Rating: 
Summary: Elegantly written, erotic trash.
Review: While Susanna Moore's In the Cut could have been a pleasant addition to erotica, it is severely depreciated by the ugly violence. She appears to take some pleasure in language as evidenced by the occasional lists of slang, street language, or argot, but this is primarily an in-your-face piece of trash
Rating: 
Summary: a "shameless erotic thriller"?
Review: Although I found the ending disturbing, I generally enjoyed this book. There is a real economy of language, an edgy tone, the pace moves briskly and the dialogue seemed very realistic. Even though it's short, the book raises a myriad of questions and issues, most interesting to me, issues of Feminism and female desire. Yes Franny is highly educated, yes she knows better than to start an affair with Malloy, yet she does it anyway. What does this say about the effect of a woman's education and accomplishments on how she views herself in a sexual relationship? The disturbing thing is that this intelligent woman lets herself be dominated, humiliated and ultimately destroyed. Do we educated women really just want to be passive objects of desire.
Don't pay attention the blurbs found on the covers of this book. A "shameless erotic thriller"? As if shame should be involved in the first place. Also, the way Franny objectifies her inner-city students, studying their language like Jane Goodall and the Gorillas. A bit patronizing, interesting racial dynamic. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully written thriller with a shocker of a climax
Review: I read this book prior to seeing the film, which was not a good representation of the novel. Frannie, the narrator and central character, comes across as a curious mix: mysterious (Is it love she wants?), and yet looking for an erotic-romantic involvement. In the novel, she does get involved with a detective investigating a murder case who very well may turn out to be the murderer. She teaches English in NYC and is writing a work devoted to street slang. "In the Cut" refers to a warm place according to the author -- an "intimate" warm place. As the title suggests, it juxtaposes sexuality with violence and it works beautifully, written in exquisite prose with a sure hand. I intend to re-read it to look for more clues. Should you decide to read it, don't let anyone reveal the last 5 pages. I was unsettled for about a week.
Also, the novel is written in first person, heightening the shock of the climax. Not for the sensitive, "In the Cut" is worthy of the accolades it received. The movie, by the way, changes the ending. I'd like to know why. The screenwriters left out the gut-wrenching climax. I was surprised to find out that Ms. Moore, the author, co-wrote the screenplay and obviously decided on the revision. The ending of the novel makes you literally leap out of your seat.
Rating:
Summary: Strange series of musings punctuated with sex
Review: I didn't like this book because it didn't make sense to me. The main character didn't behave in a coherent way and she kept putting herself in risky situations, though she would be the type of person who you would think would be more savvy. It was almost like she was looking for trouble or casual sex. maybe both. The ending was bloody, unexpected and abrupt. It just didn't ring true for me.
Rating:
Summary: mystery/ romance
Review: Both this book and the movie are good. A combination of romance and supense make this an interesting story.
Rating:
Summary: So many differing reviews...
Review: I have read reviews on this book that go both ways. For the most part, people hate it, or they love it. Well, this is my opinion:
Okay, this is a graphic book. This is also very good writing. Stumbled across this book at a friend's. Never heard of the movie; still have not seen it. Picked this novel up from a pile of romance novels and Johnathan Kellermans and summer beach books that she had lying about. Honestly, I love her, but her choices rarely interest me. But I read about two-thirds of the way through the summery on the dust jacket, closed it up, and decided then and there that I was going to read that unfamiliar book.
The narrator is a teacher working on a book for slang words, and I personally feel that the narrator was drafted very well. I feel that the plot was interwoven and strong and it did in fact keep me guessing, which anymore is a rare find in most authors that I'd not read before. In other words, it is a wonderful feeling to read a great author unexpectedly. And Moore certainly is just that.
Graphic sex scenes that reminded me of Kiss Me, Judas, but writing that is without a doubt originally and thoroughly hers alone. Not to say that I've never before read some of the story elements that she presents, but it is certainly an original write in a field that is constantly marred with ridicule for novels being copies of copies of copies. This book is far apart from most of the contemporaries that I have read, and I feel that it was a jewel of a find.
