Rear Window

Rating:
Summary: Woolrich, the greatest suspense author of all time
Review: After years of having only one small volume of Cornell Woolrich's short suspense stories in print, this new volume is a major cause for celebration. It collects 13 of his works ranging from his earliest pulp stories ("Dead on Her Feet") to his last, sparse years ("For the Rest of Her Life"). The contents will be familiar to Woolrich fans, who have been able to dig up many of these stories in old anthologies, but it is wonderful to have them in a clean new collection -- with a thrilling cover. And for those of you new to Woolrich, you are in for a treat. Settle back in your armchair and dim the lights...you're in for a terrifying ride. Woolrich can cram more tension, anguish, and despair into his noir nightmare tales than any other author living or dead. He practically invented the noir genre, and once you get a taste of his riveting work, you'll never get enough of it again.

This collection contains: "Rear Window", "I Won't Take a Minute", "Speak to Me of Death", "The Dancing Detective" (a.k.a. "Dime a Dance"), "The Light in the Window", "The Corpse Next Door", "You'll Never See Me Again", "The Screaming Laugh", "Dead on Her Feet", "Waltz", "The Book That Squealed", "Death Escapes the Eye", and "For the Rest of Her Life."

My personal favorite is the last, the story that originlly hooked me on Woolrich. It's a terrifying tale of a woman's attempt to escape an abusive relationship. There are many other classics here, such as "Death Escapes the Eye", a subtle tale about the death of love -- and maybe another death as well. "Dead on Her Feet" is a grim short about police brutality, and "I Won't Take a Minute" and "You'll Never See Me Again" deal in one of Woolrich's favorite subjects: the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of a loved one and the panicked and hopeless search for them. "Speak to Me of Death" is a wonderfully depressing meditation on the fear of death and the horrific power of fate. Woolrich later lengthened it into the novel _Night Has a Thousand Eyes_. "The Screaming Laugh", "Waltz", and "The Book That Squealed" are lesser works, but still classics of their genre.

And, of course, the title story isn't a classic for nothing: it's a chilling account of suspicion and entrapment in every way the equal of the Hitchcock film that followed it. The volume also contains a short but insightful introduction that explains how Woolrich's dismal life is mirrored in his fiction. Understanding Woolrich's personal nightmares is helpful in appreciating his fictional ones.

If you like mystery and suspense, or just plain great writing, BUY THIS BOOK. And tell all your friends to as well. We need more Woolrich in print. And be sure to purchase NIGHT AND FEAR, a new Woolrich collection.

BOTTOM LINE: an eclectic brew murder and suspense -- and some of the finest work you will read anywhere. It is NOT hit and miss. Every piece is a gem. This is NOT literary junk food. Woolrich is one of the masters of American literature, deserving of great respect. Recommended to everyone who reads.

Rating:
Summary: cheap and cheesy murder mysteries; decadent reading material
Review: Cornell Woolrich was an extremely prolific short story writer and novelist during the 1930s ad 1940s. Much of his stories were published in Ellery Queen's Mystery magazine - the equivalent of literary junk food. Often his material is entertaining yet poor written and forgettable. The same goes for his novels (..although I loved his Waltz into Darkness).

In this collection of short stories, including Rear Window (made famous by the Hitchcock film), we have several stories about suspense and murder. I found most to be very average. Rear Window was actually quite disappointing; the film adaptation was much better. And one of the stories was actually the template of a Woolrich novel I read, Night Has A Thousand Eyes (..the novel is much better than the short story). But there are some jewels. These involve a mix of themes such as: a killer of dance hall hostesses, a murder of a milk bottle thief, and the final story involving a sadistic husband.

Bottom line: an eclectic mish-mash of murder and suspense. Hit and miss, sure. But recommended nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: cheap and cheesy murder mysteries; decadent reading material
Review: Cornell Woolrich was an extremely prolific short story writer and novelist during the 1930s ad 1940s. Much of his stories were published in Ellery Queen's Mystery magazine - the equivalent of literary junk food. Often his material is entertaining yet poor written and forgettable. The same goes for his novels (..although I loved his Waltz into Darkness).

In this collection of short stories, including Rear Window (made famous by the Hitchcock film), we have several stories about suspense and murder. I found most to be very average. Rear Window was actually quite disappointing; the film adaptation was much better. And one of the stories was actually the template of a Woolrich novel I read, Night Has A Thousand Eyes (..the novel is much better than the short story). But there are some jewels. These involve a mix of themes such as: a killer of dance hall hostesses, a murder of a milk bottle thief, and the final story involving a sadistic husband.

Bottom line: an eclectic mish-mash of murder and suspense. Hit and miss, sure. But recommended nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: i liked it
Review: i liked this book because i liked the original