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The Sculptress: A Novel
Winner of the Edgar Award and the Macavity Award for Best Novel
In prison they call her the a grotesquely obese young woman convicted of cutting her mother and sister to pieces and rearranging their bodies on the floor like a jigsaw puzzle. She pleaded guilty to the crime, but no one has noticed that the facts don't add up until Rosalind Leigh comes to visit the prisoner, hoping to get a book deal out of her story. The more fevered Rosalind's pursuit of the truth, the closer she gets to the true source of the evil ascribed to the Sculptress in her cell.
In prison they call her the a grotesquely obese young woman convicted of cutting her mother and sister to pieces and rearranging their bodies on the floor like a jigsaw puzzle. She pleaded guilty to the crime, but no one has noticed that the facts don't add up until Rosalind Leigh comes to visit the prisoner, hoping to get a book deal out of her story. The more fevered Rosalind's pursuit of the truth, the closer she gets to the true source of the evil ascribed to the Sculptress in her cell.
303 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
116 people are currently reading
4546 people want to read
About the author
Minette Walters
94 books1,439 followersMinette Walters (born 26 September 1949) is a British mystery writer. After studying at Trevelyan College, University of Durham, she began writing in 1987 with The Ice House, which was published in 1992. She followed this with The Sculptress (1993), which received the 1994 Edgar Award for Best Novel. She has been published in 35 countries and won many awards.
The Sculptress has been adapted for television in a BBC series starring Pauline Quirke. Her novels The Ice House, The Echo, The Dark Room, and The Scold's Bridle have also been adapted by the BBC.
The Sculptress has been adapted for television in a BBC series starring Pauline Quirke. Her novels The Ice House, The Echo, The Dark Room, and The Scold's Bridle have also been adapted by the BBC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 485 reviews
November 13, 2019
"The Sculptress" by author, Minette Walters has been around for a long time (first published 1993) but time has not aged the story one bit. Roz Leigh is a complex character, an author herself with some past success and is asked by her publisher to write a book about Olive Martin, presently incarcerated for a double murder. Olive’s nickname in the prison is The Sculptress because she fashions strange figurines which symbolise the day she hacked her mother and sister to pieces and reassembled them like a bizarre jig-saw puzzle. Reluctantly, Roz goes to the prison to interview Olive, who she finds sullen, menacing and grotesquely obese. From there she begins to interview witnesses and it soon becomes clear that something isn’t quite right. She finds flaws in the prosecution’s evidence. She strikes up a relationship with the police officer who worked on the case many years earlier. He reminds her that Olive pleaded guilty, so she may be wasting her time trying to prove otherwise. Roz is nonetheless undeterred and continues her search for the truth.
Minette Walters is a highly successful British author and for "The Sculptress" she was awarded the 1994 Edgar Award for best novel of the year. And rightly so. The story is engaging, intriguing and you just need to know where it is headed. Unusual for this type of novel you know at the outset that the murderer pleaded guilty and has been incarcerated for years so you have to wonder how the main character, Roz, who, after all is only a burnt out writer with her own demons to deal with, is going to prove otherwise. It is very easy for a whodunit type of story to get bogged down with boring, mundane facts and interviews that police officers have to deal with when they are gathering evidence. But in this story Walters has you turning pages just to see where she is going with it. It is interesting to look back at 1993 and see characters who aren’t besotted with their smart phones and other current day gadgets or social media. Roz just uses her old fashioned gut instincts to get at the truth. Don’t be put off by the age of this book. It’s a ripping yarn.
Minette Walters is a highly successful British author and for "The Sculptress" she was awarded the 1994 Edgar Award for best novel of the year. And rightly so. The story is engaging, intriguing and you just need to know where it is headed. Unusual for this type of novel you know at the outset that the murderer pleaded guilty and has been incarcerated for years so you have to wonder how the main character, Roz, who, after all is only a burnt out writer with her own demons to deal with, is going to prove otherwise. It is very easy for a whodunit type of story to get bogged down with boring, mundane facts and interviews that police officers have to deal with when they are gathering evidence. But in this story Walters has you turning pages just to see where she is going with it. It is interesting to look back at 1993 and see characters who aren’t besotted with their smart phones and other current day gadgets or social media. Roz just uses her old fashioned gut instincts to get at the truth. Don’t be put off by the age of this book. It’s a ripping yarn.
December 28, 2025
You're a writer, and your publisher gives you a book subject to write about—a horrific murder, a repugnant "culprit," a cold and distant lawyer. You don't want to write this book. You don't. To be on the safe side and to support your choice, a few pieces of information gleaned here and there reveal that everything has a visible and a hidden side. Lifting the veil, little by little, in bits and pieces, Minette Walters leads us into a troubling and profound investigation that seeks the truth deep within the soul. It is an excellent novel, which I recommend.
June 20, 2012
I don't care what anyone thinks, I LOVE this author's work! Disturbing, yup. Gory, yup. Dark, dark, dark! Does this mean I'm mentally sick, probably, but I don't mind because this woman knows her ____! Could not put this book down! Thought about it for days afterwards! That my friend are the signs of a great book.
June 13, 2017
This is an okay book if you can ignore it's occasional far-fetchedness! Convoluted, improbable plot. Unlikely characters doing unlikely things in unlikely circumstances.
Rosalind Leigh is commissioned to write a book about Olive Martin, an obese woman known as The Sculptress, after hacking up her mother and sister with an ax and rearranging the pieces. Now she carves little wax figurines in her prison cell, including one of Rosalind after their first interview. Olive convinces Rosalind that she did not commit the crime, in spite of her own confession and a mountain of evidence.
