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biolexicon's review against another edition
4.0
The short story “A Very Desirable Residence” is especially excellent.
rereader33's review
1.0
Wow, this is the most dry, emotionless, uninteresting story-telling I have ever witnessed. It really feels like no passion or effort went into writing this collection. This is my first time reading P.D. James's work and I can assure it'll be the last. I've read reviews of this collection saying that this isn't her usual writing and this was disappointing for long time fans, but I have NO interest in reading any of her other work. The only saving grace of this collection was how short it is because this was beyond boring and dry. Skip this collection, it's not worth your time.
darwinista's review against another edition
3.0
While these stories are all fine in themselves, as a collection they don't work well. I don't fault P.D. James for this--this anthology was assembled by her estate from previously published stories. Side by side, the plots are too similar, making the "surprise" endings predictable. Content warning about "The Girl Who Loved Graveyards": really distressing treatment of a pet.
Spoiler
I temporarily had to stop reading the book to avoid hearing what happened to the cat. It was a literary version of Schrödinger's cat paradox: until I finished the story, the cat was both dead and alive.ellenclifton's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
hollybop's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ninett's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
The cover lured me into reading a book that belongs to two genres I'd normally never read: a short story collection, and a crime one at that...
But I'm glad it did. I have been meaning to open up my reading a bit recently. I liked the classic twists in each little story and the image of an era that it left imprinted on my brain (both this era of crime fiction writing and the era the stories were set in in general). The writing was excellent - flowing well and reflecting astute observations about what we're like as humans.
But I'm glad it did. I have been meaning to open up my reading a bit recently. I liked the classic twists in each little story and the image of an era that it left imprinted on my brain (both this era of crime fiction writing and the era the stories were set in in general). The writing was excellent - flowing well and reflecting astute observations about what we're like as humans.