A Common Loss
by Kirsten Tranter
A Novel
- Percentage of approved critics who have given this book a positive review.
Critic Rating
29%
Critic Reviews: 12
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Synopsis
A WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS P APERBACK ORIGINAL THEY WERE ORIGINALLY FIVE. Elliot. Brian. Tallis. Cameron. And Dylan—charismatic Dylan—the mediator, the man each one turned to in a time of crisis. Five close friends, bonded in college, still coming together for their annual trip to Las Vegas. This year they are four. Four friends, sharing a common loss: Dylan’s tragic death. A common loss that, upon their arrival in Vegas, will bring with it a common threat:... more
About Kirsten Tranter
Published: March 1, 2012 by Simon & Schuster
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. Fiction. 352 pages
- All Critics: 12
- Positive: 4
- Negative: 8
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Kirkus Reviews | 15 Jan 2012
Tranter, whose writing is solid but occasionally verges into overly oblique territory, deftly explores a friendship that’s past its prime.
Full ReviewA Common Loss: A Novel -
Literary Minded | 6 Mar 2012
This is a fabulous, understated thriller and character story.
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Lisa Walker | 2 Mar 2012
The first part of the book seems a little slow, as Elliott comes to terms with Dylan’s death.
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Australian Women Writers | 2 Mar 2012
Furthermore, the characters are believable: there is a sense that these are people who could exist, who could live and breathe, and meet our understanding of what a real person is.
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The Blurb
Despite its poetic prose and intriguing set-up, A Common Loss is let down by cold characters and a rather pallid ending.
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The Bookbag
The build up is steady - even slow - and by the time I got to the second half of the book I really couldn't see where we were going.
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The Sydney Morning Herald | 7 Jan 2012
The book's final secret is a fizzle.
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The Australian | 24 Dec 2011
The excitement of concealment and exposure -- the bread and butter of genre thrills -- is not all that holds the reader, however. A Common Loss is built from richer, more complex stuff.
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Fancy Goods | 20 Dec 2011
Brimming with blackmail and deception and laced with grief, poetry, simmering emotional tension and relationships both budding and exhausted, Tranter’s second novel does not disappoint.
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Publishers Weekly | 2 Jan 2012
The dark secrets are simple, tawdry things, Colin is a petty villain, and Elliot’s introspection isn’t deep enough to fully engage readers, who will feel indifferent to the fate of the protagonists.
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TVNZ | 27 Jan 2012
A Common Loss delivers an intriguing and interesting read; at times Tranter takes the reader on an uncomfortable journey, exploring and digging past the superficial to expose the naked underbelly of friendship and what it really means.
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Inside Story | 7 Mar 2012
In one of the novel’s few forced notes, Cynthia, the new girlfriend who Brian brings along to this latest reunion in contravention of another of the group’s unwritten rules, is “doing some kind of research on imitation versus authenticity.”
Full ReviewA Common Loss: A Novel