Reading Challenge Category – 2022 52 Book Club: Redo One of This Year’s Prompts with a Different Genre (Starts with the Letter “F”)

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of this work.

A famous ex-movie star is spending the summer on her private Greek island with her husband, friends, and workers. Someone dies. And then everyone else is stuck on the island for the night due to the weather.

I recently watched Knives Out: The Glass Onion, so this felt reminiscent. Knives Out did it much better.

I enjoyed the author’s debut work, The Silent Patient, but didn’t read his sophomore work, “The Maidens.” After reading “The Fury,” I’m not sure if I will. It was very disjointed and slightly difficult to follow towards the end. We find out early that we have an unreliable narrator. This narrator directly addresses the reader throughout, which takes away from the story. There are also moments of seeming omniscience, but when you have a first/second person narrative, this isn’t the POV. Therefore, it makes the experience tumultuous for the reader.

I was bored throughout the majority of the book. The “twist” at the end didn’t make any sense to me at all. It was very far-fetched and then felt rushed after a slow-paced read. There is also a weird callback to The Silent Patient at the end that didn’t make sense either.

2/5 stars.

overall thoughts: this was a QUICK READ, def more plot heavy > character development, & the casual first person narration took a while to get used to (and to be completely honest, it’s not always my favorite when the narrator talks to the reader 😬 I find it a bit lazy at times like I’d rather the author “show me” rather than “tell me,” ya know??)

unfortunately, I don’t think anything will live up to Silent Patient! But I’m grateful for the rollercoaster ride that this one took me on! 🎢

I loved this twist on a isolated murder thriller from Alex Michaelides. While I didn't find this book as good as his debut The Silent Patient, this came very close.

The meta/4th wall breaking by Elliot was a fun addition to the plot and it showed how much of an unreliable narrator he was and therefore didn't lead me to guess the plot twist easily. While all of these characters were definitely not likeable, it was interesting to learn each of there motivations as to why they were the one to commit the murder.

The Fury's cast will keep your head spinning from beginning to end. This story is told from the perspective of the narrator, and you quickly learn that his memory and judgment is faulty at best. A non-stop whirlwind that will leave you scratching your head until the very end.

This is a story for anyone who has ever loved. It may be a rather unusual bedtime story, perhaps–but full of incident and adventure, with goodies and baddies, heroines, and wicked witches. But it has everything you need: a man, a woman, a gun, a beach, moonlight. It’s less like reading a book and more like a conversation between the reader and the narrator–two old friends, drinking at the imaginary bar in your mind, where the author is talking to you. He orders another drink–and tells you to brace yourself.

This is not a whodunit; it’s a whydunit–a character study, an examination of who we are; and why do the things we do. Both theater and reality come down to just three words–motivation; intention; and goal. Every character has a goal. This is fulfilled by an intention designed to achieve it. But if we ever want to understand ourselves or other people–real or fictional–we must explore our motivation. All of us are trying to escape the pain and be happy. And all the actions we take to achieve the goal–our intentions–that’s the stuff of story.

The Fury is the meanest, most devastating, most brilliant thing I’ve ever read in my life. So what did the narrator do? He tears off the title page and makes it his own: he’s written this drama, not with pen and paper, for fictional characters on a stage–but for real people, in a real place. All of them, performing a play they had no idea they were in. But in a stroke of poetic dikaiosyni (Greek for justice), the other characters flip the script, allowing the narrator to presume he is the author of this play–when in fact he is just its audience.

We are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives. That’s the story in a nutshell. A tale of beautiful, well-intentioned failure–ending in death. Which is a pretty good metaphor for life, isn’t it? Well–my life, anyway. These are the words of a dead man. That’s the final twist. No one gets out alive in the end.

It’s not often that I finish a book unable to formulate how I felt about it. A week after finishing, and I’m still not sure I can accurately put it into words. Without going into too much detail, this story is a murder mystery, with the most unreliable narrator of all time. In terms of psychological thrillers, this book did exactly what I believe it set out to do. The fast-paced story had so many twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I could not put it down. Everytime I got to a new section I was left thinking “wait WHAT just happened?” Even though I hated every single one of the characters, I NEEDED to know what chaos would ensue next, and I ended up reading the entire book in 24 hours. And once I finished? I immediately messaged my book club to see who else had read it so we could discuss. That being said, I’m still not sure I can say I enjoyed it. But it definitely got me thinking and talking about it.

