It would be inaccurate for the reader to classify this book as a mystery, because one can observe the actions of the characters throughout. The proper genre would most aptly be one of suspense. The mystery to me is how Ruth Rendell, unarguably The Queen of the Crime Novel, is able to produce such a broad array of psychopathology in her writing. Bewildering, it often is, but coupled with her brilliant style of story telling, her books are compelling. The stories of these characters and their actions, all for the sake of self preservation vary widely. The panoply of traits that are observed are obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia, gluttony, superstition, larceny, bigamy, confidence games, vanity, narcissism, arrogance and pomposity- to name a few. I actually failed to mention murder! Of course this is all in one book! Rendell, as ever, has woven together these strands of seemingly unrelated attributes, activities and people to produce a tension filled novel which sustained my interest throughout. The title is enigmatic until you delve into the narrative.Perhaps when reading this, it may be deemed by some as “not much of a review”. Yes, there are many descriptive nouns here and I have not introduced the actual characters; but this book delighted me and confirmed my admiration of Rendell. I hope that my enthusiasm will lead others to explore it. (I am elevating my rating to 4.5 !)
Although this is only my second Ruth Rendell book, Adam and Eve and Pinch Me has cemented in my mind just what a masterful storyteller Ruth Rendell is. It tells several stories, all linked by one man known by various different names.I am reluctant to divulge too much of the story in this review as Rendell has paced out the revelations so beautifully throughout the novel and I have no desire to detract from this exquisite journey. Needless to say, it contains ghosts that aren't ghosts, goodies who aren't good and baddies who you might struggle to class as actually 'bad'.Throughout the book my sympathies were pulled here and there, changing every few chapters as more depth is revealed, and although this doesn't contain the surprising twists that other books contain, it still holds the attention.My only criticism is the same as my criticism of the first Ruth Rendell book I read: the part of me that appreciates the detail of storytelling that Rendell includes is sometimes overwhelmed by the part of me that wants to find out what happens next!However, a fine example of writing from an author who will be greatly missed.
Do You like book Adam And Eve And Pinch Me (2003)?
Although I did enjoy this a little more than some of Rendell's other works I still found myself getting somewhat irritated by her characters as they were rather weak and let themselves be dragged along by the whims of the men in their lives. The story itself was very good showing the damage that one man can do if he were so inclined and how the smallest things can escalate out of control and end in a murder or two. Of all the characters in this book the only one I really felt any compassion for was Minty, whose obsessions with cleanliness get out of control and result in hallucinations from which she is unable to escape, despite drastic measures. Rendell's writing is of a good quality and it does bring her stories and characters to life, unfortunatly her characters are just not for me.
—Sam
Another novel full of weird self deceiving characters. This one explores the damage a selfish con man can do. Pleasant on the surface this character uses vulnerable women, taking their money and then abandoning them. The damage he does to the already fragile Minty is catastrophic and very sad. Many other characters in the novel are self seeking and also self deceiving. The trouble this gets them into is often amusing and bizarre.Having read three Rendell/Vine novels one after the other I can see that self deceit and misconception are strong themes in her work as well as isolation.
—Vanessab
I've heard wonderful things about Ruth Rendell for years -- decades, even -- but had only read one of her books until a few weeks ago. Even this one was rather a happy accident -- I needed books to "bring with me" to NYC on my Kindle, and this book was actually available for electronic loan from my library. I can confirm, once again, that Rendell is a master of her craft!Honestly, though, I'm not sure that I'd have kept reading if my only other choice was James Patterson (who, also honestly, wasn't that bad). Part of why this book was so magnificent was that the skill with which Rendell painted unique characters, including those things that torment their every waking moment. At points, the book was painful to read -- beautiful, but painful -- and I had to keep convincing myself that Rendell wouldn't condemn all of her characters to tragic ends. I'm glad I kept reading, not least because Rendell brought everything together in a way I wouldn't have wanted to miss.
—Renee
