Rating: 
Summary: full of suspense, not dated at all
Review: 'A kiss before dying' was written in the fifties, and apart from some very non-essential aspects it is not dated at all. The book is about a young college student from a poor family who wants to marry a rich girl and for that he is prepared to do practically everything. Until she meets the wrong person, who starts digging... There are some very ingenious turns in the book, so telling more about the story would only give it all away. I can only say Read it! It is definitely worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: A Kiss Before Dying
Review: A Kiss Before Dying follows a man who decides he wants to kill his girlfriend when he finds out she is pregnant with his son. He had already planned to break up with her so when he finds out she is pregnant he believes he won't be able to "escape" her. His plan of murder is well thought out. He makes it look like suicide. The family of the girl is in complete shock. This is a well written book that holds you in suspense. At the same time it disgusts you that a human would be able to kill someone so violently.
Rating:
Summary: Much, much better than the movie
Review: Do you know how most books save their big surprise for the end? This one fools ya -- there are a couple of big surprises sprinkled at the most, well, surprising places in the book. I won't tell you where they are -- that would be cheating. Besides the surprises, this one has plenty of suspense and interesting characters. Even the villain is memorable, and in many ways, understandable. Anne M. Marble Reviewer, All About Romance
Rating:
Summary: Disgusted
Review: I am digusted with the meanness of some of these reviews.
Although this identifies me as a naive and simpleminded reader, I must admit that I found the book impossible to put down, and speed read it in about four hours. The plot concerns a money hungry student who attempts to marry three sisters in succession, all of whom stand to inherit a lot of money. Because of some plot complications however, our protagonist is forced to murder two of the sisters. He is caught and gruesomely punished however before being able to marry and kill the third sister. (Sorry if this gives away a little of the plot.)
Rating: 
Summary: Good but runs out of steam
Review: I had heard about this book and its great twists so I was eagerto read it at once. As I had hoped, A KISS BEFORE DYING delivered twounbelievable surprises that shot me out of my seat. And, as with Levin's superior novel ROSEMARY'S BABY, Levin uses a simple but firm prose. It was a fairly satisfying read. On the other hand, I was disappointed. The first part of the book is almost a blow by blow ripoff of Dreiser's AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY. Between its clever surprises, I was left bored and counting pages. And the ending is sadly contrived coming off of its earlier brilliance. A KISS BEFORE DYING is worth a read for its several shocks, but the rest is dismissable, dated, and sadly predictable after fifty years of similar TV movies.
Rating:
Summary: A Kiss Before Dying
Review: I have read several of Ira Levin's books. I have really liked them all. Ira has a style of writing that engages you and makes you feel like a friend is telling you the story. If you have seen "A Place in the Sun" (Elizabeth Taylor, Shelly Winters - a fabulous movie) then you pretty much are going to guess most of the story. It doesn't differ too much from that, HOWEVER you will be engrossed absolutley even though you THINK you know what's going to happen :) I was a little disappointed with the ending-the rest of the book was so exciting that the end seemed a little too neat and pretty - pretty. I really don't think you can go wrong no matter which Ira Levin book you read (or can manage to find..most are no longer in print-part of the attraction). Devious actions and thoughts make his characters memorable. I think the real horror lies in his ability to take a mundane thing and find the dark side of it.
Rating:
Summary: A Kiss Before Dying
Review: I have read several of Ira Levin's books. I have really liked them all. Ira has a style of writing that engages you and makes you feel like a friend is telling you the story. If you have seen "A Place in the Sun" (Elizabeth Taylor, Shelly Winters - a fabulous movie) then you pretty much are going to guess most of the story. It doesn't differ too much from that, HOWEVER you will be engrossed absolutley even though you THINK you know what's going to happen :) I was a little disappointed with the ending-the rest of the book was so exciting that the end seemed a little too neat and pretty - pretty. I really don't think you can go wrong no matter which Ira Levin book you read (or can manage to find..most are no longer in print-part of the attraction). Devious actions and thoughts make his characters memorable. I think the real horror lies in his ability to take a mundane thing and find the dark side of it.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite stories
Review: I've read almost all of Ira Levin's works, and this is definitely my favorite. Simply written, yet deeply clever, this book will draw you into the antagonist's brilliant and greedy plan, and it won't let you go. I read it in a day and a half. Please don't be dissuaded by the two horrible movies based on this book. I give the book a 9, and the movies a 1.5. This book will not dissappoint!
Rating:
Summary: a terrific, very readable story ... one of Levin's best
Review: Ira Levin is one of my favorite writers. While his stories are a bit far-fetched (as with "Rosemary's Baby", "The Boys From Brazil", and "The Stepford Wives") they are always entertaining. His first book, "A Kiss Before Dying", is now largely forgotten (..it was written nearly 50 years ago) but seems remarkably fresh. In "A Kiss Before Dying" we have a a rich college girl and her gold-digging boyfriend in a dilemna. The girl is pregnant and the choice ahead is grim: either get married and lose daddy's money, or risk an illegal abortion (remember this book takes place circa 1950). She prefers the former, he the latter. The outcome of this dilemna is unexpected (no spoilers here), and the story then really kicks into gear. Yes, in true Levin form the plot is a bit contrived. But it is deliciously readable. Bottom line: strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: a terrific, very readable story ... one of Levin's best
Review: Ira Levin is one of my favorite writers. While his stories are a bit far-fetched (as with "Rosemary's Baby", "The Boys From Brazil", and "The Stepford Wives") they are always entertaining. His first book, "A Kiss Before Dying", is now largely forgotten (..it was written nearly 50 years ago) but seems remarkably fresh. In "A Kiss Before Dying" we have a a rich college girl and her gold-digging boyfriend in a dilemna. The girl is pregnant and the choice ahead is grim: either get married and lose daddy's money, or risk an illegal abortion (remember this book takes place circa 1950). She prefers the former, he the latter. The outcome of this dilemna is unexpected (no spoilers here), and the story then really kicks into gear. Yes, in true Levin form the plot is a bit contrived. But it is deliciously readable. Bottom line: strongly recommended.
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