Sliver [Hardcover]

Ira Levin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Short, slick, and not up to snuff is the latest suspense thriller by the author of The Boys from Brazil ( LJ 4/15/76). Levin draws on his experience as a screen playwright during the Golden Age of Television to create hero Sam Yale, a down-and-out veteran TV director who lives in a "sliver" high rise in Manhattan's Carnegie Hill district. The novel's central character is Yale's neighbor, Kay Norris, an editor at a major publishing house. The young son of a famous soap actress owns their building and seems to know everything about his tenants, past and present--including several who met grisly deaths. When it's almost too late, Norris and Yale discover their demonic landlord's secret--that he watches real-life daytime (and nighttime) dramas with TV monitors he has placed in each apartment. It's contrived, but there are some surprising moments. Literary Guild main selection.
- Joyce Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 190 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (February 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553072927
• ISBN-13: 978-0553072921
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,124,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A not-bad thriller with good local color, December 24, 2003

By 

JLind555 - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sliver (Hardcover)

"Sliver" is definitely not up to "Rosemary's Baby" but it's one of Levin's better products, and for those readers who felt it lacked believability, what would they say about "Rosemary's Baby" or "The Stepford Wives"? It's not supposed to be read with a straight face; it's fun, and on that count, it measures up. What made the book especially enjoyable for this reader was that I know the Carnegie Hill neighborhood very well, and it was a lot of fun identifying all the places Levin mentioned in the book -- real places, in fact. (The Corner Bookstore is one of my favorite book shops in all of New York.) The story of the sophisticated, jaded older woman who falls in love with a younger man has been done to death, but Levin makes this one refreshing by giving the heroine sense enough not to take this too seriously; she knows sooner or later it's bound to end so she just enjoys what she has while she has it. The book's main theme of voyeurism is well presented; we share the heroine's mixture of fascination and revulsion, and realize how all too easy it is to get sucked into the thrill of snooping and being privy to all the neighbors' secrets. And while the ending may be as believable as a two-headed giraffe, the whole book is slightly off-center so we shrug and enjoy the fun. If you're looking for something heavy or profound, go read "War and Peace" or an equally weighty tome; "Sliver" is a good book to spend a rainy day with.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book., August 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sliver (Hardcover)

I love this book - easy to read, engrossing, interesting characters,... I definitely recommend it.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Without a sliver of believability, February 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sliver (Hardcover)

Mr. Levin must have been writing this fast and furiously to meet a deadline. It's hard to believe that the author of such really great books could have penned this piece of trash. The characters are like life-sized cardboard cutouts. The plot was lacking in plausibility, passion or suspense and the conclusion was ridiculous. Did you ever try hanging from a curtain hook, Mr. Levin? A good sized cat hanging on the drape would have pulled the hook out and bye, bye kitty!