Grasshopper

By: Barbara Vine

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Ruth Rendell has held her place atop the world of mystery writers for decades, writing dozens of books that have won numerous awards, captivated countless fans, and collected widespread critical acclaim. Writing as Barbara Vine, she is the Edgar Award-winning author of such books as Chimney Sweeper’s Boy and King Solomon’s Carpet. Young Clodagh Brown loves to climb, especially the giant electrical pylons that form a neat row outside her parents’ home. When this obsession breeds tragedy, her shamed family sends her to London for college. As a respite from insufferable classes, she begins climbing atop the local houses with her unique band of friends. But it is a practice that lands the group in a kidnapping scandal - and leads to a terrifying climax on the rooftops.

Grasshopper is a meticulously crafted novel - a sharp and textured thriller infused with layers of psychological suspense. Narrator Jenny Sterlin steps into Clodagh’s unique world and takes readers on a rousing adventure through the Victorian neighborhoods of London.

©2000 Kingsmarkham Enterprises Ltd. (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLC

Creepy - literally

What I liked: Ingenious and bizarre plot. Terrific writing. Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine was a master storyteller blessed with genius level powers of visualization and imagination. What I disliked: I don't think there is a relatable character, or likable character, in this book. How I managed to finish this book: I pretended it was science fiction - the plot lines were so compelling I had to listen all the way to the end. I banished the idea of the characters as people, and regarded them as alien beings. What helped: I set the dreary narration to 1.2, which made it tolerable.

Pretty Solid

This is a pretty solid novel. But it didn't quite do it for me. Maybe a little too slow moving? The characters and story a little too far fetched? I'm not sure. I didn't not enjoy it but it didn't captivate me the way really good books do. In other words, I could stop listening without feeling that pull to keep reading.

One of Barbara Vine's best, beautifully read

This book is unusual for Vine in that the first-person narrator, telling the story from ten years after the fact, lets us know that she is happily married, owns a successful business and thoroughly enjoys her work. The dark themes which are inevitably recounted may have informed her past, but she has won through to achieve an enviable present.

Parenthood, childhood and the definition of responsibility are examined from multiple angles throughout the almost leisurely pacing of the story. Why do people become parents, what duties do parents and children owe to each other and how does each cope with the failures of the other? What does it mean to be a good parent, a good child? Is such goodness even possible? What realizations are the prerequisites of forgiveness? The incidents which forcibly bring these questions to bear on the young lives of the characters are as horrific as any in Vine's novels, but they are softened by the perspective of time. With only one exception, we know who is going to die before we witness the death, and even that one is predictable. No one escapes justice, but honest self-examination and the willingness to take responsibility for the effects of one's actions brings the opportunity for healing in the long run. The novel is essentially the protagonist's account of her own journey toward that understanding and in that sense is perhaps Vine's most valuable novel. I found it impossible not to recognize my own failures as the protagonist recognized hers.

Barbara Vine is, of course, the pseudonym of Baroness Ruth Rendell, used for stories which are explorations of character rather than the superbly crafted mysteries she is most famous for. I like Vine's books best. They are always well worth the time it takes to plunge into them and stay to the end, although it is never an easy journey. Her eye is nothing if not unflinching and she challenges her readers to be equally truthful.

Jenny Sterlin is one of my favorite audiobook readers. She has a beautiful voice and a thorough mastery of her material.

Needed some editing

Some of her books are in need of editing. They are repetitive and redundant. This is one of them. It could easily lose about 1/4 or even 1/3 of the text and it would have been tight and great. The reader was GREAT

Sloppy writting and badsound editing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

There is much, much too much nonessential text. You just want her to get on with it, please.

Would you be willing to try another book from Barbara Vine? Why or why not?

I was enthralled by The Chimney Sweepers Boy, but that had an outstanding reader.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Jenny Sterlin has a very nice voice, but the only way I can describe her narration is "mournful." The other problem is the sound editing. There are unjustified pauses between each sentence that just make the whole experience endless.

My New Favorite Mystery Novel

If you could sum up Grasshopper in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, Thrilling, and Exciting.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Clodagh Brown is my favorite character because she is a well-developed, likable, and complex character.

Which scene was your favorite?

The best scenes are those that take place on the rooftops.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This audiobook made me laugh and cry.

Any additional comments?

Barbara Vine does it again, but this time, the character development is incomparable. This a well-written and well-narrated story. Grasshopper is a must listen.

Not her best

Perhaps it was the dreary tone of the reader but this dragged. Not much happened, slowly. I found it hard to like any of the characters.

Too tedious to finish.

Jenny Sterlin is one of my favorite readers, but even her performance could not carry Grasshopper. The novel has too many unpleasant characters in tedious and repetitive situations, while the more sympathetic main character is just not compelling. I stopped with 6 hours to go. Pity, I really enjoyed The Chimney Sweeper's Boy by Barbara Vine.

should be half the length

What would have made Grasshopper better?

I like some of Vine's books a lot but this one is too long for the story. She repeats herself continuously; on and on and on with very little development in the plot.
Triple yawn.

Total waste of time.

This has to be one of the very worst books I have listened to. There seemed to be no point whatsoever. Don’t waste your credit. ☹️