Rating: 
Summary: SCARY, CREEPY, CHILLING LOVE
Review: The outcome of this book was fully outblown. What happened was not expected to happen. A girl who stalks a male killer, knowing the risks of him killing her, as he did with 3 other females....
Rating:
Summary: Tenderness...a gimick?
Review: This seemed like one of those typical teenage rebellion books, relentlessly I continued reading, then found myself actually interested in this girl stalking the teen killer. In the end the girl was so google-eyed that it was sickening. This boy had killed girls on dates and here she was, enjoying herself. Well, in the end, the plot jerks off the road, leaving you shocked and wondering just "what if"?
Rating:
Summary: An eerie, suspenseful thriller
Review: An eerie, suspenseful thriller with sharply written characters and Cormier's incomparable style. The charaacters of Lori and Eric, both drawn together by the power of their obsessions, are two dark and haunting protagonists; and despite the violent nature of the story, Cormier weaves an alluring and darkly seductive tale of obsession, devotion, and fate. I prefered this novel over all of Cormier's previous work, excluding "The Chocolate War"... he seems to be moving away from pure action and gravitating toward a more emotional and visceral pull. And the change works.
Rating:
Summary: A haunting masterpiece
Review: The moment I picked up the book and read the inside cover to see what the book was about, I was already eager enough to read the story from start to finish and even the other way around. The story was satisfying and intriguing. I highly recommend this book to all readers, young and old. The ironic twist at the end of the story took my breath away. I loved this book!
Rating:
Summary: A haunting, compelling, stunningly well-written novel
Review: After reading this novel, the word "Tenderness" may very likely make your skin crawl. Robert Cormier has a way of writing that grabs hold of the reader and doesn't let go. This book is dark and disturbing, but the violence and sexual overtones are never gratuitous. Every scene, every word that Cormier writes is there to serve a purpose and to move the plot forward. Be prepared to be disturbed by the characters of Eric and Lori, but also be prepared for a mezmerizing read. I normally do not read novels about such subject matter, but Cormier is such a master of the written word that I would read anything he wrote.
Rating:
Summary: Cormier's darkest dark novel
Review:
If Cormier where a major league pitcher,
his trademark would be a wicked
breaking ball: his "dark vision" has thrown
critics enough curves to keep them
guessing--and disagreeing-- about his"
novels. With Tenderness, though, he's
throwing fastballs, letter-high and tight,
crafting a psychological thriller of the first
order.
Tenderness begins innocently enough,
with the first chapters told by Lori
Cranston, who has a woman's body to go
along with a child-like view of the world. In
the opening lines, we learn that she is
"fixated" on a rock singer, whom she
feels compelled to find and kiss. Passion
plays a large part in Lori's life: she is
often kissed and touched by her
step-father, as well as by an assortment
of other men. She trades men kisses for
CD's and allows them to fondle her for
money. Lori has run away at the story's
beginning, but her life takes a much
worse turn when she sees the handsome
Eric Poole on television and becomes
fixated on kissing him. And why not?
He's young, handsome, and oh yeah, a
psychopathic killer just released from
prison.
Eric's voice soon takes over the narrative
and reveals the young man's character to
us. He is a predator who stalks girls,
killing them with the "tenderness" the
gives the novel its title. Cormier uses a
masterful mix of inner monologue,
dialogue, and short flashbacks to unfold
the remorseless Eric. But Eric does have
a problem--Lieutenant Dunston, the cop
who arrested Eric for killing his parents
and suspects him of more murders.
Dunston is haunted by the memory
another killer he let get away, and he
swears that Eric won't escape him. We
learn Eric's plan: he will lay low for awhile
in his Aunt's house then set out on
cross-country tour in order to find easy
victims and rid himself of the relentless
lieutenant. But the cop has other ideas. And Lori,
now fixated on Eric, keeps getting in the
way.
Fans of Cormier's work will not be
disappointed with this one. The only
complaints about the novel are nit-picks.
