Customer Reviews
Not what I expected - By: Katja Beck, 24 Oct 2008 
I am not sure what to think of this book. It being written by Ruth Rendell, I expected a mystery, but it really is more of a story about relationships. There is a mystery, but it is secondary & no detective is broughtin to solve it. The main focus is on the sisters Ismay & Heather & their interactions with each other, their significant others & their immediate family. Throughout the book, I felt that there was something missing, something that makes the story worthwhile.
dissapointing - By: A Ramis, 28 Sep 2008 I got this book because I really enjoy Ruth Rendell, but I have to say that I nearly haven't even finished the book as I found it so boring, not at all as the rest of her books that I've read. I don't want to influence anybody but I think it is very dissapointing
Ruth Rendell on great form - By: Sarah W, 08 Sep 2008 
This novel is more `Barbara Vine' than Ruth Rendell, which suits me as I prefer the darker, psychological novels she writes as her alter-ego. It is tightly-plotted & well-characterised with greater moral ambiguity than is foundin some of her books: there is no particular villain or hero, this novel dealsin shades of grey.
Likewise, fate does not necessarily treat characters fairly, nor is there a neat ending (though it is a satisfying one), but this is what gives the novel its depth. It is not a simple `whodunit' so if that is what you're looking for this isn't it.
My only criticism is that there is a little too much coincidencein the plot, but this is crime fiction, after all, & Ruth Rendell is not holding a mirror up to reflect real life, but is considering what motivates people & how they react to situations & events.
In the past, I've found some of Ruth Rendell's `Barbara Vine' novels a little claustrophobic.' Living' inside an (often unhinged!) character's head can be a bit much. However, this novel presents a range of perspectives & though the characters are interlinked, they have their own preoccupations & emotions, so claustrophobia isn't an issue.
I preferred it to the latest Kate Atkinson (whose work I also admire), & am pleased to see that Ruth Rendell is continuing to hone her skills. This is one of her best novels so far!
Let down by the ending - By: Helena, 08 Aug 2008 I am a great fan of Ruth Rendell's psychological approach & prefer her stand alone novels to her Wexford ones. There were many wonderful aspects to The Water's Lovely, however two aspects jarred with me a little & I felt strangely dissatisfied at the end. Ismay's realisation of the name was seemed incredibly contrived. How she could make the connection she did was somewhat fantasticalin my opinion. And the twist at the end wasin some ways ingenious & yet, that also seemed like Ms Rendell was being too clever.
This isn't her best by a long way...I don't think I'll ever forget the genius of The Keys to the Street. This book is still miles ahead of most of the fiction out there today though.
Recommended but she has written better.
Good fun, but doesn't quite get there - By: unlikely_heroine, 22 Jul 2008 
As a long-time fan of mystery & crime stories, I am a little ashamed to say that it has taken me a very long time to get around to reading Ruth Rendell. This is the first novel of hers I have read. I'll definitely be reading more as "The Water's Lovely" is both enjoyable & highly readable, but it's a little disappointing that there are plot holes, dropped threads & inconsistencies that you could drive a lorry through.
The story concerns two sisters, Ismay & Heather. Ismay believes Heather killed their stepfather, Guy, a decade or so ago, but has never worked up the courage to ask Heather whether she really did it or not. Their mother has lost her mind, apparently as a result of Guy's death & the belief that Heather was responsible for it, & now requires near-constant care by her sister, Pamela.
Ismay's boyfriend, Andrew, is both a nasty piece of work & the spitting image of Guy. When Heather meets & gets together with her own partner, Edmund, Andrew has difficultyin concealing his contempt for the couple & the tension rises. Meanwhile, Pamela is trying to find excitementin her love life, & Edmund's mother has a visitor, Marion, who has particular reasons for droppingin on the elderly, & whose brother, Fowler, lives as a tramp, rooting through London's bins for any objects worth salvaging. Rendell interweaves the lives of these charactersin a story with a few red herrings & a sprinkling of overly convenient & contrived coincidences. The most problematic of these has been noted by other reviewers & really does stretch the bounds of credulity, with the aforementioned Fowler finding somethingin his bin-foraging that creates a problem for another character. It's curious that an evidently accomplished writer like Rendell should take this ill-thought out short cut, not least when it is to earn a plot that only lasts a few pages & adds little to the story or character development. It feels very much like something that should have been edited out. Left in, it somewhat detracts from the other, more carefully handled, aspects of the book, such as the complex & believable character of Ismay.
I also saw at least one or two of the "twists" coming, but to be fair, this is a novel premised on characters rather than a complex mystery, & the book's sheer readability makes it very difficult to put down. Rendell knows how to keep her readers turning the pages & does this here to great effect, even if on reflection, those clunky coincidences, unanswered questions & last-gasp twist on the final page do seem a little rushed & less than satisfying.
Many reviewers feel Rendell has written better. There is enough here for me to see that Rendell can probably turn out something that hangs together much more convincingly, & having enjoyed "The Water's Lovely" despite its flaws, I will be picking up Rendell's other novels to see if the quiet menace & clever prose she brings to this book is combined with stronger stories elsewhere.
