Chimney Sweepers Boy [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio Cassette)

by Barbara Vine (Author), Neville Teller (Editor), Michael Winner (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Writing as Ruth Rendell, Barbara Vine has earned the Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. In The Chimney Sweeper's Boy, Vine proves herself the equal of her alter ego and a master of the psychological thriller--as well as the police procedural--in this riveting novel. Why bestselling novelist Gerald Candless assumed a new identity years before his marriage and the birth of his two daughters isn't revealed until the penultimate chapter of the book, but the effect of his deception on his family drives Vine's deft character studies. In Gerald's wife, Ursula, and his daughters, Hope and Sarah, Vine has created three complex women in the thrall of an equally complicated and compelling man. As Sarah unravels the mystery of her father's deception, Gerald gradually becomes a more sympathetic figure. But Ursula, whose strange marital bargain with Gerald and whose distant relationship with her daughters tug at the heart, stays with the reader long after this distinguished, literary mystery is finished. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Michael Williams reads popular author Vine's (No Night Is Too Long, Audio Reviews, LJ 4/15/95) compelling tale in a gently affecting manner. Gerald Candless played only two roles in life: best-selling author and doting father. Or did he? Commissioned to write a personal biography of her famous father, Sarah Candless discovers that the real Gerald died at age seven. Who was the man she called Father and how did he turn into a cold, emotional isolate who cared only for his daughters? A few incidental characters and episodes seem out of place, probably due to abridgment, but this is a minor quibble. Overall, this is an entertaining listening experience in the low-violence mystery/suspense genre. Recommended for all libraries.?I. Pour-El, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam~trade; Abridged edition edition (March 25, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 0140867589
• ISBN-13: 978-0140867589
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,505,481 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sharper Than the Serpent's Tooth, April 8, 2003

By	sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Chimney Sweeper's Boy (Hardcover)

This fine psychological study is long on characterization and suspense, but short in the thriller department. I think Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) has surpassed herself in the creation of Ursula, the ignored wife and mother.

Gerald Candless, famous author, devoted and adored father, husband of Ursula dies of a heart attack at 71 in his home on the Devon coast. His two daughters, to whom he has dedicated his life, are devastated. Ursula feels nothing, but as both Gerald and her daughters have disregarded her since they were born, no one particularly notices. Elder daughter Sarah is commissioned to write a memoir of her celebrated father. During her preliminary research, she finds that Gerald Candless reinvented himself at age 25, that the real Gerald Candless died when he was six years old. This seems to be an impossibility given the extreme closeness among Gerald (who wasn't really Gerald) and his daughters. Sarah is ambivalent about going forward with her research. The daughters who are in their early 30's are just about as spoiled as you would expect them to be and shockingly indifferent to their mother. Ursula is almost paralyzed by her apathy toward Gerald and unable to reach out to her daughters after being thoroughly rebuffed for so many years. This is the mystery that is to be solved.

Ms. Vine cleverly gives us more and more well-placed psychological clues that lead us toward Gerald's secret. Each chapter heading is supposedly a quote from one of Gerald's books and they are engagingly witty---"The meek may inherit the earth, but they won't keep it long." --- and serve as clues to the upcoming events. Great importance is placed upon "The Game" which Gerald and his daughters trot out to torment those not in their inner circle. It is so stupid; the entire trio should have been smacked. Ursula wisely has never taken part. (Not that she was asked!)

The problem with "The Chimney Sweeper's Boy" is the setup is great, but the denouement doesn't live up to it. Some readers might feel they have invested a great deal of their time and energy for very little. I felt like getting there was half the fun and admired the way Ms. Vine breathes life into all these people. Even the enigmatic Gerald is more to be pitied than scorned. I would recommend reading Ms. Vine's "Dark Adapted Eye" first. If you find that enjoyable and are anxious for more, pick up "The Chimney Sweeper's Boy." Hint: The title is a clue.

-sweetmolly-Amazon.com Reviewer

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vine Climbs to the Top with "Chimney Sweeper's Boy", June 14, 1999

By	Billy J. Hobbs "billhobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Chimney Sweeper's Boy (Paperback)

Barbara Vine is arguably one of the most prolific of contemporary writers and her creative genius is never more obvious than in "The Chimney Sweeper's Boy." (Vine is the pseudonym of author Ruth Rendell.) And in this novel, Vine departs from her "regular" thrillers and embarks on a different route from what we've come to expect from her. Granted, Vine's ability to capture her reader totally, as in her thrillers, is once again to the fore. In this book, famed writer Gerald Candless early on suffers a fatal heart attack and one of his daughters, Sarah, is persuaded to write a biography, a memoir of what it was like to be the daughter of such a famous writer. Thus begins the odyssey: she quickly discovers that Candless is not her father's real name. And what she unearths is at once chilling, emotionally trying, sentimental, and tragic. Sarah is in for a long haul. And Vine is at her best as she lays bear the souls of her principle characters. Perhaps what keeps the book alive--and the reader so absorbed--is Vine's penchant for capturing her audience completely. And while "Chimney's Sweeper's Boy" is not a Rendell-mystery, complete with police procedural revelations, it is a book that is compelling, almost impossible to put down. That is the beauty of the work, the genius of Vine's writing ability. Vine scores easily in this scholarly, sophisticated, yet readable, missive. The characters, in addition to Sarah, are complete and believable. Early on, Candless and his Girls play The Game, an esoteric, snobbish parlor contest. No rules are explained but the object is for the players to pass a scissors a certain way and to be able to explain the move, thus the "solution" to the riddle. Few solve it and Candless and company make buffoons of their guests (which is basically why they play it), belittling them for their inability to solve The Game. This turns out to be a metaphor for his own life and for Vine's intricately written and cleverly presented work. One of Vine's chief characteristics is the pace she applies to her works. There is never a doubt whether the author is in control of the plot development, her characters, or any other literary aspect. Nothing goes awry as she orchestrates the book's denouement and the reader's reactions. It is a treat to see such writing and to see such a writer display her command of her prose. In the Inspector Wexford novels, Rendell is content to stay within the bounds of police investigation and solution--and feels quite comfortable in doing so--and has created one of the best of current British mysteries, but when she lets loose her writing psyche as Vine, watch out! And in "Chimney Sweeper's Boy," she leaves no ash unturned!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific novel, March 6, 2001

By	Joel Jacobsen (New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Chimney Sweeper's Boy (Paperback)

It is evident that people have strong reactions to this book. I liked it more than any other Rendell/Vine book, with the possible exception of "Dark Adapted Eye." One of the most fascinating features of the book is the way in which forms of sexual pathology get repeated, with variations, through three generations of a family. Gerald's mother's relationship with her second husband gets echoed in Gerald's relationship with his wife, and Gerald's two daughters act it out in their own peculiar ways, until the very end, when one of them wakes up. There's great insight into what might be called the erotic lives of families, and the writing is first rate.