The story of Zenia ought to begin when Zenia began. It must have been someplace long ago and distance in space, thinks Tony; someplace bruised, and very tangled. A European print, hand-tinted, ochre-coloured, with dusty sunlight and a lot of bushes in it - bushes with thick leaves and ancient twisted roots, behind which, out of sight in the undergrowth and hinted at only by a boot protruding, or a slack hand, something ordinary but horrifying is taking place. Zenia is beautiful, smart and greedy, by turns manipulative and ...
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The story of Zenia ought to begin when Zenia began. It must have been someplace long ago and distance in space, thinks Tony; someplace bruised, and very tangled. A European print, hand-tinted, ochre-coloured, with dusty sunlight and a lot of bushes in it - bushes with thick leaves and ancient twisted roots, behind which, out of sight in the undergrowth and hinted at only by a boot protruding, or a slack hand, something ordinary but horrifying is taking place. Zenia is beautiful, smart and greedy, by turns manipulative and vulnerable, needy and ruthless. She is also dead. Just to make absolutely sure Tony, Roz and Charis are there for the funeral. But five years on, as the three women share a decorous lunch, the unthinkable happens: 'with waves of ill will flowing out of her like cosmic radiation', Zenia is back
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Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book from multilingual publisher. Shipped from UK within 4 to 14 days. Please check language within the description.
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Near fine in Near fine jacket. Near fine condition. Bloomsbury, 1993. First UK edition-first printing(10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). Black hardback(gilt lettering to the spine, small dent on the edge of the cover) with Dj(a couple of nicks, scratches and crease on the Dj cover), both in near fine condition. Nice and clean pages with a small ink mark on the outer edges, small pencil mark impression on the edge of the half-title page, a couple of small nicks on the edges of the pages. Nice and clean book with light shelf wear on the Dj cover.470pp. Price un-clipped. Heavy book.
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Damaged cover. The cover of is slightly damaged for instance a torn or bent corner. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading.
What a juicy read this was! I certainly was not expecting a mystery with a clearly defined villain when I picked up "The Robber Bride," but that's what the novel turned out to be. The story begins with three women whose lives have been irrevocably altered by a woman who seems to haunt them like a spectre. I wasn't very far into the book before I was desperate to find out exactly WHAT this woman had done.
Zenia, the villainess who steals men (among other things) and ruins lives, embodies the fear that trust is too easily misplaced, and that some people just want to hurt people for the thrill of it. I'm not sure how realistic she is as a character, but I think that's beside the point. Roz, Tony, and Charis, the three protagonists of the book, are as real as they come, and are utterly recognizable as three variations on the everywoman.
I will say that some patience is required in reading this novel, as the narrative tends to jump back and restart itself for each woman's own story of Zenia. I went along with it, but occasionally found myself wishing that the overarching narrative thread were stronger throughout the different parts of the book.
ashleylovestoread
Jul 15, 2007
I'm not sure about this one...
After reading "The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood, I was excited to read more of her stories. This one, however, just didn't excite me like "TBA." For me, it took too long to get to the actual storyline, and I find that to be pretty important in books.
