Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
God of the Woods
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
143 posts | 124 read | 7 reading | 74 to read
"Extraordinary...Reminds me of Donna Tartt's 1992 debut, The Secret History...I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air." - Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR "Riveting from page one to the last breathless word." --Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions For You "Brilliant, riveting . . . an epic mystery and a riveting family drama." --Miranda Cowley Heller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn't just any thirteen-year-old: she's the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region's residents. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara's older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore's multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore's most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Coleen
post image
Pickpick

I liked this quite a bit, though not sure it was as great as all the hype led me to believe. But I did find myself anxious to return to it every time I set it aside, so there‘s that.

review
Kazzie
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
Pickpick

What a page turner! Really heartbreaking, but redemptive in the end. Well described characters

review
Allthebookclubs
post image
Pickpick

This book dragged on and didn‘t live up to the hype. The rich acted as if they were superior to everyone else and their morals were terribly flawed. There were a couple of red herrings, and while the truth behind one missing child was heartbreaking, the other made sense. Not sure if this was a good snapshot of the 70s era. But honestly, it didn‘t need to be nearly 500 pages long. Book #103 in 2024

review
Zuhkeeyah
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image
Pickpick

Twists and turns abound. I liked how the timeline jumped around between before, then, and now to build a complete picture of the family and its ties to the community.

28 likes1 stack add
review
Cathyloves2read
post image
Pickpick

This book was very good. It was almost a 5 star for me. Almost. While I really liked it, it felt like something was missing at the end. I do love the way the author included a timeline at the top of the chapters. This really helped me to keep track. I also love that the story takes place in the Adirondacks, as I‘ve spent time there. Not sure that this book deserved all of the hype, but I‘d still recommend it.

review
TrishB
post image
Pickpick

I thought this was great. Not really the thriller aspect , which was a slow burn, but the rich family vibe. Always thinking they have the right to influence everything their own way!

DogMomIrene Yes, the entitlement of the rich families was unfreakingbelievable! I liked how this book explored the darker side of that entitlement as well. 2w
AmyG The dysfunctional family stuff was the best part of the book. One of my favorites of the year. 2w
81 likes2 comments
blurb
Balibee146
post image

This is in today's UK Daily Deals and is #99ponkindle

squirrelbrain It‘s SO good! 3w
DogMomIrene My favorite book this year so far🧡📚 3w
CBee Really liked this! 3w
47 likes3 comments
blurb
CatMS
post image

Reading the God Of The Woods by Liz Moore and on page 166 which is 36% in but so far it is not as compelling as I was expecting. But I still have high hopes. Do like the family dynamic aspect of the story and the different timelines.
Better once I got into it.

13 likes1 stack add
review
GidgetsTreasures75
post image
Pickpick

10-21-24: My 37th finished book of 2024! I enjoy Liz Moore‘s writing style. This story takes place in a few different time lines. The present is summer 1975 at Camp Emerson where a child has gone missing. The past is 1961, at the home called Self-Reliance, on the same land as the camp, where a child has gone missing. Two missing children, two different times, same family. Can investigator Judyta Luptack put it all together? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣3️⃣7️⃣

review
kellock
post image
Pickpick

A good listen

review
Cortg
post image
Pickpick

I don‘t read a lot of mystery, but picked this one up and looooved it! The storylines take you back to the 60‘s and mid-70‘s, two missing children cases, siblings, @15 years apart. Young, female detective and it all takes place in and around a summer camp in the Adirondacks. You get to meet several people and get various points of views. Different.

37 likes1 stack add
review
Enchanted_Bibliophile
post image
Pickpick

3½ ✨

This was something different for me.

I'm usually one for the fast past, action pack, gruesome thrillers. Or a fast moving mystery with a lot of clues for me to figure out.
This however was more of a slow burn mystery with a lot of family drama.