Alex Jennings narrated the audiobook and did a wonderful job bringing this chaos to life. I very much enjoyed his narration.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the advance copy.

3 1/2 * I listened to the audio version of ‘The Fury’ and I just cannot imagine reading it because the audio version was so good. It’s a fascinating murder story, or maybe it’s an unrequited love story. The narrator is central to this story and he is quite an interesting narrator. Do we believe him? Should we believe him? We get to know each of the characters or maybe just as we think we got to know them, the narrator gives us more information that just might change the story. I can easily envision this as a movie -- it has distinctive characters, twists and turns, and a fabulous setting in Greece. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced audio copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Happy Pub Week to The Fury

Where to begin?

The unreliable narrator Elliot is a good device at times and at other times he can be a bit annoying. You feel both sympathy and contempt for him as the novel progresses.
But then I felt that way about most of the characters in this book.

There is a murder but is there truly a villain? I was left asking myself this question by the auduobooks end.

I enjoyed the narration after I got over the fact that everything would be from Elliot's unreliable perspective.

I definitely figured out a couple of things early on and was proven right - unfortunately.

One of the key takeaways I got was we need to find a way to heal our wounded inner child when we are adults. If left to fester, those wounds and scars will often not only hurt ourselves but others.

Overall a solid mystery.

I really wanted to love this one, but the pace was just too slow for me. The whole book felt like I was sitting at a bar, with someone who was telling a story that just went on and on and on. I don’t mind books where the narrator speaks to the audience. Sometimes they are fantastic. I do think the multilayered plot could have had potential, but it missed the mark. I never really connected with any of the characters. Elliot, the MC, was not a reliable narrator. Every single character had something to conceal (love this!). The setting was a private Greek island mixed in with a Greek Tragedy thriller (should have been great). I did enjoy the short chapters and there were some twists that I didn’t see coming. I loved the Silent Patient and was really hoping this would live up to its potential.

3.5– I picked up this book because I’ve enjoyed Alex Michaelidis’ despite knowing I am not a fan of murder mysteries as a genre so take my review with a grain of salt.

The Fury follows our narrator as he recounts the infamous night, he and his famous friends on their last trip together on a private Greek island. A vacation filled with lies, broken hearts and murder, the case that stirred a media frenzy is about to have its truth laid bare.

Michaelidis takes clear inspiration from Agatha Christie in this murder mystery and pulls it off quite well. Our unreliable (and quite theatrical) narrator sets up our scene perfectly. I enjoyed how this story was laid out and the information was presented. Each character is laid out with their traits and motivations that make them both intriguing and highly suspicious. I also enjoyed how Michaelidis uses his heritage to perfectly blend Greek tradition, language, and superstition to add layers to this story. I think Michaelidis’ writing is captivating and twisty there were many turns I didn't see coming.

I listened to this on audio and had to restart the story about 25% because I found myself confused but once I got a grasp on everything the narrator did a great job. Overall, I enjoyed it and recommend it to Agatha Christie and Lucy Foley fans.

I enjoyed the entire PRODUCTION of this audiobook, it was so easy to listen to, v dramatic, etc etc. However the story itself fell a little flat for me at the end. So while I would recommend the audio, I can't fully recommend the story!

Alex Michaelides-The Fury
A slowly developing tale written in a non-common manner as if you were sitting in an easy chair being told a story by a friend.
A bit convoluted at times and forced it became a tough read.
Well written and exceptionally well narrated.

Thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the advance audible copy of the novel for review purposes.

This was a very twisty and fun thriller! It was definitely a "slow burn" thriller, at least for me. However, the unreliable narrator and the constant twists and reveals kept me interested. I started out reading the e-ARC but found it to be moving quite slow. It definitely got better when I switched to audio. I really liked the narrator and thought they were a great fit for this book. This will be a great thriller and audiobook to recommend to patrons.

