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jimio's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emilija287's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.75
swicksy's review against another edition
4.0
Solid Noir-thriller by Patricia Highsmith has all the elements you would expect - murder (or was there one?), suicide, a suspected psychopath, sex, romance, jealousy, the works!
None of the characters are completely innocent (very Noir!), and Highsmith does a great job of setting up the protagonist Robert as a possibly unstable figure as he gazes longingly into the window of the young Jenny's isolated home in small town Pennsylvania. Both he and Jenny are trying to escape - he a wife that bully's him and calls him a nut job, she just wants a quiet life with a house but isn't so keen on her choice of fiances (Greg in this case). One night Jenny catches Robert doing his peeping Tom bit, but instead of calling the police she invites him in. The two become friends, so much so that she falls for him (it's questionable whether he falls for her or not) and breaks off her engagement to Greg. Greg doesn't take it well and connecting with Robert's ex starts pressuring him to leave Jenny alone believing him to be a psychopath. Greg assaults Robert who defends himself well and leaves Greg beaten by the side of the road near a river. As you would expect from a novel like this, Greg disappears and Robert is the prime suspect. Robert believes Greg is still alive, but his peeping Tom activities come to light making him seem guilty to everyone around him. From here, the situation for Robert and Jenny just gets worse with each passing day that Greg isn't found - dead or alive.
I felt that the small town setting for this is just as important as the dark incidents happening within it. Robert is presumed guilty and townspeople turn on him fast. Rumors spread, nobody knows who to trust and Robert finds himself with nowhere to go. He wants to find Greg - presumably alive - but because of the suspicion of guilt, he is unable to leave town. Jenny finds herself caught between her feelings for Robert and the opinion of her close-minded, small-town friends. She is in a very precarious position basically because she loves Robert, but he doesn't love her back - or does her? That is very much in question. Why does he stare at her through the window? Once they get to know each other, he never makes a move or any overtones of feelings towards her. It makes him a very complex and questionable character. We know he's innocent because of how the fight was left (Highsmith doesn't try to hide the fact that Robert does not kill Greg, and in fact saves him from drowning) but even we start seeing how the evidence seems to make him seem more guilty than he is. He chose the wrong window to spy on.
With all great Noirs, there is a femme fatale and in this case, she's more of a puppet master pulling the strings from the background. She's a bully and a drunk and has it out for Robert. But why? None of her accusations make sense...only reading further into the book will one find out just how right she is or not.
Definitely worth reading.
None of the characters are completely innocent (very Noir!), and Highsmith does a great job of setting up the protagonist Robert as a possibly unstable figure as he gazes longingly into the window of the young Jenny's isolated home in small town Pennsylvania. Both he and Jenny are trying to escape - he a wife that bully's him and calls him a nut job, she just wants a quiet life with a house but isn't so keen on her choice of fiances (Greg in this case). One night Jenny catches Robert doing his peeping Tom bit, but instead of calling the police she invites him in. The two become friends, so much so that she falls for him (it's questionable whether he falls for her or not) and breaks off her engagement to Greg. Greg doesn't take it well and connecting with Robert's ex starts pressuring him to leave Jenny alone believing him to be a psychopath. Greg assaults Robert who defends himself well and leaves Greg beaten by the side of the road near a river. As you would expect from a novel like this, Greg disappears and Robert is the prime suspect. Robert believes Greg is still alive, but his peeping Tom activities come to light making him seem guilty to everyone around him. From here, the situation for Robert and Jenny just gets worse with each passing day that Greg isn't found - dead or alive.
I felt that the small town setting for this is just as important as the dark incidents happening within it. Robert is presumed guilty and townspeople turn on him fast. Rumors spread, nobody knows who to trust and Robert finds himself with nowhere to go. He wants to find Greg - presumably alive - but because of the suspicion of guilt, he is unable to leave town. Jenny finds herself caught between her feelings for Robert and the opinion of her close-minded, small-town friends. She is in a very precarious position basically because she loves Robert, but he doesn't love her back - or does her? That is very much in question. Why does he stare at her through the window? Once they get to know each other, he never makes a move or any overtones of feelings towards her. It makes him a very complex and questionable character. We know he's innocent because of how the fight was left (Highsmith doesn't try to hide the fact that Robert does not kill Greg, and in fact saves him from drowning) but even we start seeing how the evidence seems to make him seem more guilty than he is. He chose the wrong window to spy on.
With all great Noirs, there is a femme fatale and in this case, she's more of a puppet master pulling the strings from the background. She's a bully and a drunk and has it out for Robert. But why? None of her accusations make sense...only reading further into the book will one find out just how right she is or not.
Definitely worth reading.
molly9900's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
paschalis_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Πολύ ωραίο, αλλά ο κεντρικός χαρακτήρας και το τέλος με απογοήτευσαν λίγο. Περίμενα λίγη περισσότερη κάθαρση.
ewoods13's review
dark
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
vianimarov's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
sistermagpie's review against another edition
3.0
Oh, Patricia Highsmith and your crazy, crazy characters. At the center of this story is Robert, the most hapless man in the world. Robert is doomed by the fact that practically every impulse he has is one bound to either make him look bad to others or make himself vulnerable to the far more motivated crazy people around him. People like his ex-wife who delights in teasing him either via annoying phone calls or telling lies about him to everyone, including the police. Or Jenny, the girl he starts off watching cook dinner through her window and winds up killing herself in a melodramatic turn that naturally makes Robert look worse. And then, of course, Greg, Jenny's possessive, stalker boyfriend who feels entitled to destroy and kill anybody who interferes with the women he thinks is his. Despite the fact that he has a history of this sort of thing, everyone from friends to neighbors to the police sees Robert as the creepy one who's probably the murderer.
But Patricia Highsmith, as always, has a total handle on the characters so you can't imagine them acting any other way. Her writing is always fantastic.
But Patricia Highsmith, as always, has a total handle on the characters so you can't imagine them acting any other way. Her writing is always fantastic.
camz's review
2.0
Aburrido.
Esperaba algo parecido a Ese dulce mal, pero en este caso la espera fue en vano porque la historia nunca agarra ritmo.
Esperaba algo parecido a Ese dulce mal, pero en este caso la espera fue en vano porque la historia nunca agarra ritmo.
lnatal's review
4.0
From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Patricia Highsmith's intriguing tale of obsession, starring John Sharian.
Patricia Highsmith's intriguing tale of obsession, starring John Sharian.