Grasshopper

A departure for Rendell/Vine who usually writes superb murder mysteries. I find the writing here superior to her mystery work, she takes chances and uses her skill at getting in her character's heads to tracing the mental illness brought on by a teenagers shame over her guilt in a friend's death towards resolution.

Young Clodagh moves to London to go to school following the tragic death of a friend, a death that she had a part in causing. Soon, she finds herself running over the rooftops with new friends, each of whom has his or her own tragic story to tell, although she doesn’t know that at first. How those lives intersect and affect each other provides Clodagh with a new sense of herself, of other people and of becoming an adult…. Barbara Vine is, of course, Ruth Rendell, writing less crime and more psychological suspense stories under that name. I very much enjoyed "Grasshopper," a very long read that more than anything else explores the themes of young love, first love and growing into one’s own personhood. Good stuff!

A girl struggles to find out who she wants to be. Keep track of minor characters in the book as they often appear later. The tone is sad, but well worth the read. It is a memorable book.

Of all the plotless, self-indulgent, meandering, drag-as-many-outlandish-character-names-in-as-possible books I have read by Barbara Vine, I think this is the very worst

I loved this book. A coming-up-age story with electricity. Literally.

Ruth Rendell osaa psykologisen kuvauksen hyvin ja vaikka kirja on paksu sitä ei voi laskea kädestään ennen kuin on päässyt loppuun. Suurena kilpikonnakuvioisten kissojen fanina erityisesti sivuhenkilö Mabel-kissa herättää ihastusta.