Piranha to Scurfy and Other Stories: Amazon.ca: Ruth Rendell: Books

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.5 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Stories - Great Reader, Jan 21 2004

By

Michael D. Blatt "alexiad99@aol.com" (HAMMONDSPORT, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Piranha to Scurfy: And Other Stories (Audio Cassette)

The stories are good, mysterious. Add to that the outstanding talents of Jenny Sterlin and you have 4 hours of good times ahead.

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3.0 out of 5 stars A fairly average bunch of stories., Dec 16 2002

By

Wayne (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piranha to Scurfy: And Other Stories (Hardcover)

The stories range from being chilling and disturbing to being a bit on the dull side. It is still worth reading as some of the stories are very good but overall I think the collection is a bit uneven.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Stories rate from entertaining to outstanding, Mar 10 2002

By

Lleu Christopher (Hudson Valley, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piranha to Scurfy: And Other Stories (Hardcover)

Ruth Rendell is one of my favorite contemporary writers, and I was not disappointed by this collection. The three I most enjoyed were the title story, The Professionals and High Mysterious Union. What sets Rendell apart from most suspense writers is the originality of her characters. She has a knack for creating highly ambiguous personalities with unexpected (and often amusing) eccentricities. Ambrose Ribbon, of Piranha To Scurfy, is such a character. An intellectual elitist and loner, he writes scathing letters to popular authors, pointing out trivial errors in their works. The way he gradually comes undone reminded me of Poe's The Telltale Heart.

The final story, High Mysterious Union, is set in a wonderfully
eerie atmosphere. Although we've all read stories or seen films about sinister rustic villages, no one can do this better than Rendell, and this story has an unusual twist (the villagers aren't devil worshippers looking for sacrificial victims, as I first suspected).

All in all, a brilliant collection of stories. If you're not already a Ruth Rendell fan, this will probably make you want to read some of her novels.

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A Weak Collection of Character Studies and Tired Devices
Never having read Rendell, who is widely thought of as being amongst the best contemporary crime writers, I figured this new collection might be the place to start. Read more

Published on Dec 12 2001 by A. Ross

3.0 out of 5 stars No comparison to "The Fallen Curtain"
Ouch! This is a major disappointment compared to her earlier collection, "The Fallen Curtain". Read more

Published on Aug 28 2001 by S. L. Smith

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book for a Rainy Day
I went to the library for a couple of books on a rainy morning. "Piranha to Scurfy" was just what I needed! Liked the first story best. Read more