Reviews

The Copper Peacock and Other Stories by Ruth Rendell

laila4343's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars.

Rendell is a master of the short story - especially unsettling ones. The one about the cat lady, Long Live the Queen, is one of the creepiest short stories I've ever read. And I like cats.

laura_n_'s review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

its_jess24's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

3.0

maccymacd's review against another edition

Ruth Rendell is similar in my opinion to Susan Hill. In that she has numerous short stories and then some longer novels dedicated to a specific detective (that I personally am not very interested in reading). As with Susan Hill, Ruth Rendell can write terrifying short stories, whereas hers are more ghostly, and Rendell's are more psychological. Either way they both scare me, and Rendell's collection of short stories here does justice. The best story by far is the title story 'The Copper Peacock' which explains how a cleaner gives a writer a ghastly looking bookmark in the shape of a peacock as a gift, and turns up at work each time with mysterious bad bruises on her body. 'Mother's Help' is also a rather scary story about the effects of unruly children. A woman takes on looking after a couple's child, and slowly falls in love with the father. When the son mistakenly crashes the car when he is left in it alone, the father comes up with the perfect way of disposing of his wife.
Something very eerie about Rendell's stories, you are always holding your breath waiting for something to happen, and then on the last page you let out a sigh of relief and feel glad you are only reading and not living the story.

jennereads's review against another edition

3.0

Typically, I didn't love all of the short stories, but I liked them all. I particularly liked Long Live the Queen (an interesting take on the "cat lady") and An Unwanted Woman.

Audio Review: It was expertly read by actress Penelope Keith.

camerontrost's review

3.0

A decent collection of short stories examining psychology, society, and crime. However, being used to Ruth Rendell's exceptionally high standard, I wasn't overly impressed. These are by no means her most original or well-written stories. For the uninitiated, I'd recommend starting with her collections, The Fallen Curtain, Blood Lines, and Piranha to Scurfy.