Rating: 
Summary: Lyrical, Moving, Gripping - WOW
Review: This is a book that refuses to let you go once you've finished it - its characters (and their privileged yet tragic lives) stay with you; as do many of the serious questions which the scrapes they get themselves into provoke.For a 20 year old, Richard Mason's knowledge ofhuman nature in all its strength and vulnerability is truly breath-taking.
Rating:
Summary: Best Novel I've Read This Year
Review: Intrigued by the variety of comments on Richard Mason's THE DROWNING PEOPLE, I bought it - and read it in about eight hours flat. Apart from the astonishngly polished prose, what I loved is exactly what about half the people on this page seem to have disliked: the fact that you know what's going to happen way before the end. Surely this is the POINT. Because, from a position of knowledge, the reader has to watch James (the narrator) as tragedy envelopes him - unable to do anything to help or to warn. Wonderful.
Rating: 
Summary: catchy premise in narcissistic, overwrought prose
Review: You can tell this was written by a talented adolescent who has been hearing, all his life, how gifted he is. Where he allows himself to get on with the story (about 1/3 of the manuscript), the plot is very good and the details compelling. The 2/3 of the 344 pages, however, that consist of self-absorbed psychology and half-baked philosophy, however, severely dilute what might have been a powerful tale.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping and thought provoking
Review: This is an exceptional first novel from a 20 year old University student. The plot synopsis is intriguing and the novel is richly written and almost poetic. It takes you in many unexpected directions through a stunning series of events and their tragic consequences. It also provides a fascinating insight into the traps associated with a life of privilege and the struggle to maintain a sense of self in the face of duty. I found this to be a deeply satisfying and thought provoking read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, DISAPPOINTING ENDING.
Review: I really enjoyed this book because it was a "why did it" and not a "who did it". But, the ending was very disappointing and puzziling. I too was surprised to learn that Sarah did actually kill Alexander but the way in which the 70 year old James puts two and two together still remains a mystery to me. Maybe I missed something or maybe someone can answer this for me, but how did he make such a great leap from finding a hidden key to Sarah being the actual killer? Very confusing. Other than that, I thought it was very enjoyable and it held my interest all the way to the end.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible insite of the human animal.
Review: Richard Mason has such a deep understanding of human emotion, it is impossible to believe that he is so young. My hope, is that he will continue to share with us, from his deeply consience soul.
Rating: 
Summary: anything but that
Review: I read the book in part because I'd seen so many reviews and wanted to see what it was like. The one thing I wasn't expecting was for it to be boring and a bit long winded. Despite what the reviews say to me the book does sound like it was writen by a 20 year old which does cause a small problem since the narrator is supposed to be a 70 year old man remembering his youth. as for the plot - who cares? The ending is obvious and the people are so cold and self involved that it is impossible by the end to care what they've done to themselves.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE READ IN A LONG TIME
Review: I wasn't taken in by the "hype" when I started reading this book. I actually had never heard of it before and took it out of the library on a whim. Boy, am I glad I did. While reading the book I kept telling everyone how much I was enjoying it, but I also kept saying that I would "reserve judgment" until the book was completed. Why? Because so many books I have read lately have been enjoyable much of the way through, followed by an ending that was a real let-down. For example, "Hunting Down Amanda" was interesting and fast-paced throughout most of the story, and then came to a hasty, unresolved, and unsatisfying ending. I also felt the same way about "The General's Daughter" by Nelson DeMille. But I found The Drowning People to be "good to the last drop." To all those reviewers who didn't enjoy the book and said that the plot and ending were "predictable" - you are far better detectives than I! I didn't guess the ending - the reason why Sarah was murdered - until about 25 pages or so from the end. Then it all hit me in a flood of realization. And my mouth hung open for a moment. "Wow," I thought, "maybe she really did deserve to die." What an incredible thought! *Did* she deserve to die? And how blameworthy was James for taking the matter into his own hands? So much to think about. I think Richard Mason is a superb writer, particularly so because of his age. I am very much looking forward to his next book. Keep up the good work, Richard.
Rating:
Summary: Not one for the literature snobs, but I love it
Review: A fantastic first offering - you will not put it down. In an age when bestsellers need to conform to hip ramblings or impenetrable prose, it's nice to see something that you can just read, think about, and enjoy. A fairly straight-forward story, nicely written, a pleasure to read. If that's not what you want, then don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Melodramatic style, creaky plot
Review: I fell for the promotional splurge on this title, but was sorely disappointed. The rather gothic plot is predictable and unrealistic, and the style often very melodramatic. Rather like watching a high school performance of something adapted from Edgar Allen Poe, but without the originality. I expected a whole lot better.
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