Wednesday, January 24, 2018

When Will I Ever Learn??? - The Chalk Man Review

TITLE: The Chalk Man
AUTHOR: C.J. Tudor
PUBLISHER: Crown Publishing Group
PUBLISHING DATE: January 9, 2018

FROM GOODREADS: In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.

In 2016, Eddie is fully grown and thinks he's put his past behind him, but then he gets a letter in the mail containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank--until one of them turns up dead. That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.
 

MY THOUGHTS: So I'm sure I'm going to have one of the more unpopular opinions about "The Chalk Man" and maybe because I just expected to love it so darn much. I mean, the whole world is raving about it. I'm classifying it as a book suffering from what I now deem "Overhyped Effect or OE for short" (See also my reviews on Final Girls and Little Heaven). In fact. my rating is teetering closer to 2.5 than 3 but since Goodreads refuses to allow us those opinions, I'll round up.

"The Chalk Man" is told in dual timelines of 1986 and 2016 which is actually one of the aspects about the book I really loved. Eddie is the MC and narrator and he lives in a small town with his group of friends - Nicky (the only female), Metal Mickey, Hoppo and Fat Gav. They are spending their summer as most 12 year olds would attending local fairs and looking for dead bodies in the woods, but quickly their summer becomes consumed the "The Chalk Man." Sound familiar? I couldn't get "IT" out of my head, except these kids are unlikable. All of them. And Eddie was possibly the creepiest of them all because people didn't seem to think he was a creep.

Flash forward to 2016 and the gang all receive a mysterious letter with a chalk man and they start to realize the summer of 1986 was not what they originally thought. Suddenly one of Eddie's friends ends up dead and Eddie starts to a new investigation into the murder of 1986. But will what he finds really surprise him?

I did like a few things about this book. I think it's a fairly strong debut. I mean, it must be, because tons of other people are raving about it. And I found it an easy enough read and didn't mind picking it up. Overall it was entertaining enough. Yet when I can't connect to any of the characters, I tend to find a book less enjoyable and that is probably why I was so disappointed with "The Chalk Man." I mean, come on, give me ONE character to root for.

Oh I forgot, there was one, Murphy, the dog. And SPOILER ALERT/TRIGGER WARNING - Murphy dies. Another strike for "The Chalk Man."

Please don't let my review alter your opinion on picking up this book. Lots of bloggers who I admire and trust have loved it. It just wasn't a book for me and the Murphy situation was the icing on the cake. I will keep an eye open for any future works by Tudor because there is quite an imagination there and I am curious about where she might lead us down the road.

I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 3 PAWS




CHALLENGES:  Cloak & Dagger 2018

23 comments:

  1. Sorry that this one didn't have you swinging from the lampshade, Barb, because you're right - everywhere I go I see folks raving about it. And now I don't feel quite so fed up that I missed out on getting it:). Have a great week.

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    1. I would never really tell people not to read it and it was at least entertaining. I just wanted more.

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  2. I'm so sorry this didn't work for you! Re: Murphy, you couldn't have known what would happen, and I can see how that would have been a huge trigger/turn-off for you as I know you hate it when bad things happen to animals in books. I enjoyed this one, though I did think it was pretty dark and disturbing too and the Murphy part absolutely did not help. I hope you have better luck with your next mystery-thriller!

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    1. I've had pretty good luck so far with thriller this year - much better than last year. Even so, 3/5 isn't a horrible read.

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  3. Ahhhhh, not the dog?! I'm glad to know though. I HATE stumbling upon that sort of thing unawares. I may get it on audio but if they don't get I won't be sad.

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    1. Yes I agree, somehow knowing it makes it easier to read. Not that I like it anymore but at least I'm prepared some.

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  4. I was maybe going to read this and then I read that the dog dies. Oh hell no. No killing dogs in books people! My hubby and I still haven't watched The Fog because a friend told us the dog dies. Even if it's at the beginning, I don't care! Hate. Hate. Hate!

    Still, I am curious about this one. Did it have a real 80's vibe for the 80's time? Hmm... going to think about it. Fab review!

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    1. There wasn't a lot of mention of 80's pop culture or anything. Maybe some here and there. Mainly just the headings and knowing the ages of the kids.

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  5. I just read a book where I almost didn't finish because I was sure the author was going to kill off the dog. Thankfully, he didn't. It seems like a poplar way to get a jolt from readers and I'm no fan of it! I've read several reviews saying they were disappointed. You are not alone in this.

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    1. Yea, there's lots of other ways to jolt me. Let the dog live!

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  6. Oh no! I am sorry that this one didn't work out for you as well as you had hoped. I did love it but was right there with you in regards to Final Girls. I hope your next read is better.

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    1. I'm enjoying my current read so all is good :)

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  7. That's such a bummer you didn't enjoy this one more. It's an anticipated read of mine, but I hope that I'll be able to connect with the characters better than you did. If not, I'll be an unpopular opinion too since that's usually a must for me. Thanks for your honest review!

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  8. Why did they have to kill the dog??? Seriously that puts me right off, and I have concerns about not liking the characters now. I'll still look at it but I'm pleased yopu did a review that gets beyond the hype so I know what the niggles are.

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    1. I'd love to hear your thoughts and see how you like it.

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  9. *hands up* I agree with you. Overhyped, under-delivered and I could have done less with coming-of-age bits, some of which went nowhere and could have easily have been cut out to make a stronger story. UGH. I WANTED to love this, but I really didn't.

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    1. Thank Heavens...I was feeling a tad alone on my island. Although I know Stormi liked it less than I did.

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  10. I've read lots of comparisons to IT so maybe the author did that on purpose? I'm so curious now to read this. I think the poor dog dying must have something to do with your rating, sorry this didn't work for you.

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    1. Maybe? But then why? You know, as much as it bothered me, my rating would still be the same without the Murphy incident. I hadn't really considered it until now so at least I didn't let it jade my thinking :)

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  11. Aw, man. I have the worst feeling my curiosity is going to make me read this one like with Final Girls. And the dog?! I'm glad to have the warning, but any time a dog enters a book I always assume the worst. :'(

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  12. I have this on hold at the library. I have tried to keep away from a lot of reviews so that I don't get too excited. Sorry you didn't love it.

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  13. Sorry this one wasn't as good as you were expecting. I'm dying to get my hands on it, so I hope I won't feel the same when I do!

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  14. Oh darn it!! I hate when books don't live up to the hype. I definitely helped add to that too... :(

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