Customer Reviews

Rough Cider

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't read novels more than once very often at all, but 'Rough Cider' is one of the few I have. Foremost, despite it being a murder mystery, it is an extremely humourous read with the main character Theo Sinclair guiding you the entire way. I enjoyed the plot, the twists and turns and the ultimately surprise ending. I do believe this would make a great telemovie/motion picture. Highly recommended...

This story revolves around a GI's trial during WWII & the differences between the memories of a man who was 9-years old at the time of the trial. It is told in 1st person singular (i.e. "I"). The basic premises concerning the realities of the trial are difficult to accept today. This is one of the major flaws in this work (mostly why it didn't give it 5 stars). Additionally, the context of the "present" in the narrative (20 years or so after the trial) takes up about 1/3 of the book & I had to force myself to plow through it--not terribly exciting. So, be prepared to slog through this part--it is necessary to read it though. The overall book, is, however, worth the effort IMHO. The plot is clever, most of it can be figured out by the reader--except the very end which may have some ambiguity in the choice of murderer. It had a number of surprising twists & turns too. The title is a pun since one barrel of cider turned out to be quite "rough" indeed. But, the best part of the story--which qualified it IMHO for consideration as a 5-star--regards the brilliant description (in 1st person no less) of how a person can confuse their perceptions of an event at the time, their memories of it, their present day reactions to it, their resistance to recognizing the differences between these and the truth/reality of what actually occurred. One can learn much from this book. It's definitely one of Lovesey's best mysteries--better IMHO than his 3 series (Diamond, Cribb, & Bertie). Indeed, his non-series books, both novels (e.g. Keystone (Black Dagger Crime)) & short stories (Butchers & Other Stories of Crime) are better--though I like the Cribb ones (e.g. The Tick of Death) as well.

Sometimes revisiting childhood memories can be dangerous. Peter Lovesey opens his well-plotted mystery with one of the most harrowing first lines: "When I was nine, I fell in love with a girl of twenty named Barabara, who killed herself." Now much older and teaching at Reading University, Theo Sinclair is hounded by Alice Ashenfelter, a young woman who wants to know more about her father, the American G.I. convicted of murder in 1944. Theo tells her about the tragic events that unfolded on the Cider Farm leading to the discovery of a human skull in a cider barrel. Alice points out several things that lead Theo to question his memory and his testimony in the trial that convicted and sentenced her father to death. Together they embark on a journey back to the Cider Farm to uncover the truth. Lovesey's tale is short yet compelling. The discovery of the skeleton was perhaps the most intriguing part of the story. I was also impressed with the unique voice of the narrator. By the end, I wasn't sure I even liked the arrogant Englishman.

Peter Lovesey is one of my (and my husband's) favorite writers. In ROUGH CIDER he proves again what a marvelous storyteller he is. Being a mystery writer, I appreciate the skill it takes to weave a good plot. We want more stories, Peter!

A story that is not very plausible. A writing that is shallow and one-dimensional. There certainly are better mystery stories around.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was the first Peter Lovesey book that I read and I think it has to be one of his best.