~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Starting on their wedding day Jack abused Grace. Not as much physical abuse as you would expect, but mostly intense, devastating, psychological abuse. And he threatened harm to Millie as a way of keeping Grace in line. Eventually, it was Millie who helped Grace escape. She slipped Grace sleeping pills that she had been hoarding to try and drug Jack.
Click here to read entire review.
Stupid clichéd obvious from the first few pages he controls her /psyc/emotional abuse blah bkah..and she's too weak to leave him as soon as it stopped.it so DOESN'T deserve all the button kissin reviews it git.half the book is useless mind numbing babble. .I refuse to finish it
ReplyDeleteI so agree. Skipped to the end. Couldn't stand reading it any more.
DeleteMe too-ugg.
DeleteMe too! I couldn't take the main character's stupidity and the complete implausability of most of the plot any longer. Stopped reading.
DeleteI liked the book, even though I noticed many plot holes and flaws, but the ending really threw me. It was just so quick and simple, almost like the author had to meet her deadline so she just wrapped it up quickly. Something I missed though - Did we ever find out why Jack repeatedly went to Thailand? I understand it's something to satisfy his desire for fear in others, but I never found exactly what it was.
ReplyDeleteHi Nikki, If I remember correctly, Jack had a thing for young boys. Which is why he never really had an intimate relationship with Grace after their marriage.
DeleteCharlotte's Web of Books
DeleteI was wondering what page you found out that Jack liked young boys? I don't remember reading that part...
He did not ever state he liked young boys. In fact he laughed at Grace for even implying that he enjoyed Thailand for that reason. He denied being a homosexual and stated that if he was he would satisfy those urges in England.
DeleteNO, he went there because he could listen to people being tortured there.
DeleteHis "thing for young boys" was just a theory that Grace had. He never actually admitted that was the reason he didn't have an intimate relationship with Grace.
ReplyDeleteSo at the the end, did Esther realize what had been going on all along and helped Grace with her statement? It ended so fast that I had to reread it again to see what I had missed!
ReplyDeleteYes. She had started to question their relationship early on and when he misspoke and said "red room" she was able to put 2 and 2 together. So yes she was prompting Grace on what to say
DeleteI'm following this thread for the same reason. I'm confused by the ending.
ReplyDeleteHi all! I also read this book (as an audiobook) and wanted to respond to the last question, because it is an important detail that could be overlooked. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you remember back to the first lunch that Grace had outdoors with Esther and her other friend, (to which Jack invited himself) they discussed that Millie was coming to live with them, and Jack specifically mentioned that her room was being painted her favorite color, which he said was red. Jack does this to torture Grace in thinking about the red basement room with the terrifying portraits that he plans to trap Millie in, and terrorize her for his own sick needs. It seems a small detail, but Esther remember this. Then, when they have the birthday party for Millie, Esther buys Millie a red jewelry box to match her supposedly red room. This is when Jack's arrogance undoes him; Esther then sees that Millie's room is yellow, and Millie herself states that yellow, not red, is her favorite color. I think this is when Esther becomes truly aware that something is wrong; perhaps that there is another room, one that is red, in some other part of the house intended for Millie. Personally I think until this point that Esther is hard to read; she is almost written as being possibly jealous of Grace's seemly perfect life, but this is when the veil is drawn back and yellowish, sunny childlike yellow turns into blood red. At the end of the book, in Grace and Esther's last conversation, Esther mentions that the basement room Jack was found in, with no indoor unlocking mechanism, was blood red; Millie's room. This is her way of telling Grace that she figured it out, and was not going to judge her or make her suffer for escaping her captor. At least, that's what I think. Clever little detail - loved it!
I didnt get super interested in this book till a bit. Once I finally understood what was happening I read the whole book in a day. The ending was very clever although I wish it was written in a more clearer way for those who don’t catch onto small details.
ReplyDelete*WRITING IN REGARDS TO THE ENDING
ReplyDeleteIt took me a whole day to understand that damn ending which confused the hell out of me haha!
So after Ester found out the Jack was found in the basement, which was described as RED and had those horrible paintings on the wall and was locked from the inside, she realised that room would soon be Millie's, as Jack said before that Millie's room was red.
Ester pieced together all the links, how Grace didn't go out alone and didn't have a phone, their suspicious acts and then Ester realised Jack was a horrible man, he would put Millie in that room and from all this and covered for Grace.
Two details that were left hanging: How did Esther know about the room? I would guess the police kept the site locked down. So, I am wondering is Arthur saw the room, and he put the story together and relayed it to Esther. Esther went to the airport, not Diane, Graces best friend. Did Arthur send Esther to prep Grace for the eventual police questioning that she would face once she got home?
ReplyDeleteI really liked the book. It was well written and a true page turner. I am sad there is not a sequel. And I would like to know how Grace explained away the red room with the portraits that she painted!
Thanks for the informative and helpful post, obviously in your blog everything is good.. Ramen en deuren
ReplyDeleteI recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Ramen Leuven
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. Very interesting to read. I really love to read such a nice article. Thanks! keep rocking. visit this site
ReplyDelete