The Collector in Pick-a-Shelf

Feb 13, 2017 Sam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, proper-books, classics

This is the second time I've read this and it is just as good if not better this time around as more of the subtle details of Frederick's twisted and unstable character become visible, not to mention Miranda's character flaws. The story is just as disturbing, if not more as real life stories have come to light since I first read it, making this all the more real and horrifying as a result. The use of two different view points is just as good as before and really does capture both sides of the sa ...more

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Nov 12, 2010 Sam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, horror, proper-books

Was lent this book by a friend and oh how glad I am that she did. The title and cover my be seemingly safe and normal the story itself is not, it is chilling, a real gets-beneath-your-skin-and-grows story. It starts with the awkward and socially inadequate Fredrick Clegg as he wins a fortune and begins to dream what he could do with it. He starts with expanding his butterfly collection, then moves on to photography (at first just butterflies but later couples enjoying an intimate moment or two), Was lent this book by a friend and oh how glad I am that she did. The title and cover my be seemingly safe and normal the story itself is not, it is chilling, a real gets-beneath-your-skin-and-grows story. It starts with the awkward and socially inadequate Fredrick Clegg as he wins a fortune and begins to dream what he could do with it. He starts with expanding his butterfly collection, then moves on to photography (at first just butterflies but later couples enjoying an intimate moment or two), all the while he dreams of Miranda, a young art student who caught his eye before his big win. Eventually his collecting skills are put to a more macabre use by 'collecting' Miranda herself. And so begins a tale of tension, suspense, terror, joy, frustration and fear as they pitch their wits against each other, one trying to escape the other trying to prevent it.

Fowles writes first as the socially inept Clegg as he works towards his goal of 'having' Miranda and how he deals with the situation when he gets what he wants. At times you feel pity and sympathy for Clegg as his inadequacies take over and his dreams are shattered while at others you dispise him for the monster he is. Even by the end of the story Fowles keeps you in two minds about how you really feel about Clegg, do you hate him or pity him, fear him or sympathise with him... Halfway through Fowles swithes view and writes as Miranda, in the form of a diary she kept to keep herself sane. This shows the stresses, strains and terrors of her situation in gritty reality but none-the-less her own attitudes to Clegg and people in general at times makes you feel less sympathetic than you should. Fowles portrays her as a real human being with flaws rather than showing her as the typical innocent damsel-in-distress, which adds to the drama and depth of the story.

Although the change of narrator and the fact that Miranda's narration covers the same events as Clegg's is not to everyones taste, I personally thought it added a lot to the story and it allowed the reader to immerse themselves fully in whichever character they were reading rather than switching back and for between the two. The end of the tale is quietly dramatic and leaves you feeling a little unsatisfied but in a way that makes the story all the more chilling. A fantastic page turner that will have you looking over your shoulder and sleeping with the lights on. ...more

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May 29, 2015 Marie (UK) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2015-reading-challenge

i should have been blown way by this book - well according to all the 4 and 5 star reviews i should. It just did not float my boat, the same story is told twice once from the sociopaths, whining, "i did her no harm" point of view and once through the diary of the socialite - more whining. Essentially you read half a book then read the same half again. Then you are brought up to date and left with the possibility of more. ...more

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Nov 14, 2007 Joanna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001, 2007-read

I really enjoyed reading this book. This is the first book by Fowles that I've read, but I'll definitely look for some of his other books. The author managed the shift in perspective from the captor to the victim deftly and was able to narrate convincingly in both voices. ...more

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