The Little Friend

"THE LITTLE FRIEND...turns out to be a far more emotionally resonant novel than its predecessor, and a much less satisfying thriller: awkwardly plotted, if keenly observed, and speckled with glittering set pieces that do not add up to a persuasive whole. It is a kind of changeling creature, neither caterpillar nor moth but something still in chrysalis, waiting to be born. At its best, it attests to the maturation of the author's voice and her willingness to push her gifts in an ambitious new direction....At its worst, it feels like a Frankenstein of a book, a lumpish collection of mismatched parts that even the author's virtuosic talents cannot transform into a coherent whole."Donna Tartt is the author of 'The Little Friend', published 2002 under ISBN 9780553714036 and ISBN 0553714031.