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Chris

Definitely a long long afternoon. Read in one sitting.

Revisado en Reino Unido el 13 de marzo de 2022

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I totally inhaled this book and read it in one sitting.

Author Inga Vesper deals with some very controversial issues with accuracy and sensitivity. Housewife Joyce Haney disappears one afternoon, leaving behind her two very young children, a pool of blood and 'the help' who discovers the shambles.

A character-driven story with a good strong plot. Empathy, sympathy, frustration, and Ruby's grit and determination keep the reader from turning the pages to see what is coming next.

Chauvinism, racism and children needing to be seen and not heard are prevalent throughout the story. The impact and effect of decisions surrounding the tenacious and fiercely driven Ruby, who is the true hero of this story, kept me interested to the end.

The ending felt a little too tied up in a pretty bow but still a fantastic read. Definitely an author I will read again!

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Jeanette

great book

Revisado en Alemania el 7 de marzo de 2022

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i loved this book: the description of the era, life in suburban hell and above all the characters. it goes to show that we've come a long way with regard to women's rights and racial discrimination - even if there's a long way still to go.
after a while i had a strong suspicion as to who was responsible for joyce's disappearance but this did not make me enjoy the book any less.
strong recommendation to read!

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Maund

Stifling and claustrophobic - recommended reading!!

Revisado en Reino Unido el 13 de noviembre de 2022

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I’m going to start this one with some content warnings/potential spoilers. Check out at the end for more information.

This one had me hooked right from the start - we’re given 3 viewpoints over different timelines for this one: Joyce in the days leading up to her disappearance in suspicious circumstances, and in the present we follow Ruby the family’s ’help’ and Blanke the detective investigating Joyce’s disappearance. The audiobook is expertly narrated by each of the 3 on narration duty - they really do embody their characters and the time.

On the one hand, it’s a gripping detective story as you follow Blanke during his investigation and how Ruby becomes an integral part to this, it’s also a commentary in so many things in society of the day - some of which you can say are applicable to now.

The startling commentary covers so many societal aspects: it’s set in the late 1950s, a different time where language and attitudes on race, class, poverty, mental health, a woman’s place, and so many more. The language used back in the day really do jar - both with regards to race, mental health and women. Parts are uncomfortable - very! But Vesper handles these with ease as you follow the story.

This is claustrophobic and stifling - and I was desperate to find out what happened to Joyce. Recommended reading!

⚠️ Content warning: includes reference to mental health, racism, infertility, infant death and domestic abuse.

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Ava

Hardly a cosy Sunday afternoon read!

Revisado en Reino Unido el 23 de febrero de 2021

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I had high expectations for this book. I read the first few pages and was hooked. Unfortunately, that did not last long. I loved that it was set in 1959 in California so expected a gripping drama set against all the upheaval within society at that time. My favourite character was Ruby for her determination and willingness to find the truth. The other characters just did not ring true for me. The detective and the police did not seem to do any detecting and only moved forward with the case when Ruby brought them information. The simplest things seemed to escape them. Not taping off the crime scene. Ridiculous! I understand the new detective was not entirely welcome at the station but the exaggerated hostility from the chief was comical!

Some of the reviews describe this book as 'a cosy Sunday afternoon read'. This book is not cosy at all. Some pretty horrific things happen in the story. Serious issues are raised; violence towards women and children, racism, depression, poverty, adultery but the characters are not real enough to carry these issues.

Most of the other women in the story are painted in such a bad light. They are labelled as dragons and vampires. They gossip about and betray their friends at the drop of a hat and adultery seems to be the easiest thing in the world. Even the women who do not fall into these categories are insulted in some way by the author. She criticises their hair, makeup and the shoes they wear. There is one caring friend who genuinely wants to help but we seem to get more information about her car than the woman herself.

The idea for the main character seems to be that she is a bored housewife who would love to be an artist but cannot because she has a controlling husband, She takes pills to combat her frustration. Then we are told she suffered a traumatic event in her childhood and this is never mentioned again. Surely this is the basis of her suffering. The neighbour was completely unconvincing. What are the chances that a person with her back story would live just next door?

The police do not seem to fully investigate alibies which leads to an ending where the offenders are allowed to have long conversations and attempt escape while the police stand idly by without a hand cuff in sight!

