by Robert Galbraith
Review by Aimee
I haven’t written a negative review yet, so there is always time for a first. While this blog is intended to help readers find a book they’ll love, I think it is also necessary to help people avoid books they may not.
The Cuckoo’s Calling is one of those 50/50’s. Personally, I thought it was awful. It was a choice for my readers group because they’re quite fond of crime fiction. Their next selection is The Silkworm, the second in this series, which has spurred this review. I have never in my life refused to read a group-selected book, but The Silkworm may well be the book that starts a trend.
So, baring that backstory in mind, here is my review of The Cuckoo’s Calling.
This book is written by J.K. Rowling under the name of Robert Galbraith. Needless to say, J.K. Rowling is known for the Harry Potter series, one of the most popular franchises in the literary world. I have a love/hate relationship with Harry Potter. It’s very nostalgic, as, like most twenty-somethings, my childhood and teen years were spent waiting for the next book or movie. I have at one point been a bit of a fanatic. The story is fantastic, but upon re-reading it, I realised the writing style is awful. It’s simple in such a way as to be patronising, and the descriptions of people are so deterministic of character that it squashes the characters into pre-conceived boxes (a point raised by a friend of a friend).
In theory, these issues I have with Harry Potter should have nothing to do with The Cuckoo’s Calling, but unfortunately they do. Once again, the writing style is insufferable, and the main character (Cormoran Strike) is irritating and pitiful. As is Rowling’s constant references to Strike’s hairy, rounded physique. Why is that necessary so many times? I found the characters rather see-through, and the plot predictable from the word go. I love a good crime novel that has you in pieces at the end, shocked at the resolution of the crime. The ‘who dunnit’ moment was a major disappointment, and the story had far too many insignificant characters and red herrings that it was confusing unless you read it twice. (I wouldn’t wish that on anyone).
I personally would not recommend this book, but then again, you may enjoy it… maybe. I think this review is spurred from a sense of disappointment from something I hoped would have much more substance. I expected too much of it. Go into this book with very low expectations, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll enjoy it.
Book Details
Publisher: Sphere Books
Date Published: 13 February 2014
RRP: £7.99
ISBN: 9780751549256
Synopsis: Taken from WHSmith
When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case. Strike is a war veteran – wounded both physically and psychologically – and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model’s complex world, the darker things get – and the closer he gets to terrible danger …A gripping, elegant mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London – from the hushed streets of Mayfair to the backstreet pubs of the East End to the bustle of Soho – The Cuckoo’s Calling is a remarkable book. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
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