Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful read!
Review: What a wonderful book! I have nothing but praise for this ambitious, absorbing, and intelligent mystery. Richard Mason is truly a gem! Between the lush prose and the intriguing social constructs examined in the book, I couldn't put it down. Also, it is such a rare treat to come across a mystery that respects the reader's intelligence, and that doesn't give away every detail of itself right away. Like one other reviewer has already commented, the "who" is answered immediately; it's the "why" that keeps you reading on!
Rating:
Summary: What an incredible book from such a young author!
Review: I am not finished with the book yet, but from what I've read so far---WOW! How could I not go on to read the book after such an eye-opening first paragraph? I'm sure I'll be pleased with the rest of the book as well...
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I could give 0 Stars
Review: All I can say is THANK GOD that the bookstore let me return it even though I admitted that I had read it. What a horrible waste of time and money!
Rating:
Summary: Sensational storytelling . . . and from a 21 year old ???!!!
Review: If for no other reason than the obvious difference of opinion about this book . . . it should be a "must read". It certainly can't help but intrigue. Why the confusion ? Why the ratings from 1 - 5 stars ? What's going on here ?Well, for me, it is simple . . . the confusion rests in the fact that the book is so well written with such good insight into life's vaguaries and the way little events affect people's lives that it's almost impossible to understand how a "kid" of 21 could have put it together. The story alone is worth the time, but the insight is just fabulous ! Forget the synical, over intellectualtized reviews that appear before this one. THIS IS THE REAL THING ! I can't wait for this "kids" next one !
Rating:
Summary: Weak fluff without a point and flat prose.
Review: I am embarrassed to be reading this book and it only because I hate to put a book on the shelf unread that I am compelled to finish it. The characters simply do not exist and I found not one beautiful phrase in the 200 pages I have read. I think the plot is a soap opera. Who lives like this and talks like this? I have no compassion for these people. Worse, I have learned nothing from reading this book. What a huge disappointment. My reading group would have kicked me out had we added this to our list without my first having a go at it.
Rating:
Summary: Overwritten and unappealing!
Review: A disappointment after all the hype. The story line was slow, the plot devices clumsy, and the characters flat and unconvincing. There are so many well-written and compelling new novels out there. Would this novel have sunk out of sight in a matter of weeks without Warner's huge ad budget? Even the promos are misleading; they excerpt the opening but leave out the long-winded phrases between the first and last section of the introductory paragraph. Really not worth even the discounted price...
Rating: 
Summary: Here to Stay
Review: So there are flaws in this book (which is why I didn't give it 5 stars). At times the language is a little over-heated; the characters are a little self-absorbed; their social context seems a little old-fashioned for the rest of us.But the reason I rate The Drowning People so highly is that its flaws (as they appear to some, at least) are in fact an essential part of its overall effect. The idle privileged young people it describes DO move in just the old-fashioned world of the novel; they do use slightly over-heated language;they are a little (much?) too self-absorbed. I went to an English school; I should know. And I applaud Richard Mason for being brave enough to show us that this world still exists; and what it's like to live inside it. A marvellous debut.
Rating:
Summary: Give us more....
Review: My Book Club has just read - devoured, really - the Drowning People; and we just want to say that we have loved the experience. Profound, moving, thought-provoking, this book offers a great deal that is missing from much contemporary fiction. It sparked great discussions about responsibility, how we deal with guilt, how we deal with love. We would recommend it heartily.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Seldom have I been so gripped by a novel as I was by Richard Mason's The Drowning People. Scanning these pages, I was intrigued by a novel that seems to provoke either 1 or 5 Star reviews - so I bought it and read it to see what I thought of it myself. And I loved it. Others have dealt with the plot, so I'll leave that alone. What I will say is this: that Richard Mason has an unequalled ear for language; and that he has the courage to be different. This is, in many respects, a timeless novel. There are no druge (well, one brief mention if you read the text closely,a ctually); very little sex. What grips you are the characters and the mess they make of their lives. Very polished for any writer. Amazing for someone of just 21. I look forward to more books from him.
Rating: 
Summary: This was not bad for a first time author-not bad at all. . .
Review: The Drowning People made me feel like I was drowning in the dense prose. The story was promising, the characters though were either manipulative or incredibly stupid, yet for some reason I remained interested until the end. The author did conveniently forget about the science of modern forensics-like why didn't the police check the victim for gunpowder on her hands? Didn't they examine whether or not it was feasible for the victim to have even shot herself from that position? What about immediately suspecting the husband? Oh I forgot--the story takes place in England.
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