What do you think?
Rate this book
Shutter Island
Summer, 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels has come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane. Along with his partner, Chuck Aule, he sets out to find an escaped patient, a murderess named Rachel Solando, as a hurricane bears down upon them.
But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems. Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumors of Ashecliffe's radical approach to psychiatry; an approach that may include drug experimentation, hideous surgical trials, and lethal countermoves in the shadow war against Soviet brainwashing ...Or is there another, more personal reason why he has come there?
As the investigation deepens, the questions only mount. The closer Teddy and Chuck get to the truth, the more elusive it becomes, and the more they begin to believe that they may never leave Shutter Island because someone is trying to drive them insane ...
But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems. Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumors of Ashecliffe's radical approach to psychiatry; an approach that may include drug experimentation, hideous surgical trials, and lethal countermoves in the shadow war against Soviet brainwashing ...Or is there another, more personal reason why he has come there?
As the investigation deepens, the questions only mount. The closer Teddy and Chuck get to the truth, the more elusive it becomes, and the more they begin to believe that they may never leave Shutter Island because someone is trying to drive them insane ...
10 pages, Audiobook
First published April 13, 2003
5047 people are currently reading
195416 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Lehane
79 books14.5k followersDennis Lehane (born Aug 4th, 1966) is an American author. He has written several novels, including the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award winning film, also called Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon (Lehane can be briefly seen waving from a car in the parade scene at the end of the film). The novel was a finalist for the PEN/Winship Award and won the Anthony Award and the Barry Award for Best Novel, the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction, and France's Prix Mystere de la Critique.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 12,494 reviews
May 5, 2020
It's been two months since I've read this book, but I still can't stop thinking about it. In my opinion, it was absolutely perfect. I didn't feel bored for even a single second. The story was fast paced, but not too fast - it had just the right pace.
I fell in love with the characters pretty much right away. I'm not even exactly sure why, all of them just seemed interesting in their own way. Enough of their backstory was given for me to become attached to them and I would love to have even more material with them. (However, I wouldn't actually want to read a sequel. The book ends in the perfect way and any additional scenes would ruin it)
Somehow I was able to avoid spoilers. And I'm so glad I did, because this definitely made the story more exciting and suspenseful. So going into more detail in my review would be pointless. Just read the book and be amazed! (As a side note: The movie is absolutely amazing as well and one of the best book-to-movie adaptions I have ever seen.)
I fell in love with the characters pretty much right away. I'm not even exactly sure why, all of them just seemed interesting in their own way. Enough of their backstory was given for me to become attached to them and I would love to have even more material with them. (However, I wouldn't actually want to read a sequel. The book ends in the perfect way and any additional scenes would ruin it)
Somehow I was able to avoid spoilers. And I'm so glad I did, because this definitely made the story more exciting and suspenseful. So going into more detail in my review would be pointless. Just read the book and be amazed! (As a side note: The movie is absolutely amazing as well and one of the best book-to-movie adaptions I have ever seen.)
October 29, 2025
Two US Marshals walk into a loony bin...
I've never seen the movie, but I knewish the plot.
Even so, I thought this was very cool. Kind of slow when it starts out, but the pace picks up midway through, and the ending is...oh, yeah.
If you somehow don't know, Shutter Island is about a man who is inwardly dealing with the death of his wife, while on assignment as a US Marshal to find out what happened to a patient who has gone missing from an asylum for the criminally insane. At first, it looks like a locked room mystery, but you're soon aware that our narrator might not be on the island for the reasons he's claiming.
Or not just for the reasons he's claiming.
Because something about Shutter Island is not right.
Ok, truthfully? This kind of book isn't my jam. It moved too slowly for me, and a lot of the inner monologue about his wife and his time in the army just bored me to tears. I was also bored by all the conversations he had with his partner. Again, this isn't to say the book isn't well-written, just a fair warning to readers who are like me and prefer a bit more action.
Now, towards the very end of the book, you get all the thrills you could want out of a psychological thriller.
But up till then? Eh.
Still, this did exactly what it was supposed to and hits you upside the head...hard.
Recommended.
I've never seen the movie, but I knewish the plot.
Even so, I thought this was very cool. Kind of slow when it starts out, but the pace picks up midway through, and the ending is...oh, yeah.
If you somehow don't know, Shutter Island is about a man who is inwardly dealing with the death of his wife, while on assignment as a US Marshal to find out what happened to a patient who has gone missing from an asylum for the criminally insane. At first, it looks like a locked room mystery, but you're soon aware that our narrator might not be on the island for the reasons he's claiming.
Or not just for the reasons he's claiming.
Because something about Shutter Island is not right.
Ok, truthfully? This kind of book isn't my jam. It moved too slowly for me, and a lot of the inner monologue about his wife and his time in the army just bored me to tears. I was also bored by all the conversations he had with his partner. Again, this isn't to say the book isn't well-written, just a fair warning to readers who are like me and prefer a bit more action.
Now, towards the very end of the book, you get all the thrills you could want out of a psychological thriller.
But up till then? Eh.
Still, this did exactly what it was supposed to and hits you upside the head...hard.
Recommended.
September 2, 2017
Ashecliffe Hospital sat on the central plain of the island's northwestern side. Sat begnignly, I might add. It looked nothing like a hospital for the criminally insane and even less like the military barracks it had been before that. Its appearance reminded most of us, in point of fact, of a boarding school.
Teddy and Chuck are called out to the island to try and find out what happened to one of the inmates. She just escaped. There really isn't a way she could escape but there you have it.
The whole place is just downright creepy. Teddy is trying his hardest to figure out a code the lady left behind. It was crazy town but it all added up in the end.
We also get flashbacks of Teddy's wife who was killed in a fire and the supposed killer is at this same prison. Hmmmm, too convenient right? Teddy has dreams of his wife and you just plain feel sorry for him.
