The Writing Retreat: A New York Times bestseller

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The Writing Retreat: A New York Times bestseller

The Writing Retreat: A New York Times bestseller

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A: I did not! I always felt a little bewildered about how to go about it. The well-known retreats and residencies were so competitive, and the others seemed to require too much research, time, and money. I did go on other retreats, though, mainly affordable yoga and meditation retreats that I’d hear about at my yoga studio. Since I usually went alone, I often found the experience a little destabilizing, to be dropped in a group of people I didn’t know. It takes a little time to figure out the dynamics: who might be an ally or friend, and who might not. I traveled to a yoga teacher training in 2016 and there were five of us, and the other four paired off immediately. We all ended up becoming friends, but that initial feeling of alienation definitely fed Alex’s experience. NIGHT FILM meets THE SECRET HISTORY in Julia Bartz’s bold, brilliant, and genuinely scary debut. THE WRITING RETREAT masterfully delivers everything thriller readers crave: palpable atmosphere, sinister characters, full-body chills, jaw-dropping twists, and stay-up-all-night suspense. I am obsessed with this book. I never wanted it to end." This book started strong, with the focus on WRITING but as Roza’s ways of “encouraging” the women to create became increasingly OTT, I became increasingly less and less interested in this story. Honestly? This would be a book that should be read without any hints. No blurbs. No comments. No nothing!

I was excited to read this debut, and it did not disappoint in the least. If you enjoy dramatic, tension-filled thrillers, I think you’ll have fun with this one. Pete was waiting for me in the hotel lobby, a mishmash of leather couches, gleaming wood surfaces, and golden chandeliers. Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. But the biggest disappointment is that The Writing Retreat fails to answer the following questions: This book was a struggle for me right out of the chute. Literally. The very first line is “f**k her!”I liked the description of the isolated setting for the writing retreat with the head guru, Roza as the beloved mentor. She reminded me a bit of Masha from Nine Perfect Strangers by Moriarty. They were both crazy loons! I was most intrigued by her, but she failed to save this one. She claimed to be a feminine heroine, but was more of a predator! We are supposed to believe that these talented writers would "fall for her setup". A five-star read that’s intelligent, accomplished and exciting. I dare you to put it down.’ Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal He chattered as we walked towards the basement steps and I tried to focus on his words. Pete and I had only started hanging out outside work recently, and while part of me enjoyed his unselfconsciously affable personality, another part was bereft. I could almost hear Wren’s amused voice: Really? This nerd is your new bestie? oh, sorry. I got too much into my own head there for a moment. Anyway, this author, a ground-breaking author of feminist horror, is hosting a writing retreat for five up-and-coming female authors. Lots of unexpected things happen throughout this story; however, I really enjoyed how the writer’s mind was captured and how everyone worked together at the end for the good of the group. Cult - ????????

I liked meeting all of the women involved, including the infamous author, Roza Vallo. The setting is lovely. I definitely could picture it and felt the isolation and claustrophobic, creepy feel in my gut. As the attendees arrive, they are told that they will be required to write an entire novel from scratch during the month, with the winner receiving a life changing seven figure, publishing deal. It reminded me of Nine Perfect Strangers ( Roza’s character and dangerous methods had similarities with Masha played by Nicole Kidman on Hulu adaptation) meets the Plot.

Q: Are there any authors that you idolize? Do you think it’s dangerous to hold someone in such high regard as Alex did with Roza?

THE WRITING RETREAT is a sexy, thrilling, compulsive mediation on art and competition amongst women who ought to be sisters, only something malignant gets in the way. I couldn't put it down." There was waaay too much wokeness for me. If you are looking for a far left leaning political agenda, then this might work for you. The sex was gross, weird, and frankly unnecessary. Demons? Nope, run far far away from the evils of this world! Drugs used to spike drinks! Since when is it ok to drug someone !? The beer gurgled in my stomach. I turned and raced towards the bathroom, making it to a stall just in time. Yellow liquid frothed in the bowl. I sat on my knees and wiped my mouth. I was still clutching the books. Going into The Writing R Wren’s ruby lips curved. “Me too.” She leaned in, eyes narrowing. “I kind of love your eyebrows. Where do you get them done?”Roza’s methods of motivating the writers to reach their 3,000 word count per day, include hurtful barbs, and LSD. And, Alex finds herself wondering if the (open door) self pleasuring, and the sexual explorations she experiences with the other women are hallucinations or awakenings? Where did one’s power lie in a world that stripped it from you, over and over again? How could we reclaim it when the dominant forces dangled it above our heads, shouting: Only the strong survive?” With everyone in attendance Roza informs them that they must complete an entire new novel in the month they are there. The winner will be published and receive a seven figure deal. Alex does her best to ignore the distractions from Wren and the others however, when one of them disappears during a blizzard, the group begins to realize some things really are too good to be true. Consider the parallels between the writers and the subjects or themes of their novels. How do these ties enhance your understanding of the women?

And finally, this might be more subtle, but I wanted to pay tribute to the fun, campy YA novels I used to read as a pre-teen and teen, particularly those by Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. Those books were so great at suspense, even if the chapter cliffhangers didn’t always pan out in a satisfying way. They had some pretty memorable villains, too! Um why in the heavens would you invent a story of a Jewish woman falling in love with a n*zi during WWII. It really wasn’t integral to the story whatsoever. So many things happened and I feel like there was an “alright”book in here somewhere but what in the fresh hell. Not really,” I was saying, but then I heard it—a familiar laugh. About ten feet away stood Ridhi, one of Wren’s choice friends. I shifted so that I was partially hidden by Pete. With the sense that this is her last opportunity to get published, Alex attempts to start writing right away. Only, between the creepy atmosphere in the house, Roza’s mercurial behaviour, and Wren’s intimidating presence, Alex finds herself struggling. And then weird and dangerous things start to occur.The music switched off, and Pete’s next question rang too loud in my ear. “How long have you known her?” I forced myself to look. Hordes of hip people, many of them young, early twenties, purposefully plain with severely shorn hair and no makeup. That level of confidence—at such a young age!—amazed me. I couldn’t leave my apartment without a full face of makeup. I expected the interpersonal drama, which will always happen with a group of unrelated women living together under one roof, and frankly, I was living for that. The topics explored definitely went in directions I wasn't expecting. This got darker than I anticipated, but I do love dark fiction. Why not 5 stars? The last third of the book took another direction and I wasn't as enthralled as I was while reading the parts before, but thankfully it didn't drag too much. What are the logistics of Alex's mom being a 78-year-old (minimum) Holocaust survivor with teenage stepkids? I know I'm not the only one who caught that.



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