What do You think about The Scold's Bridle (1995)?
When senior Mathilda Gillespie commits suicide, no one in her village seems to mind very much except her doctor, Sarah Blakeney; one of the few people who’d actually liked Mathilda. Sarah finds it odd that Mathilda died by cutting her wrists in the bath while wearing a scold’s bridle entwined with flowers. That she wore a barbaric contraption once used to silence talkative women is strange in itself, but how would she have managed to carefully weave the flowers all the way around her head, especially when the autopsy shows that she’d taken a fair amount of barbiturates? Needless to say, neither Sarah or investigating officers believe Mathilda committed suicide.The Scold’s Bridle is a heart-rending tale of a family who’s taken dysfunction to a new level. While the family at first seems rather hateful, if not pathetic, author Minette Walters does a superb job of layering back the malicious, selfish layers to reveal deep-seated pain that made me more sympathetic to the characters as the story unfolded. At over 450 pages, the book isn’t a fast read, but it is a thought-provoking one which takes a hard look at the ramifications of family secrets, desires, and misunderstandings, past and present. This is an excellent, emotionally charged read.
—Debra
Muito longe do género de policiais a que me tenho vindo a habituar, posso dizer que este 'A Máscara de Desonra' custou a envolver-me... É certo que tem diálogos muito bons, mas considero que algumas das acções paralelas à trama principal são desnecessárias, alongando a história de uma forma que, sinceramente, não me 'agarrou'; em determinadas alturas senti mesmo que a escritora estava meramente a 'encher chouriços'. Quanto ao desenlace, posso dizer que não me surpreendeu: praticamente desde o início que suspeitava do assassino (era um dos meus 2 suspeitos). Contudo, admito que o que mais me desiludiu foram os motivos: esperava algo muito mais sórdido e elaborado, e penso que uma personagem forte como Mathilda o teria merecido...
—Lénia
The Scold’s Bridle, by Minette Walters,a-minus, Narrated by Sharon Williams, Produced by Brilliance Audio, downloaded from audible.com.“Scolds” is a rude woman, middle English. “Scolds Bridle”An instrument of punishment used on “scolds” consisting of a metal frame to enclose the head having a sharp metal gag or bit entering the mouth and restraining the tongue.” In this book, the murder victim owned, as part of her inheritance a Scolds Bridle which had been in her family for generations, and which parents did use on their children. In this case, the police were called to the scene to find Matilda dead in her bathtub, her wrists slashed and blood everywhere, and with the Scolds Bridle on her head adorned with some flowers reminiscent of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.” This is a compelling book more like her usual books bathed in mystery. Very good.
—Kathleen Hagen