I have watched the movie several times, but this is the first time reading the book. They are both awesome. I mean talk about a twisted story. The end game blew me right out of the water! It's just too crazy to fathom, but I can see how this could happen to people. I could see how some things could push people right over the edge. And it's not a nice edge to go over.
Awesome book!
Mel ♥
December 7, 2021
Gdybym najpierw nie widziała filmu, dałabym pewnie pięć gwiazdek
April 22, 2024
I have read Mystic River, and this is no Mystic River. It is an interesting novel with a fun twist that I found unbelievable. Many think more of it than I did. I have not seen the film, so can offer no opinion on whether it is better or worse, faithful to the book or not. IMHO, it is LeHane light. feel free to skip it.
image, based on the film, drawn from the site Collider
image, based on the film, drawn from the site Collider
June 25, 2022
I probably belong to the minority who knew neither the book nor the Scorsese film adaptation with Leonardo DiCaprio, because I was envied several times in my status messages for being able to enjoy the story for the first time. What should I write? Obviously you all know the story of U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who is supposed to solve a case in a psychiatric clinic on the island off Boston.
The confusing plot that builds up over the four days on the island, only to be resolved in a gigantic plot twist at the end, is insanely well written and brilliantly constructed. One of the best thrillers I've ever read. Absolute madness, in the truest sense of the word. What you can do with language, how you as a reader have for ideas about the events, how you anticipate things that were never written so and how suddenly your own thought construct begins to waver, but you as a reader hold on to it, want to hold on to it, do not want to admit it, how the plot turns and how you leave the scene at the end completely disturbed again. The Hammer.
------------------------------------
Wahrscheinlich gehöre ich zur Minderheit, die weder das Buch noch die Scorsese-Verfilmung mit Leonardo DiCaprio kannten, denn ich wurde bei meinen Status-Meldungen mehrfach dafür beneidet, dass ich die Geschichte das erste Mal genießen durfte. Was soll ich groß schreiben? Ihr kennt ja offensichtlich alle die Story vom US-Marshal Teddy Daniels, der auf der Insel vor Boston in einer Psychiatrie einen Fall klären soll.
Was sich über die vier Tage auf der Insel an verwirrender Handlung aufbaut, um dann am Ende in einen gigantischen Plottwist aufgelöst zu werden, ist wahnsinnig gut geschrieben und genial aufgebaut. Einer der besten Thriller, den ich je gelesen habe. Der absolute Wahnsinn, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes. Was man mit Sprache alles anstellen kann, wie man als Leser für Vorstellungen über die Ereignisse hat, wie man Dinge vorwegnimmt, die so nie geschrieben wurden und wie plötzlich das eigene Gedankenkonstrukt zu wanken beginnt, man als Leser aber daran festhält, sich festhalten möchte, es nicht wahrhaben möchte, wie sich der Plot dreht und wie man am Ende völlig verstört den Ort des Geschehens wieder verlässt. Der Hammer.
The confusing plot that builds up over the four days on the island, only to be resolved in a gigantic plot twist at the end, is insanely well written and brilliantly constructed. One of the best thrillers I've ever read. Absolute madness, in the truest sense of the word. What you can do with language, how you as a reader have for ideas about the events, how you anticipate things that were never written so and how suddenly your own thought construct begins to waver, but you as a reader hold on to it, want to hold on to it, do not want to admit it, how the plot turns and how you leave the scene at the end completely disturbed again. The Hammer.
------------------------------------
Wahrscheinlich gehöre ich zur Minderheit, die weder das Buch noch die Scorsese-Verfilmung mit Leonardo DiCaprio kannten, denn ich wurde bei meinen Status-Meldungen mehrfach dafür beneidet, dass ich die Geschichte das erste Mal genießen durfte. Was soll ich groß schreiben? Ihr kennt ja offensichtlich alle die Story vom US-Marshal Teddy Daniels, der auf der Insel vor Boston in einer Psychiatrie einen Fall klären soll.
Was sich über die vier Tage auf der Insel an verwirrender Handlung aufbaut, um dann am Ende in einen gigantischen Plottwist aufgelöst zu werden, ist wahnsinnig gut geschrieben und genial aufgebaut. Einer der besten Thriller, den ich je gelesen habe. Der absolute Wahnsinn, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes. Was man mit Sprache alles anstellen kann, wie man als Leser für Vorstellungen über die Ereignisse hat, wie man Dinge vorwegnimmt, die so nie geschrieben wurden und wie plötzlich das eigene Gedankenkonstrukt zu wanken beginnt, man als Leser aber daran festhält, sich festhalten möchte, es nicht wahrhaben möchte, wie sich der Plot dreht und wie man am Ende völlig verstört den Ort des Geschehens wieder verlässt. Der Hammer.
February 5, 2008
The night I finished this, my mind was left reeling from it for a couple of hours and the next day I was unable to get it out of my head.
Shutter Island is a departure from the Kenzie/Gennaro series and
it's one of those novels that will certainly leave you pondering the whole story once you're finished it.
The less you know about the story, the better. Suffice it to say, this is an excellent read and there are very few novels I have read that made my head buzz for hours after.
Don't miss this, read it before the movie comes out.
Shutter Island is a departure from the Kenzie/Gennaro series and
it's one of those novels that will certainly leave you pondering the whole story once you're finished it.
The less you know about the story, the better. Suffice it to say, this is an excellent read and there are very few novels I have read that made my head buzz for hours after.
Don't miss this, read it before the movie comes out.
March 20, 2017
...he hated how fucked up and obscene the world and everything in it had become.
Well... fuck.
I decided to wait for at least one day before writing this review because I needed time to process this book. But even though more than 24 hours passed, I still haven't processed it even a bit.
Not in a long time did I read a book that grabbed me as Shutter Island did. When I was reading this book, and I had to put it down to do some other stuff, it followed me everywhere. When I wasn't reading it, I surely was thinking about it. Shutter Island crawled under my skin, and it will stay there for a long time. Even now, when I finished it, I'm sure that it will be somewhere in the back of my mind for a long time.
