Reviews

Blood Lines: Long and Short Stories by Ruth Rendell

eelitorr's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

So much violence against women. Not enough horror. Just weird violence.

moonsoup's review

dark lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

rramesh's review against another edition

3.0

I found this collection of stories rather unexceptional. However, the last story (the long story) made up for the mediocrity by providing the perfect touch of eeriness.

kaz2021's review

dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

_izzyreeves02_'s review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

godtooth's review

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

maccymacd's review

4.0

An enjoyable selection of short stories from Ruth Rendell.
The one I enjoyed the least was the novella length story "The Strawberry Tree." The others were just nice, bite-sized creepy and weird experiences.
My favourite of the stories were "Clothes", "In all honesty", The Man who was the God of Love" and the title story "Blood Lines."
Ruth Rendell continues to entice and excite my brain.

camerontrost's review

4.0

Blood Lines is not Ruth Rendell's strongest collection overall (I would recommend starting with The Fallen Curtain, The Fever Tree, and Piranha to Scurfy) but it includes a number of excellent works of short fiction. Shreds and Slivers, Burning End, and In All Honesty demonstrate Rendell's incredible ability to create characters that are quirky but mundane at the same time. The neurotic lady in the latter is a prime example. What makes her writing more remarkable though - and this can be seen in many of the stories in this collection - is how she plays with criminal intent and uncontrollable circumstance in a way that leaves you wondering whether you have just witnessed a cleverly planned murder or a freak accident.