...and I have just realised that we find out that one of the characters was not where they said they were when the victim died but we do not find out where they actually were.

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Marje

Iluminating

Revisado en Reino Unido el 19 de marzo de 2024

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Ruby Wright is a very likeable character as is Detective Blanke. I really enjoyed the interaction between them!
I hope things are better now in the Southern States of America.

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Lin Davies

An original, thought-provoking mystery.

Revisado en Reino Unido el 12 de junio de 2022

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This novel is set in 1950s California and concerns the mysterious disappearance of a white woman from her home in a comfortable suburb town near LA. The story is told from the viewpoint of the woman herself Joyce, Ruby the black 'help' and Mick a decent detective who has recently moved from the East Coast.

The investigation is played out and we learn the fate of Joyce after various plot twists but it seems to me that the real heart of the book is the appalling treatment of black domestic workers by privileged white women, who are themselves stifled and frustrated by the lives they are forced to lead, stuck in their homes, raising children and waiting for their husbands to come home. The most interesting characters are those who are trying in whatever way they can, to subvert the system and we sympathise entirely with Ruby who is brave and intelligent and desperately trying to save her pitiful wages to get to college.

We also see Mick, a decent man bound by societal conventions but recognising their injustice, trying to connect with Ruby and work with her to solve the mystery, and we understand why it is so difficult for Ruby to trust him. What must it be like to have everything you say disbelieved by the whites in charge simply because you are black?

As a crime novel this has some originality and it kept me reading even though the fate of Joyce is pretty clear early on. My only reservation is over the denouement which is highly melodramatic and not entirely credible. And the ending which is tied up a little too satisfactorily.

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J. Atherton

A good whodunnit

Revisado en Reino Unido el 30 de marzo de 2021

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I enjoyed reading this whodunnit set in 1959 in California. It is packed with racial tension, which is portrayed through Ruby who is the domestic help of the white family where a crime had taken place. The descriptions are very colourful and vivid in this book . The beautiful bright kitchen where the sun shines through the window is clear in my mind. Then there is the bloodstain which stands out. Although is it mainly a crime mystery novel , race and gender are important themes throughout. The role of the woman and how in this middle class neighbourhood is expected to stay at home looking after her husband and children features very prominently. I enjoyed the pace of the novel and enjoyed how it all unfolded. My favourite character is Ruby and her determination to do the right thing even though everything is against her just because of the colour of her skin. A really enjoyable read and well recommended.

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Ormondebooks

A clever whodunnit

Revisado en Reino Unido el 11 de abril de 2021

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This book started out so well. I like a Stepford Wives drama and this fitted the bill. Set in the idyllic Santa Monica suburb of Sunnylakes in 1959, where wives doped on a diet of anti depressants keep their homes spotless and wait for their husbands to return home from the office.

The disappearance of Joyce Haney is the kernel of the story. Detective Mike Blanke is called in to investigate. Issues of gender and racism are also explored. Ruby Wright is the domestic who helps clean the Haney home - she is also a black woman. who has the inside track on the dark underbelly of Sunnylakes. Her own home in the volatile neighbourhood of Compton is in stark contrast to that of Sunnylakes, where gardens are mowed to perfection and the sun always shines.

While I enjoyed this book up to a point, the plot began to unravel towards the end, with a rather ridiculous aborted escape scene. Its been described as a decent little whodunnit and this is the best praise I can give it.

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veracity

The women in this book could give the Stepford wives a run for their money

Revisado en Reino Unido el 15 de marzo de 2022

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Bored out of their skulls, they had nothing to concentrate on other than clothes, makeup , and housework Though there was little of that to do on the exclusive estate where they lived, when a black maid was available for an obscenely low rate .
The casual racism in this book, although part of the culture at the time, the late '50's , was sickening .
Ruby, an intelligent disadvantaged 20 year old , was mainly ignored , and if spoken to it was only when necessary, yet her ethics were far superior to those who considered themselves her superior .
The only person on Ruby's side was Joyce , but she mysteriously disappeared .
Fortunately Ruby , detective Mike , and Mrs Crane doggedly pursued the case to it's conclusion.
Thoroughly enjoyed their persistence , and seeing the perpetrators get their comeuppance !

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The Long, Long Afternoon: The captivating mystery for fans of Small Pleasures and Mad Men (English Edition)

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