Customer Reviews

Tell Me Your Dreams

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(43)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(49)

 

 

For years, Sidney Sheldon has entertained us with his masterful story-telling. From "The Other Side of Midnight," to "A Stranger in the Mirror," "Bloodline," "Rage of Angels," "Master of the Game," "If Tomorrow Comes," and "Memories of Midnight." However, then Mr. Sheldon's novel began to faulter. His stories were weak, often sketchy and his characters lacked any substantial depth - all of which culminated in last years novel, "The Best Laid Plans" which appeared to show Mr. Sheldon as a writer that only cared about selling books because of his name as that novel showed no character development and interjected surprise elements purely for shock value which had nothing to do with the story. It is with great enthusiasm that I can say Mr. Sheldon is back with, "Tell Me Your Dreams." This novel tells the story of 3 women - Ashley, Toni and Alette - all of whom are suspected of committing a series of brutal murders. As their stories are told, the truths begin to unfold resulting in a suspensful, engrossing read. The pages rapidly turn while the heat beats quickly. This is vintage Mr. Sheldon as he shows us he can create well-developed characters and surprising plot developments. Once again I am looking forward to the next Sidney Sheldon novel and I am glad to be able to say he is "the master of the game."

As a big fan of Sidney Sheldon, I was disappointed in "Tell Me Your Dreams," which is quite different in style from his early best sellers. The typical Sheldon novel is about a strong, beautiful, and independent young woman who overcomes countless crises on the way to true love. The heroine of this story, Ashley Patterson, is weak, nervous, and overwhelmed by her fears. Five men have been murdered and mutilated, and Ashley is the chief suspect. A brassy English woman and a meek Italian artist are somehow involved.

After some confusing early chapters, and a myriad of characters that never developed, the plot twist was obvious. I kept waiting for the page-turning excitement, so typical of Sheldon, to start, but it never did. The middle of the book bogs down in an incredibly slow-moving trial and many events are just unrealistic. The author tries to write a scientific-based story about a medical condition, but it comes off as shallow and pointless. A very disappointing novel from a great writer.

Not one of Mr. Sheldon's best, but still a very fast read. And has everything you need for a Mystery of the Week thriller that is rated R in the movies.

The book's main character is Ashley Patterson who works at a Silicon Valley Computer Firm. She is being stalked by a vicious murder and is too insecure to tell anyone about it until its almost too late. Her father is a world famous heart surgeon who appears over protective of his daughter. To say much more would give away the reason for reading the book.

The book is a murder mystery and medical courtroom drama all in one. Pick it up to read. It isn't perfect, but then again he based it on a real life story.

Multiple personality disorder is the subject of this Sheldon work and it is nothing short of outstanding. The story centers around the character of serene Ashley Patterson, 28 year old graphic artist at a company called Global Computer Graphics. Toni Prescott is 22 years old with a powerful desire to stir things up and live on the edge. Alette Peters is a low-key type personality always trying to keep Toni from blowing up but in the end, giving into whatever Toni says. As the story unfolds and Ashley's memory takes on more and more black holes, the reader realizes that this is a dire situation, involving murder, that may be next to impossible to correct. Sheldon takes us deep into the minds of the three personalities and keeps us on the edge of our seats to see "what happens next," never knowing who will prevail. In the words of a familiar children's song, "pop! goes the weasel" - you'll have to read the book to understand the real meaning of this phrase.

This is the very first Sheldon book that I read. A co-worker told me about it and said that it was really good and she was right. This is a very good book. It's divided into three parts and the first and second parts were the best (I'll admit, the ending was a little stale and unbelievable). I thought Ashley was a pretty good heroine. Based on this book, I will definitely read more of Sheldon's books (I'm already reading The Best Laid Plans now). So if you've never read a Sheldon book, before, read this. You'll get hooked.

Sidney Sheldon's Tell Me Your Dreams is entrancing as all of his books are. But this book also had a special touch. Ashley Patterson has a constant feeling that someone is stalking her. And in the meanwhile, 5 brutal crimes occur and her name is tied in with these murders and two other women Toni Prescott and Alette Peters. Ashley becomes notorious and known to all as the Butcher B**ch, and it is the duty of a brilliant young lawyer with his entire future at stake to try and clear her name from the charges. But it will be difficult since Ashley's DNA and fingerprints were found at all murder scenes. For many, it was an open-and-shut case. But early in the story, a dangerous secret about Ashley is revealed and its ramifications are slowly unraveled throughout the story. Some people called the book predictable, but I would say that in most books, the end can always be predicted but it is in how this climax is reached where the great thrill lies. And Sidney Sheldon performed that part brilliantly, dazzling the reader endlessly and at the same time discussing a fascinating and controversial subject that remains the source of heated debate among psychologists and psychiatrists. This is one powerful read.

If I could have given this less than one star, I would have. It isn't just a story that falls flat--it's a story that was in bad taste before it was even set to paper. Yes, yes, I know that the novel has a powerful message that is helping to end child abuse and create more understanding of Multiple Personality Disorder. My point is that it is too obviously preachy--and Sheldon is not good with that. Probably the worst part of this book is his attempt to psychoanalyze and help Ashley, his tortured protagonist. (What a sad, pathetic protagonist she makes, too!) Though Sheldon has created a lot of psychos, he has never taken their psyches apart before--and this lack of practice is woefully apparent. (For a real psycho, one who was not used to create sympathy but to tell a great story, read "Master of the Game".) In my opinion, Sheldon did not write this novel for his readers. He wrote it for a cause. It is a noble cause, yes--which is why there is information at the end of the book for those who want to help--but I have to wonder if Sheldon has run out of real ideas, which is why he is turning to causes for inspiration.

I started reading this book at ten o`clock at night with an intention of reading it till 12 and continuing it the next day.But contrary to all my intentions i stayed awake till 3;:30 in the morning and finished the book.I simply could not put the book down. Sidney has chosen a nice plot and a nice concept here.I doubt if many of the readers would have heard of MPD or would have guessed it while reading the book. The story is about three women who are bizzarely connected in a series of brutal murders.the best part was the treatment at the medical centre.But the story has a whopper of an ending.I would recommend this book to ant person who has not read any book of Sheldon(although it is a little different from his other books).It truly deserves the five stars...

A master piece, a true psychological thriller. Sydney Sheldon at his best.

Once I began reading this book I couldn't put it down. I recently flew to Las Vegas and finished the book before I landed. It kept you on the edge of your seat. I also tried to "guess who" as I read along. Excellent!