What do you think?
Rate this book
The Brimstone Wedding
Jenny's marriage is loveless, and she is having an affair. She works at an old people's home, where she is especially fond of Stella, a woman dying of cancer - whose own secrets parallel Jenny's - with the difference that she may have been involved in murdering her lover's husband.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 1995
226 people are currently reading
1391 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Vine
29 books463 followersPseudonym of Ruth Rendell.
Rendell created a third strand of writing with the publication of A Dark Adapted Eye under her pseudonym Barbara Vine in 1986. Books such as King Solomon's Carpet, A Fatal Inversion and Anna's Book (original UK title Asta's Book) inhabit the same territory as her psychological crime novels while they further develop themes of family misunderstandings and the side effects of secrets kept and crimes done. Rendell is famous for her elegant prose and sharp insights into the human mind, as well as her ability to create cogent plots and characters. Rendell has also injected the social changes of the last 40 years into her work, bringing awareness to such issues as domestic violence and the change in the status of women.
Rendell created a third strand of writing with the publication of A Dark Adapted Eye under her pseudonym Barbara Vine in 1986. Books such as King Solomon's Carpet, A Fatal Inversion and Anna's Book (original UK title Asta's Book) inhabit the same territory as her psychological crime novels while they further develop themes of family misunderstandings and the side effects of secrets kept and crimes done. Rendell is famous for her elegant prose and sharp insights into the human mind, as well as her ability to create cogent plots and characters. Rendell has also injected the social changes of the last 40 years into her work, bringing awareness to such issues as domestic violence and the change in the status of women.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews
July 5, 2021
Sometimes you read an author’s best book first, and their others all end up seeming like paler imitations of it; sometimes you have a reasonable overview of their oeuvre before you get to it, and it appears as a glorious summation of everything good about their work. The Brimstone Wedding is an example of the latter. I’d read three other Barbara Vine books (The Minotaur, Asta’s Book and A Fatal Inversion) before it, but this one is the one: I know this is partly my own biased perception at work, but it seems to take everything I have most enjoyed about the others and craft all that into a story whose brilliance made me increasingly dizzy with joy.
Jenny is a care assistant in her early thirties; married to her childhood sweetheart, Mike, she has lived her whole life in a tiny Norfolk village, the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. But she’s nursing an explosive secret: an affair with Ned, a TV producer who (along with his wife and daughter) owns a second home in the area. While trying to figure out what to do about this ticking time-bomb of a situation, Jenny grows close to her favourite resident at Middleton Hall, Stella, an elegant 70-year-old woman who has terminal lung cancer. Despite their differences, the two women become each other’s confidants. In what seems to be a final confession, Stella tells Jenny the defining story of her life, one that involves a secret house and a forgotten film star called Gilda Brent.
Though it’s mainly Stella’s story that drives the plot (the likely outcomes of Jenny’s affair are painfully obvious, to us if not to her), The Brimstone Wedding wouldn’t work half as well as it does were it not told in Jenny’s voice. The reader comes to understand Jenny better than most people understand themselves. She’s a smart and intuitive woman who is also very naive, entirely ignorant of life beyond the village, with old-fashioned perceptions for a young woman in the mid-90s; someone who is certainly not stupid but has a limited vocabulary and a limited worldview. Not forgetting her superstition, which is so strong and so definitive it almost lends a folk horror slant to the plot. Relating the entire tale through such a distinctive character is no mean feat, but Vine never puts a foot wrong.
Spacing out the central story as Jenny hears it from Stella is also a stroke of genius: the reader is as keen as Jenny to get to the next meeting and hear the next instalment. And that – great storytelling – is really what makes The Brimstone Wedding so wonderful. Everything I have loved about Vine’s other novels is realised to its full potential here: the rich, almost fussy language (the beautiful fenland descriptions, portraying unspoilt countryside through the seasons, are a highlight); the slow-burn intrigue; the character development. Throw in a perfect narrative voice and you have a truly spellbinding book that is literary triumph, gripping mystery and tragedy all in one.
TinyLetter | Linktree
Jenny is a care assistant in her early thirties; married to her childhood sweetheart, Mike, she has lived her whole life in a tiny Norfolk village, the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. But she’s nursing an explosive secret: an affair with Ned, a TV producer who (along with his wife and daughter) owns a second home in the area. While trying to figure out what to do about this ticking time-bomb of a situation, Jenny grows close to her favourite resident at Middleton Hall, Stella, an elegant 70-year-old woman who has terminal lung cancer. Despite their differences, the two women become each other’s confidants. In what seems to be a final confession, Stella tells Jenny the defining story of her life, one that involves a secret house and a forgotten film star called Gilda Brent.
Though it’s mainly Stella’s story that drives the plot (the likely outcomes of Jenny’s affair are painfully obvious, to us if not to her), The Brimstone Wedding wouldn’t work half as well as it does were it not told in Jenny’s voice. The reader comes to understand Jenny better than most people understand themselves. She’s a smart and intuitive woman who is also very naive, entirely ignorant of life beyond the village, with old-fashioned perceptions for a young woman in the mid-90s; someone who is certainly not stupid but has a limited vocabulary and a limited worldview. Not forgetting her superstition, which is so strong and so definitive it almost lends a folk horror slant to the plot. Relating the entire tale through such a distinctive character is no mean feat, but Vine never puts a foot wrong.
Spacing out the central story as Jenny hears it from Stella is also a stroke of genius: the reader is as keen as Jenny to get to the next meeting and hear the next instalment. And that – great storytelling – is really what makes The Brimstone Wedding so wonderful. Everything I have loved about Vine’s other novels is realised to its full potential here: the rich, almost fussy language (the beautiful fenland descriptions, portraying unspoilt countryside through the seasons, are a highlight); the slow-burn intrigue; the character development. Throw in a perfect narrative voice and you have a truly spellbinding book that is literary triumph, gripping mystery and tragedy all in one.