Lori's diction is too educated for a girl of
her background, the shifts between the
three narrators is sometimes jarring, and
the ending lacks a homerun punch.
Though the characters in Tenderness
could easily become cardboard and the
premise could slip into cliché, Cormier
creates a protagonist who despicable as
he is, shows so much depth that the
reader comes to understand his
homicidal impulses.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting
Review: We journey with a serial killer and the runaway who is obsessed by him into Cormier's own haunting land of tenderness.Your positive reactions at hearing the word tenderness will be forever changed after you take a look into the minds of these two teenagers--the tenderness a teenaged girl hopes to find with a serial killer, and the tenderness the serial killer can only find in the arms of his victims. Think you know how this will end up? Think again. The twist at the end of this book brings new meaning to the phrase "poetic justice". This story will stay with you for days, I promise
Rating: 
Summary: Tender as a mouse or Hard as a stone?
Review: Murder is in the air, or so it seems in Robert Cormier's new thriller Tenderness. This book is about two characters one a prostitute wanna be Lori age 15, and Eric an 18 year old stalker/murder. This book revolves around this young girl who runs away from home, and tries to meet with the boy, after seeing him on TV. More or less that is probably ¾ of this book, and those parts are all predictable, right up to the end. The characters themselves are un-interesting, Lori, is a mixed up young girl who has a multitude of problems with her life. Her troubles range from an abusive father, neglectful mother, and low self esteem. Lori is a full blown prostitute, as she sells herself for money. She also sells herself for CDs of her favorite band Throb, basically anything she wants she can get, just by showing off her body parts. Eric isn't a gripping character either ., He is 18 years old and is in juvenile jail for murdering his parents, and secretly he murdered a couple of girls, which not even the police can pin-point evidence to him killing the girls. Eric is about to be let out of jail since he is 18 because of this, juvenile prison can no longer hold him. Mostly his parts in the book are thrilling every now and then for he always keeps flashing back on his murders, or talking about life in jail which can be interesting. It becomes uninteresting when the book lingers too long on one part of his life, for instance, when he met a pet rat. Sadly though his murders are mostly the same, for it is 90% of the time a case of strangles the girl, than sexually harass her dead body, than leave. This book has some redeeming qualities, but it depends on the person, if you are against murders than the redeeming parts aren't good, but if you love when people are slaughtered in a slow painful way than this is the book for you. Reed's book reviewer gives the book a three out of five.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolute Crap
Review: First off, let me say the only reason I stumbled across this book is because of an English class assignment: find a trashy book, exchange it with another classmate, read theirs, and write why it's trashy.
This, by far, is the worst book I have ever read.
The characters are completely and utterly outlandish. To have so many 'piting faults' in one character just makes me sick. Take Lori for example. Her bad mother relationship, her 'mature body' but 'young age' ordeal... I mean, it's bad enough that the opening is "I have fixations, and I can't do anything about them," but the book even presents Lori's 'prostitution' on the side of the highway as being innocent.
It has no setting. It's just mindless jumbo about this girl who needs "tenderness" and thinks she can find it in this seventeen year old boy who happens to think love is something you can gain by killing someone and then snuggling with the corpse.
If you ask me, I don't know why you're looking to buy it. If you wanted a good trashy book, go find something that at least has a steamy sex scene. This book is a total dud.
(Oh, and guess what "Tenderness"-fans: I got an A on my paper).
Rating: 
Summary: Hum....
Review: Dear Reader, Okay I must admit when I read the back cover I thought it would be something more along the lines of a person wrongly convicted of a crime and this girl would help him prove it. But it turned to be something way different. Both star characters are really messed up and the story has a really bad end. I might be weird liking the old fashioned 'happily ever after' end but that's the way I am. I wont tell you what happens if you are planning on reading it but check it out at a library first. No disrespect to the author, I mean I hope some day I will be able to publish a book but though you will probably never read this I do abmire the fact that you published a book I just dont like it as much as many others I have read.
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