My friends and coworkers have been raving over Freida McFadden for a while so when I saw one available on my KU subscription that piqued my interest I thought hey, why not. I started The Perfect Son book at 11 am on my day off and had it done by midnight.
The thing is…I know it’s not that good! I couldn’t put it down but the quality of the writing itself is kind of ass. Very rudimentary. Maybe it’s because I’ve studied writing myself for several years, and I don’t claim to be good, but there are basic mistakes that seem like they shouldn’t have even made it past a first draft. Past & present tense used in the same paragraph, excessive use of the same phrases (everyone in this book is rolling their eyes, sighing, and muttering with every sentence), and mostly telling rather than showing. Which I guess is fine, that can be a stylistic choice.
My second Frieda McFadden, The Locked Door, was much better written IMO. Still repetitive at times (all of the main character’s murmuring evokes mental imagery of Kristen Stewart mumbling and coyly tucking her hair behind her ear every two minutes). I again finished it very quickly, I worked today so it was a little longer but under 36hrs nonetheless. I can’t put it down.
I feel like it may get old for me soon; the ending of The Locked Door is so far-fetched and over the top yet I did enjoy it. I’m skeptical of any author putting out 2+ books in a year, let alone SIX, so we’ll see…
by RickGrimesSnotBubble
4 Comments
I think it’s meant to be written like that… Easy writing..So that we can’t put it down..
They’re like Lifetime movies in book form. Entertaining but forgettable and low quality
I’ve read The Housemaid and The Boyfriend and recently read The Wife Upstairs. I’ve learned that I have to take breaks between her books to enjoy them. Definitely a good pick me up if in a reading slump
Mainstream commercial fiction is intentionally written at around an eighth grade level. This is for maximum accessibility and thus maximum sales. The story is the driving force, not the technical artistry of the words on the page.
Some of the best writers in the world do not actually produce all that much in the way of really good technical writing.