TinyLetter | Linktree
December 31, 2022
Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) beweist in gewohnter sprachlicher und plottechnischer Qualität, dass ein guter Krimi auch ohne Ermittler auskommen kann.
Die Altenpflegerin Jenny Genevieve, die ihre Lieblingsseniorin, die krebskranke Oma Stella, in einer privaten sehr teuren Pflegeeinrichtung betreut, erfährt von dieser plötzlich von ihrer Vergangenheit. Eigentlich mag Jenny die elegante alte Dame vor allem deshalb, weil sie entgegen ihrer anderen Patienten nicht immer von ihrer Vergangenheit schwadroniert, im Gegenteil, Stella hatte bisher noch nie von ihrem Leben erzählt, sondern sich mehr für den Alltag und das Privatleben von Jenny interessiert.
Als die sterbenskranke Stella endlich so viel Vertrauen zu Jenny gefasst hat, dass sie auch etwas von sich preisgibt, wird die ganze Geschichte unheimlich spannend, denn Stella hat ein geheimes Haus, das sie vor ihren eigenen Kindern verbirgt. Das wäre jetzt normalerweise keine ungewöhnliche Affäre, aber Stella hat zu ihren beiden Kindern ein inniges und gutes Verhältnis, es ist auch genug Geld da, die Kinder liegen untereinander auch nicht im Clinch und so gibt es eigentlich keinen Grund die Immobilie zu verheimlichen. Zudem ist das Haus auch schon seit langem unbewohnt und heruntergekommen, es ist also gar nicht so viel wert. Stella bittet also Jenny nach dem geheimen Haus zu sehen.
Bei der Annäherung von Pflegerin und Patientin gibt auch Jenny ein Geheimnis preis, denn sie hat neben ihrem Ehemann einen Liebhaber. Dabei kommt ihr das geheime Haus von Stella, für das sie den Schlüssel zum Hüten und Putzen erhalten hat, natürlich sehr gelegen, denn endlich können sich Jenny und ihr ebenso verheirateter Liebhaber Ned dort treffen und müssen sich nicht mehr darum kümmern wo sie ihre Tete-a-Tetes organisieren.
Mit fortschreitender Geschichte entwickelt sich sowohl die Affäre von Jenny als auch Stellas Lebensbeichte kommt voran. Die alte Dame taut auf und berichtet schon schwer von der Krankheit gezeichnet in Minihäppchen von ihrer Vergangenheit. Hier wird plötzlich die Duplizität der Biografien zwischen den beiden Frauen offenbar, denn auch Stella hatte sowohl einen Ehemann als auch einen verheirateten Geliebten. Für die geheimen Treffen abseits ihrer Familie hat sie auch dieses abgeschiedene Haus am Rande des Moors gekauft. Beide sind erstmals in ihrem Leben verliebt und zwar nicht in die Ehepartner, sondern in die Affäre. Die Ehen waren bei beiden eher der Vernunft und Gewöhnung geschuldet. Der Gleichklang unter den Frauen geht bald so weit, dass es beide sogar im selben Bett treiben beziehungsweise trieben.
Am Ende gelangen beide Erzählstränge und Lebensläufe von Stella und Genevieve/Jenny zu einem furiosen Finale, wobei sich hier die Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen den beiden Frauen wieder auflösen, denn die Affären fahren höchst unterschiedlich an die Wand. Stella kann sich vor ihrem Tod auch gar nicht überwinden, Jenny die gesamte Wahrheit von Angesicht zu Angesicht zu erzählen, sondern sie spricht ihre letzte Beichte auf ein Tonband, das ihre Pflegerin als Erbe erhält. Letztendlich wendet sich zumindest in der Gegenwart ein Teilaspekt zum Guten, denn Jenny ist trotz ihrer Beziehungstragödie zumindest nicht mittellos, denn Stella hat ihr das geheime Haus vererbt.
Fazit: Sprachlich großartig, der Plot wundervoll konzipiert, so wie zwei Züge, die sich treffen, eine Weile nebeneinander auf den Gleisen parallel fahren und sich dann wieder an einer Weiche trennen, um in völlig unterschiedliche Richtungen davonzurattern. Ein paar Mal war mir die Verzögerungstaktik, warum Stella nicht mit ihrer Geschichte herausrückt, etwas zu langwierig angelegt, was dem Plot eine Nuance etwas zuviel Tempo wegnahm. Ex post betrachtet, psychologisch natürlich verständlich, dass sie mehrere Anläufe brauchte, um sich einen Ruck zu geben, der Spannung aber nicht ganz so zuträglich. Das ist aber nur eine minimale Kritik.
Trotz all des Lobes ging mir das Buch haptisch extrem auf die Nerven, was auch mein Lesevergnügen enorm schmälerte. Ich habe es auf einem Buchflohmarkt gekauft, jede Seite, die ich umblätterte, löste sich aus dem Rücken und ich hatte das Blatt in der Hand. Das wird eines der wenigen Bücher sein, die ich wegschmeiße. Kann passieren, wenn man gebraucht kauft.
Die Altenpflegerin Jenny Genevieve, die ihre Lieblingsseniorin, die krebskranke Oma Stella, in einer privaten sehr teuren Pflegeeinrichtung betreut, erfährt von dieser plötzlich von ihrer Vergangenheit. Eigentlich mag Jenny die elegante alte Dame vor allem deshalb, weil sie entgegen ihrer anderen Patienten nicht immer von ihrer Vergangenheit schwadroniert, im Gegenteil, Stella hatte bisher noch nie von ihrem Leben erzählt, sondern sich mehr für den Alltag und das Privatleben von Jenny interessiert.