Initially, I was quite interested in Olive and her mindset, the reasons as to why she may or may not have committed the atrocity, and the influences on her. However, beyond that, the heroine (Rosalind) was an embarrassment and her love interest was simply ridiculous. Too many conveniences thinly disguised as apparent twists and turns. Towards the end, when the tension should be building, it becomes confusing and the story oddly boring. I didn't find the ending as dissatisfying as others did. It's a pretty clear whodunit...the question is whether they'll get away with it.
I realize this book won the Edgar Award, but if it's the best Minette Walters has to offer, then I think I'll pass on the rest.
Rosalind Leigh is commissioned to write a book about Olive Martin, an obese woman known as The Sculptress, after hacking up her mother and sister with an ax and rearranging the pieces. Now she carves little wax figurines in her prison cell, including one of Rosalind after their first interview. Olive convinces Rosalind that she did not commit the crime, in spite of her own confession and a mountain of evidence.
Initially, I was quite interested in Olive and her mindset, the reasons as to why she may or may not have committed the atrocity, and the influences on her. However, beyond that, the heroine (Rosalind) was an embarrassment and her love interest was simply ridiculous. Too many conveniences thinly disguised as apparent twists and turns. Towards the end, when the tension should be building, it becomes confusing and the story oddly boring. I didn't find the ending as dissatisfying as others did. It's a pretty clear whodunit...the question is whether they'll get away with it.
I realize this book won the Edgar Award, but if it's the best Minette Walters has to offer, then I think I'll pass on the rest.
Want to read
January 20, 2019This hardcover edition is signed by Minette Walters.
June 8, 2021
A friend recommended this book, and I was not disappointed. This was my first Walter’s book, but won’t be my last. Interesting and complex characters, driving plot and just a very enjoyable read.
January 9, 2009
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!
November 30, 2016
Crackling-good mystery, one of the best I've ever read! In early 1990's England author Roz Leigh investigates the gruesome murders of a mother and daughter six years before. All the journalists' "W's" have been answered except WHY the murders were committed. So at the behest of her boss, Roz sets out to find motivation. She plans to write a book on this case. Why did the murderess, Olive Martin, confess so quickly? Roz finds inconsistencies and niggling questions. She sets out to prove the girl's innocence and that Olive has been wrongly imprisoned, with the aid of a retired policeman turned restauranteur. I liked the psychological aspect, revealed gradually through Roz's interviews for her book. "The Sculptress" is a nickname for Olive in prison because of Olive's habit of molding clay figures--possibly for voodoo?
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
November 25, 2022
It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on body image, eating practices, & others.
Firstly, if you are someone who is sensitive about body image (in theory or personally) I encourage you to stray from this book. Walters spends a great deal of time describing Olive, the declared antagonist & Sculptress. Olive is a tall woman but also a woman who carries a lot of fat on her body & we review that fact on every possible occasion.
This might seem to some as a simple tactic to allow the reader to understand how imposing Olive's presence was & therefore lead one to understand how everyone was led to be so terrified of her (crime aside). However, by the third instance of Walters describing how fat Olive was I didn't get why we spent so much time on these facts & rather (what seemed to me) little time on Olive's personality, her tendencies, her actual crime, etc.
We hear about how round her face is, how she struggles to walk, how she's out of breath etc. & truthfully, we didn't need so many instances of physical description; we get it she's a large person. But what really highlights the number of times we are led to read about Olive's physical features is the lack of times we received physical descriptions for any other character.
Roz is described as a 'Venus' because she's so very thin & has a beautiful face. Hal is a brute of a man because he has a hairy chest, a muscular body & scars from physical assaults. These descriptions are given once, maybe twice, in comparison to the constant referral to Olive's round/fat face every time she's in a scene. It was annoying & left me feeling as though Walters ran out of ways to introduce the person who was in prison for a brutal murder.
That aside, I did appreciate the gist of the plot. A young adult (Olive) confesses to murdering her mother & sister in a most gruesome way & an author (Roz), who has seemingly given up on herself & her life, is forced to interview Olive for a book relating to the crimes. I wasn't a huge fan of the sub-plot; the ex-cop (Hal) faces brute force opposing the success of his restaurant. But, it did tie into the whole story in a decent, though somewhat unbelievable, way.
In any case, I did enjoy this story. I do appreciate Walters' writing & thought process behind the plot. Though I do wish we had more opposition to the clean-cut ending. It seems to me that if there was such real opposition to what Roz had been driving at, her shouting from the rooftops wouldn't have gone over so smoothly.
Regardless, I read this book in a day & though it's about 440 pages, it's a quick read which doesn't require a great deal of thought processing on the part of the reader.
Firstly, if you are someone who is sensitive about body image (in theory or personally) I encourage you to stray from this book. Walters spends a great deal of time describing Olive, the declared antagonist & Sculptress. Olive is a tall woman but also a woman who carries a lot of fat on her body & we review that fact on every possible occasion.
This might seem to some as a simple tactic to allow the reader to understand how imposing Olive's presence was & therefore lead one to understand how everyone was led to be so terrified of her (crime aside). However, by the third instance of Walters describing how fat Olive was I didn't get why we spent so much time on these facts & rather (what seemed to me) little time on Olive's personality, her tendencies, her actual crime, etc.
We hear about how round her face is, how she struggles to walk, how she's out of breath etc. & truthfully, we didn't need so many instances of physical description; we get it she's a large person. But what really highlights the number of times we are led to read about Olive's physical features is the lack of times we received physical descriptions for any other character.
