Book Review: The Grownup by Gillian Flynn (2nd review on BookGuide)

The Grownup
by Gillian Flynn (Flynn)

This is a short, suspenseful, little novella, written by the author of Gone Girl originally for inclusion in an anthology edited by George R.R. Martin, but which has now been published in a stand-alone edition. The story is narrated by a never-named young woman who has grown up with a hard life, who has figured out the ways to manipulate not only the system, but everyone around her. Working as a psychic in a house of ill-repute, she believes she has discovered an easy mark when a middle-aged women begs her to investigate her home, which may be haunted, and which may be influencing her morose young son. Only, what our narrator thought was going to be an easy con job turns out to possibly be “real” — to be so multi-layered, and to have so many twists and turns, readers may be gasping by end of the story. Definitely a fun, quick read. A nice introduction to Gillian Flynn if you’re unfamiliar with her full-length suspense novels, and a perfect read for right around Halloween.

 

( official Gillian Flynn web site )

 

Read Jeremiah J.’s review of Gillian Flynn’s novel Gone Girl, in the May 2013 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!
Read Wyatt P.’s review of Gillian Flynn’s novel Sharp Objects, in the February 2014 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!
Read Tracy B.’s previous review of The Grownup, in the February 2016 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: The Good Liar

The Good Liar
(DVD Good)

Stellar acting from Ian McKellan and Helen Mirren lifts what could have been a fairly tepid suspense drama into a more respectable category in The Good Liar. McKellan plays a life-long con artist, Roy, looking to make his latest big score by wooing recent widow Betty (Mirren) and then tricking her into giving him access to her life savings. But it’s a “long con”, requiring him to invest a great deal of his time and efforts to achieve his goals. And the more we learn about Betty, the more likely it seems that she’s got some secrets of her own that she’s hiding.

The pacing is slow and deliberate, allowing the relationship between these two characters to build and develop. The supporting cast, including Roy’s accomplices and Betty’s grandson, are very good. The director, Bill Condon, makes use of multiple close-ups of McKellan’s face, in both light and shadow, allowing that master thespian to express a myriad of thoughts and emotions with his craggy visage.

When the twists in the plot finally arrive — it’s a suspense drama, you have to be expecting twists — the emotional payoff is excellent. Well worth your time if you’re a fan of either of these two actors, especially McKellan. This DVD has minimal special features — basically just a short list of “deleted scenes”, some of which would have helped with some plot points, and others of which would have simply ruined the surprises. Don’t watch those until after you’re done with The Good Liar.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Any of the other films featuring Ian McKellan and Helen Mirren. Personally, other than his turn as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films, I recommend McKellan in Mr. Holmes. And my favorite Helen Mirren productions are her run as Jane Tennison in the Prime Suspect TV mini-series, and her action turns in RED and RED 2.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official MOVIE web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Services

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Leverage - Season One

Leverage - Season One
[DVD Leverage]

Leverage is a comedic crime/action drama that has been airing on the TNT cable network for the past three years. The series features Timothy Hutton as an ex-insurance investigator who got tired of being pushed around and abused by large corporations or powerful executives. Hoping to make a difference, he assembles a team of the types of people he used to hunt down -- a grifter, a hacker, a burglar and a hitter, and they take on cases whether they try to run con jobs on the rich and powerful who are taking advantage of the ordinary joes. Leverage features complicated cons, reminiscent of The Sting, which often seem to break down -- in the vein of Donald Westlake's Dortmunder books. The regular cast has great chemistry together, the writing production values are exceptionally good, the guest "villains of the week" are almost always exceptional, and the music is particularly noteworthy. If you like stories about con artists, or tales about the underdog against the powerful and corrupt, you should enjoy this series. The third season has recently finished on TV and the library currently owns the first two seasons on DVD. Both are great fun! [If you like this, you may also enjoy The Sting , and the British TV series (which aired on AMC in the U.S.) Hustle (available through InterLibrary Loan)] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library
[Also available: Season Two.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ official Leverage page on the TNT web site ] | [ official Episode Guide at epguides.com ]

Have you seen this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.