Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of The Playground: A Novel

The Playground: A Novel
The Playground A Novel
Author: Jane Shemilt
ISBN-13: 9780062952172
ISBN-10: 006295217X
Publication Date: 12/30/2019
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 2.3/5 Stars.
 2

2.3 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: William Morrow
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

4 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Playground: A Novel on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Though the book was easy to read, the characters were despicable and very hard to root for. I felt as though I needed a shower when I got done reading it.
reviewed The Playground: A Novel on + 3153 more book reviews
This is about dumb stupid acting adults--I didn't like it much

It is very predictable and I can't imagine anyone not figuring it out fast as to what the plot is about

It's written in the form of just too many people and their thoughts, it has so many stupid descriptions about things that just don't matter to the story at all, what they eat, how it's prepared, what she takes out of the fridge and how she spreads butter on her bread, along with what they wear, how they look and on and on that is soooooo boring in this book I skipped a lot of pages because it doesn't add anything and I didn't miss any of the main story

I don't mean to give a spoiler but yet there will be some that wouldn't want to read this, it deals with abuse of all kinds, domestic, child, rape, and the question used is: who is watching the children? like I said in the beginning--dumb stupid adults more interested in themselves than their children
berd avatar reviewed The Playground: A Novel on + 214 more book reviews
The premise of this book was very intriguing to me. However, the delivery of the plot was a huge let down for me. First of all, there are so many characters that trying to keep them straight pulled me away from the story line. I found myself skimming over details that didn't seem super important, but then I would realize that I was a bit lost with what was actually happening since I had skimmed over part of the story. There are two characters mentioned a few times throughout the book, and in the end, these characters are mentioned once again but I never did figure out who they were. If they were supposed to be important, I must have missed the entire point because it felt like maybe the author had a reason for them being there but then she forgot to actually prove that point.

It was fairly obvious to me early on who was guilty, so I wasn't majorly surprised at the end, but it somewhat felt a bit unbelievable that these parents were so oblivious to what their children were doing that such tragic incidents occurred. I will give it 2.5 stars for the fact that I at least wanted to see how it played out in the end, but I feel like it was mostly a waste of my time.
VolunteerVal avatar reviewed The Playground: A Novel on + 648 more book reviews
It's been quite some time since I read a domestic thriller, but this was the perfect book for a cold, rainy, dark weekend. In this novel, readers spend a year with three families who primarily live in London. Proximity and the educational needs of their children bring them together; when their lives become fully enmeshed, things begin to go horribly wrong. Since this is a thriller, I knew bad things would happen - most happen to children so be advised.

The title of this novel is odd, but I love the tag line: âWho is watching your children?â I thought this was well plotted and mostly believable.