I don’t give out 5 star reviews left and right even if it’s a beloved classic, but something in this book gripped me and wouldn’t let go. Fascinating novel with a fascinating voice. Makes me want to read more from this author.

The author Kim Powers recommended this at the '07 Texas Book Festival. Protagonist is self-absorbed, hypercritical, constantly reassessing her situation and inner emotional states, seeming to seek the worst in others and yet maintaining an inner sense of propriety that is heroic under such depressing circumstances. I don't like her, yet I identify with her attitudes towards psychoanalysis, the poor, marriage.

Osella is unforgettable; her enormity and earthy intuition make her an engrossing counterpoint to Ns detachment and cynicism. Characters such as Andrew (her lover), her children, and Gaavy (husband) lack depth.

This one of Johnson older books, written and set in the 70s. A divorced mother of four, the narrator lives in the projects of North Sacramento with her children and a live-in nanny. She is beset by the fear that someone plans to murder her and the book moves among current events and past memories that indicate she may indeed have something to fear. Some of the ideas expressed do not wear well in the 21st century, the children are not much of a presence, and the ending is rather abrupt. The imagery and language the narrator uses to describe her thoughts and fears are vivid and imaginative.

Diane Johnson was contacted by Stanley Kubrick himself to co-write The Shining (1980) with him upon reading this novel, and reading this book in tandem with the film she would later work on displays her very distinguishable writing style. Not an easy book to read, Johnson's way of character interaction is similar to Cormac McCarthy's as she doesn't frequently use quotations but instead accounts from our narrator of what others have said. Though this stylization might be confusing for some I think it enhances the books themes of paranoia shown through our narrator simply referred to as 'N', almost making her an unreliable narrator at times since her distortion of the world influences how she perceives those around her. If you're a fan of Kubrick and would like to understand the influences The Shining had that has made it such a classic in the eyes of many, give this novel a read

I will admit it was hard to get fully into the book in the beginning. About halfway in, I was hooked and when the attacks begun, I wanted to know if she was crazy or if someone was actually targeting her and Eve. When Eve died, I appreciated that she was in more of a state of shock and disbelief. The hunt for who the murderer was had to be the more exciting part of the book. I am greatly disappointed with the end though, because for such a strong and anxious women, she accepted being violated for the mere fact that she wasn't killed. I cannot. That just doesn't sit well with me. Her passive acceptance of what happened in the end.

Diane Johnson seems not be known much these days, but she was one of the best seventies writers and this novel is, arguably, her best. Her writing sparkling and her stories perceptive and engrossing. If you like Margaret Atwood, you'll like Diane Johnson, although you might like Diane Johnson even if you don'tlike Atwood. You really LIKE Johnson's quirky women in distress or maybe more accurate to say,in tough situations.

There is so much to love about this book, but the last 3 pages (!) are miserably disappointing. Truly off the rails. Still I enjoyed reading it.

This is a story of a mother of 4 who has left an unhappy marriage and is struggling to get her feet on the ground. This is dark book with the woman playing detective to find out why a myriad of strange happenings are occuring in her life ( like break-ins, threatening phone calls, etc). I enjoyed the book alot and think it was very well written. Although, I do remember being taken aback a few times.

An early work by Diane Johnson. Worth a read for her fans, and probably a pleasant surprise for those who think she isn't really their cup of tea.

The novel is presented as a woman in peril, Giallo-like crime thriller, but it’s really 300+ pages of a single mom living vicariously through her house keeper’s love drama. These passages, which make up the majority of the novel are startling tone-deaf and very uncomfortable.

Cover of my 1976 Pocket Books mass-market (254 pages). Interestingly, Stanley Kubrick considered adapting this novel instead of The Shining, though he did sort-of make it up to Ms. Johnson by choosing her to co-write the screenplay with him. I'm sure that didn't cause any of King's bitterness toward the film.

I am convinced Ms. Johnson doesn't know how to end a book properly.