Rating: 
Summary: critics say: yes; readers say: no; why?
Review: After having read Barbara Vine's latest novel, "Grasshopper," I thought I'd peruse the reviews. The pros are full of praise (if not outright ecstatic words) about this book; it disappointed just about all of the civilians (readers). Why, I asked myself. A few thoughts thereon: this book has some things in common with the previous ones by Barbara Vine, to be sure, but it has no Great Revelation in the last pages (in fact, the author herself says that who "my husband" is will not surprise the reader), and there are some unanswered situations as well. Not typical. Not totally tidy. But not bothersome, either, at least, to this reader. The book is full of the usual Vine touches: lots of details about places, lots of little lists here and there, much to do with food and drink, and (especially for one character) wardrobe. The writing is graceful, not fussy, literate (mostly . . . wait a bit), and time frames are easy to understand. The many biographies are well set throughout the book, and the details are interestingly expressed. The almost-villainous characters have some redeeming features. There is social comment (on adoption, on treating obsessive behavior, on the problems with institutional these-are-our-rules attitudes, on the hungry-for-fodder press). I think of this as a coming-of-age novel, with some overtones of suspense, some of unearthing the mysteries of the past to explain the present, but none of the wilder aspects of (for example) my Vine favorite: NO NIGHT IS TOO LONG (the English translation of a line from the von Hoffmanstal libretto for DER ROSENKAVALIER), which also has a less-than-usual setting in the U.S., for part of the book. I think that Vine is trying something new with GRASSHOPPER, and I found it convincing, if not as outright page-turning, as many of her earlier works have been. I think of this latest effort as being rather like Patricia Highsmith's less-than-suspenseful novels (which are rather in the Graham Green mode), as opposed to, for instance, her marvelous RIPLEY series - and I'm a fan of both. It's good that Vine is not simply writing the same (albeit, satisfying) work over and over, and I must admit that reading this prompts me to say that I'll look forward to the next one. I am distressed, though, that the author does not observe the difference between "awhile" (the adverb) and "a while" (the noun phrase); further, I'm sorry to see that she has fallen into the less-than-laudable habit of using "like" as a conjunction. In these cases, I always ask if one would re-name the Shakespeare play: "Like You Like It"? One more: on page 279, 3rd paragraph, she writes, "But neither of them . . . were" and, of course, the verb should be "was." Where are the editors?
Rating: 
Summary: Original, reflective, low key
Review: Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) gets a lot of flak for writing thoughtful, reflective books. They aren't typical mysteries or suspense thrillers -- I suspect that was the author's point in setting up a new byline. I've read nearly everything she's published under this pseudonym and all of it's good. The books move at a slowly deliberate pace with a lot of time for character development and a momentum that builds slowly as she lets each character reveal a little more and a little more. This one is particularly unique and original in the way it builds the central character and her relations with the others. There's a risk of becoming self-consciously artsy but Vine never crosses that line -- she just keeps on delivering good writing book after book. As a journalist and author myself, I admire what she does ... I have often wished I could do it myself.
Rating:
Summary: original, haunting, brilliant!
Review: Because of the accident on the pylon, Clodagh has been banished to the city, to a dingy basement flat below the large house of one of her parents' friends. Soon, prisoner of her near-claustrophobia, she bursts free when she discovers the residents of the top floor of nearby 15 Russia Road. Caring Silver, violent Jonny, weak and waspish Liv, and mysterious Wim. However, coming into contact with this fascinating bunch of misfits and their curious come-and-go lifestyle as they roam free up on the roofs will put Clodagh right in the path of tragedy once more...This book is both everything you would expect from Vine, and also a lot more besides. Some, I suppose, may be disappointed with the fact that it does veer off in a slightly unexpected direction and become a book entirely different from what you might at first have suspected, but others should simply appreciate the author's ability to take her story in unexpected, original directions. Grasshopper is a brilliantly eerie, haunting piece of work right from its stunning opening sentence - "They have sent me here because of the accident on the pylon." - it is nostalgic and shadowy, and ominous to the last word. Foreboding cats a dark cloud over the whole plot and all the characters, and the writing is superb, as ever. The whole thing shivers and sways as the plot moves gradually along and suspense is eked out mercilessly. The characters are fascinating - brilliantly drawn and entirely real. Vine (and Rendell) has always been at her best when she is creating a story about a group of people variously damaged in some way. There is no writer more adept at placing herself squarely in the collective mind of society's deviants; those who exist on its periphery. Here, in particular, she shows a piercing ability to write about the young with accuracy and, very occasionally, tenderness. The book, although shiveringly realistic, is made to sparkle by the fact that it, at times, is rather surreal. The group of misfits, exploring London from its roofs, and their adventures, add a distinct magical quality to the book that is entirely missing in most fiction. It creates in the readers a deep longing to even briefly experience the bizarre world of these characters, to live as freely as they do in their eccentric way, while all the while they want to distance themselves because it's clear something dreadful is going to happen. Something rare in a Vine novel is its warmth. It's not a warmth that is obviously apparent, but it is there, if you trouble to look for it. It sits cosily beneath the story and only really makes itself clear when you finish it. It is only a tiny bit of warmth, though, but it is vaguely comforting, especially after the disastrous end. I've read people complain that this book is too predictable, too easily guessable because Vine hints at the outcome too often. Not true! The final satisfying surprise, I assure you, is as elusive as ever in a Vine novel. Admittedly, some of the twists along the way are guessable, but Vine makes it clear that that is exactly the point, through her narrator, at least once. Personally, therein is another beauty of the book: the fact that you can see things about to occur, but there is nothing you can stop them and there is also no way you could possibly stop reading. Grasshopper, a book about freedom and responsibility and growing up and belonging (in the end, we realise, along with Clodagh, that the place we all of us should really belong is the place where we are welcomed, where we are accepted most warmly,) is another fine novel from Barbara Vine.
