Superbly read

This is frustratingly unclear at the end, who killed X is not quite revealed. This lack of clear resolution of the ending is similar to other Barbara Vine books and sometimes I don't mind; as it's more the telling and the situation around events, than the cut and dried nature of the crime, but this is one I really wanted to know.

Sian Thomas narrates this audio book superbly; I really loved it because she brought the characters to life.

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2 people found this helpful

great listen

Unusual story and beautifully narrated. Her speaking voice was a joy to listen to and the accent judged just right for the protagonist/diarist.

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2 people found this helpful

Not her best

Not her best but nonetheless I listened to the ending, which I found rather weak in terms of wrapping up the story.

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Intriguing story

I kept forgetting this was written by Ruth Rendell under the name of Barbara Vine; it was so different from other books I have read by her, reminiscent of Daphne Du Maurier. It was a very slow build up, and I can imagine that many readers who like a fast paced mystery might give up on it after a few chapters. I became intrigued by the picture she was building up, the setting of the scene, and the characters she described. The writing is beautiful, so much better than the popular mysteries one reads today.

Sian Thomas performed brilliantly and her voice helped to keep my interest and attention during the early chapters when I wasn’t sure where this was going. So glad I stuck with it.

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The Minotaur

I've read this before in paperback and although it was a good book, I don't think that it is one of Rendell/Vine's best. I managed to recall some, but not all of the various plot threads.

The synopsis concerns Kirsten Kvist, a young Swedish woman who is engaged to nurse John Cosway, a man with mental health issues. The book's timeframe is set during the late 1960s in rural Essex. John, who lives with his aged mother and three unmarried sisters in a shabby manor house called Lydstep Old Hall where nothing is quite what it seems.

The narrator, Sian Thomas, was absolutely excellent, she really made the story come to life and every character was articulated in a completely different way. She is one of the best.

My opinion was that John's disability was pretty obvious, but that and the other plot tropes were interesting nonetheless.

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3 people found this helpful

A kind of modern Jane Eyre

A great book, though not a thriller as I expected. I would call it a modern gothic story with many references to 19th century English novels. There is a touch of mystery, but everything becomes clear quite early on. Still, it's worth reading for the vivid characters and the atmosphere.

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Fascinating mystery

Where to start with what makes this book wonderful?

A fabulous gothic country house with a library that’s also a maze… dark family secrets, characters thought mad who aren’t, characters presumed sane who are dangerous, narcissists everywhere and one poor Swedish heroine picking her way through the plot riddled with wickedness, witches, wolves and monsters.

Thoroughly satisfying. Enjoy.

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In depth portrait of a family driven by envy

The complex, dark and intensely envious characters are beautifully delineated, as seen through the eyes of the Swedish live-in nurse, who becomes less self-assured the longer she remains in the tense, resentment-driven household.
I enjoyed the skilled reading.

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Utterly wonderful narration

How I loved listening to this. I have read the book three times as there is so much packed into the story but the audible version has raised it to the highest level. Perfect on every way, all the voices are believable. I could happily start all over again.

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a good story

I have never read this author before, I liked it enough to read more of her books.

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