Als die sterbenskranke Stella endlich so viel Vertrauen zu Jenny gefasst hat, dass sie auch etwas von sich preisgibt, wird die ganze Geschichte unheimlich spannend, denn Stella hat ein geheimes Haus, das sie vor ihren eigenen Kindern verbirgt. Das wäre jetzt normalerweise keine ungewöhnliche Affäre, aber Stella hat zu ihren beiden Kindern ein inniges und gutes Verhältnis, es ist auch genug Geld da, die Kinder liegen untereinander auch nicht im Clinch und so gibt es eigentlich keinen Grund die Immobilie zu verheimlichen. Zudem ist das Haus auch schon seit langem unbewohnt und heruntergekommen, es ist also gar nicht so viel wert. Stella bittet also Jenny nach dem geheimen Haus zu sehen.
Bei der Annäherung von Pflegerin und Patientin gibt auch Jenny ein Geheimnis preis, denn sie hat neben ihrem Ehemann einen Liebhaber. Dabei kommt ihr das geheime Haus von Stella, für das sie den Schlüssel zum Hüten und Putzen erhalten hat, natürlich sehr gelegen, denn endlich können sich Jenny und ihr ebenso verheirateter Liebhaber Ned dort treffen und müssen sich nicht mehr darum kümmern wo sie ihre Tete-a-Tetes organisieren.
Mit fortschreitender Geschichte entwickelt sich sowohl die Affäre von Jenny als auch Stellas Lebensbeichte kommt voran. Die alte Dame taut auf und berichtet schon schwer von der Krankheit gezeichnet in Minihäppchen von ihrer Vergangenheit. Hier wird plötzlich die Duplizität der Biografien zwischen den beiden Frauen offenbar, denn auch Stella hatte sowohl einen Ehemann als auch einen verheirateten Geliebten. Für die geheimen Treffen abseits ihrer Familie hat sie auch dieses abgeschiedene Haus am Rande des Moors gekauft. Beide sind erstmals in ihrem Leben verliebt und zwar nicht in die Ehepartner, sondern in die Affäre. Die Ehen waren bei beiden eher der Vernunft und Gewöhnung geschuldet. Der Gleichklang unter den Frauen geht bald so weit, dass es beide sogar im selben Bett treiben beziehungsweise trieben.
Am Ende gelangen beide Erzählstränge und Lebensläufe von Stella und Genevieve/Jenny zu einem furiosen Finale, wobei sich hier die Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen den beiden Frauen wieder auflösen, denn die Affären fahren höchst unterschiedlich an die Wand. Stella kann sich vor ihrem Tod auch gar nicht überwinden, Jenny die gesamte Wahrheit von Angesicht zu Angesicht zu erzählen, sondern sie spricht ihre letzte Beichte auf ein Tonband, das ihre Pflegerin als Erbe erhält. Letztendlich wendet sich zumindest in der Gegenwart ein Teilaspekt zum Guten, denn Jenny ist trotz ihrer Beziehungstragödie zumindest nicht mittellos, denn Stella hat ihr das geheime Haus vererbt.
Fazit: Sprachlich großartig, der Plot wundervoll konzipiert, so wie zwei Züge, die sich treffen, eine Weile nebeneinander auf den Gleisen parallel fahren und sich dann wieder an einer Weiche trennen, um in völlig unterschiedliche Richtungen davonzurattern. Ein paar Mal war mir die Verzögerungstaktik, warum Stella nicht mit ihrer Geschichte herausrückt, etwas zu langwierig angelegt, was dem Plot eine Nuance etwas zuviel Tempo wegnahm. Ex post betrachtet, psychologisch natürlich verständlich, dass sie mehrere Anläufe brauchte, um sich einen Ruck zu geben, der Spannung aber nicht ganz so zuträglich. Das ist aber nur eine minimale Kritik.
Trotz all des Lobes ging mir das Buch haptisch extrem auf die Nerven, was auch mein Lesevergnügen enorm schmälerte. Ich habe es auf einem Buchflohmarkt gekauft, jede Seite, die ich umblätterte, löste sich aus dem Rücken und ich hatte das Blatt in der Hand. Das wird eines der wenigen Bücher sein, die ich wegschmeiße. Kann passieren, wenn man gebraucht kauft.
November 6, 2016
You can't go wrong with Ruth Rendell. The late great Baroness Rendell has left behind a hugely impressive body of work when it comes to psychological thrillers. Barbara Vine is slightly trickier. Rendell has used that pseudonym for her more serious, more dramatic work and some of the books lack the delicious dynamic of her other ones. This one was definitely a winner, though. A story about affairs, specifically affairs of married individuals, different players, different timelines, invariably well mannered individuals doing terrible things politely (the British way), various, variously devastating results. After all, building one's happiness on unhappiness of others is a tricky business. This book has all the standard Rendellian props...strong atmospheric writing, terrific attention to details, meticulously rendered psychological states, even a body or two...and as a bonus features notably likeable characters (not all, of course, this isn't Downton Abbey). It isn't always the case, the author's known for some genuinely abysmal amoral scum of main players, but here, refreshingly so, it isn't the case. You'll actually care about them. Lovely read and a delight for any fan of dark psychological fiction. Strongly recommended.
July 27, 2012
There is something very addictive about this story of love affairs and bad marriages set in the past and the present. Vine certainly knows how to keep her reader interested even as she slowly feeds out more plot details and that reader begins to see the inevitable conclusion. Stella is a 70 year old woman who has come to a residence home to die, having late stage cancer. She forms a bond with Jenny who she calls Genevieve, who is her caregiver, or carer as they are called.
