The Collector (Contemporary classics) |
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Author:
John Fowles
By Vintage
Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780099743712
ISBN: 009974371X
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: 1998-01-01
Publisher: Vintage
Studio: Vintage |
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The Collector, 2008-08-07
What a stunning book! I'd heard about 15 minutes of it on the radio so I bought it.....devoured it in a couple of days and then my daughter (aged 14) wanted to read it too......we both still think of it as one of our favourite books. It's so......sinister.....fascinating.....unnerving.....brilliant.
 Almost Perfect, 2008-03-19
This book is so well-written, especially given that the author writes the thoughts of both a male and a female; very tricky to do, and few can pull it off this well. The use of free direct thought and indirect speech is very clever; it strongly alters the way you think and the way you view the characters, to make the whole process of reading the story very...emotionally difficult, almost.
The ending is perfect in that we are still asking questions and wanting a little bit more...and those questions are what keep you thinking about the book long after you've finished reading it. A book which leaves no open endings is one that you will accept, forget, and move on from. The Collector is certainly not one of those.
The reason is gets 4 stars and not 5 is because I gave The Time Traveler's Wife 5 stars and although startlingly good, this book doesn't meet up to my TTW standards. (But then, NO book does. If I could give TTW 6 stars then The Collector would get 5). Overall: a brilliant buy. Recommended to everyone.
Don't collect this, 2008-08-12
Not as appalling as the low rating suggests. This is a competent enough book despite its flaws. That it is considered to be so good probably tells us more about the times in which it was written than any long-distance power. Perhaps it seemed more radical then to include a protagonist who was both vaguely 'normal' and an exploitative bastard seriously low on empathy. But the symmetry between kidnapper and butterfly collector does not bear out its superficial promise. The dual narrative fails to convince and makes the whole work a little over-long. The style itself is pedestrian, which makes this quick to read but ultimately forgettable.
A good book but..., 2008-10-01
We got this book to read in our english lesson (we are top set) and the first bit was ok, it was well written, sad but beuatiful but maybe a bit too long in places. The second bit is from her point of view and in diary form, and although i have not finished it I am finding it really boring, it was a good idea but she is writing way too much, i am finding it hard to keep going with it. So, personally it is not my sort of book, i prefer a good fantasy/action/adventure but for other people it may be a book of their dreams, certinally some my friends really liked it. (the ones who finished it)
My all time best read, 2008-09-27
It is my own stupidity that i didnt read this book for so long simply b/c is was written decades ago. Judged it by its cover so-to-speak.
Awesome. Emotionally sucks you in, and doesnt let go until the end which not only is a twist and a shocker, it leaves you stunned. I thought about this book for days after i had read it. It contains no swearing, no sex (although there are sexual themes in it), no real violence, but is one of the creepiest books ive ever read. Magestic writing all the way through, and i was in a constant struggle much like Miranda (central character) whether to hate or pity the main character.
You must read this books, it is a classic and i loved it from start to finish.
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