Two Women of London: The Strange Case of Ms Jekyll and Mrs Hyde [Hardcover]

Emma Tennant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 1989

For some months leafy West London has been terrorized by a rapist who attacks young women living alone. One day in the crescent, a man is found battered to death. Is he the rapist? And who is the murderer? Could it be smart, intelligent Eliza Jekyll, or scatty, grey-haired cat lover, Mrs Hyde?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tennant ( The Adventures of Robina by Herself ) here cleverly reworks the classic tale, giving it a contemporary setting and a decidedly feminist twist. The construction itself is unusual--more like a play, complete with a "cast list" and a prologue that not only describes the crime but names the murderer. This device distances the reader from the action and signals that the story is less important than its social implications. It also makes the book rather an odd read. Still, there is plenty to pique the mystery lover's interest, as we quickly figure out that the task is to discern the killer's motivation and the nature of her connection to the rest of the players. As in the original tale, Mrs. Hyde and Ms. Jekyll are alter egos of one very disconnected person, here an otherwise respectable woman driven to madness, child abuse and drug addiction by her husband's desertion and the resultant loss of a defined societal role. The story of her degeneration is poignant and thought-provoking. Yet Tennant's indictment of modern society and the impossible demands it places upon women would be more effectively presented on the stage.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Faber and Faber Ltd (June 5, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571152422
• ISBN-13: 978-0571152421
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,358,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Female Jekyll/Hyde in today's London, January 7, 2001

By 

"jekyll_noir" (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Women of London: The Strange Case of MS Jekyll and Mrs Hyde (Paperback)

This is a weird story... A bit hard to get the hang of, but once you are there, you just keep on reading. This is, in fact, a modern reworking of the "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" story. It is set in the London of the 1980's. You can recognize most of the main characters from the original story, but all are women: doctors, artists and lawyers. Men generally play a very small part in this novel - which, for me, is refreshing. (Stevenson's original novel contains hardly any women, except for a fainting maid.) And all the things that happen in the original story does also happen in this book - but in other ways. An intelligent re-write!