I'm not going to say anything about the plot, because I think that this book should be read without knowing anything about it. If you are planning to read this book, just read it without researching what it is about, and have it in mind that even if you guess the twist, don't let that take away the enjoyment of reading it. I guessed one part of the twist somewhere in the middle, but what blew my mind was what that twist did to the characters in the story. Not everything is about the twist.
This was my Lehane's second book (I read Mystic River a while back), and it's definitely my favorite book by him so far. Truly an amazing book, that will stay with me for a long, long time.
Well... fuck.
I decided to wait for at least one day before writing this review because I needed time to process this book. But even though more than 24 hours passed, I still haven't processed it even a bit.
Not in a long time did I read a book that grabbed me as Shutter Island did. When I was reading this book, and I had to put it down to do some other stuff, it followed me everywhere. When I wasn't reading it, I surely was thinking about it. Shutter Island crawled under my skin, and it will stay there for a long time. Even now, when I finished it, I'm sure that it will be somewhere in the back of my mind for a long time.
I'm not going to say anything about the plot, because I think that this book should be read without knowing anything about it. If you are planning to read this book, just read it without researching what it is about, and have it in mind that even if you guess the twist, don't let that take away the enjoyment of reading it. I guessed one part of the twist somewhere in the middle, but what blew my mind was what that twist did to the characters in the story. Not everything is about the twist.
This was my Lehane's second book (I read Mystic River a while back), and it's definitely my favorite book by him so far. Truly an amazing book, that will stay with me for a long, long time.
February 5, 2018
این دیگه چی بود!
اول فیلمش رو دیدم و گفتم کافی نیست. با اینکه محشر بود ولی خیلی ترغیب شدم کتابشو بخونم. برای کتاب هم باید بگم اول ممنون از مقدمه، مقدمه نبود من خیلی چیزا رو نمیفهمیدم. شخصیتپردازیهای عالی، پایانبندی فوقالعاده، دیالوگا. همش داشتم فکر میکردم این داستان قراره چطور تموم شه. بهنظرم پایانبندی براش خیلی سخته. که دیدم چقد هنرمندانه و استادانه تمومش کرد. آخ که چقد عالی بود همهچیش.
July 20, 2019
Muy buen libro. Lástima que en su parte final decaiga y sea tan previsible. No me ha dejado un buen sabor de boca.
A pesar de esto, me ha gustado la localización y consigue meterte de lleno en la historia.
A pesar de esto, me ha gustado la localización y consigue meterte de lleno en la historia.
July 6, 2023
Amazing! This is one of the best psychological thrillers that I’ve read.
Super excited to read more by Dennis Lehane.
Super excited to read more by Dennis Lehane.
August 27, 2015
هیچوقت فیلم، نمی تونه جای کتاب رو بگیره. با خوندن این کتاب، هرچه بیشتر به این نتیجه میرسه آدم
November 30, 2014
I honestly thought my opinion of this book would be greatly influenced by my having seen the film, but it wasn't. I was completely blown away reading this one. This was probably one of the best psychological thrillers I've ever read. I loved how I got confused and then thought I figured it out, but then was totally confused all over again, until right near the end, at which point everything came to light.
January 31, 2022
جزيرة منعزلة
إعصار قوي
غرفة مقفلة
رموز سرية
ومستشفى للأمراض العقلية
في عام 1954 ، يتم ارسال المارشال الأمريكي تيدي دانيلز وشريكه الجديد ، تشيك أولي ، إلى جزيرة شاتر والتي يقع فيها مستشفى أشكليف للجنون الجنائي
جاء الثنائي في البداية للتحقيق في الإختفاء لينتهي بهما الأمر إلى اكتشاف أشياء مختلفة جدًا.
حبكة ليست بسيطة . إنها قصة مربكة ومعقدة تبدأ بالرغبة في العثور على الشخص المفقود ولكنك تدرك أن كل شيء ليس كما يبدو
كلما زاد الوقت الذي يقضيه تيدي وتشيك في الجزيرة
كلما اكتشفوا المزيد من الألغاز
و كلما بدأوا في التساؤل عما إذا كان سيسمح لهما بالرحيل في النهاية.
لم يعجبني الكتاب كثيرًا , و لكن لم يكن سيئ جدًا ، ولكنه ممل بشكل فظيع في أجزاء كبيرة
. لم يحدث شيء لجزء كبير من هذا الكتاب !!
كانت النهاية مثيرة للاهتمام وغير متوقعة , وكيف اجتمع كل شيء معًا.
لذا النهاية بالنسبة لي كانت الجزء الجيد الوحيد في رأيي.
المزعج اني وجدت نفسي محاطة بشعور الإجبار لإنهائه و كان لدي بعض المشاكل مع الرواية .
بدأ الكتاب بطيئًا نوعًا ما ولم أكن متأكدة من أنني سأدخل في الجو. كان تقديم شخصية تيدي تأخذ منحنى ممل.
الفصل الأول و الثاني كانا غارقين في تفاصيل مملة ومضجرة. ربما عرض خلفية الكتاب والرواية مهمة، إلا أنها كانت مملة حقًا.
عانيت حقًا اثناء قراءة اول 120 صفحة بصراحة ... وحتى في الأجزاء التالية ، وجدت أجزاءًا فيها نتوءات في السرد ...
الترجمة ؟ يالله ما ابشعها , صفحات الكتاب أصلا كبيرة جدًا ومحشوة والمترجمة لم تكلف نفسه عناء التبسيط وتم ترجمة كلمات كثيرة بشكل غبي
اقلها المترجمة لم تستطع ترجمة اسم (رايتشل ) بشكل صحيح فترجمتها لإسم (راشايال) الترجمة حرفيًا كانت سيئة بالنسبة لي واستغرب كيف لدار نشر كبيرة مثل العربية للعلوم ناشرون ان لاتتحقق بكفاءة ترجمة كتاب مشهور مثل هذا
صراحة الكتاب بالنسبة لي over rated
كنت أحسب أن الكتب دائمًا أفضل من الفيلم. ولكن هنا حدث العكس , الفيلم كان رائع وممتع وأداء ليونارديو ديكابريو المبدع أضاف متعة للفيلم والرواية كانت مملة مثيرة للنعاس والضجر
.
