2 von 2 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
4.0 von 5 Sternen
Bloated, over-ambitious, but still compelling novel, 28. Juni 2000
DEVICES AND DESIRES is one of P.D. James' longer novels, and probably the most shameless example of the fine author's tendency to ramble unnecessarily. Though one wishes that James had exercised a bit more restraint, the fact that this is still head-and-shoulders above most detective fiction, and still an incredibly absorbing story, is a testament to her undeniable skill.
Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh takes some time off and moves into the windmill cottage of his deceased aunt. And of course, there's something rotten in Norfolk; in addition to the usual Jamesian network of convoluted relationships, tense rivalries, and dangerous liasons (this book isn't titled DEVICES AND DESIRES for nothing), there's a mysterious strangler known as the Whistler murdering young women in the area. A serial killer may seem more appropriate for a thriller than a formal detective story, but the ingenious way in which the author uses the Whistler as a mere catalyst for a very
English murder is possibly one of the most original and clever twists ever conceived in the genre. James may waste words, but she still knows how to plot a good mystery.
Unfortunately, the execution (so to speak) doesn't work nearly as well; the main plot gets buried in a multitude of meandering subplots. James throws in an overcomplicated story thread dealing with espionage and political intrigue that might make a fine novel on its own, but feels out of place in this one. James has always made her setting as important to her novels as the characters, but the nuclear power station isn't one of her best (certainly not as effective as the publishing firm in ORIGINAL SIN, or the legal chambers in A CERTAIN JUSTICE). Rather than adding a subtle layer of meaning or metaphor to the narrative, the setting basically allows the characters to deliver heavy, ham-handed commentary on the virtues or evils of nuclear power that have almost no relevance to the story at hand. Ultimately, too much of DEVICES AND DESIRES is extraneous and contrived; too much of it is stagey and hokey to be convincing. Three-quarters of the way through, you may feel like taking a pair of scissors and cutting out all the unnecessary parts (it'd probably end up half as long and a much improved effort).
What saves DEVICES AND DESIRES, ultimately, are the gifts that the author has always brought to her work--a brilliantly realized sense of time and place, wonderfully vivid characters, and prose so well-written it comes close to poetry. P.D. James is one of those authors with such a natural flair for the English language, her writing is always a pleasure to read. Even when she rambles.
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1 von 1 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
2.0 von 5 Sternen
I didn't like it, 3. April 2000
There were far too many suspects in this book! And I really thought that most of the innocent suspects had much more motive to commit the murder than the person who actually did it. The ending was very weak...I felt let down by the criminal. And the Norfolk coast seems like a sordid little world that I wouldn't want to visit, let alone live there. I didn't care for most of the characters and I found that I didn't really care who the murderer was by the time the book finally ended. A waste of time...I got rid of the book after I read it.
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4.0 von 5 Sternen
Beautifully written, 10. März 2000
Von Ein Kunde
This book is beautifully written, a wonderful combination of great language and a great plot. For once, Adam Dalgliesh does not play the role of the investigating officer, but this definitely does not make the plot less intriguing. A must try for readers who do not think that beautiful writing can exist along with a thrilling whodunit story.
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