Roz is described as a 'Venus' because she's so very thin & has a beautiful face. Hal is a brute of a man because he has a hairy chest, a muscular body & scars from physical assaults. These descriptions are given once, maybe twice, in comparison to the constant referral to Olive's round/fat face every time she's in a scene. It was annoying & left me feeling as though Walters ran out of ways to introduce the person who was in prison for a brutal murder.
That aside, I did appreciate the gist of the plot. A young adult (Olive) confesses to murdering her mother & sister in a most gruesome way & an author (Roz), who has seemingly given up on herself & her life, is forced to interview Olive for a book relating to the crimes. I wasn't a huge fan of the sub-plot; the ex-cop (Hal) faces brute force opposing the success of his restaurant. But, it did tie into the whole story in a decent, though somewhat unbelievable, way.
In any case, I did enjoy this story. I do appreciate Walters' writing & thought process behind the plot. Though I do wish we had more opposition to the clean-cut ending. It seems to me that if there was such real opposition to what Roz had been driving at, her shouting from the rooftops wouldn't have gone over so smoothly.
Regardless, I read this book in a day & though it's about 440 pages, it's a quick read which doesn't require a great deal of thought processing on the part of the reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2012
I picked this up having a vague memory of really enjoying the drama that was screened a fair few years ago and wanting to read something a bit dark without scaring the poo out of myself.
I started off really enjoying it, it was the right side of acceptable trash and kept my attention ticking along.
Then Ros met the policeman and it all got rather annoying rather quickly. Olive, The Sculptress of the title almost vanished from the book as we were dragged along by rather tedius, predictable and utterly unnecessary sub plots.
I would have enjoyed the book alot more if it had focussed entirely on The Sculptress and Ros instead of shifting focus to a banal "failing resturant" storyline and an eye rollingly dull love story.
Rather than feeling like Ros had been submerged by the mind of a psychopath and was tackling the personal psychological trauma this would inevitably bring, it was more like watching someone skip about on a Famous Five adventure, bungling burglars and all, ending up with the dream man, dream house and dream book deal at the end of it.
A good read, but it's just left me wanting to read Silence of The Lambs again.
I started off really enjoying it, it was the right side of acceptable trash and kept my attention ticking along.
Then Ros met the policeman and it all got rather annoying rather quickly. Olive, The Sculptress of the title almost vanished from the book as we were dragged along by rather tedius, predictable and utterly unnecessary sub plots.
I would have enjoyed the book alot more if it had focussed entirely on The Sculptress and Ros instead of shifting focus to a banal "failing resturant" storyline and an eye rollingly dull love story.
Rather than feeling like Ros had been submerged by the mind of a psychopath and was tackling the personal psychological trauma this would inevitably bring, it was more like watching someone skip about on a Famous Five adventure, bungling burglars and all, ending up with the dream man, dream house and dream book deal at the end of it.
A good read, but it's just left me wanting to read Silence of The Lambs again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2016
Chilling.
If this book doesn't frighten you, then you don't know that many monsters who just happens to be humans.
December 1, 2020
Fatphobia. Homophobia. Ableism. Mental illness stigma. This book has it all! At times it judges characters who are perpetuating these things, but mostly the book promotes them nicely itself. I was giving it the benefit of the doubt, at least a little, until I got near the end {spoiler} and it turns out the fat lady (the book goes on and on about how fat) confessed to something she didn't do because of her "insatiable craving for food." They promised her dinner and she agreed to go to jail for 25 years for brutal murder. That's how much fat people want food at all times. Obviously.
Did this book come out in 'a different time'? Sure. I'm comfortable with consigning it to the dustbin of history, never to be heard from again. (And it was 1993, not the 50s or anything.)
Did this book come out in 'a different time'? Sure. I'm comfortable with consigning it to the dustbin of history, never to be heard from again. (And it was 1993, not the 50s or anything.)
October 31, 2020
Ponavljanje gradiva... Opet odlična Minette Walters. Mislim čak da joj je ovo najpoznatija knjiga... Ima i serija.
January 21, 2021
When I saw this book in one of those public book shelves in Utrecht station, I just had the sudden need to pick it up. Just by reading the back cover I wanted to read it. Don’t regret it.
I don’t know who this author was, had no idea how her writing is either. Somehow I liked what I read. It’s such as easy read with no exceptional language or decorations but the book is really gripping. Interesting storyline and character development. Some places felt like rushed on but I like the little twists.
A female journalists digging into a convicted murderess felt a bit too feminist but I didn’t really care. It was gruesome enough to hold my attention. I would say, there are lot of chick lit qualities but I wouldn’t be in a hurry to put it into that lot. Must say the book has some interestingly eccentric characters. Olive, a morbidly obese woman who’s out behind bars solely for the reason of lack of evidence, Roz, a pain in the ass journalist who was pushed to work on Olive who ends up trying to prove her innocence and Hal, a retired insufferable policemen and all other minor and major characters were equally interesting.
I think the end is a bit rushed but I would say if it wasn’t the whole thing would’ve been a drag and killed the enjoyment. I don’t know whether I’d read any more books of hers, well I might, given they have the same dark, morbid and bloody bits in them.
Book #05 of 2021...
Around The Year in 52 Books -"A book with a female villain or criminal "
I don’t know who this author was, had no idea how her writing is either. Somehow I liked what I read. It’s such as easy read with no exceptional language or decorations but the book is really gripping. Interesting storyline and character development. Some places felt like rushed on but I like the little twists.