كلما اقترب تيدي و تشيك من الحقيقة ، أصبح الأمر بعيد المنال ، وكلما بدأوا في الاعتقاد بأنهم قد لا يغادرون جزيرة شاتر. لأن شخصًا ما يحاول دفعهم إلى الجنون. ولكن قد تكون كل الحقائق هنا مجرد أوهام !! ويكونوا هم اصلا مجانيين
October 14, 2024
A thinking man's page turner!
Fear, obsession, paranoia...Dennis Lehane's SHUTTER ISLAND is the stuff nightmares are made of. It is noir psychological suspense at its finest. An isolated island, a raging hurricane, a locked room, secret codes, a mental hospital, rumors of mysterious medical experiments frame the story.
It is a scary, deceptive, disorienting, complex story grounded in the reality of the times...cold war USA in 1954 ("I like Ike").
Mr. Lehane weaves many threads throughout the unpredictable plot. The set up is thorough and the characters are fully developed. The twists and turns play havoc with your mind.
The unexpected is the norm...a couple of times I was able to figure something out a page and a half before it was revealed, but that was rare. The ending is unguessable.
Immediately upon finishing, I reread the prologue and final chapter...and will read this book again. I have not been so dumbfounded by an ending since William Diehl's PRIMAL FEAR.
SHUTTER ISLAND is etched in my memory.
Paul Weiss
Fear, obsession, paranoia...Dennis Lehane's SHUTTER ISLAND is the stuff nightmares are made of. It is noir psychological suspense at its finest. An isolated island, a raging hurricane, a locked room, secret codes, a mental hospital, rumors of mysterious medical experiments frame the story.
It is a scary, deceptive, disorienting, complex story grounded in the reality of the times...cold war USA in 1954 ("I like Ike").
Mr. Lehane weaves many threads throughout the unpredictable plot. The set up is thorough and the characters are fully developed. The twists and turns play havoc with your mind.
The unexpected is the norm...a couple of times I was able to figure something out a page and a half before it was revealed, but that was rare. The ending is unguessable.
Immediately upon finishing, I reread the prologue and final chapter...and will read this book again. I have not been so dumbfounded by an ending since William Diehl's PRIMAL FEAR.
SHUTTER ISLAND is etched in my memory.
Paul Weiss
September 15, 2024
It's been a few days since I finished this mind F##K of a book, and I can't stop thinking about it. My wife would say it's crossed the line from "thinking about it" to obsessing about it, but, what the hell does she know? This book crawls under your skin, it burrows in on page one and stays there. The characters become your life. They're your friends, your enemies, your lovers, your past, your present, and your future. The only thing that matters to you is getting off this damn island!!! You feel yourself getting further and further from sanity. The edges of reality are blurred from the beginning and flat-out gone by the end.
Shutter Island gets under your skin to say the least. It's not so much a book as it is an experience!! You are a US Marshall with your new partner, the legendary Teddy Daniels. You are there to investigate a simple case of an escaped insane asylum patient. Things go wrong along the way and the previously well-defined line between right and wrong, good and evil, sane and inane isn't so well defined anymore. In the end your left with more questions than answers. Prepare yourself for that painful unresolved feeling you are going to be left with at the end and clear your calendar for a few days post-reading to help resolve those feelings.
Shutter Island gets under your skin to say the least. It's not so much a book as it is an experience!! You are a US Marshall with your new partner, the legendary Teddy Daniels. You are there to investigate a simple case of an escaped insane asylum patient. Things go wrong along the way and the previously well-defined line between right and wrong, good and evil, sane and inane isn't so well defined anymore. In the end your left with more questions than answers. Prepare yourself for that painful unresolved feeling you are going to be left with at the end and clear your calendar for a few days post-reading to help resolve those feelings.
March 26, 2017
Another in your face, gritty, and extremely well written book by Dennis Lehane. He does such a great job with character development and keeping things smoothly developing from its origins. Very well done.
March 20, 2022
I watched the movie ten years ago, and remember I loved it. Finally I read the book, and as always I felt even more connected to the characters when I had the chance to visit their minds. I loved the mystic atmosphere which was perfectly built up with the storm as a background. The nightmares and headaches also set the stage for me feeling unsettled. I loved the ending, which I had forgotten after seeing the movie.
September 26, 2018
هرگز فکر نمیکردم که این کتاب رو در دوره آموزشی خدمت سربازی بخونم.
حدود صد صفحه این کتاب رو ساعت دو و نیم بعد شب در حال گشت زنی در وسط بیابونای بیرجند خوندم زمانی که هوا نزدیک به 10 درجه بود و انواع جک و جونورهای موذی هم در رفت و آمد بودند.
خوندن این کتاب پشت سیم خاردار حال عجیب تری داره .
توصیفات نویسنده و شخصیت پردازیش فوق العاده است. همچنین پیچش داستانی انتهای کتاب واقعا غیرمنتظره بود.
اگر هنوز نخوندینش حتما توصیه میشه و حتما حتما حتما اگه میخواید برید سراغ نسخه سینماییش اول بخونیدش.
4.5/5
حدود صد صفحه این کتاب رو ساعت دو و نیم بعد شب در حال گشت زنی در وسط بیابونای بیرجند خوندم زمانی که هوا نزدیک به 10 درجه بود و انواع جک و جونورهای موذی هم در رفت و آمد بودند.
خوندن این کتاب پشت سیم خاردار حال عجیب تری داره .
توصیفات نویسنده و شخصیت پردازیش فوق العاده است. همچنین پیچش داستانی انتهای کتاب واقعا غیرمنتظره بود.