Enchanted_Bibliophile I was actually surprised at how invested I got in the family drama part, as it's something I usually avoid reading.
As for the mystery, well let's just say I had two theories in both cases and I was right about both.
1mo
47 likes1 comment
review
readswellwithothers
post image
Pickpick

If you are not reading this because you avoid books that are deep in the hype, you are missing out! I read it in two sittings; shoulda been raking leaves and feeding myself and generally participating in life but NOPE. Needed to know what was going to happen! Propelling and consuming. Loved it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

review
Jas16
post image
Pickpick

Thank you @AmyG - I really needed a book I could easily escape into while San Francisco is in the midst of a heat wave so this book was a gift in more ways than one. I love a messy family drama and really enjoyed that aspect of this book. I tend to be hard on mysteries and I was less enchanted with that aspect of the book especially the ending. Overall a really entertaining read that helped me forget I was melting while I was reading.

Suet624 I felt the same way. 2mo
AmyG Happy to hear you enjoyed the dysfunction, at least. Hope things cool down soon! (edited) 2mo
Jas16 @AmyG Thank you so much for sending it to me. 1mo
50 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
mrp27
post image

September #wrapup

Had another great reading month. Hard to choose a favorite as they were all good, highlights were Margo, Heaven and Earth and God of the Woods.

JamieArc Cool to see the Grandma Gatewood book! I read a biography about her some years ago. 2mo
mrp27 @JamieArc I‘ve been wanting to read the biography but this picture book was really informative. 2mo
32 likes2 comments
review
Jadams89
post image
Pickpick

First #TrappedInASpookyHouse read down. I wasn‘t sure what to expect going in, but the dual timelines kept me hooked. #HauntedShelf #FrightClub

PuddleJumper 🧡🖤🧡 2mo
45 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
monalyisha
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image

God of the Woods wins September!

I‘m feeling pretty certain that whichever book advances after October won‘t stand a chance against My Broken Language, though…

#ReadingBracket2024
#2024ReadingBracket

50 likes1 stack add
review
Bookish_Gal
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
Panpan

I believe it was overhyped. If you don‘t mind waiting until 60% for it to make sense in its 5 timelines then you‘re good. There was too much trying to connect that just didn‘t till the final couple chapters. It Just didn‘t seem interesting enough for me to worry about the characters. Almost DNF around 45% because I just couldn‘t care about this rich family being like That. The title made me think something else of the book.

10 likes1 comment
review
bookandbedandtea
post image
Pickpick

This is a slow mystery rather than a thriller, as it's billed. I was very interested to learn what happened to both of these kids so it kept me reading but I did feel there were too many POVs sometimes and the story, while interesting, was also depressing.

blurb
RowReads1
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image

Used. Yay!

AmyG Nice! 2mo
44 likes2 stack adds1 comment
quote
AnnRaz
post image

“He‘s superstitious, though, inclined to subscribe to the idea that coincidence does not exist, that when one encounters the unexpected or uncanny it‘s important to spend a few extra minutes considering the why.”

blurb
bio_chem06
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image

So glad I have a book friend at work now. She lent this one to me and I‘m obsessed. Can‘t put it down!

blurb
bookandbedandtea
post image

#WhereAreYouMonday
I'm in the Adirondacks, trying to figure out why 2 kids of the same family have gone missing years apart.
@Cupcake12

Melismatic I grew up around there! Are you enjoying the book so far? 2mo
bookandbedandtea @Melismatic Yes! I'm still in the first third so I have way more questions than answers but I'm enjoying the journey. 2mo
37 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
bookandbedandtea
post image

It's a cool, rainy Sunday and I couldn't be more delighted. (Welcome back, 46°, you've been missed!) I'm going to read, bake some cookies, and watch football today. Yay for weekends! 😊

LiteraryinPA Sounds like a perfect day! 2mo
bookandbedandtea @LiteraryinPA It's been wonderful! I already don't want it to end. 😭 2mo
33 likes2 comments
review
monalyisha
post image
Pickpick

This is and is NOT the type of thing I normally read…which made for a winning combination. In-depth character development? Yes. Dysfunctional family? Yes. Coming-of-age story? A critique of class & gender inequality? Yes, yes, & yes. A missing child (children) and a serial killer on the loose? HELL NO. Some were disappointed that this wasn‘t more of a thriller. I was relieved. 😅 I hated putting it down & thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience.