A female journalists digging into a convicted murderess felt a bit too feminist but I didn’t really care. It was gruesome enough to hold my attention. I would say, there are lot of chick lit qualities but I wouldn’t be in a hurry to put it into that lot. Must say the book has some interestingly eccentric characters. Olive, a morbidly obese woman who’s out behind bars solely for the reason of lack of evidence, Roz, a pain in the ass journalist who was pushed to work on Olive who ends up trying to prove her innocence and Hal, a retired insufferable policemen and all other minor and major characters were equally interesting.
I think the end is a bit rushed but I would say if it wasn’t the whole thing would’ve been a drag and killed the enjoyment. I don’t know whether I’d read any more books of hers, well I might, given they have the same dark, morbid and bloody bits in them.
Book #05 of 2021...
Around The Year in 52 Books -"A book with a female villain or criminal "
August 28, 2016
Minette Walters' second novel. This author is a natural storyteller and hardly puts a single foot wrong in her complex, psychological plotting. Her characterisation has tightened up considerably with this second book. A riveting read; I romped through it in an afternoon, unfortunately. Yet another case of wishing I could learn, somehow, how to read more slowly.
June 27, 2024
Occasionally I throw into my reading mix a mystery that won the Edgar Award for Best Novel or Best First Novel. They never disappoint.
Minette Walters’ “The Sculptress”, which I found at the Constant Reader used bookstore while passing through Cheyenne, WY, was no exception.
This novel has a gripping story; a haunted and mostly sympathetic protagonist/“detective” (blocked author Roz who unwillingly begins researching a true crime story after getting deadline threats from her agent/friend, Iris;); and a unique, unprepossessing, angry, lying, psychologically complex jailed murderess (Olive), whom Roz and the reader quickly suspect may have been wrongly accused, even though she confessed to the butchering of her mother and sister.
Roz’s investigations introduce her to a cast of colorful, memorable characters and draw her into the dark world of Olive’s family and circle of acquaintances.
Along the way a potential romance develops, adding an interesting and enjoyable subplot, though at times it felt a little corny, but, hey, even real-life love is sometimes wonderfully corny.
Some of the final pages felt a bit summarized with “here’s what happens to the characters in the future” info, but that aside it was well-written, suspenseful, and twisty-turny! Kept me intrigued and guessing all the way through.
Minette Walters’ “The Sculptress”, which I found at the Constant Reader used bookstore while passing through Cheyenne, WY, was no exception.
This novel has a gripping story; a haunted and mostly sympathetic protagonist/“detective” (blocked author Roz who unwillingly begins researching a true crime story after getting deadline threats from her agent/friend, Iris;); and a unique, unprepossessing, angry, lying, psychologically complex jailed murderess (Olive), whom Roz and the reader quickly suspect may have been wrongly accused, even though she confessed to the butchering of her mother and sister.
Roz’s investigations introduce her to a cast of colorful, memorable characters and draw her into the dark world of Olive’s family and circle of acquaintances.
Along the way a potential romance develops, adding an interesting and enjoyable subplot, though at times it felt a little corny, but, hey, even real-life love is sometimes wonderfully corny.
Some of the final pages felt a bit summarized with “here’s what happens to the characters in the future” info, but that aside it was well-written, suspenseful, and twisty-turny! Kept me intrigued and guessing all the way through.
April 25, 2020
Minette Walters has long been one of my favorite mystery writers. Over the past few years, I've enjoyed six of her novels. The Sculptress was her second novel, published originally in 1993. It took me a little while to get into the story but once I did, it moved along very nicely.
Rosalind (Roz) Leigh is an author looking for her next novel. Her agent suggests that she interview Olive Martin, currently in prison for the murders of her mother and sister six years previously. Reluctantly, Roz interviews Olive and others involved in the original case. One of the interviewees is ex-Police Sgt Hal Hawksley, now owner of a restaurant, which seems to have no customers. Hawksley, like many of the characters in this story, has his own issues and he and Roz develop a fractious relationship.
The story jumps around quite a bit but grabs your attention. There are many premises; is Olive actually guilty? Was she set up by the police? Did someone else commit the murders? What the heck is going at Hawksley's restaurant?
It's all interesting and confusing. But gradually things begin to come together; we learn more about Roz and her issues, more about Olive (she is something of an enigma), about Hal's issues. There is surprisingly a fair bit of action in this story and many interesting characters. Everything was resolved to my satisfaction, even to the point of leaving things somewhat unsettling. All in all, Walters never disappoints, excellent story. (4 stars)
Rosalind (Roz) Leigh is an author looking for her next novel. Her agent suggests that she interview Olive Martin, currently in prison for the murders of her mother and sister six years previously. Reluctantly, Roz interviews Olive and others involved in the original case. One of the interviewees is ex-Police Sgt Hal Hawksley, now owner of a restaurant, which seems to have no customers. Hawksley, like many of the characters in this story, has his own issues and he and Roz develop a fractious relationship.
The story jumps around quite a bit but grabs your attention. There are many premises; is Olive actually guilty? Was she set up by the police? Did someone else commit the murders? What the heck is going at Hawksley's restaurant?
It's all interesting and confusing. But gradually things begin to come together; we learn more about Roz and her issues, more about Olive (she is something of an enigma), about Hal's issues. There is surprisingly a fair bit of action in this story and many interesting characters. Everything was resolved to my satisfaction, even to the point of leaving things somewhat unsettling. All in all, Walters never disappoints, excellent story. (4 stars)
May 5, 2020
What a brilliant story. A genuine page turner as nff dc psychological thriller.
