Customer Reviews

A Judgement in Stone

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A JUDGEMENT IN STONE is a fairly short novel, like most ofRendell's early works, but it hardly requires length to justify itselfas a superb novel that succeeds on so many levels. Written in the sharp, perceptive, and engaging style that is Rendell's own, the book weaves the story of Eunice Parchman, an illiterate woman who becomes employed as a housekeeper to the wealthy Coverdales.

Once more, Rendell shows readers and critics that she can create an intricately crafted story with surprising twists and turns...She spins out all the elements of the plot seamlessly and incisively, giving us a convincing picture...

As usual, the characters are well-drawn, totally realistic and believable yet with their own individual quirks and personalities. The character of Eunice Parchman is best done of all. Eunice manages to draw sympathy for her plight, while simultaneously chilling the reader with her blank, cold-blooded apathy. She is possibly one of Rendell's most mystifying and intriguing creations, and would alone make this novel worth reading. But Rendell has added wit, suspense, mystery, a clever plot, and confident characterizations to create one of her finest novels. A JUDGEMENT IN STONE is not at all easy to locate, but if you find it, even an old copy, definitely read it. This is vintage Rendell.

I hope that the fact that this book is back in print is a good sign that the other early non-Wexford novels of Ruth Rendell will also become easier to find. This novel is a masterpiece, a short and wonderful story that you can see happening. Rendell has so many strenghths in her writing, but the one I find most overwhelming and awe inspiring is her ability to really draw humans. To make you understand how ordinary people can find themselves in the most god awful of circumstances. How your mind can create the reality that you ultimately work from. It is true that this novel works from an almost "true crime" point of view. I found myself thinking of "In Cold Blood" so often that I had to remind myself that is was not a true case. You want to feel for Eunice, even in the face of the terrible acts she has prepertrated. A true accomplishment. May Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine live to be six hundred and ten and never stop writing. I hate to say there are only seven Ruth Rendell non-wexford books that I have not yet read (and I have a long commute on public transportation, so I go through them quick.) and I fear running out! My library also hopes more of her books become rereleased, as my excuse that my cat ate their books are beginning to wear thin. Once you have a Rendell in your hands, you are hesitant to give it back. It becomes a part of you. I don't think I have ever read a Rendell/Vine novel without declaring in the first 50 pages "Okay this is her best one ever." This is true of A Judgement in Stone" as well.

This is one of Ruth Rendell's earlier works and, perhaps, one of her best. More of a novella, rather than a full fledged novel, by virtue of its brevity, it is absolutely brilliant, well-written, and gripping from the get go. Ms. Rendell captures the reader with her first sentence, "Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write."

This is a descriptive and insightful literary stunner about how an illiterate, middle aged women gets to the point that she wipes out an enire family one fateful evening. The book takes the reader, step by step, through the events that lead up to this crossroad. It explores the mind of Eunice Parchman, a woman so limited in her world view and so robotic in her actions that she is almost repellent. The reader marvels at her very existence and is sure to find her a fascinating character study.

Ms. Parchman's interactions with the well-educated Coverdale family, who employs her as a housekeeper, are intriguing and always interesting, as she struggles to keep her illiteracy a secret. How Ms. Parchman circumvents its discovery for as long as does, the lengths to which she goes to maintain a facade of literacy, and her socially inappropriate responses to every day situations, paint an intriguing psychological portrait for the reader. The eventual discovery of her illiteracy results in a ghastly outcome, which makes for some gripping and chilling reading.

Ms. Rendell is masterful in her storytelling, infusing mundane situations with an understated horror that is all the more chilling because of the common denominator that strikes a chord with the reader. Written is well-nuanced, taut, spare style, this book is a literary gem that will keep the reader riveted to its pages. Bravo!

I've read this book twice,and it has the rare quality of being even scarier the second time around. It is an absolutely brilliant tour de force. Rendell begins in a flat, factual, true-crime style. She tells you immediately Whodunnit, and Why They Did. Then, at a seemingly leisurely pace, she recounts how it happened, and the result is absolutely chilling. All the characters are well-done, but the two teen-agers who are step-siblings are especially vivid, enough so to break your heart. Ruth Rendell is, to me, the best suspense writer in the business, and this book doesn't even make my top five favorites among her novels--but it's still awesome. She's the best.

I have bought this book twice as I lent the first copy to someone who never returned it and since then I have been writing down the names of people to whom I lend my books.

Eunice Parchman is identified in the beginning as the murderer and this is in fact part of the book's excitement. We don't have to work out who did it but why and how. She is a creepy, illiterate woman who is deeply ashamed of her illiteracy and quite smart in finding ways to hide it. She also manages to find people willing to help her write letters and read lists for her. With a brain that could do this, she very possibly could have learnt to read and write if she had put her mind to it.

Ruth Rendell simply cannot write a bad book but this was her most enjoyable for me. The characters are so well rounded and so believable, the suspense is high and the writing style is simply great. The pages just seem to turn themselves and the book is impossible to put down.

Eunice eventually befriends Joan Smith, an equally creepy, evil person who is fact turns out to be a psychopath. The Coverdale family is also extremely believable. Eunice does not know what to make of the fact that she cannot blackmail the daughter as she is not used to people like this.

