Reviews for Éléments d'algèbre théorique et pratique

The average rating for Éléments d'algèbre théorique et pratique based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-05-24 00:00:00 Amanda Evans a Rendell specialty: ironic downward trajectories and the banality of drab lives. as always, she resists easy condescension. fascinating and darkly-hued, but at times the bleakness becomes almost formulaic. the "protagonist" Stanley is an often mordantly amusing creation, by turns sympathetic and repulsive. he is surrounded by women who are almost caricatured gargoyles. there is barely a mystery here, but rather a grim, non-thrilling psychological thriller. this early work by the author clearly illustrates her steady hand at realistic, nuanced characterization; still, one can't help but come away from the experience thinking that Rendell is trying hard to be sympathetic to humans, but in the end, they are nothing more than greedy little bugs - a plague upon the earth.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-02-17 00:00:00 Dave Hybertson Weird, short, highly entertaining. The story of Stanley, married to Vera, and son-in-law to Maud Kinaway, an overbearing, domineering, highly-opinionated churl of a woman who wants nothing more than to have Vera leave Stanley and go live with her in a cozy little cottage. This is Ms. Rendell over-the-top. There are no snide stares or under-the-breath remarks between Stanley and Maud. It's all out there in black and white as Stanley and Maud snipe at each other, back and forth, day after day. But when Stanley learns how much money Maud has socked away, and supposedly will leave to Vera only if she divorces him, things ramp up quickly. How can Stan have Maud's money - and he'll need it soon as he's involved in a shady, get-rich scam in which he owes his partner some big bucks - and get rid of Maud at the same time? (And of course, get away with it!) This story is a psychological one, as all Ms. Rendell's stories are, but the tensions between people are all out in the open rather than being revealed a little at a time. There's also an interesting sideline in that Stan is actually a master at solving - and making - crossword puzzles. This gives him an extra dimension not often seen in a story like this. And I did actually felt sorry for Stan, then got mad at him, and at the end, well... As for the mother-in-law? There are few characters in Rendell's books - and I've read a lot of them - who are even half as despicable as Maud Kinaway. But here's a giveaway - and a personal one at that. My mother had a lot of friends. A LOT. More than anyone I knew as a child and an adult. And among them were some 'beauts' as my family would have put it, including a few who could have beat Maud at her own game. Women like her really do exist. At any rate, a great, quick read which will keep the reader guessing til the end. Four stars