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jordansvt's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
whisperwind's review
4.0
IF you are searching for:
* tension: YES u will find it
* Mystery, suspense : with average level
* horror, creepy: NOP
* unexpected END: YES
* interesting writing style : YES
* easy to read: YES
* Grabbing: YEs
* tension: YES u will find it
* Mystery, suspense : with average level
* horror, creepy: NOP
* unexpected END: YES
* interesting writing style : YES
* easy to read: YES
* Grabbing: YEs
gbliss's review against another edition
4.0
A great ride.
The ending is a bit contrived, but still a good read.
The ending is a bit contrived, but still a good read.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
One by one, men are dying, deaths that at first seem accidental. The only link between the deaths are that each of the victims was last seen in the company of a woman. How are the men connected? Is it the work of one woman or several? And can the police stop the murders before another man ends up dead?
The Bride Wore Black is a great work of suspense. Woolrich does a good job of building the tension and maintaining an unpredicatable feel. The murders were believably done and Woolrich's writing was more than up to the task. Once the Bride's motivation was revealed, everything made sense. While I knew she'd be caught, the twist at the end still threw me for a loop. A note of caution: If your edition has a forward, DON'T READ IT! Mine had a foreward that was spoiler-laden.
One of the features I liked most was the structure. Each group of chapters started with the setup, followed by the murder, followed by the police investigation. I plan on swiping the structure sometime in the future.
If you like noir tales of revenge, this is the book for you.
Later: This is the one work of Woolrich's that I've read that has stuck with me long after I finished reading it.
Also posted at Shelf Inflicted
The Bride Wore Black is a great work of suspense. Woolrich does a good job of building the tension and maintaining an unpredicatable feel. The murders were believably done and Woolrich's writing was more than up to the task. Once the Bride's motivation was revealed, everything made sense. While I knew she'd be caught, the twist at the end still threw me for a loop. A note of caution: If your edition has a forward, DON'T READ IT! Mine had a foreward that was spoiler-laden.
One of the features I liked most was the structure. Each group of chapters started with the setup, followed by the murder, followed by the police investigation. I plan on swiping the structure sometime in the future.
If you like noir tales of revenge, this is the book for you.
Later: This is the one work of Woolrich's that I've read that has stuck with me long after I finished reading it.
Also posted at Shelf Inflicted
delightfully_diehard's review against another edition
4.0
It was good, but not five star good. Not re-read good.
bndy28's review against another edition
4.0
Cuốn sách ngắn gọn, viết khá thu hút, dễ đọc. Nhân vật chính có cá tính thú vị, phương thức giết người liên tục thay đổi khiến cho người đọc biết chắc là ai chết, ai giết nhưng giết như thế nào, lừa nạn nhân ra sao vẫn gây tò mò và phải đọc tiếp. Mọi thứ đều rất ổn cho đến cái kết, cảm giác gượng ép với sự trùng hợp khá kỳ cục.
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Bride Wore Black is a seminal addition to the American mystery noir genre, and the first crime novel written by Cornell Woolrich. Originally published in 1940, this re-formatting and re-release as part of the American Mystery Classics series is due out 5th Jan 2021. It's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover format (other editions available in other formats).
The American Mystery Classics series has unerringly plucked important but potentially lesser known crime gems and presented them (with expert introductory content and commentary) to new generations of crime fiction readers. Although I had read much of Cornell Woolrich's oeuvre previously and was familiar with his work from the pulps (he was incredibly prolific), I had never read The Bride Wore Black.
The writing is top notch, tense and powerful. Other reviewers have done a much better job than I providing precis, so I'll just say that the entire book was an evocative and diverting read. My only disappointment with the book was with the ending which I felt was flawed and "gotcha" (and very pulp-ish in my opinion). It didn't ruin the book for me, but it did feel somewhat tacked together and outside the bounds of fair play.
That being said, however, the writing and plotting are classic early noir and very well done. I would recommend it for lovers of noir, American crime, as well as a support text for allied scholastic examination (modern American literature, etc). The erudite and informative introduction by Eddie Muller was a highlight for me. Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Bride Wore Black is a seminal addition to the American mystery noir genre, and the first crime novel written by Cornell Woolrich. Originally published in 1940, this re-formatting and re-release as part of the American Mystery Classics series is due out 5th Jan 2021. It's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover format (other editions available in other formats).
The American Mystery Classics series has unerringly plucked important but potentially lesser known crime gems and presented them (with expert introductory content and commentary) to new generations of crime fiction readers. Although I had read much of Cornell Woolrich's oeuvre previously and was familiar with his work from the pulps (he was incredibly prolific), I had never read The Bride Wore Black.
The writing is top notch, tense and powerful. Other reviewers have done a much better job than I providing precis, so I'll just say that the entire book was an evocative and diverting read. My only disappointment with the book was with the ending which I felt was flawed and "gotcha" (and very pulp-ish in my opinion). It didn't ruin the book for me, but it did feel somewhat tacked together and outside the bounds of fair play.
That being said, however, the writing and plotting are classic early noir and very well done. I would recommend it for lovers of noir, American crime, as well as a support text for allied scholastic examination (modern American literature, etc). The erudite and informative introduction by Eddie Muller was a highlight for me. Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
chrisljm's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Intriguing and unique plot. I don’t typically root for villains but Julie was an exception. She was fascinating and I couldn’t help but be interested in every move she made. It was also awesome that she’s a girl’s girl.
The ending was kind of disappointing though.
The ending was kind of disappointing though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Minor: Ableism, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
vivian_bookaholic's review against another edition
4.0
Truyện này chắc là cuốn sách đơn giản và nhanh nhất mình từng đọc (trừ đi những ngày mình bỏ không đụng). Vì tình tiết thực sự đơn giản, không lắt léo, đi thẳng vô vấn đề. Động cơ cũng đơn giản, giết người cũng nhanh gọn, không ám ảnh hay ghê rợn gì hết. Twist cuối thì kiểu cũng ok không ngả ngửa lắm. Nói chung cuốn này đọc để thư giãn đầu óc xả stress thì tuyệt chứ không hề nặng đô. Không đọng lại gì nhiều, 1 cuốn fun read!
Cho tròn 4 sao vì nhịp điệu tình tiết nhanh, đúng thì 3,5 thôi!
Cho tròn 4 sao vì nhịp điệu tình tiết nhanh, đúng thì 3,5 thôi!