Customer Reviews
I'm putting this straight into the recycle bin ! - By: Lala B, 30 Aug 2006 
This is an abysmal book, filled with jarring writing such as 'it was axiomatic' or 'the room invariably induced a sort of spiritual claustrophobia', worse still is the thought of an Irish itinerant saying it was 'a kosher contract' or 'she & I were mates'.It shows the author really hasn't thought about whether or not her characters sound authentic. Most Irish people would never use that kind of jargon.Badly written, not credible, brave of the author to attempt to tackle the subject matter but I get the feeling that this was writtenin a rush without any real thought to making it flow. It could work but for me it certainly didn't. Such a disappointment.
The Tinder Box - By: Rich Milligan, 12 Feb 2006 
“The Tinder Box” is a short novella by the fabulous Minette Walters & by her own admissionin the notes at the start of the book revisits some of the themes of prejudice, bigotry & vigilantism that she has returned toin other books of hers.
As you would expectin a novella everything is compacted here & this makes the story all the more direct & to the point. There’s no time wastedin lengthy descriptions or passages taken with only getting to know the characters. We’re immediately plunged into the crime & the subsequent punishment meted out, rightly or wrongly.
Siobhan Lavenham is the Irish lady living with her husband & two small boysin the small rural Hampshire village of Sowerbridge. When another village resident, Lavinia Fanshaw, an old lady & her live-in nurse are murdered the eyes of suspicion fall on Patrick O’Riordan an Irish labourer. As Patrick is taken into custody to stand trial the other villagers begin to turn against Patrick’s parents. Malicious phone calls to the O’Riordans are made & vicious graffiti starts to appear on their property. Only Siobhan appears to stand by them & she is convinced the authorities are ignoring the threats & fears that the attacks on the O’Riordans may get more serious.
This is the first novella of Minette Walters’ that I have read so I was a little surprised at how condensed the book is. Obviously by its very nature a novella is short but as I enjoy her writing so much I was disappointed with the overall content. That said, you do have to respect the book for the skill it is written with & how Mrs Walters has pared the book down to its bare bones & yet has still crafted a very effecting & thoughtful composition.
Short, sharp, shocking - By: , 25 Nov 2004 
I loved this. After being a bit disappointed with her last few books, I came nervously to this, but needn't really have worried. It's a novella encompassing several simialr themes to those of her latest work, but it does it better &in less space, too. It's short, sharp, shocking & very, very good. Being so short, it forces Minette to hone this prose-style of hers so that every word is deftly place & has its effect, moving the story along smoothly. It's a masterclass of succinctity, & I enjoyed it very much indeed. I reccomend it highly. All I can say to people who were confused by the occasional time-shifts is, What? Come on! It's hardly rocket science to be able to hold two temporal strandsin your mind - & the way that they toy with one another as Walters reveals the mystery is just great. Get this.
Kept me on my toes. - By: , 12 Aug 2004 I have read all Minette Walters books & have been enthralled by them all & The Tinder Box was no exception. The only critisicm I have is that it wasin too many chapters & you had to keep remembering whether you werein the present or what had been recent events. Otherwise a very good book which I gladly recommend.
Confusing - By: , 11 Aug 2004 
The Tinder Box once again covers the theme of prejudice, a subject which has already been exploredin Minette Walters more recent books, such as "Fox Evil", which I liked, "The Shape of Snakes", which I did not, & "Acid Row", which I found so cliched that I couldn`t finish it.
The style of the book, which moves from one time period to another & back again, makes it somewhat confusing, & you have to concentrate on the dates at the top of each section, to know when the events are taking place.
In all, I found the book a disappointment, it was rushed, & didn`t really offer anything new. It once again covered hostility to a family of "outsiders", & I felt that I`d read this all before.
I did like Minette Walters earlier books, such as "The Dark Room", "The Echo"and "The Ice House". However, I think there are only so many times a theme can be re-explored book after book, & I hope that the next book can move onto a different subject.
