A Kiss Before Dying

Ira Levin mi sa che potrebbe raccontarmi un po’ qualunque cosa e sarei comunque soddisfatta.
Qui siamo nel noir puro. Un reduce di guerra, convinto che il mondo sia stato ingiusto con lui, cerca di dare sfogo alle sue aspirazioni.
Una volta entrato in contatto con la figlia di un ricco industriale, laborerà con freddezza chirurgica alla ricerca di una dote.
Romanzo costruito benissimo, assolutamente verosimile e, nonostante l’età, per niente invecchiato. Tutti i personaggi sono belli caratterizzati, in modo particolare l’assassino, il padre e la prima e l’ultima sorella (Ellen ci e piaciuta meno). 350 pagine stampate larghe che si polverizzano sotto gli occhi e, nonostante un finale un po’ scontato, le ultime frasi rendono show more comunque il tutto assolutamente perfetto. Del resto, dei due finali secondo me possibili, questo è sicuramente il più azzeccato, il più spendibile cinematograficamente parlando (ira levin era pur sempre uno sceneggiatore) e il più plausibile.
Confermo la mia voglia di voler leggere tutto quello che ha prodotto. Tranne forse il seguito di rosemary’s baby che pare sia effettivamente una gran ciofeca trash, ma chissà… show less

Dorothy Kingship is the 19-year-old daughter of the magnate who founded Kingship Copper. Wealthy and somewhat sheltered, she falls in love with a man who gets her pregnant—and because he’s a jerk, his thoughts are all about him and his big plans being ruined. So he becomes persuaded that either the pregnancy goes, or she does. Will this cad get away with murder?

This was my first Ira Levin and it was very well done. The writing is clean and crisp and rattles along. The story twists and turns so much I had a hard time figuring out who to believe until about 2/3 of the way through the book, when it becomes abundantly clear who to believe. The last third I read while barely pausing for breath—I had to find out whether he’d get away show more with it, and I had to find out immediately. And the ending is perfect. What a note!

I recommend this to fans of classic suspense novels in particular. show less

Wow, that was so good. One of the more disturbing books I've read in recent memory, but not because of gore, of which there is almost none. It's not really a whodunit, since the reader knows who the killer is from the beginning, but it's engrossing to watch the characters try to figure it out. A man's girlfriend reveals that she is pregnant, and he decides to take drastic measures to "fix" the situation. The creepiest part is how justified he feels he is in all his actions. The best villains think they are heroes, after all, Recommended if you're looking for a good psychological thriller.

Really quite good. In the first part of the novel, Levin manages to get the reader into the mind of the murderer-to-be, so much so that I actually felt anxiety and empathy for the bad guy. That didn't last, but it was a unique feeling to be practically rooting for the murderer (at least for me). It probably helped that the victim wasn't all that likeable. The plot plays out beautifully with a few twists and turns along the way and a very satisfying ending. The characters weren't cardboard cutouts, but also weren't fleshed out too thoroughly given the short length of the book. But the little plot details here and there really sold it for me.

A Kiss Before Dying is stylish, smart and remarkably suspenseful. I can't remember the last time I read a book that gave me the same kind of heebie-jeebies all the way through.

Levin wrote it when he was only 23, and although there's no sign of immaturity in his assured, urbane prose, his tender age must have been a factor in the book's structure: the plot is so audacious in its initial implausibility that it must be the work of either a young writer who feels invulnerable, or a very experienced writer who knows through long experience exactly what he can get away with. In any case, Levin build up his symmetrical if unlikely structure with elan; it's just sufficiently believable to allow all of the book's other manifold excellence to show more shine: sharp dialog, crisp description, and tight, active scenes, one after another.

My only gripe: the book's third act is just slightly off in comparison with the totally creepy parts I and II. show less

A smart, ambitious young man, with a penchant for killing, discovers that finding and marrying a rich girl is a difficult proposition--but perhaps if he can keep it all in the family, practice will make perfect! This is a real page-turner, marred by a few significant flaws, notably that a lot of the plot depends upon women acting really stupid, and lots of typos. There is also a really stupid male police chief. But neither stupidity or anything else is going to stop Levin from getting to his goal--even though we can see it coming from a mile away--and he speeds through roadblocks and even a couple of "Bridge Out" signs to get there.

Along the way, however, we can certainly enjoy the ride. The killer himself is quite an interesting show more character, and even has a few sympathetic traits. His mother is well drawn also. And the book's settings, whether a college town, New York City, or the final scenes (which not to spoil anything I won't identify the location of), come to life with the details the author adds, such as the art or books the characters like. This sets it apart from a lot of pulp novels that may have deft plots or action sequences but lack the depth Levin provides here. show less

A young college man is dating Dorothy, the daughter of a wealthy copper tycoon, hoping to marry her and eventually inherit her father's money. His plan hits a roadblock when Dorothy tells him that she's pregnant and they must marry right away. Not only that but her father will disown her for getting pregnant out of wedlock - that means no money for the young man. The only way the man can get out of this predicament is to kill Dorothy. If only that was the end of his problems...

A Kiss Before Dying, first published in 1953, is Ira Levin's debut novel. It won the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Levin is a master of suspense and this novel does not disappoint. He does not reveal the identity of Dorothy's boyfriend in the first part show more of the book, referring to him only with pronouns. When Dorothy's sister Ellen goes hunting for her murderer, the reader is right alongside her discovering clues and trying to figure out who the killer is. I was on the edge of my seat and as confused as Ellen about who was the murderer. Even after the identity of the killer is discovered the suspense continues right up until the very end.

I listened to the audio version of this book. I thought the narrator, Mauro Hantman, did an excellent job. He was able to convincingly voice all of the characters - from tough as nails Leo Kingship to soft spoken naive Dorothy. I especially loved the voice he gave Gordon Gant.

I highly recommend A Kiss Before Dying. show less