Master of the Moor [Import] [Mass Market Paperback]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099304503
• ISBN-13: 978-0099304500
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,988,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of her best from this period, March 6, 2002

By 

RachelWalker "RachelW" (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master of the Moor (Mass Market Paperback)

Ruth Rendell's career in literature has been so longed that it's spanned two generations, and she herself has gone thorugh roughly about three stages, as most people agree. The first stage, from "From Doon With Death" up until "The Speaker of Mandarin". Then from "The Killing Doll" until "Going Wrong". And now she is in her third, which commenced with "Kissing the Gunner's Daughter".

Master of the Moor comes from her first, and thus far longest, period. During that time she produces some stupendous novels, (and is continuing to do so) and this is one of the best.

She really nails the psychology, and has a cast of great, somewhat depressing characters. She shows well the aspects of hope and ability to escape from the tragedies which frequently occur in her books by having Lyn acts as she does. This demonstrated that not all things are written ins tone...and that fate can be escaped. It's not all doom and gloom.

Sometimes Rendell's books can be hard to read. I for one find it uncomfortable to think how finely our lives are balanced between normality and utter catastrophe. The way she uses concepts of "what if" and how she demonstrated that the tiniest of actions can have massive and far-reaching and tragic repurcussions on our lives is chilling, but very well done.

With this book she creates a great plot, with two really stunning twists built in. The darkness and bleakness of the moor is evoked very well, and adds a brooding and forlorn tone to the story.

A class read. Rendell remains the best writer we in the UK have ever produced.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Excruciatingly Boring, October 3, 2010

By 

Olga Bezhanova (Edwardsville, IL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Master Of The Moor (Kindle Edition)

I never thought the words "excruciatingly boring" could be applied to any novel by this great author but, sadly, I can find no other way to describe MASTER OF THE MOOR. Unless you are really interested in nature and don't mind reading page after page of descriptions of every kind of vegetation that can be found on the moors, and when these plants bloom, and why, and for how long, you will find it hard to enjoy this novel. It seemed like Rendell set herself a dubious goal of describing every single inch of the moors and proceeded to do so with a mind-numbing perseverance.

Usually, Rendell is amazing at creating quirky, unusual characters and offering her readers incomparably profound insights into their personalities. For some reason, she fails to do that in this novel. Characters in MASTER OF THE MOOR are schematic and as boring as everything else in the book. There is a host of secondary characters who are so indistinguishable from one another that it's next to impossible to keep track of them.

This isn't a long novel but it drags out so slowly and so little ever happens in it that it feels like it's hundreds and hundreds of boring pages long. All of the author's attempts to create a surprising twist are extremely transparent and one can see what's happening long before these so-called mysteries are revealed. The only good thing about this book is that it is so obviously the worst Rendell has ever written than any other novel by her will absolutely shine in comparison.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rendell Loves Plot Twists, May 11, 2000

By 

Matthew A. Sackel (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master of the Moor (Mass Market Paperback)

As you step into Rendells dark, rainy world you are introduced to a handful of characters. As with every Rendell/ Vine novel you know one of them will kill or be killed. She lives up to her reputation in this dark novel.

Stephen, the nature lover stumbles across a little more than he bargained for on his daily walk across the moor. This story spirals from this point out, keeping the reader turning pages as quickly as they can.

She introduces a Red Herring into the plot line, that is designed to completely throw you off. I highly recommend this novel.