Olive Martin is an obese woman sentenced for 25 years in prison for the gruesome murder of her sister Amber and mother Gwen. She chopped them up with an axe in the kitchen. She confessed to the crime and the only odd thing is five psychiatrists found her sane.
Rosalind Leigh a burnout author with her own demons. A failed marriage and the loss of her daughter is given an ultimatum to write a book about the murders and interviews Olive in prison. Where she is known as the sculptress for her human clay figures.
Rosie finds inconsistencies with Olives confession and begins to build a story from witnesses that makes her think Olive is innocent. If so, why confess the murders?
Roz teams up with the ex detective and arresting officer of Olive who now runs The Plough a failing restaurant. There is a sub plot of someone trying to get Hal to sell his restaurant by violence. Roz and Hal also get romantically involved.
Roz In her investigation comes up against Peter Cree the solicitor who defended Roz and now manages her dead fathers estate worth 500 000. The Clarke’s who lived next door. Mr Clarke looks after his wife who is senile and mad. She also meets a dysfunctional family who reveal more clues.
What I like about the book is the twists and turns plus the ending. It’s a bit like My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maunier and you are left thinking and wondering is Olive good or evil. Now planning to watch the tv series.
Olive Martin is an obese woman sentenced for 25 years in prison for the gruesome murder of her sister Amber and mother Gwen. She chopped them up with an axe in the kitchen. She confessed to the crime and the only odd thing is five psychiatrists found her sane.
Rosalind Leigh a burnout author with her own demons. A failed marriage and the loss of her daughter is given an ultimatum to write a book about the murders and interviews Olive in prison. Where she is known as the sculptress for her human clay figures.
Rosie finds inconsistencies with Olives confession and begins to build a story from witnesses that makes her think Olive is innocent. If so, why confess the murders?
Roz teams up with the ex detective and arresting officer of Olive who now runs The Plough a failing restaurant. There is a sub plot of someone trying to get Hal to sell his restaurant by violence. Roz and Hal also get romantically involved.
Roz In her investigation comes up against Peter Cree the solicitor who defended Roz and now manages her dead fathers estate worth 500 000. The Clarke’s who lived next door. Mr Clarke looks after his wife who is senile and mad. She also meets a dysfunctional family who reveal more clues.
What I like about the book is the twists and turns plus the ending. It’s a bit like My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maunier and you are left thinking and wondering is Olive good or evil. Now planning to watch the tv series.
May 20, 2015
GOLDEN OLDIE
THE SCULPTRESS
Minette Walters
A very dear friend wanted to share one of her favorite books with me and I couldn't be more pleased to be sharing it with you! A journalist has been assigned to write a book about the woman named the Sculptress. She was found with her mother and sister dead in her arms and pled guilty to the murders. There's a lot more to the story and I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Thank you Alice!! You're the best!!
THE SCULPTRESS
Minette Walters
A very dear friend wanted to share one of her favorite books with me and I couldn't be more pleased to be sharing it with you! A journalist has been assigned to write a book about the woman named the Sculptress. She was found with her mother and sister dead in her arms and pled guilty to the murders. There's a lot more to the story and I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Thank you Alice!! You're the best!!
October 14, 2017
Una novela en la que no todo es lo que parece o sí?
Olive ha confesado un crimen horrible: ha matado a su madre y a su hermana. una familia modélica, una hermana hermosa y caritativa, ella mentirosa y horrible.
Y entra en escena Roz: con una vida personal turbulenta y en la que para seguir trabajando se le exige escribir un libro sobre la matanza cometida por Olive.
Un misterio que se adentra en la psicología tenebrosa de Olive y que las apariencias son solo apariencias.
trepidante, un libro de 4,5 estrellas.
Olive ha confesado un crimen horrible: ha matado a su madre y a su hermana. una familia modélica, una hermana hermosa y caritativa, ella mentirosa y horrible.
Y entra en escena Roz: con una vida personal turbulenta y en la que para seguir trabajando se le exige escribir un libro sobre la matanza cometida por Olive.
Un misterio que se adentra en la psicología tenebrosa de Olive y que las apariencias son solo apariencias.
trepidante, un libro de 4,5 estrellas.
December 31, 2012
Five psychiatrists have pronounced Olive Martin in full possession of her sanity. She is not a psychopath, despite dismembering her mother and sister like parting a chicken for Sunday dinner. Although the police ensured Olive's solicitor was present when she gave her confession, both society and justice were quick to accept Olive's guilty plea. It turns out that no one looks too closely or thinks to hard about a morbidly obese, hideously ugly woman who has professed her own guilt - not even when there are inconsistencies between the confession and the forensics of the scene that should have raised a reasonable doubt.
That's where the novel's protagonist, Rosalind Leigh, comes into the story. Roz has suffered the loss of her daughter, the disintegration of her marriage, and is about to lose her contract as an author if she doesn't write a book about Olive Martin. The Sculptress, by Minette Walters, follows Roz's investigation, a bit of amateur detecting that leaves many a closet bereft of its skeletons. There are enough surprising twists and lurid details to keep the plot engaging. The truth remains veiled, even after the end of the novel, but that is not a flaw so much as a bold statement about the nature of reality as it is experienced by the Walters's characters. Violence, betrayal, death, and greed pull the strings of reality, and often the characters trying to do what is right end up just as twisted up in the tangled webs as those who intentionally did wrong.
The Sculptress is a detective story, but the heart of the book is romance. Not beautiful boy meets beautiful girl romance, but the more realistic heart-breaking, face-bruising, life-ending romances entered into by damaged characters. Walters gives Roz and her new beau a break in the end, letting them have a view of the ocean as they make love, but given the darkness pervading all relationships in the novel, it is questionable that this love, like the others, is any more lasting or less corrosive than the salty spray coming in off of the ocean.