اگر هنوز نخوندینش حتما توصیه میشه و حتما حتما حتما اگه میخواید برید سراغ نسخه سینماییش اول بخونیدش.
4.5/5
April 18, 2018
Magistral! Una historia muy pero muy adictiva. Negra. Amarga. Creíble en su locura. Excelente.... Sin duda seguiré a este autor de muy cerca.
July 26, 2015
What a terrific supense novel by Denis Lehane. Even though I had seen the movie many years ago I had always wanted to read the book and was so glad I did as I had forgotten the plot anyhow and the book proved to be so well written and intriguing that it had me on the edge of my seat.
The novel is set of the Massachusette's coast in an army facility turned hopital for the criminally insane. This book is full of twists and turns and really packs a punch. I loved the fact theat the author at the very begining of the story plunges the reader right in and you really get caught up in the drama of shutter Island right from the onset.
I dont want to give too much away about this truly absorbing book but I did loose myself in the characters and the happenings on the Shutter Island. Its a novel thats is well paced and thought out and certainly well worth a read.
The novel is set of the Massachusette's coast in an army facility turned hopital for the criminally insane. This book is full of twists and turns and really packs a punch. I loved the fact theat the author at the very begining of the story plunges the reader right in and you really get caught up in the drama of shutter Island right from the onset.
I dont want to give too much away about this truly absorbing book but I did loose myself in the characters and the happenings on the Shutter Island. Its a novel thats is well paced and thought out and certainly well worth a read.
November 6, 2011
An isolated island, a raging hurricane, a locked room, secret codes, a mental hospital, and rumors of mysterious medical experiments frame the story. Written in a very different style compared to Lehane's previous novels Mystic river and Gone baby gone. The plot is not the simplest of plots, i was scratching my head intrigued because the story flips through past present and surreal. It is a disorienting, complex story grounded in the reality of the times...cold war USA in 1954. From pondering over the story carefully i find myself laughing now at how Lehane whipped and twisted the story until you are dumb founded just when you think you solved it you realize the opposite. You sense the feeling of being cheated in the story because when you start you set out wanting to finding the missing person but realize all is not what it seems, well i have to take my hat of to Lehane's creativity.
http://more2read.com/?review=shutter-island-by-dennis-lehane
May 21, 2021
Did Bird Box or Dark Matter mess with your brain ? Ha ! This one is the best. Total mind melt. I had no idea it was a movie. I can't wait. I loved this book and I love Dennis Lehane as a new author I have found. How do they think about that stuff? Are they crazy? I couldn't sleep at night. It's that good and eerie. Shudder !!
I highly recommend for eerie suspense with lots of twists and turns
I highly recommend for eerie suspense with lots of twists and turns
November 2, 2023
English version below
*****************
Was für ein phantastisches Buch, das die Spannung eines Thrillers mit einem Blick auf die psychiatrischen Methoden der 50er Jahre kombiniert.
Ich war bis zum letzten Viertel des Buches in Zweifel, wie genau die Geschichte zu interpretieren ist und von der Geschichte unheimlich gefangen.
Neben der großen Spannung und dem dadurch entstehenden hohen Unterhaltungswert liefert das Buch auch jede Menge Denkansätze zu Themen wie Psychiatrische Therapien, Psychiatrie im Wandel, Rassismus, vollkommenes Ausblenden psychischer Erkrankungen (ich bin doch nicht verrückt) und toxische Männlichkeitsbilder.
Ein sehr empfehlenswertes Buch, dass seine 5 Sterne mehr als verdient hat.
----------------
What a fantastic book, combining the suspense of a thriller with a look at the psychiatric methods of the 1950s.
I was in doubt about how exactly to interpret the story until the last quarter of the book and incredibly caught up in the story.
In addition to the great suspense and the resulting high entertainment value, the book also provides plenty of food for thought on topics such as psychiatric therapies, psychiatry in transition, racism, completely ignoring mental illness (I'm not crazy after all) and toxic images of masculinity.
A highly recommended book that more than deserves its 5 stars.
*****************
Was für ein phantastisches Buch, das die Spannung eines Thrillers mit einem Blick auf die psychiatrischen Methoden der 50er Jahre kombiniert.
Ich war bis zum letzten Viertel des Buches in Zweifel, wie genau die Geschichte zu interpretieren ist und von der Geschichte unheimlich gefangen.
Neben der großen Spannung und dem dadurch entstehenden hohen Unterhaltungswert liefert das Buch auch jede Menge Denkansätze zu Themen wie Psychiatrische Therapien, Psychiatrie im Wandel, Rassismus, vollkommenes Ausblenden psychischer Erkrankungen (ich bin doch nicht verrückt) und toxische Männlichkeitsbilder.
Ein sehr empfehlenswertes Buch, dass seine 5 Sterne mehr als verdient hat.
----------------
What a fantastic book, combining the suspense of a thriller with a look at the psychiatric methods of the 1950s.
I was in doubt about how exactly to interpret the story until the last quarter of the book and incredibly caught up in the story.
In addition to the great suspense and the resulting high entertainment value, the book also provides plenty of food for thought on topics such as psychiatric therapies, psychiatry in transition, racism, completely ignoring mental illness (I'm not crazy after all) and toxic images of masculinity.
A highly recommended book that more than deserves its 5 stars.
May 3, 2022
Shutter Island is a gold mine when it comes to locations. It's isolated, vast, mysterious, and creepy as all hell. Teddy and Chuck instantly have great chemistry together, which makes them easy to love. They take you on a wild ride as they attempt to crack the various mysteries. Their witnesses are disgruntled employees and an island full of mental patients. The odds are definitely stacked against them, which makes the reader root for them the entire time to make sense of the senseless.
The twists and turns don't stop until the final page. The author does a great job of hiding clues in plain sight that you will only pick up on on the second time around. It's a lot of fun revisiting for that reason. In my case, I watched the movie first then read the book. Experience it in both formats. It doesn't matter which you do first.