The two form a bond, both having gaps in their lives, and through that bond we learn of Stells's past and Jenny's presence in her unhappy marriage. This is a suspense novel, as all of Vine's seem to be. The reader is led on a twisted path to find the "truth".
Highly recommended.
The two form a bond, both having gaps in their lives, and through that bond we learn of Stells's past and Jenny's presence in her unhappy marriage. This is a suspense novel, as all of Vine's seem to be. The reader is led on a twisted path to find the "truth".
Highly recommended.
December 18, 2018
They say when you fall off a horse you should get right back in the saddle – and having crashed prematurely from A Dark Adapted Eye I’m glad I followed this advice.
I have been seeking to understand the nature of ‘Barbara Vine’ – and my conclusion is ‘less gritty and more literary’ than Ruth Rendell writing in her own name. Notwithstanding, in The Brimstone Wedding she delivers a page-turner through the simple device of hope, and demonstrates that suspense is by no means dependent upon the ever-present threat of harm.
Indeed, the theme is one of romance, as the love lives unfold of (lower class) care worker Genevieve and – in a clever time-warped parallel – her elderly (upper class) female charge, Stella. But, almost unnoticed, as the twin strands of the tale slowly entwine, and their differences narrow, a creeping sense of unease begins to cast a shadow over events past and present.
The drama at the heart of the story – the mystery, if you will – is also twofold. So that Genevieve can be with her lover, Ned, will respective spouses move aside? And just how did Stella apparently achieve the same outcome with her forsaken childhood sweetheart? The delicious sense of impending déjà vu is enhanced as Stella encourages Genevieve to use for her trysts a house about which nobody knows. The isolated property stands frozen in time: its walls surely guarding some dark secret.
The multi-layered plot is most ingenious, and even has room for one remarkable twist at its very end. The first-person narrative shifts with great skill from one protagonist to the other, sensitive to their divergent intellectual capabilities and social mores. And ... there are not too many characters, for an altogether more comfortable ride!
I have been seeking to understand the nature of ‘Barbara Vine’ – and my conclusion is ‘less gritty and more literary’ than Ruth Rendell writing in her own name. Notwithstanding, in The Brimstone Wedding she delivers a page-turner through the simple device of hope, and demonstrates that suspense is by no means dependent upon the ever-present threat of harm.
Indeed, the theme is one of romance, as the love lives unfold of (lower class) care worker Genevieve and – in a clever time-warped parallel – her elderly (upper class) female charge, Stella. But, almost unnoticed, as the twin strands of the tale slowly entwine, and their differences narrow, a creeping sense of unease begins to cast a shadow over events past and present.
The drama at the heart of the story – the mystery, if you will – is also twofold. So that Genevieve can be with her lover, Ned, will respective spouses move aside? And just how did Stella apparently achieve the same outcome with her forsaken childhood sweetheart? The delicious sense of impending déjà vu is enhanced as Stella encourages Genevieve to use for her trysts a house about which nobody knows. The isolated property stands frozen in time: its walls surely guarding some dark secret.
The multi-layered plot is most ingenious, and even has room for one remarkable twist at its very end. The first-person narrative shifts with great skill from one protagonist to the other, sensitive to their divergent intellectual capabilities and social mores. And ... there are not too many characters, for an altogether more comfortable ride!
June 10, 2011
What makes ordinary people do creepy, psychologically disturbing things, and then retreat to a life of the ordinary, covering up the events of their past?
Jenny works at a retirement home and becomes close to Stella, one of the patients. They both have their secrets, and this brings them closer as they reveal to the other. Jenny is just beginning her secret life, but dreams of being close to the unordinary, in touch with superstition and the macabre. In the unfolding events of the story she loses this particular yen, accepting the more mundane even she becomes more ill at ease with the events of her life.
Stella's past is the kicker. As she little by little explains her secrets to Jenny, we see how an ordinary person can get swept up in larger events and things can turn ugly in a moment's notice.
And love is the key to both of these stories, illicit love with men already married, promises that are made, but with little intention from the beginning of being kept. And the hurt that results makes the subsequent events inevitable.
It's great Gothic stuff, complete with a spooky old house in the country where much of both stories is set.
Jenny works at a retirement home and becomes close to Stella, one of the patients. They both have their secrets, and this brings them closer as they reveal to the other. Jenny is just beginning her secret life, but dreams of being close to the unordinary, in touch with superstition and the macabre. In the unfolding events of the story she loses this particular yen, accepting the more mundane even she becomes more ill at ease with the events of her life.
Stella's past is the kicker. As she little by little explains her secrets to Jenny, we see how an ordinary person can get swept up in larger events and things can turn ugly in a moment's notice.
And love is the key to both of these stories, illicit love with men already married, promises that are made, but with little intention from the beginning of being kept. And the hurt that results makes the subsequent events inevitable.
It's great Gothic stuff, complete with a spooky old house in the country where much of both stories is set.
August 11, 2018
I only picked this book up at my local library because the book - by another 'V' writer - wasn't where it was supposed to be! Then I saw this fat book with Vine's name on it and I had to read it. Glad I did.
The story of two women, one a caretaker at a nursing home, the other an older woman dying of cancer. They become more than caregiver-resident as they talk about their lives, loves, and 'what might have been,' finally moving on to something even worse: 'what was.'
The minute detail of this book kept me going-going-going. Even something as small as two women sharing tea and watching butterflies in a garden can take on immense significance in a book by Ms. Vine. (Also known as Ruth Rendell.) This is a paragraph-rich book, with excellent (and never wasted) dialogue in between. Set in the English countryside of winding, hedge-bordered roads, fields of cows and flowers, and small houses set here and there, it was a wonderful, breath-taking read. I almost knew what it was all about - until I didn't.
