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Grasshopper

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Grasshopper

By: Barbara Vine
Narrated by: Emilia Fox
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About this listen

Clodagh was 19 when her parents packed her off to college and a relative’s house in Maida Vale, two years after the death on the pylon. They blamed her for it, everyone did....

It was hardly surprising that she fell into the arms of Silver. In his flat at the top of his parents’ house, he played host to a strange crew of young drop-outs whose pleasure was to range the rooftops. It was a happy, heady time until the moment when, on a trek 50 feet above the street, they looked into a window and saw a scene that was to lead to tragedy.

©2000 Kingsmarkham Enterprises Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Crime Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Crime
All stars
Most relevant
I have read this book a couple of times in its paperback form, but hearing the talented Emilia Fox bring the female protagonist's words to life was truly excellent. It is a very long novel, but my interest never waned. The area in West London it is set is perfectly realised and this has made me want to take a walk around the vicinity and cast my eyes up to the rooves.

One of Vine/Rendell's best and well worth a listen.

A New Slant

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A lot of time is spent creating memorable characters and the details of their present and past lives. I had to concentrate as the story switches back and forth among three different times of Clodagh’s life, her relationships, first, with Daniel and then, Michael Silverman,’Silver’ and the young people who come and go in Silver’s flat. The book seems slow at first but gradually the pace quickens as Clodagh and Silver become involved with helping a couple on the run culminating in an ‘edge-of-the-seat’ scene.

Some reviewers have been bored by the slow start and stopped listening, but I’d say stick with it and don’t give up believing that not much is happening. I think that the time taken by the author to create the mix of weird, irritating, obnoxious and kindly people in the earlier chapters made me feel more involved in what happened to them than if their characters hadn’t been brought to life in the early chapters.

Emilia Fox’s narration added to the enjoyment of the book.

Slowly builds to a nerve-wracking crescendo

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A few too many coincidences but overall an interesting idea to base the story around roof climbers,

An enjoyable change

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It takes a lot of concentration but it is well worth the effort.
It is satisfying when the threads all come together.

Completely Engaging

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Barbara Vine weaves another beautiful story.
I would love to know what happened to Wyn but I’m sure he’s still out there 😊 x

Great story

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