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paul_cornelius's review
2.0
Just before Eve appeared in print, James Hadley Chase had published Miss Shumway Waves a Wand. Both novels deal with a similar theme: the female personality divided into a good half and a bad half. Miss Shumway is a marvelous and successful comic story. With Eve, Chase attempted a serious psychological study. Carol Rae is the the good half in the book, while Eve is the bad half. Involved with Eve is a lengthy exploration of her emotional failings, leading her into prostitution. At one point, Chase even turns over an entire chapter to a psychological analysis of Eve. Essentially, the book fails. It holds interest for the first half almost, but then begins a repetitious slide into bringing its characters over and over into the same situation. The protagonist is Clive Thurston, certainly one of Chase's most disgusting creations. Clive steals, betrays, lies, cheats, fails at work, and represents an entirely wasted style of life. And it is he who plays the role of analyst to Eve.
This is not a very good book. Nevertheless, I give Chase credit for working his theme through two different genres, comedy and melodrama. And it is also easy to see how his earlier interest in White Slavery in several novels eventually leads to an exploration of the act of prostitution per se. Noble challenge. But failed book. And, by the way, there is very little violence and no murders in this book. Chase apparently wanted it to be a serious of work of literature. He managed to bounce around that goal a bit, but ultimately he didn't make it.
This is not a very good book. Nevertheless, I give Chase credit for working his theme through two different genres, comedy and melodrama. And it is also easy to see how his earlier interest in White Slavery in several novels eventually leads to an exploration of the act of prostitution per se. Noble challenge. But failed book. And, by the way, there is very little violence and no murders in this book. Chase apparently wanted it to be a serious of work of literature. He managed to bounce around that goal a bit, but ultimately he didn't make it.
koko09's review
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Writer Clive Thurston’s obsession with a hooker called Eve. What can go wrong? Funnily enough, everything. James Hadley Chase introduces us to his psychological side in this book, a departure from his usual thrillers and murder-mysteries. I didn’t enjoy the story though, and thoroughly disliked Eve, but I found it interesting that even though Clive goes through hell and back because of Eve, he still can’t get her out of his head. What an idiot.
jyothi_nair's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dionisia's review
4.0
This book stuck with me. Isn't nothing special but I still remember the scenes with Eve.
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