monalyisha I think Moore skillfully walked the line of making any number of endings seem plausible while also making the actual ending seem obvious all along. There were two mysteries and neither resolution came as a surprise…but I wasn‘t disappointed that there wasn‘t a twist, either. This isn‘t that kind of book. The end isn‘t tidy. Life is and people are messy. Sometimes unforgivably so. (edited) 2mo
dabbe Excellent review! My fave book of August! 🤩 2mo
LiteraryinPA Really good point about the possible and actual endings. I liked this one and would be happy to read more from this author! 2mo
See All 7 Comments
monalyisha @LiteraryinPA Same! I‘m glad it had so much hype because I probably wouldn‘t have picked it up otherwise! 2mo
5feet.of.fury I really liked it too. Especially Judyta‘s efforts to prove herself to her peers & her family. perfectly done. 2mo
Chelsea.Poole Nicely put! I agree. 2mo
TheKidUpstairs Great review, glad you enjoyed it! I too loved that it wasn\'t too thriller-y. I really appreciated how she managed to combine the narrative propulsion of a thriller with a deeper examination of how this moment, this mystery, came to be. Definitely piqued my interest in reading more by Moore. 2mo
73 likes2 stack adds7 comments
review
5feet.of.fury
post image
Pickpick

A girl goes missing from summer camp unleashing family drama &scerets from the past -including a cold case, a known serial killer &a local legend.

At first I found the multiple POVs daunting, some seemed very similar. But I enjoyed unraveling the mysteries. It is heavier on the family drama than anything but it was a good story, well told.

quote
AnnRaz
post image

“[…] the last gardener had finally retired. Carl had only a small amount of experience with gardening, but he had a library card.”

🙌🏻🙌🏻

blurb
Leftcoastzen
post image

1.tagged ! well, cheating a bit, I finished it July 31st & liked it more than anything I read in August .
2.Paper though do read ebooks , like my audio mostly while driving.
3.Mysteries & literary fiction. Mood reader , I‘m all over the place.
#WondrousWednesday
Play , people, play!😁

Eggs Will be reading #1 🔜 2mo
37 likes1 comment
blurb
peaKnit
post image

1. Tagged
2. Paper books for library use, audio for walks, runs and cleaning, ebooks for travel!
3. Historical Fiction or just general literature. I enjoy reading new releases of all kinds.
Thank you for the tag @Eggs and @dabbe (I owe you both a letter:)) #wondrouswednesday

Eggs # 2 - that‘s me🙌🏻🙌🏻 (edited) 2mo
dabbe 🩶🧡🩶 2mo
25 likes2 comments
blurb
dabbe
post image

#WondrousWednesday
Thanks for the tag, @Eggs! 😘

1. Loved THE GOD IN THE WOODS!
2. In this order: Paper, ebooks. I've tried audiobooks and found that I had a horrible time paying attention!
3. Detective fiction and mysteries

Play? @peaKnit @julieclair @Pogue

Eggs #1 Can‘t wait to read this💞 2mo
Suet624 Nonfiction audiobooks keep my attention. Otherwise I‘m the same as you. 2mo
dabbe @Eggs It\'s soooo good! 🤩🤗😊 2mo
See All 13 Comments
dabbe @Suet624 I have not tried nonfiction. Perhaps I should give it a go. 🤗 2mo
AnnCrystal It is strange, because I can multitask with TV...yet I have to focus extra with audiobooks 📚🤔💝. 2mo
Lesliereadsalot We like the same stuff! 2mo
mcctrish I have this on hold from the library ❤️❤️❤️ I‘m with @Suet624 and non fiction on audio, some fiction is great on audio ( Queen Hereafter I am talking about you again ) but some is just meh ( I like Flavia de Luce on audio - she‘s like my back up go to ) 2mo
dabbe @AnnCrystal Must be an auditory vs. visual kind of thing. 🤷‍♀️ 2mo
dabbe @Lesliereadsalot 🩶🧡🩶 2mo
dabbe @mcctrish I bet QUEEN HEREAFTER would have sounded great on audio! I loved that book, too! It was a toss-up between that and WOODS. 🤩😊🤗 2mo
mcctrish I have to speed up audio, regular speed is excruciating so usually I‘m at 1.5 speed 2mo
dabbe @mcctrish Good tip! Thanks! 🤗🩶🧡🩶 2mo
AnnCrystal @dabbe 🤔 interesting 😉💝. 2mo
47 likes13 comments
blurb
kellock
post image

