Hello friends and reading fans! đ
I hope you're all well. It's been a while since I've posted anything in this community, simply because my reading pace has slowed down considerably.
I've got less time to read at the moment, not least because and I have officially moved into our tiny house and still have a lot of small jobs to do.
Anyway, I'm back here with a little book review of my only read of August: The Match (called Identités croisées in French) written by the famous Harlan Coben.
It's been a long time since I read a book by this author, I think over a year. But I received this book as a gift on my birthday, so it was the perfect opportunity to renew my acquaintance with his pen! đ
Synopsis:
The match is the story of Wilde, a mysterious man who was found as a child in the woods with no memory of his past. In this novel, he embarks on a veritable quest to discover his origins, using DNA testing services. And the closer he gets to the truth about his identity, the more this search plunges him into dangerous situations.
When he thinks he's found a cousin, the man suddenly disappears. At the same time, murders are being committed without any suspects. This is the beginning of a real investigation, which Wilde and those close to him will carry out masterfully.
Between lies and manipulation, âThe matchâ is a thriller that explores the themes of family, memory and identity. It also tackles highly topical issues such as online harassment, social networking and reality TV.
What I thought of the book:
The match is actually a sequel to another Harlan Coben novel called âThe boy from the woodsâ which I read, some time ago. In fact, I didn't know about it until I did a little research to write this review. I think the two volumes can be read independently of each other. Not least, because the only real link between these two books is the presence of Wilde and those close to him.
In short, I enjoyed my reading.
I really like the character of Wilde, whom I find mysterious and atypical. His character and his story make him endearing. As the pages turn, we come to better understand some of his reactions. He's a very intelligent character, an outstanding investigator. I also like his relationship with Hester. (I won't say more to avoid spoilers đ€«).
The novel's atmosphere is worthy of a Harlan Coben psychological thriller: mystery, suspense, secrets, tension...
I had a bit of trouble getting into it at first, probably because there were so many character names and I had to remember them all. But after about fifty pages, the plot was set and the investigation began.
The denouement comes late (in the last 40 pages) and is surprising, but not exceptional (I expected better).
However, I liked the whole story about the quest for self and identity, and the integration of social networks, reality TV and harassment, which are very modern themes.
My rating:
3,5 â / 5 â
Only 3.5 stars out of 5 because I didn't fall in love with this book. It's not the best Harlan Coben book I've read. The ending is surprising, but not exceptional. It doesn't necessarily turn your brain upside down the way you'd like it to.
I expected to be a little more absorbed in my reading, as I usually am with thrillers.
Have you already read this book? What did you think of it? Have you ever read any Harlan Coben novels? đ
I think my favorite Harlan Coben novel is âTell No Oneâ. In fact, it was a major inspiration for the film âTell No Oneâ directed by Guillaume Canet in 2006. Unfortunately, the film is no longer available on Netflix, so I haven't seen it yet. But the book was enough for me.
Anyway, if you haven't already, I hope you'll want to discover Harlan Coben's pen. đ
See you soon,
Johanna
PS: I used Deepl to translate the English part.
Version en français
Hello les amis et les fans de lecture ! đ
JâespĂšre que vous allez tous trĂšs bien. Cela fait maintenant quelque temps que je nâai rien publiĂ© dans cette communautĂ©, tout simplement, car mon rythme de lecture sâest considĂ©rablement ralenti.
Jâai beaucoup moins de temps pour lire en ce moment, notamment parce quâavec , nous avons officiellement emmĂ©nagĂ© dans notre tiny house et nous avons encore beaucoup de petits travaux Ă faire.
Bref, je reviens ici avec une petite revue livresque, celle de ma seule lecture du mois dâaoĂ»t : IdentitĂ©s croisĂ©s (appelĂ© The match en anglais) Ă©crit par le cĂ©lĂšbre Harlan Coben.
Cela faisait bien longtemps que je nâavais pas lu de livre de cet auteur, je pense plus dâun an. Mais jâai reçu ce livre en cadeau Ă mon anniversaire, donc câĂ©tait lâoccasion de renouer avec sa plume ! đ
Synopsis :
IdentitĂ©s croisĂ©es, câest lâhistoire de Wilde, un homme mystĂ©rieux qui a Ă©tĂ© trouvĂ© enfant dans les bois sans aucun souvenir de son passĂ©. Dans ce roman, il entame une vĂ©ritable quĂȘte pour dĂ©couvrir ses origines en utilisant des services de tests ADN. Et plus il se rapproche de la vĂ©ritĂ© sur son identitĂ©, plus cette recherche le plonge dans des situations dangereuses.
