⇒ Read Gratis The Shape of Snakes Minette Walters 9780515133066 Books

The Shape of Snakes Minette Walters 9780515133066 Books

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The Shape of Snakes Minette Walters 9780515133066 Books

I don't remember at the moment who said that - some scholar can fill me in. I'm still reeling from the impact of this book. I would give it 10 stars if I could and I've never said that about another book I've reviewed. I think it is beside the point to expound on the book's plot - for one thing, other reviewers cover that topic; for another, to it would be useless, without giving away the plot, to try to put in a review how this book made me feel just about every human emotion there is with stunning clarity - emtions that slammed in so hard, I had to put the book down for a few moments quite a number of times. I am very surprised, as (somewhat embarrassedly admit) I ordered it on a whim for the simple reason that I had no other tempting thriller to read at the moment. In fact, heretofore I have felt lukewarm about Minette Walters' previous books, despite their critical acclaim. I did enjoy the made-for-television adaptions of "The Sculptress", "The Dark Room" and, to a lesser extent, "The Scold's Bridle", which made me think I liked the plots, but not the writing. Well, I retract all that now. The writing in this book was electrifying. Yes, it does deal with the darkest aspects human beings possess, as one reviewer mentioned, and if you don't have a strong stomach, be warned and stay away. In these days of work rage, road rage, racism, hate crimes, etc., it really does seem as if everyone thirsts mightily for revenge for wrongs done them. One would like to believe oneself could control this thirst for revenge - I did; but I don't anymore and there will be many more moments of reflection for me because of "The Shape of Snakes". "An eye for an eye" is an apt quotation, but here is a more intriguing one from the book: (an old Chinese proverb says) "If you wait long enough by the river, the bodies of your enemies will float by." If this book does not make you examine your own conscience, you don't have one.


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The Shape of Snakes Minette Walters 9780515133066 Books Reviews

Prior to this, I had never read anything by Minette Walters before. Having read this, I'll make a point of grabbing any of her other novels I happen to run across.

This is perhaps one of the strangest novels I've ever read. Told in bits and pieces, and jumping from past to present to in-between, it is the story of a woman who found a neighbor, a black woman known as "Mad Annie," dying in the street twenty years earlier. The death was, at the time, ruled an accident-- but the narrator believed it was a murder, and has spent the past twenty years collecting evidence to buttress her belief and to have the investigation of the case re-opened.

In doing so, she tears away the surface of the "respectable" neighborhood in which she was living at the time to expose a morass of racial bigotry, prejudice against anyone who is "different," willful blindness, denial, stupidity, duplicity, and just plain old ugliness of the soul. And not until the very last page do you discover WHY the narrator has been so obsessed, for all these years, with the woman's death!

This is one of those books that haunt you, captivate you, draw you in, torment you with their relentless honesty, and make you cringe at how truly rotten human beings can be. HIGHLY recommended!
Not Minettes best but still a good read for her fans
clever plot
I was very disappointed in this book. The characters were so one-dimensional that I couldn't really tell them apart. Worse yet, the victim was apparently NOT a very likable person, so it's hard to get emotionally involved in the book. The main character, the woman who discovered the victim's body, is supposed to be mysterious and enigmatic, but instead she's just plain boring. Try another book by this author, this is her weakest effort.
While I hate the "cat" stuff I've loved this novel for a long time. Don't know why exactly but this was a sort of "cold-case" situation where M. Rambler got to get her perp.
(...). This is a remarkably clever examination of "snakes" Men who abuse their children, men who rape, women who damage their children through abuse and terror, women who abuse their children through neglect, women who lie and cheat with friends' husbands and the husbands who participate, policemen who abuse their authority and people who allow prejudice and hatred to poison their own lives through the persecution of others. The author, however, does not weave a tale devoid of hope nor devoid of other worthwhile virtues love, responsibility, perseverance, commitment and honesty. This is a beautifully written tale that you have to think about as you read and one you will continue to think about after you've turned the last page. I could not admire the author more......
I can't remember the last book that shook me so badly. Perhaps it was "Folly", but I rather think it was "Prince of Tides". The subject matter isn't really similar, but the visceral response certainly is. I'll be interested to see if you have the same reaction. I started it and was only benignly interested. I would put it down, not certain if I was really interested enough to resume, only to find that I was rearranging my schedule to return to that time and that place. It took me FOREVER to read this book, because I could only absorb it in small pieces and toward the last 1/4, I was anxiously seeking closure. Enough is enough. And then it ended. And I cried. Can't remember the last book that did that. THIS IS NOT AN EASY READ! You'll be tempted to give up on it, I promise you. Please don't.
I don't remember at the moment who said that - some scholar can fill me in. I'm still reeling from the impact of this book. I would give it 10 stars if I could and I've never said that about another book I've reviewed. I think it is beside the point to expound on the book's plot - for one thing, other reviewers cover that topic; for another, to it would be useless, without giving away the plot, to try to put in a review how this book made me feel just about every human emotion there is with stunning clarity - emtions that slammed in so hard, I had to put the book down for a few moments quite a number of times. I am very surprised, as (somewhat embarrassedly admit) I ordered it on a whim for the simple reason that I had no other tempting thriller to read at the moment. In fact, heretofore I have felt lukewarm about Minette Walters' previous books, despite their critical acclaim. I did enjoy the made-for-television adaptions of "The Sculptress", "The Dark Room" and, to a lesser extent, "The Scold's Bridle", which made me think I liked the plots, but not the writing. Well, I retract all that now. The writing in this book was electrifying. Yes, it does deal with the darkest aspects human beings possess, as one reviewer mentioned, and if you don't have a strong stomach, be warned and stay away. In these days of work rage, road rage, racism, hate crimes, etc., it really does seem as if everyone thirsts mightily for revenge for wrongs done them. One would like to believe oneself could control this thirst for revenge - I did; but I don't anymore and there will be many more moments of reflection for me because of "The Shape of Snakes". "An eye for an eye" is an apt quotation, but here is a more intriguing one from the book (an old Chinese proverb says) "If you wait long enough by the river, the bodies of your enemies will float by." If this book does not make you examine your own conscience, you don't have one.