Next audio book

16 likes1 comment
review
CBee
post image
Pickpick

This was a fantastic read. I wouldn‘t call it a thriller - it‘s more of a mystery and it ticked all the boxes for this “dysfunctional family fiction” fan (IYKYK) 😳🫢😂

Jen2 I can‘t wait to read this one! 2mo
AmyG Ha! Yay! Loved this one. 2mo
CBee @AmyG 👯‍♀️♥️😁 2mo
CBee @Jen2 hope you like it! 2mo
Leftcoastzen I loved it too! 2mo
80 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

I recently told @JamieArc & @TheKidUpstairs that I‘d pick this up soon. Not even I knew that “soon” meant “before the day is done.”

Ah, the life of a mood reader. 😉

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
AnnCrystal 😍🐶🐾💝. 2mo
Hooked_on_books Your baby looks like my Bindi in that picture! 💜🐶 2mo
See All 9 Comments
monalyisha @Hooked_on_books They definitely have a lot of traits in common! Do you have any idea what breed(s) Bindi is? 2mo
Hooked_on_books I do, actually. She‘s a mix of Great Dane (that‘s where her coloring comes from), Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boxer, Mastiff, and St Bernard. I see all of them in her except the Bernard. 2mo
monalyisha @Hooked_on_books Intriguing! I need to do that DNA thing. I‘m so curious. 2mo
Hooked_on_books @Amiable Check it out—Brady and Bindi have another relative! 2mo
Amiable @Hooked_on_books Ahh! We need a Doggie Doppelgänger family reunion! ? 2mo
monalyisha @Amiable @Hooked_on_books Sorry I broke the “B” name trend! 2mo
70 likes1 stack add9 comments
review
Bookbuyingaddict
Mehso-so

thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book & found it absolutely gripping & the best thriller I‘d read for along timehowever the second half not so muchIt felt like the vast array of characters had just been thrown in, perhaps this is to steer the reader away from guessing what really happened to Bear & Barbara It also started to slide for me when the “poor” girl was arrested because of the say so of a rich girl/boy but with no hard evidence.

review
Suelizbeth
post image
Pickpick

Take a family that only wants sons named Peter and there‘s bound to be issues. The reputation of the family and especially the sons is more important than anything. Well, that‘s just a recipe for all kinds of not good. The secret at the heart of this book will cause an explosion in the Van Laar empire. Liz Moore is so good with the family drama. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

blurb
AnnRaz
post image

After a long waitlist, diving in

blurb
Bookbuyingaddict
post image

The best thriller Iv read for a long time & loving the short different character narrative chapters 😊

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
45 likes1 comment
review
JamieArc
post image
Pickpick

While I didn‘t love this as much as many of you, it was still an engaging story that kept me hooked and was a good way to pass time on my flight.

BarbaraBB Agree 💯 again! 2mo
61 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Rachiiebookdragon
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image
Mehso-so

A mostly interesting book/story.

Read for reading prompts.

3.75/5

review
cariashley
post image
Pickpick

Wow. This was unputdownably excellent. Lives up to all the hype, and I truly didn‘t know how it would come together until the last moments. Absolutely loved it. #BOTM

Lesliereadsalot Loved this one too! Have you read All the Colors of the Dark? 2mo
cariashley @Lesliereadsalot no, I have to add that to my list! 2mo
53 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image

It‘s the perfect morning in Mississippi today! Beautiful, quiet, wind chimes, birds, and 64 degrees! Perfection! 🌞 and now breakfast on the porch with my hubby 💛

Happy Sunday!

#LitsyLove

AnnCrystal Magical 💫😍💝. 2mo
dabbe Enjoy that weather! It's currently 106º here--definitely zero porch activity. 🤩😂🤗 2mo
68 likes1 stack add4 comments
quote
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image

“It was funny, she thought, how many relationships one could have with the same man, over the course of a lifetime together.”