Not two weeks after I'd read it, I'd thought on it, on different parts, the parts that I enjoyed most for this personal reason or that as you have no idea why you think some thoughts at random, and I had to order my own copy. Still spend time with it. Came here tonight to order a copy for one of my sisters as a Christmas gift. Kind of just stumbled into the reviews. Thought it important to explain why I enjoyed it, and still enjoy it. If for just a few dozen lines of commentary.
And hey, just to throw this out there...
If you are a fan of Ellis' work, or pay any attention to his recommendations on books, consider this read. Bret Ellis said that it has one of the most surprising endings that he had ever read. And I imagine that he is an avid reader. Many of us know that he is a fan of Chuck Palahniuk's. Well, he is also a fan of hers. And her work gets slept on far too much; this book is highly underrated. That is why I am writing this review. Found it by chance, and found it to be a very, very enjoyable chance. Graphic, but enjoyable. I enjoyed it slightly more than David Benioff's The 25th Hour, just to give an honest comparison.
Kabol
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read by an author who clearly loves the language
Review: Frankly, I think that anyone who picks this book up looking for a brainless thriller will simply have to look somewhere else. Forget the movie, focus on the words, because Susanna Moore certainly has. What a treat it is to read a book written by an author fascinated with what we say and why we say it! The ending threw me for a loop - I never suspected the final event. I believe Franny's detachment and morbid curiosity add to her character.
Regarding the earlier review concerning the actual phrase "in the cut": the phrase actually has nothing to do with ice skating. It's basically an urban term used to describe an out-of-the way place, for example a house on a dirt road, or way back in the woods, in an alley, etc.
Rating:
Summary: What a remarkable book
Review: Susanna Moore writes about a character who is in love with language but it is very clearly the authoress who loves her language.
This book is very tightly controlled and her main character is, despite a certain frostiness, one of the more fascinating that I've read recently. In fact the entire book managed to transcend its peers, among whom I might look to Patricia Cornwell, Highsmith's Ripley books and Thomas Harris gone feminine.
I did not have difficulty with the saltiness of the language, but I could understand if others did. But to read it looking for that will disappoint. Read this if you want to be taken on a journey by a fascinating character.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Worth One Star
Review: I saw the movie, so thinking that the book is always better, checked it out of the library. In this case, the book was even more awful than the movie.
In the movie, Frannie talks briefly about her mother and father meeting while ice skating, which supposedly has something to do with the title "In The Cut". In the book, I don't believe her mother was ever mentioned, and "in the cut" is a sexual reference told her by her boyfriend, the cop. Frannie is an unlikeable, actually boring character. She goes around writing down slang words and phrases and what they mean, as if those words and phrases won't be out of date by the time her book is published. They certainly were out of date in this book, and I don't see much point it anyway. That's it, her goal in life is pointless. She has unprotected sex, leads men on, then rejects them, and seems to be an irritatingly stupid woman who doesn't know herself at all.
I will say, that I did NOT like the ending (the movie is better in that respect, although Meg Ryan was completely wrong in this role), and every review that gives this book one *, I agree with your remarks absolutely.
Rating:
Summary: a "shameless erotic thriller"?
Review: This book is fantastic. Yes, it's brutal and yes, it's at times painfully graphic, but the prose is remarkably intelligent and witty, the story moving along at a mesmerizing clip. The ending truly is a jarring surprise. Moore keeps you guessing the entire time, but she also keeps you interested, something few novelists can do, in my estimation. I also loved the protagonist's preoccupation with etymology; I loved her narrative voice; I loved the gentle and not-so-gentle ironies laced throughout. It's refreshing to read a book where the narrator (and for that matter, the author) is expansively, demonstrably intelligent. It's refreshing not to have to read a rehash of Patterson or Cornwell or Kellerman. Moore's style and voice are decidedly different, authentic and full of life. I recommend this book wholeheartedly, though don't expect to be charmed. It's lovely like Silence of the Lambs (the book) was lovely. It's riveting like Lovely Bones was riveting. Which is to say although it is most certainly harsh, it's nonetheles cruelly captivating, therefore a worthwhile read.
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