Review of Despicable Fields
-
Jia Xuan
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 8
- Joined: 10 Nov 2024, 11:41
- Currently Reading: Snatched up to heaven
- Bookshelf Size: 11
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jia-xuan.html
- Latest Review: Despicable Fields by Sivan Kish
Review of Despicable Fields
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Despicable Fields" by Sivan Kish.]
“Despicable Fields” by Sivan Kish is a crime and mystery novel that follows a young Swedish girl, Bridget, as she tries to make her way in the harsh Italian society filled with sleazy nightclubs and drug deals. When Marsha, an associate of Bridget from the nightclub La Casa where she works, turns up dead, we are introduced to a myriad of characters, including Bridget’s husband, Antonio, and the investigation team. These characters interact to resolve the mystery of multiple murders in the book.
I was so fond of many characters in this book that it was hard to choose one. In particular, I was fond of Antonio, Bridget’s husband, and Katherine, a retired cop invited to work on this murder case. I generally dislike morally grey characters and was constantly skeptical of Antonio. I could never decide whether he was truly a good or bad person. When he was rough towards Bridget, it made me hate him, but when he was in distress, I also sympathized with him.
With Katherine, it was so much easier to love her. She embodies the modern woman—fierce and independent. Her work ethic was solid, and she was passionate about solving crimes. There were some situations where she confronted the wrong murder suspect, and it felt like she got way too emotional and had already decided on the murderer. However, when more evidence was introduced, it was refreshing to see how open-minded she was to accept the new evidence and change her mind.
My least favorite character would be Bridget. She was portrayed as this frail damsel in distress—young, beautiful, and treated like a prize every man wanted to have. She was so fragile that she could not even read newspapers, as the daily news would scare her. I also found her lack of self-awareness frustrating. In the middle of the novel, she compared herself to her husband as being ‘cunning and sly,’ and I wanted to scream at her, "What did you do in your life to make you ‘cunning and sly’?" Additionally, in the earlier part of the book, she worked at La Casa to continue her studies but immediately dropped her studies after marrying a rich husband.
I really enjoyed the author’s writing and the many characters showcased throughout this novel. There were easily thirty to fifty poignant characters in this book, and I appreciated that the author gave a brief summary of each character whenever they were reintroduced into the story. My only criticism would be that I personally do not like lengthy confrontations, such as the one at the end of the novel, where the murderer was screaming that they would kill someone but continued doing so for ten pages without any effective action.
I give this book a 5 out of 5. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the numerous twists and turns that the author brilliantly thought of. The word choice throughout the book was impeccable and suited the context perfectly without being pretentious. The editing was also flawless, and I did not notice any grammatical or spelling mistakes. This book could easily become a mini television series, and I would watch it.
******
Despicable Fields
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
“Despicable Fields” by Sivan Kish is a crime and mystery novel that follows a young Swedish girl, Bridget, as she tries to make her way in the harsh Italian society filled with sleazy nightclubs and drug deals. When Marsha, an associate of Bridget from the nightclub La Casa where she works, turns up dead, we are introduced to a myriad of characters, including Bridget’s husband, Antonio, and the investigation team. These characters interact to resolve the mystery of multiple murders in the book.
I was so fond of many characters in this book that it was hard to choose one. In particular, I was fond of Antonio, Bridget’s husband, and Katherine, a retired cop invited to work on this murder case. I generally dislike morally grey characters and was constantly skeptical of Antonio. I could never decide whether he was truly a good or bad person. When he was rough towards Bridget, it made me hate him, but when he was in distress, I also sympathized with him.
With Katherine, it was so much easier to love her. She embodies the modern woman—fierce and independent. Her work ethic was solid, and she was passionate about solving crimes. There were some situations where she confronted the wrong murder suspect, and it felt like she got way too emotional and had already decided on the murderer. However, when more evidence was introduced, it was refreshing to see how open-minded she was to accept the new evidence and change her mind.
My least favorite character would be Bridget. She was portrayed as this frail damsel in distress—young, beautiful, and treated like a prize every man wanted to have. She was so fragile that she could not even read newspapers, as the daily news would scare her. I also found her lack of self-awareness frustrating. In the middle of the novel, she compared herself to her husband as being ‘cunning and sly,’ and I wanted to scream at her, "What did you do in your life to make you ‘cunning and sly’?" Additionally, in the earlier part of the book, she worked at La Casa to continue her studies but immediately dropped her studies after marrying a rich husband.
I really enjoyed the author’s writing and the many characters showcased throughout this novel. There were easily thirty to fifty poignant characters in this book, and I appreciated that the author gave a brief summary of each character whenever they were reintroduced into the story. My only criticism would be that I personally do not like lengthy confrontations, such as the one at the end of the novel, where the murderer was screaming that they would kill someone but continued doing so for ten pages without any effective action.
I give this book a 5 out of 5. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the numerous twists and turns that the author brilliantly thought of. The word choice throughout the book was impeccable and suited the context perfectly without being pretentious. The editing was also flawless, and I did not notice any grammatical or spelling mistakes. This book could easily become a mini television series, and I would watch it.
******
Despicable Fields
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Always amazed at the new worlds introduced to us through book reading 
Latest Review: Despicable Fields by Sivan Kish
