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

This is a great story. Ruth Rendell when writing as Barbara Vine introduces the most interesting characters. Her books always have useful information and interesting quotes. The narration is superb.

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5 people found this helpful

Excellent Ms Vine

Can't praise this enough. Story and narration are so well done. Sian Thomas knows her job and has a wonderful understanding of the text, which makes the story flow. Her characters are three-dimensional and fully formed. More like this, please. Thank you.

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Another great story

Another Barbara Vine's book that is not about a crime committed, but about what led people to do it. Beautifully read!

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Intriguing Story

I found this an intriguing story of complex family relationships and murder witnessed through the viewpoint of a young Swedish woman, who is recruited to help take care of the family’s son suffering from mental health issues that are not what they seem. A careful observation of a family caught between tradition and underlying passions in 1960s England.

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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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