Her 'as you need to know approach was perfect for a book that must have been hard not to make too gruesome.

I recommend this book to readers who like to be just a little creeped out, and are interested in the cults, and/or the inner workings of the teenage mind in what was mostly a very realistic way.

For you ladies who are all about exploiting the women's rights movement, this one is definitely for you. You will love it. *rolls eyes ( )

Cults, murder, painful adolescent girlhood--what's not to love?

3.5 out of 5. I feel I would of enjoyed The Girls more if I hadn't read about the Manson killings, because this book is basically just a fictional retelling of what happened except from a girl's point of view who got sucked into the cult. It's an interesting book and Evie's character is aware and makes observations about the crap women, especially adolescent girls, have to deal with. I wish more of the story focused on Evie and her insights and not on the Mansonesque factors. ( )

3 STARS.

I was so excited to read this. I almost purchased this book several times. After reading it, I'm glad I didn't. It was alright, but there was something off about the writing. ( )