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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Aug. 3rd, 2014 11:06 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
We were liars.
We are beautiful and privileged.
We are cracked and broken.
A tale of love and romance.
A tale of tragedy.
Which are lies?
Which is truth?
You decide.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
E. Lockhart’s literary YA novel nods at KING LEAR and THE GREAT GATSBY in a character study about wealth and privilege and the bubbles it can create for those born into it. I really enjoyed the literary allusions, especially as Lockhart ties them in to the way Cady’s grandfather manipulates his three daughters but Cady’s first person narration is overwritten and overly dramatic at times (particularly her constant references to bleeding) and I didn’t believe in her romance with the idealistic Gat. The central problem with the book though is that you’re being asked to empathise with essentially a poor, little rich girl who’s utterly blind to the problems of others in the world and who can’t even remember the names of her servants. I personally found that a hard sell. In addition, when the big reveal comes as to what happened to Cady, it feels underwhelming and without wishing to go into spoilers, it reinforced my total lack of sympathy for her situation. Ultimately, I can see why this has been so critically well received, but it ultimately wasn’t my thing.
We are beautiful and privileged.
We are cracked and broken.
A tale of love and romance.
A tale of tragedy.
Which are lies?
Which is truth?
You decide.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
E. Lockhart’s literary YA novel nods at KING LEAR and THE GREAT GATSBY in a character study about wealth and privilege and the bubbles it can create for those born into it. I really enjoyed the literary allusions, especially as Lockhart ties them in to the way Cady’s grandfather manipulates his three daughters but Cady’s first person narration is overwritten and overly dramatic at times (particularly her constant references to bleeding) and I didn’t believe in her romance with the idealistic Gat. The central problem with the book though is that you’re being asked to empathise with essentially a poor, little rich girl who’s utterly blind to the problems of others in the world and who can’t even remember the names of her servants. I personally found that a hard sell. In addition, when the big reveal comes as to what happened to Cady, it feels underwhelming and without wishing to go into spoilers, it reinforced my total lack of sympathy for her situation. Ultimately, I can see why this has been so critically well received, but it ultimately wasn’t my thing.