The Sculptress is the first novel I've read by Minette Walters, and I will be reading more. My only regret is that she didn't amplify the hints of supernatural voodoo being played at by Olive. Or maybe not; now that I think about it, the creepy wax dolls stuck with their pins, and Olive's "look of gloating triumph" does more to unsettle me than any more straightforward explanation could have done.
That's where the novel's protagonist, Rosalind Leigh, comes into the story. Roz has suffered the loss of her daughter, the disintegration of her marriage, and is about to lose her contract as an author if she doesn't write a book about Olive Martin. The Sculptress, by Minette Walters, follows Roz's investigation, a bit of amateur detecting that leaves many a closet bereft of its skeletons. There are enough surprising twists and lurid details to keep the plot engaging. The truth remains veiled, even after the end of the novel, but that is not a flaw so much as a bold statement about the nature of reality as it is experienced by the Walters's characters. Violence, betrayal, death, and greed pull the strings of reality, and often the characters trying to do what is right end up just as twisted up in the tangled webs as those who intentionally did wrong.
The Sculptress is a detective story, but the heart of the book is romance. Not beautiful boy meets beautiful girl romance, but the more realistic heart-breaking, face-bruising, life-ending romances entered into by damaged characters. Walters gives Roz and her new beau a break in the end, letting them have a view of the ocean as they make love, but given the darkness pervading all relationships in the novel, it is questionable that this love, like the others, is any more lasting or less corrosive than the salty spray coming in off of the ocean.
The Sculptress is the first novel I've read by Minette Walters, and I will be reading more. My only regret is that she didn't amplify the hints of supernatural voodoo being played at by Olive. Or maybe not; now that I think about it, the creepy wax dolls stuck with their pins, and Olive's "look of gloating triumph" does more to unsettle me than any more straightforward explanation could have done.
August 26, 2019
This book is identified as a classic, influencing the genre development since its publication in 1994- but i found it quite mediocre with characters quite thinly drawn, unconvincing with little likability or empathy - and the whole premise implausible.
The basic premise is hugely obese young woman imprisoned after admitting brutal murder of mother and sister - after years of torment - and author (tormented by death of child and divorce) is sent to write a book about her. But why would a girl in 1994 be tormented by being a size 18-20 (thats size/height listed so not grossly obese by any standard... and the author character seems to be able to beat up men despite being almost anorexic (5'6" and 7 stone)... and the reason for the guilty plea- to hide her fathers homosexuality... it is something that might have hung together with a 1950s setting but it doesn't work for 1990s and twenty years later it looks even more preposterous.
The book is full of body shaming imagery which can only be from the prejudices of Walters and the Ros/Hal relationship very weird and contrived. (She offers to buy out his restaurant on their second meeting). The Olive characters is described as bright & devious but all her characterisation (text of admission, strange wax doll modelling, fear of release etc) make her appear mentally slow.
Rather than a crescendo towards the reveal the book becomes more clinched, with odd coincidences and becomes quite flat (and a little boring).
I think books like Miss Smelia's feeling for Snow ( which led to scandi-crime wave), and Val McDermott far more influential.
Even in the 1990s this was dated.
The basic premise is hugely obese young woman imprisoned after admitting brutal murder of mother and sister - after years of torment - and author (tormented by death of child and divorce) is sent to write a book about her. But why would a girl in 1994 be tormented by being a size 18-20 (thats size/height listed so not grossly obese by any standard... and the author character seems to be able to beat up men despite being almost anorexic (5'6" and 7 stone)... and the reason for the guilty plea- to hide her fathers homosexuality... it is something that might have hung together with a 1950s setting but it doesn't work for 1990s and twenty years later it looks even more preposterous.
The book is full of body shaming imagery which can only be from the prejudices of Walters and the Ros/Hal relationship very weird and contrived. (She offers to buy out his restaurant on their second meeting). The Olive characters is described as bright & devious but all her characterisation (text of admission, strange wax doll modelling, fear of release etc) make her appear mentally slow.
Rather than a crescendo towards the reveal the book becomes more clinched, with odd coincidences and becomes quite flat (and a little boring).
I think books like Miss Smelia's feeling for Snow ( which led to scandi-crime wave), and Val McDermott far more influential.
Even in the 1990s this was dated.
September 28, 2018
Odd. Liked it less as it went on. The whole subplot with the love interest's bar kinda lost me (zoned out due to lack of interest). It passed the time and held my interest for the most part, so I'd continue reading books by this author (I've read a few previously).
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was odd. I've never heard a book that takes place entirely in England be narrated by an American (or at least not one that was speaking in their native American accent). It was jarring to keep going back and forth between the American narration of action and thought and the various British accents of dialogue. Also, the British accents didn't quite ring true. A lot of time they came out New Zealand, New England, or American Southern.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was odd. I've never heard a book that takes place entirely in England be narrated by an American (or at least not one that was speaking in their native American accent). It was jarring to keep going back and forth between the American narration of action and thought and the various British accents of dialogue. Also, the British accents didn't quite ring true. A lot of time they came out New Zealand, New England, or American Southern.
June 14, 2021
I liked the premise of this book and once I started reading I became intrigued straight away. The story follows along nicely until reaching a clever and natural (yet thought-provoking) conclusion.
I especially enjoyed the scenes with Olive, such a fascinating character and I would love to have had more scenes with her rather than so much of following Roz around.
