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crowaii's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
3.75
malongorose's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
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
4.0
jcm's review against another edition
1.0
I am reading through Rendell’s stand alone novels, and most have been pretty good. This was not, it was utterly terrible. The characters were so under-developed that I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of them. For real: what was the point of Cheryl’s story-line? The big thunder-clap there is that she’s a disaffected youth who steals things to fund her slot machine addiction.
I didn’t buy into the whole love at first site trope. It only seemed Philip cared about the sex, because they literally did nothing else. No dates, no real conversations, just a mentally unstable young woman lying over and over telling him he needed to kill someone to prove his love. Even IF I could believe it, there is no amount of suspension of disbelief in the world to make me believe that someone you’ve basically just met says you need to prove to me you love me by killing someone. The someone in this case REALLY doesn’t like death and dead bodies (um, who does besides pathologists and psychopaths?)That point was ludicrous, Rendell tells us Philip’s got a so-called phobia, yet his reactions throughout the book say otherwise. I have a phobia of snakes, I feel actually sick to my stomach even mentioning it. A tremor down my spine, and now worry I will dream about them tonight. If someone kept telling me I needed to handle a snake I would flip out and peace out.
The point of even mentioning Philip’s job was what? Why even bother with the mean woman who kept finding fault with her bathroom fixtures? The only bit of those boring pages that was useful to whatever the plot was, was to let Philip find a statue which he has a really weird fixation with.
I am truly baffled by the amount of 4 and 5 star ratings here. Or that people call it a thriller. Who could possibly think that this crazy liar wasn’t stashing a body in that disgusting house? The only surprise to me is that there weren’t more bodies stacked up.
I didn’t buy into the whole love at first site trope. It only seemed Philip cared about the sex, because they literally did nothing else. No dates, no real conversations, just a mentally unstable young woman lying over and over telling him he needed to kill someone to prove his love. Even IF I could believe it, there is no amount of suspension of disbelief in the world to make me believe that someone you’ve basically just met says you need to prove to me you love me by killing someone. The someone in this case REALLY doesn’t like death and dead bodies (um, who does besides pathologists and psychopaths?)That point was ludicrous, Rendell tells us Philip’s got a so-called phobia, yet his reactions throughout the book say otherwise. I have a phobia of snakes, I feel actually sick to my stomach even mentioning it. A tremor down my spine, and now worry I will dream about them tonight. If someone kept telling me I needed to handle a snake I would flip out and peace out.
The point of even mentioning Philip’s job was what? Why even bother with the mean woman who kept finding fault with her bathroom fixtures? The only bit of those boring pages that was useful to whatever the plot was, was to let Philip find a statue which he has a really weird fixation with.
I am truly baffled by the amount of 4 and 5 star ratings here. Or that people call it a thriller. Who could possibly think that this crazy liar wasn’t stashing a body in that disgusting house? The only surprise to me is that there weren’t more bodies stacked up.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
2.0
Rather dark view of human nature. But rather predictable.
Have to say, just be careful who you date.
Have to say, just be careful who you date.
poedogruns's review against another edition
4.0
The Bridesmaid is a smart, original tale of madness as experienced through Phillip, a rather lack-luster young man with aimless ambition and no real life until he connects with Senta, who is quite obsessive, compulsive and (entertainingly) insane.[return][return]Ruth Rendell is splendid at making a complete story where the front of the story completes the end. All the tribulations of the characters are interwoven, much like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. There are no real surprises sprung out during the novel, but I am much more interested in the authenticity of the situation; it certainly feels real to me.
annika's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
han_cat's review against another edition
2.0
Rather a weird book, took absolutely forever to get going and there were about 50 or so interesting pages in the middle and then it petered off again into the ending. General plot idea could be very good, but it just felt flat and at times a little too overworked. Also I really wasn't interested in the characters at all, which is never a good sign!
I probably will give Ruth Rendell another go sometime, but this really wasn't a great introduction to her writing.
I probably will give Ruth Rendell another go sometime, but this really wasn't a great introduction to her writing.
thepixieperkins's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, I’m a sucker for hate-to-love plots and lots of banter…andddd I absolutely LOVE books/movies about celebrities, TV shows, etc. Need I say more?
Well, I’m going to.
Well, I’m going to.