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    The Bridesmaid
    The Bridesmaid
    The Bridesmaid
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Bridesmaid

    Written by Ruth Rendell

    Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

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    About this audiobook

    Senta Pelham is a mirror image of Flora, the lovely marble bust Philip fanaticized about for so long. But life, like art, is not always what its mere surface suggests. And Senta's strange world of make-believe, where truth and falsehood are eerily interchangeable, soon draws Philip into a shadowy cloister of vague and uncertain terror.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMay 6, 2011
    ISBN9781461812043
    Author

    Ruth Rendell

    Ruth Rendell (1930–2015) won three Edgar Awards, the highest accolade from Mystery Writers of America, as well as four Gold Daggers and a Diamond Dagger for outstanding contribution to the genre from England’s prestigious Crime Writ­ers’ Association. Her remarkable career spanned a half century, with more than sixty books published. A member of the House of Lords, she was one of the great literary figures of our time.

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    Reviews for The Bridesmaid

    4/5

    8 ratings5 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Interesting tale, but it dragged on for too long without much happening. Also it was easy to guess where the story was going. Well written though and I read it to the end.
    • 5/5
      The Bridesmaid is a smart, original tale of madness as experienced through Phillip, a rather lack-luster young man with aimless ambition and no real life until he connects with Senta, who is quite obsessive, compulsive and (entertainingly) insane.Ruth Rendell is splendid at making a complete story where the front of the story completes the end. All the tribulations of the characters are interwoven, much like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. There are no real surprises sprung out during the novel, but I am much more interested in the authenticity of the situation; it certainly feels real to me.
    • 4/5
      Although there are crimes, this is more a novel with an element of crime, rather than a crime thriller or detective story. Superb writing, one is inside the protagonist - I found it hard to put down.
    • 4/5
      Rendell does it again, giving us a perfect portrayal of madness and how people can end up trapped by circumstance and biology. What I like most about the way Rendell develops characters is that no one is completely one-sided. Sure, Philip is a bit of a dolt, but only a bit. In many ways he’s a normal bloke just trying to get out from under his lower-middle class situation. He’s got a decent, entry-level job and a close knit family. He’s not inexperienced as far as women go, but he is inexperienced with real craziness. When Senta starts to say strange, unbelievable things, he treats her with skepticism as anyone would. Then when some things she says turn out to be true, he falls apart. His carefully constructed idea that her fantasies are harmless turns out to be just as illusory as her connection to reality.Philip’s indecision and anguish over his circumstances is very palpable. He’s confused and only wants to do right by everyone. There are some family crises simmering at the same time and those provide some supporting drama that adds to the feeling of coming apart. Work problems boil over a bit, too, and I really felt empathy for Philip’s plight. We can see he’s being played, but are still powerless to help. Not that many writers can pull this off.Again, the ending is more ambiguous than many thrillers. Ideas are muted, conclusions implied only, leaving the reader to put things together independently. Love that. She skillfully draws our eyes off the ball for long enough that when it smacks us in the head, we’re stunned, but not really surprised. I had to go back and read some things over again just to make sure my final thoughts were justified. A well-done and memorable story.
    • 3/5
      This book just made me feel a bit queasy. Thank God it was only fiction! Seriously creepy, just a little bit weird, and once again Ruth Rendell delves into her book of weird character names.