A chilling story from a master of the crime/suspense genre. A monstrously obese woman is in prison having confessed and pled guilty to the murder and brutal dismembering of her mother and younger sister some years previously. A writer, who is dealing with emotional damages of her own, is assigned by her publisher to write a book about the affair. She uncovers several discrepancies between the confession and the facts in the case which lead her to dig ever deeper until she finally reveals the truth and sets a great miscarriage of justice right. Or, is that what happens? With Ms. Walters we are never sure. This is the fourth story of hers I have recently read and I can now say she is incredibly gifted at doling out the relevant information in such a way that one is always caught by surprise by the ending. Maybe not in total, but the fine details are kept close to the vest right up until the last paragraph. In this particular case, we are left with the uneasy feeling that maybe the truth is still hidden, or has been twisted to suit. We are not sure whether another travesty has not been set in motion. Ms Walters' sleuths are rarely the professionals that populate other crime novels. There are usually policemen involved, but not as the prime movers. She always seems to use a regular Joe or Jane with multiple layers of damage and mistrust, and rampant insecurities to ferret out the truth. This tale is no different. Part of the joy of reading Ms Walters is becoming acquainted with her protagonist. They are always presented with their warts and blemishes in full view and we are all the more ready to accept them as fellow seekers of truth because they are so 3-dimensional. I have a couple more of her books on my shelf. I shall soon have to begin looking for more! Long may she write!
Minette Walters, The Sculptress (St. Martin's, 1993)[originally posted 19Sep2000]Back when I was reading The Breaker, I noticed that a lot of reviews of it compared it quite unfavorably to Walters' other novels. I still consider those reviews somewhat wrongheaded, but now I realize it's not because people didn't realize The Breaker was any good; it's because people were seeing the same kinds of plot devices as Walters has used int he past, but Walters is now getting too subtle for the average mystery reader.The Sculptress relies on exactly the same pacing and plot twists as does The Breaker, but the manipulations are more out in the open. Walters introduces her characters early on, throws in a number of suspects, an irrelevant but intriguing subplot, and a few clues, and then allows the reader to form a conclusion which, while seeming rational (and allowing the reader to think "man, am I smart for figuring this out in the first sixty pages!"), turns out to be utterly absurd, and as the book comes to a close the plot twists come fast and furious. Not that they weren't always there, we were just lulled into a false sense of security.While I consider The Breaker a superior novel, this isn't to say that Walters' more visible manipulations in The Sculptress makes the latter a bad novel. Far from it, in fact. Walters has the blackest of wits, a deft hand with the management of suspects and clues, and the ability to come up with the most devilish alternate (but obvious) explanations for the behavior of her characters. Walters is already considered a national treasure in the British Isles; here's to hoping we Americans catch up soon. *** ½
What do You think about The Sculptress (1995)?
There are some authors who have embraced their dark sides. In fact they've embraced humanity's shadow, looked it in the eye and dissected it.Olive Martin is a grotesquely obese woman who has been imprisoned for murdering, and dismembering the bodies of, her mother and sister. Rosalind Leigh is a best-selling author who has been asked to write Olive's story. Rosalind is dealing with her own problems, but she realises that there are discrepancies between the facts of the murders and Olive's confession.Minette Walters is a twisted Barbara Vine, and if that doesn't scare you, nothing will.
—Amanda Patterson
Di libri (e di film) con questa trama ormai abbiamo fatto indigestione! Un (o una) giornalista ( o scrittore o investigatore) nel parlatorio con di fronte una persona (condannato a morte, all’ergastolo o a tot anni) accusata di un delitto efferato: dapprima c’è incomprensione poi si instaura un rapporto umano: il detenuto è molto intelligente (molto umano, molto timido) e il suo interlocutore deve passare fra alti e bassi per comunicare con lui: inevitabilmente c’è un momento in cui il rapporto
—Ubik 2.0
The Sculptress, by Minette Walters, a-minus, Narrated by Sandra Burr, Produced by Brilliance Audio, downloaded from audible.com.This is a book that has been in my library for a long time that I just now read. It’s a wonderful book-in some ways not as dark as many of Walters’ books. Publisher’s note says it as well as I could.Everyone knows Olive Martin, the huge and menacing woman who was found five years ago with the carved-up bodies of her mother and younger sister. Everyoneknows how she pleaded guilty to murder at her trial. And everyone knows not to anger the Sculptress even now that she is safely locked in prison for aminimum of 25 years.When Rosalind Leigh accepts a commission to write a book about Olive, she finds herself wondering what lies behind all of these factsthat everyone knows. When Roz first visits her in prison, she finds that Olive is not quite what she expected. And if - as Roz is repeatedly warned - Olivelies about almost everything, then why did she confess so readily to two hideous murders? The deeper she is drawn into the shadowy world of the Sculptress,the more firmly she is convinced that Olive is hiding something - perhaps even her innocence. But whom could Olive be protecting - and why?
—Kathleen Hagen
