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eely's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cdesalva's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hashtag_alison's review against another edition
1.0
This book was just terrible. I was enjoying it in a B movie kind of way but it got too bad even for that. The tone was very reminiscent of old 40s and 50s movies. The very short chapters were literally like scenes from those old movies before they had quite figured it out as a story-telling medium. It was entertaining for a while but lost its novelty very quikly and just wasn’t worth the read. Not a good book.
bibliotess's review against another edition
4.0
After I finished reading A Reliable Wife, I read a few of the reviews on Amazon.com. There were several reviews that said A Reliable Wife bears a strong resemblance to Waltz into Darkness and opined that Waltz into Darkness is better. I wanted to decide for myself. It's fascinating how two novels share the skeleton of a story and are still different. Waltz into Darkness is a noir mystery; A Reliable Wife has more literary aspirations.
A lonely man whose first love died several years ago looks for a wife through personal ads. He proposes marriage to one of his correspondents, and when his fiancee arrives, she is much more attractive than the picture she sent to represent herself. She claims this is because she wanted to be appreciated for herself, and not her appearance. The couple marries despite the initial deception. The bride's intentions aren't honorable, and trouble ensues. In both novels there is another man in the bride's life and poison eventually comes into play, but these points are handled very differently. Oh, and a canary. The brides each have canaries as pets.
When I first finished this book, I gave it four stars--I really liked it. But now, I have to say simply, "I liked it." The deliberate storytelling was very suspenseful and enjoyable. The chapters are short, sometimes only two pages, inviting you to read the book one nibble at a time. Before you know it, you've read far more and longer than you planned. The ending has a small measure of satisfaction, if disappointing and unbelievable. My biggest complaint about the book is that when people are shot, they bleed. A murder is committed in the middle of the book; the perpetrator is very nearly caught. The cover-up is discussed in detail, but there is never any mention of blood. It's never seen, it's never cleaned. I can't imagine how you can shoot someone and roll them up in a rug without there being blood on the rug. Perhaps I've seen too much CSI. I've seen many old movies where people get shot and manage not to bleed. I always notice. Still, it is quite a tense scene in the book.
If you like noir fiction, if you like a good thriller with short chapters, you will enjoy this book.
A lonely man whose first love died several years ago looks for a wife through personal ads. He proposes marriage to one of his correspondents, and when his fiancee arrives, she is much more attractive than the picture she sent to represent herself. She claims this is because she wanted to be appreciated for herself, and not her appearance. The couple marries despite the initial deception. The bride's intentions aren't honorable, and trouble ensues. In both novels there is another man in the bride's life and poison eventually comes into play, but these points are handled very differently. Oh, and a canary. The brides each have canaries as pets.
When I first finished this book, I gave it four stars--I really liked it. But now, I have to say simply, "I liked it." The deliberate storytelling was very suspenseful and enjoyable. The chapters are short, sometimes only two pages, inviting you to read the book one nibble at a time. Before you know it, you've read far more and longer than you planned. The ending has a small measure of satisfaction, if disappointing and unbelievable. My biggest complaint about the book is that when people are shot, they bleed. A murder is committed in the middle of the book; the perpetrator is very nearly caught. The cover-up is discussed in detail, but there is never any mention of blood. It's never seen, it's never cleaned. I can't imagine how you can shoot someone and roll them up in a rug without there being blood on the rug. Perhaps I've seen too much CSI. I've seen many old movies where people get shot and manage not to bleed. I always notice. Still, it is quite a tense scene in the book.
If you like noir fiction, if you like a good thriller with short chapters, you will enjoy this book.
booklover81's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
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