The St. Zita Society: A Novel Audiobook

" For the first few chapters of the book I kept checking the jacket to make sure this was a mystery because it read like a kind of "Upstairs, Downstairs" type book. Once the actual crime was committed it was interesting for a bit and then started wandering off again. There were way too many characters for the story, none of them were really developed enough and some could have been done away with completely to make the plot easier to follow. The plot did not flow well, there were all these side things happening that distracted from the main focus of the story (the crime). It was a jumbled mess, I thought. "

" I have been reading this author for over 20 years. Mostly out of habit lately. I used to think she had this incredible way of weaving a story with characters that were so interesting. But lately she's been throwing in a little political rhetoric in her books (she is a liberal member of parliament) and it's predictable and boring. She seems very contemptuous of white, conservative British citizens, portraying them as either snobbish or incredibly stupid. Her characters that are of an ethnic variety (Muslim, Pakistani, etc.) are always kinder, have higher moral standards and are just basically smarter than your average white British citizen. I just find it hard to believe that EVERYONE in Britain is a raving idiot unless you've immigrated from another culture. "

" it took forever for me to get the characters straight but finally, it was an unorthodox mystery wrapped in tight prose. Most satisfying. "

" This is less of a who-done-it and more of a Peyton Place, let's get to know everyone on the block kind of story--I like the later, but not so much in this case--Rendell is a good quthor, so the story is well told, but not much of a murder mystery. "

" Ruth Rendell is wicked and sly. I love it!! "

" Boring. Stopped after 50 pages "

" The first book, and I have read every one, by Ruth Rendall I didn't like... didn't finish it. "

" Too many characters without any real significance to the very obvious plot. A disappointment. "

" Certainly Not my favorite. No suspense, virtually no movement. Yawn. "

" Reliably engaging read with suitable twists and mix of characters. Just as I expect and enjoy. "

" OK. But not all that interesting. Just time consuming. "

" This book is sort of like Downtown Abbey with each character having their own story, most of which are tragic. "

" Love Ruth Rendell so very much. "

" I often have four- or five-star reviews for Rendell's novels, but this one had a big glaring hole in its resolution that put me off. I won't spoil it for anyone who reads this, though. And, despite that one big plot hole, I still would recommend it. Rendell remains a master. "

" What was this book? Really, it just seemed to be about servants in England with absolutely no story! I returned it to the library without finishing it. "

" This was a disappointment, though I can't say any Ruth Rendell book is a waste of time. I just didn't quite know what the point was. None of the characters were particularly well fleshed out or interesting. "

" A very typical Ruth Rendell. An outsider who doesn't understand people. A small community of characters whose lives intersect, and who are often not very nice. Human nature. Motivations. Misunderstandings, chance and plans that work, and don't. "

" I was really quite surprised to read the negative reviews on this book. I've not read a lot of her works but this book has been my favorite so far. "

" Not her best, but certainly a good mystery! "

" St. Zita is patron saint of servants, so this revolves around the workers in a block of houses in London. Interestingly told by Rendell, whom I have read much from before. "

" While I love Rendell's writing, this peek into the criss-cross of lives, Upstairs-Downstairs-style, ends too abruptly with far too many loose ends for my taste. I understand that may be the writer's metaphor for "Life goes on," but it's unsatisfying here. "

" Subtle little murder story. Really centered on the intersections of lives on one street and chance. Felt like it was moving slowly, but also seemed fairly well written. "

" Definitely not one of her best, . There were plenty of subplots, but no satisfying ending. "

" Aaaarggghh! The ending!! but I won't spoil it for you ;-) I love Rendell. "

" Good book, but the ending was lacking. "

" Not one of her best. I've thought for a while that she should pack it in, but she doesn't. If she keeps writing, I guess I'll keep reading. "

" Brilliant. You get what you deserve. Great characters. "

" Liked it; Ruth Rendell has a cast of characters that you slowly begin to know and the story is interwoven. Great detail and quirky twists. "

" This book was such fun to read. It's filled with great characters (perhaps a few too many), and a real morality play. Not so much a who-dunnit as a "what will happen next". "