Rating: 
Summary: Horrible
Review: I found "In the Cut" to be one of the worst books that I have ever read in my entire life. I never go on the Amazon.com book reviews even though I am an avid reader, but this book is so poorly written and its subject matter so disguesting that I felt I had no choice but to comment. I was forced to read this book for college and felt sick the entire time reading what I did. The writer of this book uses horrible prose and style, attempting to create a world of sex and violence so shocking that the reader will be distracted by its grity detail that he or she will not notice the short comings of the book. While I admit that I stopped reading the book about 2/3 into it, my roomate told me of the "shocking" ending that is advertised on the book. The end of the book is hardly a shock and more of a realization that maybe you shouldn't have read this book to start. I can see how the coffee shop intellectual elitist reader may find this attempt to push the envelope about sex and violence in American literature pleasing, I urge anyone who considers themselves a standard, normal reader DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. I give it one star just because someone (who should be ashamed about this trash) actually took the time to put pen to paper for at least, judging by the writing level, 3-4 hours.
Rating: 
Summary: Erudite erotica/literary pulp
Review: The ethereal writing of Moore reminds me of a female James Salter--a purposeful detachment that conveys the protagonist's (Frannie's) detachment from her own life. Startling ironies hint at Frannie's personal tragedies--accumulated and melancholied--heaped in a corner of her heart and cresting to bleed out onto the pages. It is this prose that creates a vivid depth of feeling and a taut, fresh, exciting rigor of momentum. Frannie is a scholarly woman--a linguist and a Creative Writing professor for intelligent students with low motivation. Frannie's personal despair and emptiness are well illustrated in the first few paragraphs. It is as if she is a shadow of herself or a mirror of the dereliction that she lives within--both in her soul and in the city. After she witnesses an erotic act between a wrist-tattooed man and a young woman, she becomes involved with the tattooed man--who she learns is a detective--although she thinks he may have killed the woman. She is turned on by the dangerous masculinity of the detective and the power of seedy erotica. The murder/suspense thriller is, to me, the vehicle for a larger but more subtle story of personal isolation. The story serves as a medium for inner desolation and the loss of the soul. Most of the characters, whether they live or die, seem to have lost a chunk of their soul to the already embittered and fringed. I love Moore's style of writing more than the story. At under 200 pages, it was quite short and therefore more brief in certain characterizations and relationships than a reader might desire. However, it may have been intentional to keep all the characters in shadow. I suppose Moore could be considered a nihilist (based solely on this book)---when you finish the book, the reaction you have is more a response to the concept of dreary insulation/isolation and the failure of human connections than it is an empathy for any particular character. If you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of hope, you will not be fulfilled in that quest. However, the author does give a layer of searing suspense, buoyancy, and liveliness to the mordant theme. It is piquant in sensuality and freshness, much like the ripe slicing of a juicy pomegranate. I recommend this book for its writing. If you are looking for a suspenseful but typical murder mystery, then wait for the movie to do its Hollywood eye-candy.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting voice
Review: Telling the story in the first person makes for interesting writing, but the bizarre sexual twists don't seem to fit in with the narrative. I never felt that the narrator was clear in communicating her isolation from feelings (as many reviewers claim she exhibits), nor was I clear in why she decides to take sexual risks knowing they could endanger her. Maybe people really think with their bodies over their minds, but, sorry, if my best friend was killed and I thought my lover was responsible, I'll alert the media and call the FBI! Jarring, not erotic but masochistic, somewhat haunting (due to the conversational tone, mostly), but ultimately unsatisfying and unremarkable. Unless they improve on character and behavioral motivations, the movie should be similar.
Rating: 
Summary: Detachment, even from one's self
Review: All through this book, I kept remembering "Looking for Mr. Goodbar," who's heroine was a similar academic loner woman whose private life was geared towards one-night stands with inappropriate men, but there were also elements of "Repulsion," the movie by Roman Polanski, about a woman's surrender to madness. I think you'd have to be a person who has experienced that level of detachment from your self to appreciate this portrait. It's really unrealistic to expect a happy ending for someone who has abandoned themself, don't you think? I wonder if the author named her protagonist Franny after Franz Kafka, as there are definitely elements of the absurd and the surreal. Expect to hate this book if you are a life-affirming person, but try to feel a little empathy, too, for someone so lost to the possibility of connecting with others.
Rating:
Summary: Oops, forgot to add a plot!
Review: What a horrible mess this book is. There are some exceptional sections and obviously Moore knows how to put pen to paper. But the overall story is so hollow it put me to sleep three nights in a row. The story spirals around and around with a highly disappointing ending and repetitive erotica. I'm amazed at what ends up on the big screen. Let's hope the screenwriter has some original ideas to add.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth your $$money
Review: For the first time I believe the movie might turn out to be better than the book. That is assuming they add to the story line... and another ending wouldn't hurt either!
Rating:
Summary: horrible
Review: 'In the Cut' was a horrible book. I had read the reviews a while back, and most seemed like they liked the book ...let's just say that I don't quite trust Amazon's rating system anymore. Frannie was just a lonely, pathetic character. In the end, I was extremely mad that I actually payed money for this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not To Bother
Review: I gather Meg Ryan must feel that shooting a movie based on this book (if the movie follows along) will revive her career like Unfaithful did for Diane Lane. All well and good....the book is pathetic...erotic garbage written with some style
Rating:
Summary: Edgy, Taut, Tense
Review: Susanna Moore's book is an edgy, taut, fast paced thriller. The story begins with Franny an NYU professor working with students from the projects in a writing class. This is a convenient relationship for her as she is able to work on her own book and fufill her obsessions with language forms, particularly slang usage in this area of NYC. Some professors comment on her inappropriately close relationship with her students as she often sees them outside of class to discuss their projects as well as her interests. On one particular night she goes to a bar with a student where she witnesses a man and a woman engaged in a sex act and this sets the plot for the book. This book includes alot of graphic sex scenes that Franny witnesses, recalls and engages in. She is not a particularly likable character and becomes less so as the plot moves along and she becomes involved in an investigation involving the murder of the girl she saw in the bar. The primary detective on the case, Malloy, is an interesting character who Franny senses is dangerous as well as exciting. As their relationship heats up, she begins to feel that she is being drawn into a dangerous, erotic game but doesn't want to stop herself . The last chapters of the book are page turners that I was unable to put down with an ending that doesn't disappoint. This book isn't for everyone though, it is graphic in both its sexual content and violent descriptions of the crime scenes. It is an exciting novel that will leave you thinking about it and its characters well after the book is closed.
Rating:
Summary: 4 Stars....but if you count the ending. 2
Review: I liked this book so much. A little too graphic to want to see the movie. Maybe on a smaller screen. I loved it...up until the ending. What a way to ruin a great piece of work. What happens!!?!?!?!! She should've told us.
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