If there is anyone out there who has never read a Ruth Rendell, start with this one. I envy you as each and every one of her books, in my opinion, is excellent.

I read in reviews that many consider this to be Ms. Rendell's best work. Not having read all of her books, I can't agree or disagree, but I don't see how she could get much better than this. From the first page, you know what happened, but seeing each piece of the puzzle fall into place is chilling and inevitable. There is no real mystery, a "just the facts" kind of tone to the story, but you realize that it can end no other way. This book is frightening, believable, and perfect. It will stay with you for a long time. Ruth Rendell is truly a master!

Kathleen

A lot of mystery writers will name A JUDGMENT IN STONE as one of the crime novels they most admire, and Ruth Rendell herself has mentioned it as a personal favorite. It is included in virtually every "Top 100 Mysteries of All Time" list I've ever seen. It has also been filmed twice (as 1987's THE HOUSEKEEPER and 1995's LA CEREMONIE). Why all the fuss? Read it for yourself and find out.

There's a picture-perfect, upper-middle-class British family, their mysterious servant, and a very odd woman who is the local postmistress. When the lives of these people intersect, watch out! This clear-eyed portrait of madness and its consequences (loosely based on a notorious actual incident in coastal France in the early 1900s) is relentless in its sense of claustrophobia and ever-mounting horror. And Rendell absolutely nails the various, complex reasons behind the bloody deed. Not a mystery per se (the perp, victims, and motive are plainly stated in the celebrated opening sentence), this is crime writing at its most effective.

I would recommend just about every Rendell title to any mystery lover who's interested in the darker aspects of human nature (aren't we all?), but this small masterpiece is at the top of the list. Don't miss it.

Author Ruth Rendell transcends the mystery genre with this brilliant psychological thriller, "A Judgement In Stone." The novel is a relatively short one at 191 pages, but it sure packs a wallop in terms of its emotional impact. I finished the book last week and am still thinking about it. An unconventional mystery, the reader is informed from page one who the murder victims are, who the killers are, and, at least, their partial motivation. There are no spoilers. Yet Ms. Rendell infuses her taut narrative with suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. I read "A Judgement In Stone" in one evening - just could not put it down.

Jacqueline Coverdale and her husband George are desperate to find a trustworthy live-in servant to clean their large country home, Lowfield Hall. They have had abysmal experiences with au pairs and local help. This is the second marriage for each. Jacqueline is divorced and George is a widower. They met at George's daughter's wedding and it was love at first sight. After almost six years, the chemistry and affection between the two have grown. Between them they have four children, two are adults with their own homes, one young woman is at university, and an intellectually gifted teenage boy, who is finishing secondary school with honors, lives at home. The kids all get along well and have from the beginning. Jacqueline has been run ragged trying to keep the place clean, clothes washed, meals cooked, bills paid, etc. The couple has not had the time to entertain, go to the opera, or even read a good book as often as they would like, due to all the household chores. They place an ad in the newspaper advertising for domestic help. Eunice Parchment is the sole applicant.

From the moment Eunice is introduced, a feeling of trepidation permeates the storyline. She is in her forties, illiterate, a very serious handicap which has always caused her to keep to herself, fearing the humiliation of discovery. She is also a probable sociopath. However, she cleans, washes, polishes silver and irons like a dream. She even offers to cook, which is Jacqueline's job. The Coverdales are thrilled. They eventually begin to notice her lack of affect, but never mind - she does her work like a true professional. Ms. Parchment rarely leaves the house and spends all her free time watching the television, which the family has provided for her. She had never watched TV before. The woman is as content as she has ever been. She enjoys housecleaning because it is something she does well, and does not require reading skills. Her only fear is that she will be asked to shop from a list, although Mrs. Coverdale does almost all the shopping, or that someone will leave a note for her with instructions.

When she meets Joan Smith, a storekeeper in the nearby town, she makes a friend, of sorts - probably the first she has ever had. Unfortunately, Joan is less stable than Eunice.

Ruth Rendell is a master at developing characters, and her fascination with the dark side of the human psyche is obvious. She skillfully portrays each of the Coverdale family members, exploring their personalities and motivations. She is most insightful, however, at revealing what goes on in the minds of the two women, Eunice Parchman and her friend Joan, a religious fanatic. The author writes with extraordinary elegance, consistently. I can almost guarantee that if you pick this book up, you will not be able to put it down.

Ms. Rendell, who sometimes writes as Barbara Vine, is the winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award. She is also the recipient of three Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America and four Gold Daggers from Great Britain's Crime Writers Association. In 1997, she was named a life peer in the House of Lords.
JANA

This extremely hard to find novel is Rendell at her most psychologically astute. This novel draws you in so completely that it's difficult to forget these characters or story. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. The paperback version may be available in 2000. Good luck in finding it before then.

This book, which finally is available in paperback, is truly a chilling classic. You cannot read this book and think about murder or illiteracy quite the same way again. Rendall is simply brilliant here! If you can, watch the French remake of this film which is just as creepy. Perhaps her very best book ever.