Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.96 AVERAGE
2.96 AVERAGE
I like her use of "typical" people and how different people are affected by the dark secrets they keep. RIP Ruth Rendell
While this was an interesting introduction into a British author, I don't like that the Lizzy story didn't exactly really wrap up. Also both Lizzie and the Carl weren't likable enough. That being said, I finished the book quickly and was generally enjoying myself. I especially liked the very end.
Great book, wonderful narrator. My only slight negative is that I think some of the incidents near the end are impossibly coincidental. Like - they would not happen in this day and age. Otherwise, I recommend the book as a psychological thriller. And yes, many times, you just want to hit Carl over the head.
Read it again for our book discussion, and still didn't like it.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay where do I start with how stupid this book was? Carl, the main character, does something that is not illegal but someone dies so he lets himself get blackmailed by his lodger into letting him live rent free in his apartment. Ridiculous! His lodger, Dermott, is a supposed Christian who justifies his blackmail by saying he isn't taking money from Carl, he's keeping money from Carl.
Then there is Tom, some old guy who rides the buses around London and ends up a hero' His daughter, Lizzie, a complete loser, is an old school friend of Carl's and completely superfluous to the story. For some unknown, never unexplained reason, she gets kidnapped and manages to escape when a pigeon crashes into a window scaring the kidnappers away.
This was Ruth Rendell's last book, published the year she died, and I can only write this crap off as the fact that she was old and possibly ill. I can think of no other explanation for such a well loved writer putting out this tripe. I have never read her before and I won't read her again.
Then there is Tom, some old guy who rides the buses around London and ends up a hero' His daughter, Lizzie, a complete loser, is an old school friend of Carl's and completely superfluous to the story. For some unknown, never unexplained reason, she gets kidnapped and manages to escape when a pigeon crashes into a window scaring the kidnappers away.
This was Ruth Rendell's last book, published the year she died, and I can only write this crap off as the fact that she was old and possibly ill. I can think of no other explanation for such a well loved writer putting out this tripe. I have never read her before and I won't read her again.
So incredibly boring. Very disappointing, especially for Ruth Ware.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Gaslighting
The plot summary on the cover detailed the only interesting part of this book. I've never read Rendell and was surprised to learn she's been around so long and is a well respected mystery writer. The writing was awkward and plot very contrived. The characters were confusing and unrealistic. Maybe it wasn't her best work. I just couldn't get into this slow-moving story.
3.5 farewell Ruth tend ell - having read all your books - and under the name Barbara vine will miss looking out for your next instalment of fiction