It's one of those books hard to describe, actually, as its two main characters are women - one approaching middle-age and the other well past it, but it just sweeps on and on and I wished it was still sweeping. One of those books I hated to see end.
Five stars.
The story of two women, one a caretaker at a nursing home, the other an older woman dying of cancer. They become more than caregiver-resident as they talk about their lives, loves, and 'what might have been,' finally moving on to something even worse: 'what was.'
The minute detail of this book kept me going-going-going. Even something as small as two women sharing tea and watching butterflies in a garden can take on immense significance in a book by Ms. Vine. (Also known as Ruth Rendell.) This is a paragraph-rich book, with excellent (and never wasted) dialogue in between. Set in the English countryside of winding, hedge-bordered roads, fields of cows and flowers, and small houses set here and there, it was a wonderful, breath-taking read. I almost knew what it was all about - until I didn't.
It's one of those books hard to describe, actually, as its two main characters are women - one approaching middle-age and the other well past it, but it just sweeps on and on and I wished it was still sweeping. One of those books I hated to see end.
Five stars.
September 2, 2012
I am loss for words at the moment as I try conclude this book for a review. Right now I just want to savor what I just read.
First of. all I love the title. Very fitting after learning the meaning of it.
Secondly, I love how the author took her time presenting the stories especially with two women whose lives seem somewhat similar.
Third of all, I'm very well pleased how well it was written in order to bring English county, characters. and etc come alive and vividly. I also love how the author was able to do the past and present without losing me. I'm surprised the reviewers were saying the story could have been fast paced or shorter. The purpose is seeing through those ladies' perspectives. It wasn't supposed to be a story to be solved. it was a tragic secret which needed to be confessed to someone before she died.
This is the first book I've read by this author. If she writes this well, then I look forward to reading her other books.
First of. all I love the title. Very fitting after learning the meaning of it.
Secondly, I love how the author took her time presenting the stories especially with two women whose lives seem somewhat similar.
Third of all, I'm very well pleased how well it was written in order to bring English county, characters. and etc come alive and vividly. I also love how the author was able to do the past and present without losing me. I'm surprised the reviewers were saying the story could have been fast paced or shorter. The purpose is seeing through those ladies' perspectives. It wasn't supposed to be a story to be solved. it was a tragic secret which needed to be confessed to someone before she died.
This is the first book I've read by this author. If she writes this well, then I look forward to reading her other books.
September 30, 2025
Genevieve (Jenny), British and superstitious, works as a caregiver in a nursing home where she bonds with an older woman named Stella, who tells her life story. Jenny goes to Stella’s house, cleans it and meets her boyfriend there.
March 28, 2017
It's official now. Ruth Rendell is now one of my very favorite authors.
At first blush, the premise of this story is a bit hokey. THE BRIMSTONE WEDDING is about a seemingly reserved and proper housewife, Stella Newland, who begins to confide in her carer, Geneieve Warner, about her secrets. They are both women of secrets: Stella's 30 year old love affair and Geneieve's brand-new one. Stella reminsence of the past, however, isn't all roses: she hints that she knows about the disappearance of Gild Brent, a hasbeen movie star from British war films of the 40s.
The heart of this book can be summed up by a simple line: "Love justifies everything." This story is really about how far people will go for love.
Other than Rendell's astute observations on love, I must say ... she knows how to write old people. Stella is one of the most remarkable characters I've seen in a mystery novel. She is a perfect example of an otherwise normal individual with morals and education who gets entangled in a bloody situation. Unlike the other Rendell novels I've read, Stella is the furthest thing from creepy. She's that nice next-door neighbor who finds herself in a horrible situation and makes a decision based on love and ... well, I'll let you find out.
Moreoever, Rendell's handy trick of mixing retrospective and contemporaneous storytelling is amazingly effective here. Reading the parallels between Stella's and Geneieve's lives is startlingly moving.
This is a lyrical, engrossing, and atmospheric mystery for anyone who likes to think about the mystery of the soul rather than psychopaths.
At first blush, the premise of this story is a bit hokey. THE BRIMSTONE WEDDING is about a seemingly reserved and proper housewife, Stella Newland, who begins to confide in her carer, Geneieve Warner, about her secrets. They are both women of secrets: Stella's 30 year old love affair and Geneieve's brand-new one. Stella reminsence of the past, however, isn't all roses: she hints that she knows about the disappearance of Gild Brent, a hasbeen movie star from British war films of the 40s.
The heart of this book can be summed up by a simple line: "Love justifies everything." This story is really about how far people will go for love.
Other than Rendell's astute observations on love, I must say ... she knows how to write old people. Stella is one of the most remarkable characters I've seen in a mystery novel. She is a perfect example of an otherwise normal individual with morals and education who gets entangled in a bloody situation. Unlike the other Rendell novels I've read, Stella is the furthest thing from creepy. She's that nice next-door neighbor who finds herself in a horrible situation and makes a decision based on love and ... well, I'll let you find out.
Moreoever, Rendell's handy trick of mixing retrospective and contemporaneous storytelling is amazingly effective here. Reading the parallels between Stella's and Geneieve's lives is startlingly moving.
This is a lyrical, engrossing, and atmospheric mystery for anyone who likes to think about the mystery of the soul rather than psychopaths.
June 6, 2013
Before I share my opinion about this book, I must confess that I did not read the actual writing at first. I listened instead to the audiobook. It is read by Juliet Stevenson, a fantastic British actress. In fact, I found The Brimstone Wedding on Audible as I was looking for recordings by Stevenson. Her rendition of the book is so fantastic that I bought the book afterwards and went through it again. This is the first story by Barbara Vine I took on, so I did not quite know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the evolving relationship between the two main characters: Stella, a sophisticated, older woman on the verge of death living in a home; and Genevieve, her unsophisticated caregiver. As different in age and social milieu as they are, the two share a deep, devoted companionship and, yes, secrets. I'll say no more or I'll spoil your reading. This is a book that should be read twice to appreciate all the foreshadowing and the intriguing details the author masterfully weaves into the story.