Rating: 
Summary: A tedious surprise
Review: grasshopper is a wonderful and involving coming of age story. In typical Vine/Rendell fashion there are many dark and disturbing twists alomg the way in this gripping tale. I cannot recommend a current work of fiction any higher. This ranks with the best of Elizabeth george and Larwence Block. Without giving away the plot,since it will be a pleasure to discover that for yourself,I can say this is a deep and disturbing story that will stay with you long after youve finished the last page.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to her usual high standards
Review: I have read all but 6 or 8 of both the Rendell and Vine books. I have to say that this ranks as one of her weakest in terms of plot, drama and resolution. Rendell is known for her expertly drawn characters, sense of timing/plot, and a grab-you-by-the throat ending. Grasshopper does not deliver any of these elements. I made myself finish this book, hoping something interesting would happen to any one of the characters. The story just plodded along page after page. The book jacket's description of the story made it sound more interesting than it really was. Other ... reviews have mentioned this book's similiarities to KING SOLOMON'S CARPET, one of her books I haven't read yet. But I will be now, as it sounds like one of her usual superbly written and plotted books. IF you haven't read Rendell before, start with something recent like A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES or something older like KISSING THE GUNNER'S DAUGHTER. My all-time favorite is far and away NO NIGHT IS TOO LONG. That story will set your nerves on edge for days!
Rating: 
Summary: well-woven tale of those unlike most of us...
Review: I picked up this book at a used book sale and was not aware until I had finished it that Barbara Vine was Ruth Rendell (or v/v). Her protagonist, Clodagh is a young woman who loves to climb (and has some claustrophobia) and who has suffered a horrible tragedy as a 16 year old (inadvertently involved with the death of her sweetheart), and is sent to live with relatives in London. Her aunt and uncle are weird birds and she spends most of her time alone and in the basement apartment they have her cooped up in. Unable to ???get into??? school (which is why she???s there), she stumbles over a strange group of other youngsters who either live or hang out in the penthouse apartment across the street. Before long she falls for the owner of the apartment, Silver, who takes her out to the rooftops of London. It???s a rough and eccentric bunch with Silver, including an au pair from Sweden who is fleeing pretty much everything, a very quiet young man who is only ???alive??? at night on the roofs of the city, and a psychopathic delinquent whose behavior we fear, comes to damage in the end. The group of climbers eventually become involved with a couple fleeing the police (who would take their child from them), and the climax of the story, while not terribly surprising, is still satisfying. This was a novel of complex characters, well written, well woven, and worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the time
Review: I've generally enjoyed her other works, with their often obsessive and creepy themes, but this one didn't do anything for me at all. A very odd story, with very odd and unpleasant characters. I pushed myself about half-way through, hoping for it to get interesting; instead it just got wierder and wierder. I didn't care how it came out, and quit reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Dark, mysterious and fascinating
Review: This is a novel about obsession, and the impact is has on several people who live together in a London flat. Clodagh, living with a distant relation in Maida Vale, is deathly afraid of climbing, and of heights. However, when she meets Silver and his friends, all of that changes, and she becomes entwined in the magical world of rooftop climbing. What happens in this superb novel is something only Barbara Vine could come up with. She is a master of psychological suspense, as she plays with her characters (and her readers) to no end. There's no way that anybody can guess how this novel is going to end. This is the third or fourth book I have read by RR/BV, and this book surpassed all that I expected of her. Highly engaging, but dark and mysterious at the same time, this novel will keep you at the edge of your seat, not knowing what the master of suspense has in store for you.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing introduction to Barbara Vine
Review: This is my first Barbara Vine book. I struggled to read it to the end although I early on lost interest in the characters and the story. I had hoped it would pick up as I went along, but it didn't. I don't know if I'll attempt to read another of her books or not.
Rating:
Summary: More Novel Than Mystery
Review: This novel really transcends the mystery genre. Being my first B. Vine read, and also not knowing that she was Ruth Rendell, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this involving novel was much more than just a who-done-it. Although it is long, and the developing plot begins to stretch so far you feel it may snap (very much like the recent "The Little Friend" by Donna Tartt), I found it to be a real page turner. Much more interested in character development than in conventional mystery elements, the book is suspenseful in the same way that a good novel with the weight of impending tragedy is suspenseful -- I thought that Ian McEwan's "Atonement" was one of the most nail-biting books I've ever read -- and I ended the last 100 pages at breakneck pace. Vine continually promises to provide a life-changing climax over and over again throughout the book and because her writing is so superior you believe her. Many plots and damaged characters knock against each other for 400 pages and if the ending isn't as satisfying as the journey, I do recommend this book for lovers of good fiction, although not for the avid mystery reader.
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