Throughly enjoyed the narrator talking as if the reader was sitting next to him, giving a blow by blow of the tale or “ The Greek Tragedy” account of what happened. Was he really that bad or did fate play a part? I did read the authors others books and took in to account ho “ Theo” was. Justice was served!

I liked the silent patient but did not think this brought the same twists and turns that, that book did. It felt chaotic and drawn out and then twists hastily thrown out definitely not something I would recommend.

AUDIOBOOK ARC REVIEW
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read How: 🎧
Narrator: Alex Jennings
Setting: Greece


This is definitely different. I don’t think I have read a book in that order before and I did enjoy it. The story is mainly told by Elliot who thinks he is not a narcissist. The way this book is written is as if two friends sitting down with coffee and discussing an event that happened. However, the friend who is telling the story is providing how that event should have gone but didn’t.
In the beginning, it was a bit boring and to be honest I didn’t like any of the characters. I know Elliot gave the sad story of his childhood but it didn’t change that he was a big manipulator.
Even though I did enjoy some of the twists after a while it was like enough is enough.
My feelings for this book are all over the place.


Thank you @netgalley , @celadonbooks and @macmillan.audio for a copy of this book/audiobook in exchange for an honest review

LOVED the audio version of this book! The narrator reminds me a bit of Anthony Hopkins. Lovely voice to draw you in and keep you entertained.

The story has A LOT going on! There are so many twists and I did find myself having to go back and relisten to make sure I heard what I thought I heard correctly. I’m only giving 3 stars, though, for the story as it did drag a bit in the beginning, but did pick up to really knock you down. 5/5 for the narration!

I liked the cast of characters and the duplicity, but something about this one always felt a bit off. It was a fun, mystery story, but I can’t see this one being one of my favorites. 3 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

WOW! The Fury was a wild ride and unlike anything I've read before. If you do decide to read I recommend you go into this one blind.

This was my first read by Alex Michaelides but it won't be my last. I want to go back and read The Silent Patient now. The reviews and feedback I've seen for this one so far is so divided, but I think that adds to the allure. It's a slow start for sure, but stick it out because it picks up and you won't see what's coming. The way Michaelides crafted the narrator to break the fourth wall and speak directly to the reader was a storytelling tool that isn't often used.

Alex Jennings was the perfect choice as narrator and did a fantastic job keeping up with the writing and keeping the listener on track with the story. This was no easy feat as the The Fury does jump around across timelines.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Alex Michaelides for an advance copy. These are my honest thoughts.

A special shout out to the Celedon Books and Macmillan Audio marketing teams for the coordinated Little Free Library drops. That was a great campaign!

This was such an interesting book. On the surface, it’s a closed door mystery recounted by Elliot Chase, a writer and friend of reclusive ex-movie star, Lana Farrar. But Elliot tells you from the beginning that this won’t be like one of Agatha Christie’s whodunnit’s. It will be a whydunit, really a character study. It’s about a weekend seven people spend on Lana Farrar’s private Greek island and the murder that happens.

I know this one has been all over Instagram, but I’m having trouble figuring out what to say that isn’t too much of a spoiler. I found the handling of POV to be a little jarring, but I’m sure it was meant to be that way. There are moments when I’m reflecting on it where I think it was absolutely brilliant. Elliot is telling the story—or writing it—but he doesn’t stick to his own point of view or writing things that he would actually know. He writes as if he was an omniscient narrator who knew what was going on in everyone else’s head. And I do think ultimately that structure serves the story. It’s a clever way to let the reader learn a little more about Elliot.

I loved Elliot’s conversational tone. I loved the way he played with readers expectations and twisted them. This starts right from the beginning with the book’s opening lines saying how you should never open a book talking about the weather, then proceeds to talk about the weather. The writing throughout had that funny, brash quality that I really enjoyed. And the audiobook narrator did a wonderful job bringing that quality into their performance. I definitely enjoyed listening, although I was happy to have a physical copy to refer back to. Not so much for plot reasons, but to look at the way the author turned something on its head.

Overall, I think I admired this book more than I enjoyed it, but it’s one that I’ve thought about a lot since I finished it. I would absolutely recommend it to fans of a closed room mystery and anyone who’s looking for twist on that trope.