February 8, 2022
4.5 stars. This book begins with a pretty slow pace, and by the end, you're holding on to your seat. I enjoyed both, because Barbara Vine's writing, IMO, is electric. She cuts to the heart of the situation and many of her lines are worth chewing on.
We know from the beginning that the point of view character is a care assistant in an assisted living facility in rural England, and we know she is having an affair. We also know that one of her patients and she have become fairly close, and that, although one is dying of cancer and one is quite young, they have more in common than you might think.
By the end, all of the questions and storylines are resolved, and Juliet Stevenson does a beautiful job with the audio performance. Sometimes, Barbara Vine can be disturbing, so I usually take a break between her novels, but I hope to eventually read all or most of them.
Her words are never wasted, she is a master of suspense, and you have to love these characters, even when you think you won't, because she makes you understand them and their motivations. She exposes the humanity in them all. She simply just has it. She has the skills we want every single writer to have when we pick up a novel. Highly recommended.
We know from the beginning that the point of view character is a care assistant in an assisted living facility in rural England, and we know she is having an affair. We also know that one of her patients and she have become fairly close, and that, although one is dying of cancer and one is quite young, they have more in common than you might think.
By the end, all of the questions and storylines are resolved, and Juliet Stevenson does a beautiful job with the audio performance. Sometimes, Barbara Vine can be disturbing, so I usually take a break between her novels, but I hope to eventually read all or most of them.
Her words are never wasted, she is a master of suspense, and you have to love these characters, even when you think you won't, because she makes you understand them and their motivations. She exposes the humanity in them all. She simply just has it. She has the skills we want every single writer to have when we pick up a novel. Highly recommended.
June 2, 2024
Soms heb je van die boeken die ogenschijnlijk zo eenvoudig zijn, zo simpel, maar die uiteindelijk toch wel zeer ingenieus in elkaar zitten. Deze "The Brimstone Wedding" is zo een boek.
De hoofdpersonages zijn Stella en Jenny (Geneviève), de eerste een resident in een rusthuis, de andere een van de verzorgsters. Ze bouwen een band op. Beiden dragen ze een geheim mee. Bij Jenny is dit een recent geheim, een nieuwe liefde, een affaire. Bij Stella is het iets wat ze al 25 jaar meedraagt.
Naargelang het boek verder gaat, kom je meer en meer te weten.
Ik vond het eigenlijk best spannend. Het was zo een boek dat, wanneer je van het werk de boemel naar huis neemt, 20 stops aub, dat je ineens bijna in je eindstation bent, en dat je niet weet waar de tijd naartoe is. Dat soort boek dus :-).
De hoofdpersonages zijn Stella en Jenny (Geneviève), de eerste een resident in een rusthuis, de andere een van de verzorgsters. Ze bouwen een band op. Beiden dragen ze een geheim mee. Bij Jenny is dit een recent geheim, een nieuwe liefde, een affaire. Bij Stella is het iets wat ze al 25 jaar meedraagt.
Naargelang het boek verder gaat, kom je meer en meer te weten.
Ik vond het eigenlijk best spannend. Het was zo een boek dat, wanneer je van het werk de boemel naar huis neemt, 20 stops aub, dat je ineens bijna in je eindstation bent, en dat je niet weet waar de tijd naartoe is. Dat soort boek dus :-).
October 2, 2012
I never write reviews but this book sucked. I read it because I was out of books and it came up on an Amazon list for the week or month's lower priced books for my Kindle. The summary seemed interesting enough but the book was written in such a confusing way.
There are 2 points of view throughout the story- Stella and Jenny. Normally, that's not a problem in a book if its made clear when the POV is changing but with this book, I found myself rereading sections because I'd realize that I had been envisioning the wrong person as the narrator. It's not hard to stick a name at the beginning of a POV change as a new chapter. I had an easier time understanding The Time Traveler's Wife with its changing timeframe and older/younger version of the same character overlapping.
The summary suggests that there is a surprising plot twist at the end. The surprise ending was so lame and so short that I read over it without even realizing what it was (partly because I thought the wrong person was talking). I was hoping the book would get better when this big finale came but it was a dud and was why I ultimately gave this book 1 star. No redeeming qualities. Womp.
July 24, 2013
Barbara Vine (and alter-ego Ruth Rendell) often starts her books at the end.* It's a brilliant device in her hands, making her novels whydunits rather then whodunits. The dark stories become darker as the narrative unfolds.
My favorite Rendell opening line, from A Judgement in Stone, is: "Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write." There's the ending, right there. But as you read on, not only do you have even more questions (Why is she going to kill them? Why all of them? And what does it have to do with reading or writing?), but the sense of doom in knowing that the whole family is going to die is pervasive.
The Brimstone Wedding doesn't quite give away the ending at the beginning, but the hints are far from subtle. It does become pretty obvious pretty early on that someone was murdered, and it's fairly obvious who, and it's not a hard guess as to why. But there's the genius of Vine/Rendell -- it's in racing to the end to see if you're right. And there's always enough gruesome detail to make it really worth your while to get there and see how it all went down.
There's a moment in this book when I honestly felt gut-punched. It may be for personal reasons that made me identify strongly with one of the women, but it's testament to the world she creates. I was emotionally invested enough to feel physical pain.
This isn't Vine's best -- it's a little simpler than some of the others, but it's solid.
*The Wexford mysteries excepted. While well-written, they usually follow a traditional forward-moving storyline.