I found the whodunnit plot well thought out and engaging. However, the storyline of the relationship between Roz and Hal was so implausible it was just odd. This extends to the story about and The Poacher which was rather bizarre. Therefore this arc of the story was a bit disappointing.
Nearly 30 years since published, I found the book a bit dated in some of its stereotyping.
I especially enjoyed the scenes with Olive, such a fascinating character and I would love to have had more scenes with her rather than so much of following Roz around.
I found the whodunnit plot well thought out and engaging. However, the storyline of the relationship between Roz and Hal was so implausible it was just odd. This extends to the story about and The Poacher which was rather bizarre. Therefore this arc of the story was a bit disappointing.
Nearly 30 years since published, I found the book a bit dated in some of its stereotyping.
January 2, 2024
We kiezen niet altijd het juiste, maar als we eenmaal een besluit hebben genomen, moeten we ermee leven.
Olive Martin zit al zes jaar vast voor de moord op haar moeder en zusje. Waarom ze heeft gedaan is al zes jaar lang een groot mysterie. Wanneer journalist Roz Leigh de opdracht krijgt om een boek over Olive te schrijven, bezoekt ze haar in de gevangenis. Na dit bezoek gaat Roz twijfelen aan haar schuld en gaat op zoek naar de waarheid. In haar zoektocht spreekt ze met vrienden van de familie, de advocaat van Olive en de politieagent die haar destijds heeft verhoord. Tijdens haar zoektocht ontdekt ze een aantal schokkende gebeurtenissen.
Het boek maakt heel erg duidelijk dat Olive dik en lelijk zou zijn. Dit wordt zo'n beetje iedere keer benadrukt wanneer er een passage over haar wordt beschreven. Niet altijd even respectvol, maar misschien leef je om deze reden meer met haar mee.
Verder leest het verhaal als een whodunnit. Ik heb me tijdens het lezen geen seconde verveelt. Het verhaal zit goed in elkaar met een aantal verrassende plottwists.
Mede door het blijven benadrukken dat Olive dik en lelijk zou zijn 4 sterren in plaats van 5.
Olive Martin zit al zes jaar vast voor de moord op haar moeder en zusje. Waarom ze heeft gedaan is al zes jaar lang een groot mysterie. Wanneer journalist Roz Leigh de opdracht krijgt om een boek over Olive te schrijven, bezoekt ze haar in de gevangenis. Na dit bezoek gaat Roz twijfelen aan haar schuld en gaat op zoek naar de waarheid. In haar zoektocht spreekt ze met vrienden van de familie, de advocaat van Olive en de politieagent die haar destijds heeft verhoord. Tijdens haar zoektocht ontdekt ze een aantal schokkende gebeurtenissen.
Het boek maakt heel erg duidelijk dat Olive dik en lelijk zou zijn. Dit wordt zo'n beetje iedere keer benadrukt wanneer er een passage over haar wordt beschreven. Niet altijd even respectvol, maar misschien leef je om deze reden meer met haar mee.
Verder leest het verhaal als een whodunnit. Ik heb me tijdens het lezen geen seconde verveelt. Het verhaal zit goed in elkaar met een aantal verrassende plottwists.
Mede door het blijven benadrukken dat Olive dik en lelijk zou zijn 4 sterren in plaats van 5.
August 23, 2010
When you read a lot of books, it can sometimes be difficult to recall which books you've read and which you haven't. At least that's the case in the time before social networking sites for books. (How did we ever survive?!?)
That's what happened with "The Sculptress." I'd thought I'd read it before based on the novel's description and the opening chapters felt vaguely familiar. But for some odd reason I couldn't recall the twists, turns and the solution to the mystery at the center of the book. (This is fairly unusual for a mystery novel and one of the caliber of Minette Walters' works.)
Years before, Olive Martin confessed to the horrific crime of killing her mother and sister and then trying to dissect them in time to hide the evidence from her father. She wasn't able to get the job of dissecting them done in time, called the police and confessed to the crime. Martin won't pursue a plea of insanity and now sits in prison. Morbidly obese, Martin has a violent temper and mood swings and has earned the nickname "The Sculptress" for the figurines she carves out of whatever she can find.
Enter into the story, Roz Leigh, a former best-selling author in need of a book to keep her publishing career alive. She's assigned the true-crime story of Olive in an attempt to salvage her career and publishing contract. At first, Roz is skeptical she can find a story to tell when it comes to Olive, but upon meeting her and talking to her, Roz begins to think Olive is innocent and may be covering up for someone else.
Roz also has some issues of her own--she's suffering from depression.
The story delves into both mysteries over the course of the novel. We see some parallels between Olive and Roz--both are fleeing from a past they don't want to accept because of pain associated with it. But neither are really living either, just marking time in the world. Both are in a prison--it's just Olive's that is a physical one.
Walters keeps the clues to what's occurred flowing at a good rate. She doesn't give away the entire game in the first few chapters, but she does plant the seeds. Readers will realize there's something more to Roz than within the first few chapters and Walters shows and doesn't tell what's occurred to audience. It makes for a fascinating story and an intriguing mystery.
As does what really happened that fateful day in Olive's kitchen.
One of the early works by Walters, "The Sculptress" shows the mystery writer on the top of her game. One of her best stories.
I'm still not sure why I don't remember reading it the first time...
That's what happened with "The Sculptress." I'd thought I'd read it before based on the novel's description and the opening chapters felt vaguely familiar. But for some odd reason I couldn't recall the twists, turns and the solution to the mystery at the center of the book. (This is fairly unusual for a mystery novel and one of the caliber of Minette Walters' works.)
