The Silence of the Lambs
Ratings257
Average rating4.1
I've read this book more times than I can count and it still manages to give me nightmares.
I actually prefer the movie to the book, but I still ‘enjoyed' reading this one!
A sold 3.8/5. Would have been a 4/5, but the ending (final ~3 chapters) was a hit too clean and theatrically rounded for my liking.
Still, an excellent novel.
Just as good as you'd expect, with more twists, turns, and connections than the movie, and obviously more depth in Agent Starling's character. Worth the read.
First thing, I do not love mysteries or thriller books. I just don't see the appeal. They're just not for me. I appreciate the suspense, but overall, it's not my favorite. The characters are dull, not much character development, and I don't care about the person who was killed, because I haven't spent any time with them. This works better in movies and tv shows for some reason... not exactly sure why, but in books, I just don't care about the core problem or mystery to solve.
I am sure this book was revolutionary and shocking when it first came out. It is creepy and Hannibal Lecter is a fantastic villain who is portrayed so wonderfully. However, I did not find this earth shattering or life changing. It's a fine book, not my vibe, but I wouldn't necessarily tell people to stay away from it.
Haven't ever seen the film. Just my perception of the book.
I feel like a person who watched Episode I of Star Wars before the original trilogy, but I'm doing this whole thing in a pretty weird order... first I watched the Hannibal TV show, then read Red Dragon, then read this, and still haven't seen any of the movies?
That said, from reading the book I can definitely see why the movie has become so iconic. And given Harris's strong plot and characters but.. less strong overall writing... I can definitely see how the movie might be better than the book. I should probably watch that sometime.
I like Starling's character a lot. I came at this book not knowing the story, just the name. It wasn't what I expected, definitely thought it'd be more gruesome. Sadly I think Criminal Minds is to blame for desensitizing me to this book.
A great psychological thriller. Thomas Harris is able to get on the nerves of the reader the most. The most terrifying, dark side of the human mind is revealed in this book. As well as problems like corruption in the law enforcement agencies, problems like interrupting the powerful in everything have also come up. The characterization of the main characters is the best. The character of the serial killer is given a little less prominence, so that Hannibal Lecter can have the lime light. And that character has cracked it. All in all, this book will always stand as one of the best in thriller literature.