elneveu's review against another edition
4.0
This one's tough to rate, because it was slow and a solid 3 stars til the end which I found surprising and very violent. This is my second Highsmith, and man, is she brutal!
sewnancie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
erinbirnel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Highsmith’s writing is excellent but all of the characters are different levels of unlikeable. I found myself wanting to tell them to ‘get it together’ and was frustrated by their inability to do so.
supreeth's review against another edition
4.0
Walter is an idiot. Kimmel is a psychopath. Corby is a delusional bastard. Clara is psychotic vindictive irksome woman. Ellie is just okay-ish. It's just that Patricia Highsmith can write and keep you reading.
deepakchecks's review against another edition
5.0
The genius of Patricia Highsmith lies not in the mystery/whodunit part of the crime, but the psychological game that plays out between the perpetrator and the people surrounding him. Highsmith does not hide details of the crime as is warranted if there is to be a twist at the end. All the intricate details of the crime along with the mindset of the perpetrator are given out. Thus at the time of the crime, the reader and the perpetrator are the only soul who have an understanding of the event. Just as the details come out of hiding, the author imparts the sense of dread and suspense to the reader that the actual perpetrator would be facing.
In 'The Blunderer', a crime is committed and the husband (Kimmel) has an alibi that vindicates him. The incident though leaves an air of suspicion around Kimmel, but no one can be bothered to pursue it. The newspaper clipping about the killing however piques the interest of Walter, who is having a bad phase with his wife. The most interesting aspect of 'The Blunderer' is that Walter commits only a thought-crime, although he was very close to committing an actual crime - but the preparation that he undertakes for this leaves a trail of clues, that triggers the interest of Cody, a Police officer who now goes after both Kimmel and Walter. We get to see a blundering Walter, who leaves out a lot of details, while being questioned on the crime but gradually admits to them and thus become untrustworthy even to his close friends and girlfriend.
A brilliant read with the typical Highsmithian elements.
In 'The Blunderer', a crime is committed and the husband (Kimmel) has an alibi that vindicates him. The incident though leaves an air of suspicion around Kimmel, but no one can be bothered to pursue it. The newspaper clipping about the killing however piques the interest of Walter, who is having a bad phase with his wife. The most interesting aspect of 'The Blunderer' is that Walter commits only a thought-crime, although he was very close to committing an actual crime - but the preparation that he undertakes for this leaves a trail of clues, that triggers the interest of Cody, a Police officer who now goes after both Kimmel and Walter. We get to see a blundering Walter, who leaves out a lot of details, while being questioned on the crime but gradually admits to them and thus become untrustworthy even to his close friends and girlfriend.
A brilliant read with the typical Highsmithian elements.
hpuphd's review against another edition
4.0
Patricia Highsmith’s third novel (1954), an engaging book about a credulous man whose innocent behavior and injudicious comments gradually endanger him. Like Highsmith’s previous novel The Price of Salt or Carol, this book questions received notions of the Fifties, this time about social fairness and justice rather than sexual norms. Highsmith’s development draws a reader in.
affiknittyreads's review against another edition
4.0
Whoa. WHOA. What a book! There is so much going on here, so many ways in which this subverts the regular form of a mystery or suspense novel. Who is the victim? Who is guilty? What constitutes murder? So many questions without obvious answers.
molly9900's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
niinjah's review against another edition
2.0
I really struggled to keep my focus when reading this. It just went on and on with the same themes, moving so slow that I rather would watch a snail. Didn’t find the end satisfactory either, felt like I wasted my time on nothing.