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passifloraincarnata's review against another edition
3.0
If you've never read Rendell, and you have a short attention span, this might be a good place to start. But short stories, however clever, are not where this author really shines. Known for her gut-wrenching depictions of people with complex inner lives descending slowly into madness... she hasn't got room to maneuver in the short-story format. So we get a lot of her favorite themes here, but weirdly truncated.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
Eleven short stories that deal with individuals suffering from mental illness and unbalanced personalities. These tales by a master storyteller are plausible enough to keep readers awake at night.
david611's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good (11) short stories! More intriguing story content than Colin Dexter's standalone books so far, at least for me. :)
Good english, interesting themes, well-crafted!
Good english, interesting themes, well-crafted!
sualuminasidus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
booksuperpower's review against another edition
3.0
This 1981 copyrighted paperback is a collection of eleven short stories written by Ruth Rendell. Most of these stories were published in the Ellery Queen mystery magazine in the early to mid 1970's.
The stories range from mystery to the macabre, with some wit and dark humor. I didn't realize these were short stories when I picked this one out. As a collector, this is one I will keep. I did enjoy most of the stories. Think along the lines of the Twilight Zone and you'll have a fair idea of what type of stories these were.
I'm not a big fan of short story collections for the most part, but this one was interesting as a novelty sort of thing.
Overall a C+
The stories range from mystery to the macabre, with some wit and dark humor. I didn't realize these were short stories when I picked this one out. As a collector, this is one I will keep. I did enjoy most of the stories. Think along the lines of the Twilight Zone and you'll have a fair idea of what type of stories these were.
I'm not a big fan of short story collections for the most part, but this one was interesting as a novelty sort of thing.
Overall a C+
secretbookcase's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
3.5
An enjoyable collection of short stories in which murders are driven by everyday peccadillos which can push people into hatred, madness and exasperation. The stories aren’t driven by exciting or unpredictable plotlines – most of them are fairly obvious in their denouement – but by the wonderful way in which Rendell explores the psychology of ‘everyday’ murders and the place of the mundane in such acts. The only critique I would have is that the stories feel a bit dated (they were first published in the 1970s), especially in their stereotypical portrayal of most female protagonists as high-strung, unreasonable and hysterical. But overall, it was an enjoyable read
camerontrost's review against another edition
5.0
Another perfect collection of short suspense tales from the late Ruth Rendell. This collection includes my favourite tale of Rendell's short tales, The Venus Fly Trap. 'The Fallen Curtain', 'The Fever Tree', and 'Piranha to Scurfy' are three of the best short story collections I have ever read. If you haven't delved into Rendell's world yet, find any one of these three collections, lock the doors, and lose yourself.
lande4981's review against another edition
5.0
Eleven stories and each one of them gave me a chill. Ruth Rundell is a merciless writer, sparing nothing in her depiction of the ordinary person and the consequences of their, quite ordinary yet destructive actions. Nothing supernatural here but enough to give one nightmares.
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