Spellbound to the end

I loved this book. The characters and behaviour were fascinating set in a time when pretence of social position was vitally important to many people. It left me wondering who indeed was the real mother of the child. I am definitely going to read more by Barbara Vine. Highly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

Very slow but I stuck with it

A well-written book that for this reader meanders far too slowly.
I was tempted to leave it a few chapters in, due to boredom, however what kept me listening was:
A) I wanted to know who was murdered, and this is cleverly not revealed until close to the end of the book, and
B) Every now and then something happened in the story that was interesting and kept me invested. Just.
I don't regret reading the book, however I would only recommend it to those who don't mind a lot of talk and not all that much happening for pages and pages.
The writing itself felt believable and well-written, the characters interesting, the narration excellent. Another tick on the plus side is that I definitely felt immersed in the time period of the book, the early 20th century.
Overall 3 stars, and now I need to read something a bit more fast-paced and gripping.

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intriguing

I loved listening to this novel. It seems to me to be unique. The narration suited the style of the first person narrative, which was intimate and personal.

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Enthralling

With no prior knowledge of Barbara Vine, this book was a revelation to me. It was enthralling, gripping and absorbing to the very end. The plot and characters were crafted to perfection. The narrator Harriet Walter has the most exquisite voice and depicted the story brilliantly.
Highly recommended

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Stunningly good, absolutely engrossing

i have recently discovered Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell. i've always stuck with very contemporary crime, having little interest in middle class Britain of decades past. But having run out of good new releases i sampled some Vine from the Plus catalogue -- and WOW! i am blown away by the quality of writing. Honestly, i wonder why Margaret Drabble and others of this generation are classed as literary whereas BV is in the lesser psychological crime genre. The characterisation, psychological depth and story telling is outstanding.

This one is utterly compelling. i couldn't stop listening.

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2 people found this helpful

A Good Read

This was a good read. It was entangled with various family and extended family members. I enjoyed the apparent morals of the day, the way people spoke to each other and the pretence of elegance. In the end the main players were extra-ordinary and certainly not as they projected themselves to the 'world'. It proves the point that no one of us knows "what goes on behind the closed doors" of our neighbours, or even our families.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. Thank you.

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Gently building sense of domestic strife and claustrophobic family

Brilliantly narrated story of a typical middle class family in England from the 1930’s. Social norms and class snobberies are gently revealed through one woman’s version of her paternal aunts’ lives, and the tragedy that eventually overtook them. There’s a slow build of love and affection turning into intense feelings which destroy those close to them.

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Pleasant

This was an easy an listen to story. plenty going on to keep you interested with a good plots nice easy narration

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