My favorite Rendell opening line, from A Judgement in Stone, is: "Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write." There's the ending, right there. But as you read on, not only do you have even more questions (Why is she going to kill them? Why all of them? And what does it have to do with reading or writing?), but the sense of doom in knowing that the whole family is going to die is pervasive.
The Brimstone Wedding doesn't quite give away the ending at the beginning, but the hints are far from subtle. It does become pretty obvious pretty early on that someone was murdered, and it's fairly obvious who, and it's not a hard guess as to why. But there's the genius of Vine/Rendell -- it's in racing to the end to see if you're right. And there's always enough gruesome detail to make it really worth your while to get there and see how it all went down.
There's a moment in this book when I honestly felt gut-punched. It may be for personal reasons that made me identify strongly with one of the women, but it's testament to the world she creates. I was emotionally invested enough to feel physical pain.
This isn't Vine's best -- it's a little simpler than some of the others, but it's solid.
*The Wexford mysteries excepted. While well-written, they usually follow a traditional forward-moving storyline.
October 6, 2021
4 stars--I really liked it.
About 20 years ago, I read a whole bunch of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine novels, so it was nice to revisit one I'd likely read but forgotten. What I like best about her books is her sense of cosmic justice. Her characters get what they deserve--even if it's not what we expect. I also like how interesting her characters are, even if they're unlikable.
About 20 years ago, I read a whole bunch of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine novels, so it was nice to revisit one I'd likely read but forgotten. What I like best about her books is her sense of cosmic justice. Her characters get what they deserve--even if it's not what we expect. I also like how interesting her characters are, even if they're unlikable.
September 24, 2012
Vine (Rendell)at her very best. Unputdownable.
May 24, 2021
I could not put it down...
October 1, 2025
Another novel by Barbara Vine that probes the psychologies of (this time) two different people brought together by chance. Again I felt that it could have been darker, both the explorations of motivation and action, which is not a place the author was afraid to go in other works. The events she recounts certainly would be very traumatic for any normal person, yet they lack a little bit of the dramatic nature or maybe dramatic telling that can make a novel really impactful. But really it's dark enough and really enjoyable and well-written. Why criticize the book for not being the EXACT tone I wanted? There are a lot of individual enjoyable and relatable details and quirks of personality and it really depicts well how one's attitudes and beliefs can change, sometimes subtly, sometimes all at once. Sometimes reality creeps in, sometimes it comes crashing down.
July 28, 2016
This is the first Barbara Vine, aka Ruth Rendell, book that I've read. It is a total departure from Rendell's other books; that's what a brilliant writer she was. There will never be another like her, as she had her own unique style and literary talent.
The story was very detailed and drew me in immediately. There are two main characters. Genevieve "Jenny" is the thirty-two-year-old who works at an upscale retirement home and sees to the needs of the tenants. Stella is 72 and is suffering from lung cancer. The two develop a bond and love for one another. Genevieve (Stella is the only one who calls her that) spends time with Stella after work, listening to her story of a not so happy marriage with an unfaithful husband and the man who was the love of her life. Genevieve confides in Stella that she, too, is in love with a man other than her husband. She plans to leave her husband and marry her lover Ned. It takes the entirety of the book for Stella to tell the complete story of what happened with her and her married lover Alan, and the conclusion is secretly taped for Genevieve to discover later after her death. There is a rundown cottage, hidden away in the countryside, that also factors into the story.
Basically, this book is about deception, unfaithfulness, and consequences. There were some pretty miserable, unlikable, but colorful characters and also some very likable ones. There are a lot of superstitious notions passed down to Genevieve from her nan and her mum. Vine's descriptions of the English countryside are marvelous and reminiscent of Mary Stewart's Thornyhold. I loved this book, but it was a little depressing. One comes away with the knowledge that secret affairs and unfaithfulness can cause a lot of damage and hurt a lot of people.
The story was very detailed and drew me in immediately. There are two main characters. Genevieve "Jenny" is the thirty-two-year-old who works at an upscale retirement home and sees to the needs of the tenants. Stella is 72 and is suffering from lung cancer. The two develop a bond and love for one another. Genevieve (Stella is the only one who calls her that) spends time with Stella after work, listening to her story of a not so happy marriage with an unfaithful husband and the man who was the love of her life. Genevieve confides in Stella that she, too, is in love with a man other than her husband. She plans to leave her husband and marry her lover Ned. It takes the entirety of the book for Stella to tell the complete story of what happened with her and her married lover Alan, and the conclusion is secretly taped for Genevieve to discover later after her death. There is a rundown cottage, hidden away in the countryside, that also factors into the story.
Basically, this book is about deception, unfaithfulness, and consequences. There were some pretty miserable, unlikable, but colorful characters and also some very likable ones. There are a lot of superstitious notions passed down to Genevieve from her nan and her mum. Vine's descriptions of the English countryside are marvelous and reminiscent of Mary Stewart's Thornyhold. I loved this book, but it was a little depressing. One comes away with the knowledge that secret affairs and unfaithfulness can cause a lot of damage and hurt a lot of people.
April 14, 2009
This turned out to be a Vine that worked for me quite well (unlike The Birthday Present: A Novel, which I'd just read). Jenny Warner is a caregiver at a retirement home, where she comes to know Stella Newland, who is dying of lung cancer. Stella has long held on to secrets about her life, which she eventually reveals to Jenny, secrets which resonate with Jenny's own life. Vine intertwines her narrative threads masterfully, slowly uncovering the truth behind Stella's past and Jenny's present and building both stories to a shattering climax.