Lorsquâil croit avoir dĂ©couvert un cousin, celui-ci disparaĂźt soudainement. En parallĂšle, des meurtres sont commis, sans aucun suspect. Commence alors une vĂ©ritable enquĂȘte, que Wilde et ses proches vont mener de main de maĂźtre.
Entre mensonges et manipulations, "Identités croisées" est un thriller palpitant qui explore les thÚmes de la famille, de la mémoire et de l'identité. Et qui aborde également des thÚmes trÚs actuels comme le harcÚlement en ligne, les réseaux sociaux et la téléréalité.
Ce que jâai pensĂ© du livre :
IdentitĂ©s croisĂ©es est en fait la suite dâun autre roman dâHarlan Coben intitulĂ© âLâinconnu de la forĂȘtâ que jâai lu, il y a quelque temps dĂ©jĂ . En rĂ©alitĂ©, je ne le savais pas jusquâĂ ce que je fasse quelques petites recherches pour Ă©crire cette revue. Je pense que les deux tomes peuvent se lire indĂ©pendamment lâun de lâautre. Notamment, parce que le seul vrai lien entre ces deux livres est la prĂ©sence de Wilde et de ses proches.
Bref, jâai plutĂŽt bien aimĂ© ma lecture.
Jâaime beaucoup le personnage de Wilde, que je trouve mystĂ©rieux et atypique. Son caractĂšre et son histoire le rendent attachant. Au fil des pages, on arrive Ă mieux comprendre certaines de ses rĂ©actions. Câest un personnage trĂšs intelligent, un enquĂȘteur hors pair. Jâaime Ă©galement sa relation avec Hester. (Je nâen dirais pas plus pour ne pas spoiler đ€«).
Lâambiance du roman est digne dâun thriller psychologique dâHarlan Coben : mystĂšre, suspens, secrets, tensionsâŠ
Jâai eu un peu de mal Ă me mettre dedans au dĂ©but, sĂ»rement parce quâil y avait plein de noms de personnages et quâil fallait rĂ©ussir Ă tous les retenir. Mais au bout dâune cinquantaine de pages, lâintrigue est fixĂ©e, lâenquĂȘte commence.
Le dĂ©nouement arrive tardivement (dans les 40 derniĂšres pages) et est Ă©tonnant, mais pas exceptionnel (je mâattendais Ă mieux).
Cependant, jâai bien aimĂ© toute lâhistoire autour de la quĂȘte de soi et dâidentitĂ© et lâintĂ©gration des rĂ©seaux sociaux, de la tĂ©lĂ©rĂ©alitĂ© et du harcĂšlement, qui sont des thĂšmes trĂšs modernes.
Ma note :
3,5 â / 5 â
Seulement 3,5 Ă©toiles sur 5 car je nâai pas eu un coup de cĆur pour ce livre. Ce nâest pas le meilleur livre dâHarlan Coben que jâai lu. La fin est Ă©tonnante, mais pas exceptionnelle. Elle ne retourne pas forcĂ©ment le cerveau comme on en aurait envie.
Je mâattendais Ă ĂȘtre un peu plus absorbĂ© par ma lecture comme jâen ai lâhabitude avec les thrillers.
Avez-vous dĂ©jĂ lu ce livre ? Quâen avez-vous pensĂ© ? Avez-vous dĂ©jĂ lu des romans dâHarlan Coben ? đ
Je pense que mon roman prĂ©fĂ©rĂ© dâHarlan Coben est âNe le dis Ă personneâ. Il a dâailleurs fortement inspirĂ© le film âNe le dis Ă personneâ rĂ©alisĂ© par Guillaume Canet en 2006. Malheureusement, le film nâest plus disponible sur Netflix, alors je ne lâai pas encore vu. Mais le livre mâa suffi.
Bref, si ce nâest pas encore fait, jâespĂšre que vous aurez envie de dĂ©couvrir la plume dâHarlan Coben. đ
Ă bientĂŽt,
Johanna
PS : Jâai utilisĂ© Deepl pour traduire la partie en anglais.