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The Water's Lovely

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The Water's Lovely

By: Ruth Rendell
Narrated by: Siân Thomas
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About this listen

The man who had died was Ismay's stepfather, Guy. Nine years on, she and her sister, Heather, still live in the same house in Clapham. But it has been divided into two self-contained flats. Their mother lives upstairs with her sister, Pamela. And the bathroom, where Guy drowned, has disappeared. Ismay works in public relations, and Heather in catering.

They get on well. They always have. They never discuss the changes to the house, still less what happened that August day. But even lives as private as these, where secrets hang in the air like dust, intertwine with other worlds and other people. And, with painful inevitability, the truth will emerge.

©2006 Kingsmarkham Enterprises Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Crime Thrillers Mystery Psychological Thriller & Suspense Fiction Thriller Crime Suspense

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All stars
Most relevant  
Liked every minute. Such a good story with great characters & different stories throughout. Sorry it’s finished.

Great characters & well read

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This is a thoroughly engrossing tale with a twist or two.. well worth the listen!

brilliant story telling

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A tale of damaged women managing their lives, full of secrets. It’s a slow story, read magnificently.

Psychological drama

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Although it was set up to be a good story, many threads are left dangling and the ending made the entire book feel like a waste of time.

Predictable and unsatisfying

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Sisters Ismay and Heather live in Clapham in a ground floor flat; their schizophrenic mother and her carer, their Aunt, lives upstairs. There's a family secret - the girls' Stepfather, Guy drowned in the house when they were both in their teens. The main question is - why was Heather's dress so wet on that fateful day?

This book is another excellent slice of London life from Rendell. Granted, many of the characters are quite unpleasant - the grasping Marion for example and Heather's husband Andrew's mother, Irene. Ismay's beau, barrister Andrew, is also pretty loathsome. That said, the pleasant characters, such as Aunt Pamela, act as a good counterpoint.

Recommended.

The Water's Lovely

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Must admit it was very hard work trying to persevere right to the end. Snooty middle class narration made it feel like a 1930s who dunnit / stage farce, therefore making reference to Oyster cards/mobile phones etc feel very incongruous. Who on earth had a cassette recorder then? Surely they were 1970s. My first and last Ruth Rendell I’m afraid

Average storyline, poor narration

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Each character is beautifully drawn and has a defined personality, unlike many of the cut and paste characters that many modern writers create. Some are infuriating, like the wishy washy women who make me want to scream at their weakness as they let the men walk all over them, but the characters maintain this behaviour throughout the story and are therefore believable. You always know with Ruth Rendell that it won’t all end happily, but it was an unexpected little sadness at the end

I was completely gripped by this story

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A tad confused at beginning, as there was so many names to keep track of, which reminded me of a Charles Dickens novel, but a few chapters in it all became clear and I couldn’t stop listening

Great!

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So impressed by her skill in building a story and wrapping it up with a neat bow on top

Masterful

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Exquisitely detailed description of all characters and evolution of their relationships. Central mystery is kept under wraps until the end.

Keeps you guessing until the end

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