It was a perfect morning for porch reading! Cooler with a breeze! Now I have to adult 😫😫😫

#LitsyLove

dabbe Sometimes I really hate adulting! 🤩😂🤗 2mo
67 likes1 comment
review
mjtwo
post image
Pickpick

31 Aug-4 Sep 24
A great read, which I tore through surprisingly quickly.
A girl goes missing from summer camp in the Adirondacks. The twist is the camp is owned by her extremely wealthy parents and is the same location from which her brother went missing almost two decades before. Woods tells the two stories simultaneously and from different viewpoints, a format I always seem to find compelling. Touches on coming of age, wealth and privilege.

18 likes1 stack add
review
staci.reads
post image
Pickpick

I had a hard time getting into this one, but around the halfway point, it really kicked in for me! A good mystery, lots of atmosphere, and I wasn't able to predict the ending, which is always a bonus! I'm not sure it completely lived up to the hype, but it was still enjoyable and well worth the investment.

Lesliereadsalot I loved this one. Glad you hung in there! 2mo
76 likes2 comments
review
wildwoodreads
post image
Pickpick

The God of the Woods was a middle of the road read for me. I didn‘t love it and I didn‘t hate it. It‘s definitely slow burn. There weren‘t really any shocking twists and the pace stays steady throughout the entire book. But I did enjoy the investigation aspects and the family secrets that came to light. It had enough intrigue to keep me interested and I did enjoy my time reading it. Overall, I would say it was a three star read for me.

65 likes1 comment
blurb
Amiable
post image

Updated #2024ReadingBrackets:
August was a productive month, with 13 books completed – thanks in large part to an enforced period of time on the couch after my knee surgery as well as several events that involved hours of travel to get there. Eight of the books were FICTION. Of those, I gave the nod to “God of the Woods” by Liz Moore as the top pick. Great read, but it's no match for “Stoner“ -- which moves on into the semifinals.

Suet624 Just a great collection of books. 2mo
Amiable @Suet624 It's been a good year so far! 2mo
40 likes2 comments
blurb
dabbe
post image

#WondrousWednesday
@Eggs (thanks for the tag! 😘)

1. taking care of Kate and Pippa
2. knowing I'm loved
3. Tagged: THE GOD OF THE WOODS.

Play? @ThePageShifter @Librarybelle @AmyG

Librarybelle Thanks for the tag! 3mo
Eggs You are definitely loved 🥰 💯 3mo
dabbe @Librarybelle YW! 😘 3mo
dabbe @Eggs 🩶🧡🩶 3mo
53 likes4 comments
review
AnneCecilie
post image
Bailedbailed

#UnpopularOpinion ‼️ I just can‘t. The writing is just not doing anything for me. I‘ve made it to page 58. I don‘t care about the characters. I‘m not sure if it‘s because I‘m reading the book right before it‘s due back at the library and I really want to read something else or if it‘s just the writing

HeatherBookNerd It was dull 3mo
sarahbarnes I‘m skipping this one. 3mo
Cathythoughts I tried it too , but didn‘t get too far ! 3mo
56 likes3 comments
review
Caroline2
post image
Pickpick

Soft pick. This was more of a police procedural than I was expecting and I think the hype monster might have got to me. Serious Jane Harper vibes with this one.

Suet624 Completely agree. 3mo
87 likes1 comment
blurb
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image

I am at summer camp in the Adirondack region of upstate New York! I love when books have maps 🗺️ Starting this one today!

#Whereintheworld
#Whereareyoumonday

🖤 🌳 ⛺️

Bookwormjillk And if your mom experience is like mine you will finish it tomorrow. Enjoy! 3mo
AmyG It is SO good. Enjoy! 3mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Bookwormjillk I have to work tomorrow, but I‘m definitely taking it with me! 3mo
See All 6 Comments
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @AmyG I‘m just getting started 🖤🖤 3mo
PageShifter You got me fascinated already 😀 3mo
54 likes1 stack add6 comments