July 29, 2011
I read on the back of Barbara Vine's books (Grasshopper I think it was) that she 'writes very well about young people'. I thought they had that the wrong way round - I'd say she writes very well about old people. Both in this and in Asta's Book she creates very credible, interesting elderly characters. This has two stories - Stella, the old lady in a nursing home and what happened to her in her youth, and the story of Jenny who works in the nursing home, unravels the mystery, and has an affair with a married man newly arrived in the village. I found both equally enjoyable, both brought to a good conclusion. The final 'twist' was a nice touch.
March 16, 2016
Not the typical Barbara Vine, nevertheless an enjoyable read.
A story about dull marriages, uninterested husbands and philandering wives.
A story of2 marriages separated by at least a score of years, the connecting thread being the same house used for rendezvous by the wives with their married lovers.
The older lady is now a terminal cancer patient in an institute being taken care of by he younger lady.
the events take time to untold, as conversations between the two,as well as soliloquy by the younger lady.
there is deceit, disappearance, death and lots of quaint superstitions.
Was an enjoyable, but slightly meandering tale.
A story about dull marriages, uninterested husbands and philandering wives.
A story of2 marriages separated by at least a score of years, the connecting thread being the same house used for rendezvous by the wives with their married lovers.
The older lady is now a terminal cancer patient in an institute being taken care of by he younger lady.
the events take time to untold, as conversations between the two,as well as soliloquy by the younger lady.
there is deceit, disappearance, death and lots of quaint superstitions.
Was an enjoyable, but slightly meandering tale.
December 7, 2010
This is a new author for me and I'm torn between a 2 and 3 as a rating. It's a charming mystery that will appeal to anglophiles & I foresee an addiction to Rendell shortly despite the rating. I won't classify this as a "beach" read, as this author is so highly enjoyable & readable & perceptive it seems to be more than that. She knows human nature, all right. I see a few similarities with Iris Murdoch who was, I vaguely recall, darker.
September 1, 2011
Deeply revealing and personal. Totally absorbing.
Favourite quotes:
'Love is a frightening thing. I realise that I'm frightened so much of the time, afraid of losing him, afarid of discovery...infear of not being his equal, of not matching up to what he wants, of him changing because he is disillusioned'. p.185
Favourite quotes:
'Love is a frightening thing. I realise that I'm frightened so much of the time, afraid of losing him, afarid of discovery...infear of not being his equal, of not matching up to what he wants, of him changing because he is disillusioned'. p.185
February 17, 2019
I like a good psychological suspense now and then and read Rendell's "A Dark-Adapted Eye" and thought it was interesting so I decided to take a chance on this book. The book is really more what I consider a psychological drama with some suspense thrown in. The relationship between Jennie and Stella is well done and I like one aspect of the way the book ends in terms of Jennie's personal life. But I did find the ending a bit disappointing as the build-up to it didn't follow through to a satisfying ending for me. Also, I felt some of the more important characters (like Mike and Gilda) were more caricatures than real people (unlike Jennie and Stella who were real). It almost felt like a situation where the writer had spent all her energy on the two main characters that she sort of neglected two supporting ones who were actually very important supporting characters for the main characters. I did find it still a good read and for Rendell fans who are Vine fans, very enjoyable.
August 9, 2024
Eine Geschichte die erst mal ganz gemütlich Fahrt aufnehmen muss um halbwegs interessant zu sein.
Wir lernen die 32 jährige Jenny kennen, eine verheiratete Altenpflegerin die eine Affäre hat. Sie kümmert sich um die 70 jährige Sterbenskranke Witwe Stella.
Stella hat eine bewegte Vergangenheit die sie im Laufe des Buches mit Jenny teilt. Im Zentrum des ganzen Buches steht ein Haus im Moor das Stella gehört.
Das Buch hat seine eigene Spannung und seinen eigenen Spannungsbogen. Ich habe mich stellenweise sehr gelangweilt und hatte das Gefühl das man ruhig 100 Seiten hat überspringen können und die Geschichte hätte trotzdem noch Sinn gemacht. Vieles war redundant und Jenny ging mir so maximal auf die Nerven von ihrer Art her. Trotzdem war das Buch nicht schlecht geschrieben und hat durch seine Eigenheiten bestochen.
Muss jeder für sich selber wissen.
Wir lernen die 32 jährige Jenny kennen, eine verheiratete Altenpflegerin die eine Affäre hat. Sie kümmert sich um die 70 jährige Sterbenskranke Witwe Stella.
Stella hat eine bewegte Vergangenheit die sie im Laufe des Buches mit Jenny teilt. Im Zentrum des ganzen Buches steht ein Haus im Moor das Stella gehört.
Das Buch hat seine eigene Spannung und seinen eigenen Spannungsbogen. Ich habe mich stellenweise sehr gelangweilt und hatte das Gefühl das man ruhig 100 Seiten hat überspringen können und die Geschichte hätte trotzdem noch Sinn gemacht. Vieles war redundant und Jenny ging mir so maximal auf die Nerven von ihrer Art her. Trotzdem war das Buch nicht schlecht geschrieben und hat durch seine Eigenheiten bestochen.
Muss jeder für sich selber wissen.
June 28, 2017
Not my usual....was beautifully slow, revealing the main characters slowly and almost as an after thought. It's a mystery....kind of. A romance...kind of. A glimpse into two peoples' lives who had secrets upon secrets. Highly recommend.
October 28, 2018
A crafty, smart tale of two women: Jenny, a young nurses aide and Stella, who is facing cancer death. Each have a tale and a mystery that they are hiding but somehow tell to each other. This is good reading, if a little slow, and pretty soon into the story, I anticipated what would be the big reveal but still, it was quite good to read of how two women related over how each handled loveless relationships and the failures of good intentions, hopes and dreams.
May 4, 2022
Will post a proper review when we have proper internet access again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews