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Summary: A fantastic trip into the mind of a murderer
Review: What a treat this story is (in a sadistic kind of way). We get to delve into the evil and twisted mind of one of the greatest characters in modern fiction, Hannibal Lecter. This is the only novel I can think of that after a while I ended up actually liking the bad guy (Hannibal). Don't be misled. The story is about catching a ruthless and creative serial killer, but the 'real' story is between Hannibal and Clarice. For some odd reason Hannibal is facinated with this young FBI wannabe and therefore helps her by dangling tiny morsels of information that could lead to the capture of the 'other' bad guy in the story. How Thomas Harris takes us into Hannibals thoughts is a scary trip to make, but one that entertains as well as frightens. After reading this book, I found 'Red Dragon' (said to be much better than 'Silence') and read it, only to be disappointed. Sure it was good, but in MY opinion, far behind Hannibals 2nd outing in 'Silence of the Lambs'. I SHOULD have read them in the order they were written, but that was MY mistake--don't YOU make the same. This is a fantastic and very intricate whodunnit that goes way beyond your typical murder/mystery novel.
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Summary: A landmark thriller
Review: After being truly gripped by the movie, I decided that this book must be worth reading. I chose not to drop straight into it though and decided to read Red Dragon first. I'm glad I did, partly because it's an excellent book but also as it built up the feel of Harris's style and introduced Hannibal Lecter, one of the most vivid characters I ever encountered in a book. The story traces the rise through the FBI ranks of a talented and pretty young agent who treads on as many toes as she makes friends. Clarice Starling is also a character developed to just the right extent who by the end of the book will have you breathing in time with her let alone feeling mere empathy!! Apart from the obvious main storyline of the hunt for a brutal serial killer which is very powerful in itself the book has several other strands to its bow which the movie missed. The first of which is the relationship between Starling and her superior at the FBI. This is a fascinating sub plot which really puts the icing on the cake of Starlings' character. It helps not only to give her more depth but also to give the main story a more substantial feel. Most people will know the movie, those who don't and those who think that it was flawless I urge you to read the book. This has to be one of the finest of the genre, along with Red Dragon, and I can't recommend it highly enough. A thriller of pure adrenalin and razor sharp twists.
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Summary: Suspenseful and Entertaining!
Review: Silence Of The Lambs, by Thomas Harris, is a well written and totally engrossing novel. Harris's tightly woven plot holds his reader's attention from the beginning to the very end. For anyone who hasn't read this book, it is about the FBI and their efforts to catch a psychopathic killer. In order to achieve this goal, the FBI enlists the help of an FBI student/trainee and an incarcerated madman. Harris's writing in this novel is very descriptive, but not bogged down in detail. And with it, he successfully paints excellent pictures of the plot and action in the minds of his readers. Harris's characters are all well written and well thought out. Readers come to loathe some characters, like Dr.Chilton, while at the same time becoming quite attached to others, like Clarice Starling and Jack Crawford. Because Harris has drawn his characters with a great deal of consistancy, by the end of the novel readers are able to predict what certain characters will do based on their personalities and past actions. Starling, the main character, is strong-willed, yet sensitive because she always tries to do the right thing and also takes into account other character's best interests. The ending of this novel is just as good as it is built up to be. Harris successfully wraps up The Silence Of The Lambs, and also skillfully manages to leave the ending open-ended, so that a sequel can follow. I think that this is an excellent book for many reasons, but most of all, because it kept my attention from page one on, and because Dr.Lecter, the madman, always has something thoughtful yet bizarre to say.
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Summary: Have the Lambs Stopped Screaming Yet?
Review: I loved this book. But not as much as I loved Red Dragon. Halfway through reading Silence of the Lamb, I felt like something was missing and soon realised that what I missed was the monstrosity that was Francis Dolarhyde aka the Red Dragon. Francis was one villain who had balls and character. I was enchanted by Thomas' depiction of this family killer. He even had the courage to want to consume Dr. Lecter, in aid of his Becoming. And at the same time, he wowed us with his humanity as he grew to love the blind girl (I forget her name now...) Francis Dolarhyde, for the most part, managed to easily outshadow even the terrible Hannibal. Compare that to Jame Gumb (the name sounds lame, reminds me of Forrest Gump..). Jame seems to be some sort of queer who doesn't seem to terrify us at all. I mean, the guy's sewing a dress for himself...! I guess Silence of the Lambs' saving grace was Lecter's turning of the tables in the second half of the book as he made his daring getaway. Starling's character was well established, though we do miss Will Graham's intensity and vision. All in all, a great book. Read it.
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Summary: Exquisite suspense and coherent story...
Review: Thomas Harris did a tremendous work in this story. I read the book before I saw the movie, so after reading such a brilliant book, I was excited when I was watching Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster developing the main characteristics that had been described in an intense way in the book. Clarice Starling hadn't faced a case like Lecter's case. So it was a tough challenge for her. Lecter has a very intriguing personality. It's scary and has lots of enigmas around him. So a good reader will enjoy the style of Thomas Harris's Silence of The Lambs. Nice Work!
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Summary: This is a gripping, suspenseful thriller!
Review: Sir Anthony Hopkins was the perfect man to play Hannibal. This book was brilliant and I strongly recommend it! From page one, it draws you into it's pages with the constant happenings. The autopsy is gripping. You're actually in the room with them and can smell the foul stench of the decayed corpse. That's how realistic the words are. Mister Harris is a wonderful writer and had me hooked after the first page. I'm looking forward to reading Hannibal.
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Summary: Superb
Review: When you read "The Silence of the Lambs" or hear about the book, you probably start immediately to remember some scenes from the movie starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. The movie comes pretty damn close! And it's rare that a movie follows the plot of a novel so closely. It is difficult to write something about a story that is so well known, basically by its adaptation for the screen, which has been buried under a heap of Academy Awards. Like many others, "The Silence of the Lambs" proves the fact that the book is always better than the movie. Clarice Starling is an FBI trainee. The FBI's chief of Behavioral Science has called on her to help solve a serial murder case. She must interview Dr. Hannibal ("the Cannibal") Lector, a psychiatrist jailed for killing and eating various patients, to get inside the mind of Buffalo Bill, a serial killer on the loose. Starling becomes close to Lector who helps her discover how to find Buffalo Bill, and how to find closure in her personal life. "The Silence of the Lambs" is simply a superb, electrifying book. What a writer Thomas Harris is and what a character the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lector is. With Dr. Lector, Harris makes you look at the face of evil, and stare! This book sets the standard in psychological terror. If you haven't seen the movie yet, read the novel first, then see the characters brought to life brilliantly by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. I thoroughly enjoyed the two principal characters Dr. Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling. And I look forward to Hannibal. I wish more novels were like this.
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Summary: The non-stop action first real thriller
Review: When I tried to read this book for the first time, on 1998, I gave up. Found it a bit dull. But then, last year, Thomas Harris released HANNIBAL, and it gave me some input again because I wanted to read the sequel, and to read it, I didn't want to without reading the part one, last call it so. Then, when I started reading it finally, I took only two days to read it. Though, I really saw no reason for this book to be that famous. It's the kind of book you do enjoy reading. It has many detective and psychological elements that makes the reader want to know what's next. Clarice Starling is a loving character, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter is really a complete enigma. He's so good you hate because he doesn't appear so much in the book as you'd like to. I think the book would be better if Dr. Lecter appeared more often in the plot. Anyway, it's a very good reading. The kind of book you read fast and reaches the ending thinking you've just read a nice work. Thomas Harris is really a good author. But we have to admit, the wonderful movie based on this book was really what made the book in fact be so famous. Though, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is really the kind of book for any lover of the genre to read. Even because this book was the first real thriller ever written, that inspired many other books. You won't be disappointed. It's really worthwhile. Also recommended: THE BONE COLLECTOR, by Jeffery Deaver Marco Aurelio.
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Summary: Better than the movie
Review: When you hear about "The Silence of the Lambs", you probably start immediately to remember some scenes from the movie starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. It is difficult to write something about a story that is so well known, basically by its adaptation for the screen which has been buried under a heap of academy awards. There is hardly something I could add with respect to the other customer reviews. It is a well-written, gripping, interesting novel about the evil side of life. You probably know the story: A young FBI trainee is sent to "Hannibal the cannibal" with the aim of finding something about his (Lecter's) psychological situation. But soon it turns out that Hannibal Lecter knows something about a series of murders in which the victims are skinned and scalped. This case is the main interest of Clarice Starling's boss. The discovery of new victims, the kidnapping of the daughter of a U.S. senator and the jealousy of the director of Lector's prison make some complications which speed up the story and keep it going until the final confrontation of Trainee-Agent Starling with the murderer is reached. Of course, it is impossible to adapt a novel for the screen without losing details. But especially in this "psycho" thriller, the thoughts, surroundings, and feelings of the people are of interest; and this "fine structure" is likely to get lost in the movie. Also in this case. The details of the figures are far more interesting (and are far better developed) than the struggle to find something out about the psychological motives and situations of the murderer. The latter was a tiny bit disappointing for me since I had hoped that more information would be contained in the book than in the film. But nonetheless, this story is a page-turning roller-coaster into the depths of the human souls, not frightening, but terrifying.
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Summary: Thought Red Dragon was good? You haven't seen nothin' yet!
Review: After I read Red Dragon (the fabulous prequel of The Silence of The Lambs), I couldn't wait to read The Silence of the Lambs. I was totally blown away by this book. I could just sit for hours and read the things Hannibal said. As a matter of fact, I did! It was great when Hannibal would ask Clarice about the screaming lambs and the way he played with people's minds. Anyone with a weak stomach shouldn't read this. You'll know why when you get to what Hannibal did to Pembry and the other (his name slips my mind). Everytime you begin one chapter, you can't wait to get to the next. It's hard for me to talk about this because it was so well thought out and it's the best book I have ever read. I'm now reading Hannibal and I already love it.
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