The twists and turns don't stop until the final page. The author does a great job of hiding clues in plain sight that you will only pick up on on the second time around. It's a lot of fun revisiting for that reason. In my case, I watched the movie first then read the book. Experience it in both formats. It doesn't matter which you do first.
June 2, 2017
I read this book for my hometown book club. Surprisingly, I have never heard of Shutter Island, but now after reading this book I will have to check out the movie too.
I was hoping for this book to be much better than it was. Even after reading it I feel it could have been but there were soooo many twists and turns I couldn't keep up. I love when books catch you by surprise or completely change. However, this book was not executed well and had too many twists and turns that the author didn't execute them well.
The main character, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, and his partner, Chuck Aule, take a boat to Shutter Island. This is the Hospital for the Criminally Insane and they were requested to come to investigate the escape and find one of a patient.
I was hoping for this book to be much better than it was. Even after reading it I feel it could have been but there were soooo many twists and turns I couldn't keep up. I love when books catch you by surprise or completely change. However, this book was not executed well and had too many twists and turns that the author didn't execute them well.
The main character, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, and his partner, Chuck Aule, take a boat to Shutter Island. This is the Hospital for the Criminally Insane and they were requested to come to investigate the escape and find one of a patient.
July 13, 2024
تلخ، تاریک و تکاندهنده
در مورد رمانهای معمایی/جنایی نویسنده باید اجزای داستان را با مهندسی هنرمندانهای بچیند.
ذهن خواننده هنگام خواندن اینگونه داستانها مدام در حال پیشبینی و حدس زدن است و نویسنده موقعی میتواند در نوشتن داستانش موفق باشد که ذهن خواننده را به شیوهی باکیفیتی به بازی بگیرد.
یک چرخش داستانِ (plot twist) خوب، موقعی برای خواننده لذتبخش است که مقدماتش به خوبی پایهریزی شده باشد، مثل غافلگیریهای کوچکی که در طول این داستان میبینیم، و غافلگیریِ نهایی، که برخلاف فرضیهها و حدسهای بیشترِ خوانندگان است.
دنیس لیهان کارش را در این کتاب استادانه انجام داده است. او همچون مهندسی تکههای پازل داستان را طوری در کنار هم چیده که هر تکه پازل بر تلاش ذهنی خواننده برای حل مشکل داستان بیفزاید و همچون هنرمندی بزرگ، از این اجزای کوچک تصویری پدید آورده که در نهایت خواننده میتواند از دیدن آن لذت ببرد.
او نظرات فلسفی و روانشناسانهاش را با ظرافتی در دل داستان گذاشته که توی چشم نمیزند. مسئلهای که مشکل بسیاری از رمانهای امروزی است و انگار گاهی داستان وسیلهای است برای بیان کلمات قصار نویسنده.
اما اینجا میبینیم که نظرات نویسنده و جملات تکاندهندهاش، کاملا در خدمت داستاناند.
خلاصه که اگر به دنبال داستان نسبتاً دارک در ژانر معمایی هستید که تعلیق خوبی داشته باشد، هیجانانگیز باشد، ذهنتان را به بازی بگیرد و مشغول کند، مشتاق زودتر خواندنش باشید و با چرخش داستان غافلگیرتان کند و در عین حال عمق فلسفی-روانشناسی هم داشته باشد، این کتاب گزینهی مناسبی برای شماست.
داستان از آنجا شروع میشود که تدی و چاک، دو مارشال آمریکایی برای تحقیق در مورد فرار یکی از بیماران بستری در بیمارستان جزیرهی شاتر، عازم جزیره میشوند، جزیرهای که پر از خطرناکترین بیماران روانی در کشور است. همزمان شایعات بدی در مورد آزمایشهای انجام شده روی بیماران جزیره به گوش میرسد...
ترجیح میدهم دربارهی داستان بیش از این حرف نزنم چون به نظرم در مورد این کتاب، مهم است که داستان برای خواننده لو نرود.
دربارهی فیلم
فیلم ساختهی مارتین اسکورسیزی در سال ۲۰۱۰، اقتباسی نسبتاً وفادار به کتاب است. با این حال همچون بسیاری از فیلمهای اقتباسی، از نظر من نتوانسته حق مطلب را ادا کند. کتاب دارای افکار پیچیدهی شخصیتها به خصوص تدی و زمینههای روانشناسی است که در فیلم چندان عمیق به آنها پرداخته نشده است.
با وجود بازی قابل قبول لئوناردو دیکاپریو در نقش تدی در فیلم، به نظرم او کمی از توصیفهای نویسنده در کتاب فاصله دارد. در کتاب، تدی مردی قد بلند، عضلانی و با چهرهای خشن توصیف میشود که ترومای جنگ را پشت سر گذاشته و این تروما در رفتار و افکار و خشونت ظاهری او تاثیر گذاشته است. ولی دیکاپریو برای این نقش کمی بیش از حد گوگولی است!
به نظرم حتی اگر از فیلم لذت بردهاید ولی کتاب را نخواندهاید، هنوز ظرایف و پیچیدگیهای قابل توجهی در کتاب وجود دارد که بتوانید نسبت به فیلم عمیقتر و بیشتر از آنها لذت ببرید.
در ضمن همانطور که در مقدمهی کتاب هم آمده است، پایان فیلم تفاوت ظریفی با پایان کتاب دارد که این تفاوت هم در نوع خود جالب توجه است.
دربارهی ترجمه
کتاب ترجمهی خوبی دارد. نشر چشمه با روشهای خاصش توانسته کار را با کمترین سانسور دربیاورد.
در ضمن یکی از فایدههای خواندن ترجمه، مقدمهی مترجم است که توضیحات خوبی دربارهی پیشزمینههای اجتماعی/سیاسی داستان داده است (کمونیسم در آمریکا، مککارتیسم، و آزمایشهای هولناک روی انسانها) و مرا از نوشتن و شما را از خواندن یکی دیگر از ریویوهای طولانی من بینیاز کرده است! در عین حال من با همهی نظرات شخصی مترجم در مقدمهی کتاب (به خصوص دربارهی ذات آلوده و مجنون و مریض انسان!) موافق نیستم.
