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A review by the_joyful_book_club
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love Alice Feeney's work, and when I was given the chance to get an audibook copy of "Beautiful Ugly", I was excited. I was not disappointed.
Grady Green is finally a New York Times Best Selling Author. He'd waited for this moment for a long time and everything would be perfect, except his wife, Abby, wasn't home to celebrate with him. When he calls to tell her the news, she's loving and supportive, but suddenly, she sees someone in the road and gets out to help. And then she disappears.
A year later, his life is a mess, and he desperately needs to write another book. So, an offer to spend time at a remote writing cabin in Amberley, Scotland, is an offer he can't pass up. He packs up his stuff and his dog, Columbo (who is not harmed in this book, FYI), and makes the long drive to Scotland. But once there, he keeps seeing a woman who looks exactly like Abby. It can't be her...
One reason I enjoy Alice Feeney's books is that she manages to pull so many emotions and feelings out of me about her characters. Grady's character is not likable. Richard Armitage, the narrator, does an excellent job at bringing Grady Green off the page and I managed to hate him and relate to him at the same time. He spends his time reminiscing about Abby while managing to passive-aggressively take digs at her. As I listened, I decided that it probably sucked to be married to Grady Green.
This story is a slow burn, in my opinion. There is a lot of tension, nervousness, and unease that builds throughout. Grady is an unreliable narrator and it's not hidden: he drinks too much, he doesn't sleep, and he frequently is questioning his own judgement of the events happening around him.
I consider Alice Feeney to be one of the Queens of crazy twists and this story helped maintain that reputation. I don't want to give anything away but the ending was shocking, to say the least. It really made me think about what I had taken as fact and what I had questioned and vice versa.
If you enjoy tension, unease, and locked-room mysteries, you may definitely want to read this.
Grady Green is finally a New York Times Best Selling Author. He'd waited for this moment for a long time and everything would be perfect, except his wife, Abby, wasn't home to celebrate with him. When he calls to tell her the news, she's loving and supportive, but suddenly, she sees someone in the road and gets out to help. And then she disappears.
A year later, his life is a mess, and he desperately needs to write another book. So, an offer to spend time at a remote writing cabin in Amberley, Scotland, is an offer he can't pass up. He packs up his stuff and his dog, Columbo (who is not harmed in this book, FYI), and makes the long drive to Scotland. But once there, he keeps seeing a woman who looks exactly like Abby. It can't be her...
One reason I enjoy Alice Feeney's books is that she manages to pull so many emotions and feelings out of me about her characters. Grady's character is not likable. Richard Armitage, the narrator, does an excellent job at bringing Grady Green off the page and I managed to hate him and relate to him at the same time. He spends his time reminiscing about Abby while managing to passive-aggressively take digs at her. As I listened, I decided that it probably sucked to be married to Grady Green.
This story is a slow burn, in my opinion. There is a lot of tension, nervousness, and unease that builds throughout. Grady is an unreliable narrator and it's not hidden: he drinks too much, he doesn't sleep, and he frequently is questioning his own judgement of the events happening around him.
I consider Alice Feeney to be one of the Queens of crazy twists and this story helped maintain that reputation. I don't want to give anything away but the ending was shocking, to say the least. It really made me think about what I had taken as fact and what I had questioned and vice versa.
If you enjoy tension, unease, and locked-room mysteries, you may definitely want to read this.