Years before, Olive Martin confessed to the horrific crime of killing her mother and sister and then trying to dissect them in time to hide the evidence from her father. She wasn't able to get the job of dissecting them done in time, called the police and confessed to the crime. Martin won't pursue a plea of insanity and now sits in prison. Morbidly obese, Martin has a violent temper and mood swings and has earned the nickname "The Sculptress" for the figurines she carves out of whatever she can find.
Enter into the story, Roz Leigh, a former best-selling author in need of a book to keep her publishing career alive. She's assigned the true-crime story of Olive in an attempt to salvage her career and publishing contract. At first, Roz is skeptical she can find a story to tell when it comes to Olive, but upon meeting her and talking to her, Roz begins to think Olive is innocent and may be covering up for someone else.
Roz also has some issues of her own--she's suffering from depression.
The story delves into both mysteries over the course of the novel. We see some parallels between Olive and Roz--both are fleeing from a past they don't want to accept because of pain associated with it. But neither are really living either, just marking time in the world. Both are in a prison--it's just Olive's that is a physical one.
Walters keeps the clues to what's occurred flowing at a good rate. She doesn't give away the entire game in the first few chapters, but she does plant the seeds. Readers will realize there's something more to Roz than within the first few chapters and Walters shows and doesn't tell what's occurred to audience. It makes for a fascinating story and an intriguing mystery.
As does what really happened that fateful day in Olive's kitchen.
One of the early works by Walters, "The Sculptress" shows the mystery writer on the top of her game. One of her best stories.
I'm still not sure why I don't remember reading it the first time...
June 18, 2018
I decided to try a Minette Walters - found it to be well written - interesting characters, the autobio writer and 'the Sculptress', an immensely obese woman, falsely accused of murder.
As far as murder-mystery goes - it's extremely well done - if you like that kind of thing.
As far as murder-mystery goes - it's extremely well done - if you like that kind of thing.
September 16, 2009
Out of 50+ winners of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, I had only read 13 before beginning my challenge to myself to read all of them. The Sculptress was one of them. I had read the first three or four of Walters' novels, and then stopped keeping up with them for some reason or no reason. I may have to rethink that decision.
Walters' books are characterized as psychological thrillers, and they certainly do have many of the traits of that subgenre. Unlike some, though, Walters has said that there is always some love, some redemption in her books, and I think that's why I find them easier to take than some of the other authors who focus on deviance.
In The Sculptress a non-fiction writer, still reeling from the death of her young daughter, is being pressed by her agent to get busy and write another book. She decides to interview a woman known as The Sculptress who is in prison for the murder and dismemberment of her mother and sister several years before. As she gets to know the prisoner, she begins to doubt the guilt of the self-confessed murderer. Her investigations lead her down unexpected paths and also introduce her to a former policeman who worked on the case, with romantic consequences.
Although I gave this book five stars, I wasn't really completely happy with the ending, specifically the epilogue. Still, the writing, plot, characters and setting were all excellent. Highly recommended for anyone who missed it the first time around.
Walters' books are characterized as psychological thrillers, and they certainly do have many of the traits of that subgenre. Unlike some, though, Walters has said that there is always some love, some redemption in her books, and I think that's why I find them easier to take than some of the other authors who focus on deviance.
In The Sculptress a non-fiction writer, still reeling from the death of her young daughter, is being pressed by her agent to get busy and write another book. She decides to interview a woman known as The Sculptress who is in prison for the murder and dismemberment of her mother and sister several years before. As she gets to know the prisoner, she begins to doubt the guilt of the self-confessed murderer. Her investigations lead her down unexpected paths and also introduce her to a former policeman who worked on the case, with romantic consequences.
Although I gave this book five stars, I wasn't really completely happy with the ending, specifically the epilogue. Still, the writing, plot, characters and setting were all excellent. Highly recommended for anyone who missed it the first time around.
November 29, 2013
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
[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
October 26, 2024
I read several Minette Walters books while on holiday and found them very well written.
I found them very powerful and slightly different to the normal style of Mystery Crime writers.
Very good reads.
Synopsis:
In prison, they call her the Sculptress for the strange figurines she carves - symbols of the day she hacked her mother and sister to pieces and reassembled them in a blood-drenched jigsaw. Sullen and menacing, Olive Martin is burned-out journalist Rosalind Leigh's only hope of getting a new book published.
But as she interviews Olive, in her cell, Roz finds flaws in the Sculptress's confession. Is she really guilty as she insists? Drawn into Olive's world of obsessional lies and love, nothing can stop Roz's pursuit of the chilling, convoluted truth. Not the tidy suburbanites who'd rather forget the murders, not a volatile ex-policeman and her own erotic response to him, not an attack on her life.
Not even the thought of what might happen if the Sculptress went free.
I found them very powerful and slightly different to the normal style of Mystery Crime writers.
Very good reads.
Synopsis:
In prison, they call her the Sculptress for the strange figurines she carves - symbols of the day she hacked her mother and sister to pieces and reassembled them in a blood-drenched jigsaw. Sullen and menacing, Olive Martin is burned-out journalist Rosalind Leigh's only hope of getting a new book published.
But as she interviews Olive, in her cell, Roz finds flaws in the Sculptress's confession. Is she really guilty as she insists? Drawn into Olive's world of obsessional lies and love, nothing can stop Roz's pursuit of the chilling, convoluted truth. Not the tidy suburbanites who'd rather forget the murders, not a volatile ex-policeman and her own erotic response to him, not an attack on her life.
Not even the thought of what might happen if the Sculptress went free.
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