در مورد رمانهای معمایی/جنایی نویسنده باید اجزای داستان را با مهندسی هنرمندانهای بچیند.
ذهن خواننده هنگام خواندن اینگونه داستانها مدام در حال پیشبینی و حدس زدن است و نویسنده موقعی میتواند در نوشتن داستانش موفق باشد که ذهن خواننده را به شیوهی باکیفیتی به بازی بگیرد.
یک چرخش داستانِ (plot twist) خوب، موقعی برای خواننده لذتبخش است که مقدماتش به خوبی پایهریزی شده باشد، مثل غافلگیریهای کوچکی که در طول این داستان میبینیم، و غافلگیریِ نهایی، که برخلاف فرضیهها و حدسهای بیشترِ خوانندگان است.
دنیس لیهان کارش را در این کتاب استادانه انجام داده است. او همچون مهندسی تکههای پازل داستان را طوری در کنار هم چیده که هر تکه پازل بر تلاش ذهنی خواننده برای حل مشکل داستان بیفزاید و همچون هنرمندی بزرگ، از این اجزای کوچک تصویری پدید آورده که در نهایت خواننده میتواند از دیدن آن لذت ببرد.
او نظرات فلسفی و روانشناسانهاش را با ظرافتی در دل داستان گذاشته که توی چشم نمیزند. مسئلهای که مشکل بسیاری از رمانهای امروزی است و انگار گاهی داستان وسیلهای است برای بیان کلمات قصار نویسنده.
اما اینجا میبینیم که نظرات نویسنده و جملات تکاندهندهاش، کاملا در خدمت داستاناند.
خلاصه که اگر به دنبال داستان نسبتاً دارک در ژانر معمایی هستید که تعلیق خوبی داشته باشد، هیجانانگیز باشد، ذهنتان را به بازی بگیرد و مشغول کند، مشتاق زودتر خواندنش باشید و با چرخش داستان غافلگیرتان کند و در عین حال عمق فلسفی-روانشناسی هم داشته باشد، این کتاب گزینهی مناسبی برای شماست.
داستان از آنجا شروع میشود که تدی و چاک، دو مارشال آمریکایی برای تحقیق در مورد فرار یکی از بیماران بستری در بیمارستان جزیرهی شاتر، عازم جزیره میشوند، جزیرهای که پر از خطرناکترین بیماران روانی در کشور است. همزمان شایعات بدی در مورد آزمایشهای انجام شده روی بیماران جزیره به گوش میرسد...
ترجیح میدهم دربارهی داستان بیش از این حرف نزنم چون به نظرم در مورد این کتاب، مهم است که داستان برای خواننده لو نرود.
دربارهی فیلم
فیلم ساختهی مارتین اسکورسیزی در سال ۲۰۱۰، اقتباسی نسبتاً وفادار به کتاب است. با این حال همچون بسیاری از فیلمهای اقتباسی، از نظر من نتوانسته حق مطلب را ادا کند. کتاب دارای افکار پیچیدهی شخصیتها به خصوص تدی و زمینههای روانشناسی است که در فیلم چندان عمیق به آنها پرداخته نشده است.
با وجود بازی قابل قبول لئوناردو دیکاپریو در نقش تدی در فیلم، به نظرم او کمی از توصیفهای نویسنده در کتاب فاصله دارد. در کتاب، تدی مردی قد بلند، عضلانی و با چهرهای خشن توصیف میشود که ترومای جنگ را پشت سر گذاشته و این تروما در رفتار و افکار و خشونت ظاهری او تاثیر گذاشته است. ولی دیکاپریو برای این نقش کمی بیش از حد گوگولی است!
به نظرم حتی اگر از فیلم لذت بردهاید ولی کتاب را نخواندهاید، هنوز ظرایف و پیچیدگیهای قابل توجهی در کتاب وجود دارد که بتوانید نسبت به فیلم عمیقتر و بیشتر از آنها لذت ببرید.
در ضمن همانطور که در مقدمهی کتاب هم آمده است، پایان فیلم تفاوت ظریفی با پایان کتاب دارد که این تفاوت هم در نوع خود جالب توجه است.
دربارهی ترجمه
کتاب ترجمهی خوبی دارد. نشر چشمه با روشهای خاصش توانسته کار را با کمترین سانسور دربیاورد.
در ضمن یکی از فایدههای خواندن ترجمه، مقدمهی مترجم است که توضیحات خوبی دربارهی پیشزمینههای اجتماعی/سیاسی داستان داده است (کمونیسم در آمریکا، مککارتیسم، و آزمایشهای هولناک روی انسانها) و مرا از نوشتن و شما را از خواندن یکی دیگر از ریویوهای طولانی من بینیاز کرده است! در عین حال من با همهی نظرات شخصی مترجم در مقدمهی کتاب (به خصوص دربارهی ذات آلوده و مجنون و مریض انسان!) موافق نیستم.
November 11, 2024
Me ha gustado, ha habido alguna parte que no entendía bien, pero al final todo se va aclarando y la tensión ha ido en aumento.
La ambientación ha estado muy bien y los protagonistas también, aunque realmente solamente conocemos en profundidad al principal, Teddy.
Y que final!!! Muy bueno.
Me ha recordado a "los renglones torcidos de Dios".
A por la película!!
