The BRIDESMAID/TO FEAR A PAINTED [Paperback]

RUTH RENDELL (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 1998

Philip Wardman had more than just the ordinary squeamishness where death was concerned. Yet he could hardly avoid the suspicious disappearance of his sister's friend Rebecca Neave, especially when everyone was ascribing the cause to murder. Philip's feminine ideal is the statue of the Roman goddess Flora in his mother's garden. His marble Flora doesn't fade, doesn't alter, doesn't die. But then he meets Senta Pelham, a beautiful, sensual, childlike actress who flagrantly disdains the morals of society and passionately desires the elusive Philip. But what is the real reason for her obsessive devotion? Most important, will their flesh-and-blood relationship require a murder to prove it is the real thing?

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A young man fearful of violence, an extravagantly eccentric young woman and three deaths figure in this atmospheric but insubstantial mystery from one of England's finest horror/suspense writers. Philip Wardman, beginning his career as an interior designer, lives with his widowed mother and two sisters in a small house outside London. At his sister Fee's wedding, Philip meets Senta Pelham, cousin to the groom and a bridesmaid, with whom he falls quickly into bed and in love. Soon Senta, with her silver-dyed hair and exotic ways, tells Philip they must prove the unconventionality of their love: each must commit a murder. Secretly appalled, Philip demurs, but Senta is adamant and soon he tells her that a recent killing mentioned in the newspaper was done at his hand. When Senta files her own report, Philip is much relieved, believing through a series of misunderstandings that she too has laid false claims to murder. The reality of Senta's imbalance is gradually revealed, however, and the police appear on the scene just as she unveils her grisly history. While Rendell depicts her characters with crystal clarity and renders Philip's sexual obsessiveness convincingly, the plot, woven of flimsy circumstances, doesn't hold up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Londoner Philip Wardman falls for a beautiful, enigmatic woman he meets at his sister's wedding. Wardman abhors any depiction of violent death, but Senta believes they should each kill someone to prove their love for each other. He fantasizes a murder, while she, an actress and perhaps just a little mad, tells a quite convincing story of murdering one of his enemies. What he discovers about her tale leads to grief and horror. Subdued tones, stultifying atmosphere, and omniscient narration mark this telling depiction of mutual psychological obsession. From the prolific author of An Unkindness of Ravens (LJ 9/1/85) and (under the name Barbara Vine) A Fatal Inversion (LJ 9/1/87).
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Random House UK Ltd (A Division of Random House Group) (June 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099279444
• ISBN-13: 978-0099279440
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,583,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rendell 'alters' the 'bridal path'!, March 27, 2001

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bridesmaid (Paperback)

Ruth Rendell's books always pack a punch. Or several. And in "The Bridesmaid," Rendell stays true to form, basically. While most Rendell fans recognize her as the author of the fascinating Inspector Wexford series, she also writes other thrillers. She also writes even chillier thrillers under the name of Barbara Vine. Regardless of which nom de plume she uses, it is difficult to find a writer who can explore--even reveal--the psychological pathways with the effectiveness of she demonstrates.

Philip Wardman, destined it seems, meets the mysterious Senta Pelham, an actress, most childlike, at Philip's sister's wedding. Theirs is a relationship that is made in you-know-where. Senta's affections do not come without a price. To "prove" their love, she insists that each of them must kill someone. Not your everyday pre-nuptial agreement, to be sure, and certainly not a characteristic of the genteel English society circles they live in!

Certainly, "The Bridesmaid" is a disturbing work and Rendell sees to it that the reader is not comfortable with the situation. The author's craft and technique are clearly demonstrated here and reverberate with a force that is both chilling and sensational. Queasy too. An uncomfortable--yet powerful--read. ([e-mail])

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best, by the best, September 29, 2002

By 

LisaH "LisaH" (Plainfield, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bridesmaid (Mass Market Paperback)

One of Rendell's greatest gifts is her ability to show what happens when a normal person crosses paths with a sociopath. The hero has no idea what he's met up with because he's too decent to think that way; he and his girlfriend talk past each other in the most chilling way. It's like watching a slow-motion train wreck.

I couldn't disagree more with the reviewer who says the ending is dull and disappointing; it's the most dramatic and horrifying ending I've ever read. The last three pages are a tour de force of writing; it just doesn't get any better. "They [the police] would come for this, though. They'd come for this." Gives me chills every time!

Do yourself a favor--read it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Relentlessly gripping, March 1, 2004

By 

HORAK (Zug, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bridesmaid (Audio Cassette)

Philip Wardman is a young man working for Roseberry Lawn Interiors. He is of quiet, sedate character and he hates violence of any kind. At his sister's wedding, Philip meets her bridesmaid Senta Pelham and falls in love with her. She has a white complexion and silver hair thus resembling Flora, the stone statue in Philip?s mother?s garden. Philip's love for Senta grows passionate until one day she claims that they both have to kill somebody to seal their love for each other. And so begins an awkward journey through sick and weak minds, through an emotional, erotic and irrational relationship. Mrs Rendell's novel is appalling, shocking, convincing and relentlessly gripping. Mr William Gaminara offers a respectable performance in this audio book and I enjoyed very much listening to his reading.