Valoración: 9/10
Sinopsis: Verano de 1954. El agente federal Teddy Daniels llega a Shutter Island, isla en la que esta ubicado el hospital Ashecliffe, un centro penitenciario para enfermos mentales. Junto con su compañero, Chuck Aule, se propone encontrar a una paciente desaparecida, una asesina llamada Rachel Solando, a medida que un huracán azota la isla. No obstante, nada es lo que parece en el hospital Ashecliffe. Y Teddy Daniels tampoco. ¿Ha ido hasta allá para encontrar a una paciente desaparecida? ¿O le han enviado para investigar los rumores acerca de los radicales todos psiquiátricos que se utilizan en esa institución? Unos métodos que posiblemente incluyan la experimentación con drogas, pruebas quirúrgicas terribles, contraataques mortales en la guerra encubierta en contra de los lavados de cerebro soviéticos...
# 33. Un libro con un narrador poco fiable. Reto Popsugar 2024
La ambientación ha estado muy bien y los protagonistas también, aunque realmente solamente conocemos en profundidad al principal, Teddy.
Y que final!!! Muy bueno.
Me ha recordado a "los renglones torcidos de Dios".
A por la película!!
Valoración: 9/10
Sinopsis: Verano de 1954. El agente federal Teddy Daniels llega a Shutter Island, isla en la que esta ubicado el hospital Ashecliffe, un centro penitenciario para enfermos mentales. Junto con su compañero, Chuck Aule, se propone encontrar a una paciente desaparecida, una asesina llamada Rachel Solando, a medida que un huracán azota la isla. No obstante, nada es lo que parece en el hospital Ashecliffe. Y Teddy Daniels tampoco. ¿Ha ido hasta allá para encontrar a una paciente desaparecida? ¿O le han enviado para investigar los rumores acerca de los radicales todos psiquiátricos que se utilizan en esa institución? Unos métodos que posiblemente incluyan la experimentación con drogas, pruebas quirúrgicas terribles, contraataques mortales en la guerra encubierta en contra de los lavados de cerebro soviéticos...
# 33. Un libro con un narrador poco fiable. Reto Popsugar 2024
February 21, 2019
Thriller A Thon: Revisit an author or book.
Jar of Death Pick # 11(7th finished)
I tried to read this book years ago but after about 50 pages I lost interest. I broke my rule in this case because I watched the movie first. I have seen every Leonardo DiCaprio movie so I just decided to see the movie and then eventually get around to the book.
Flash Forward 10 years I finally read the book!
First can we all agree that Shutter Island is a great name for a spooky book.
Shutter Island takes place on Shutter Island which houses the Ashecliff Hospital for the Criminally Insane, in 1954. A U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels comes to the island to investigate the disappearance of a patient. While there he quickly comes to believe that all is not as it seems.
Since I had already watched the movie I knew the big twist but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book(I guessed it when I saw the movie). Shutter Island is the kind of book that could easily have started with "It was a dark and stormy night". The atmosphere of the book was super eerie and it helped that yesterday which is when I read the bulk of this book it was dark and rainy outside.
I had fun reading this book and I can't wait to rewatch the movie.
Jar of Death Pick # 11(7th finished)
I tried to read this book years ago but after about 50 pages I lost interest. I broke my rule in this case because I watched the movie first. I have seen every Leonardo DiCaprio movie so I just decided to see the movie and then eventually get around to the book.
Flash Forward 10 years I finally read the book!
First can we all agree that Shutter Island is a great name for a spooky book.
Shutter Island takes place on Shutter Island which houses the Ashecliff Hospital for the Criminally Insane, in 1954. A U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels comes to the island to investigate the disappearance of a patient. While there he quickly comes to believe that all is not as it seems.
Since I had already watched the movie I knew the big twist but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book(I guessed it when I saw the movie). Shutter Island is the kind of book that could easily have started with "It was a dark and stormy night". The atmosphere of the book was super eerie and it helped that yesterday which is when I read the bulk of this book it was dark and rainy outside.
I had fun reading this book and I can't wait to rewatch the movie.
March 29, 2017
Good lord, I was not expecting that! Heck of a good read, in my book!
Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island started off well for me and my tastes. Federal Marshals going into an insane asylum/prison on an inescapable island in Massachusetts during post-WWII to find a missing crazy woman, who apparently escaped. Love the setting, the characters, everything!
From here on out this review contains all kinds of spoilers, so you just stop right here, Miss I-Haven't-Read-This-But-Plan-To.
The set-up story roped me in. It took me far too long to figure out what was going on. I caught the signs Lehane shoved my why, but I willfully ignored them. Yes, looking back on them, I ignored them like a step-child.
Though the anagrams, the numbers, and then the very obvious prophetic dreams all stuck in the back of my head and told me that thins weren't as they seemed, I ignored them all in favor of trying to figure out Rachel Solando's impossible escape.
In my defense, I didn't know a thing about the book before reading it. I know people loved it, so I intentionally avoided spoilers. Glad I did!
It felt inventive to me. Maybe others weren't so fooled, but I was and I'm okay with that. I was taken in and frankly, I love it! I'm glad a book can still dupe me like that. Probably if I read more psychological thrillers I wouldn't be so impressed. But I am. 5 Stars!
Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island started off well for me and my tastes. Federal Marshals going into an insane asylum/prison on an inescapable island in Massachusetts during post-WWII to find a missing crazy woman, who apparently escaped. Love the setting, the characters, everything!
From here on out this review contains all kinds of spoilers, so you just stop right here, Miss I-Haven't-Read-This-But-Plan-To.
The set-up story roped me in. It took me far too long to figure out what was going on. I caught the signs Lehane shoved my why, but I willfully ignored them. Yes, looking back on them, I ignored them like a step-child.
Though the anagrams, the numbers, and then the very obvious prophetic dreams all stuck in the back of my head and told me that thins weren't as they seemed, I ignored them all in favor of trying to figure out Rachel Solando's impossible escape.
In my defense, I didn't know a thing about the book before reading it. I know people loved it, so I intentionally avoided spoilers. Glad I did!
It felt inventive to me. Maybe others weren't so fooled, but I was and I'm okay with that. I was taken in and frankly, I love it! I'm glad a book can still dupe me like that. Probably if I read more psychological thrillers I wouldn't be so impressed. But I am. 5 Stars!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 12,494 reviews