The Silence of the Lambs

Rating:
Summary: This Book Is Stupid...I Hate It!
Review: canada Like you i read the reviews on this book and i thought it was good when i saw the 5 stars....Wrong! this book was a huge dissapointment it was more gorey then good and i dont recomend it for anyone unless your into that kind of thing. katella ps:if you want to E-mail me to talk about any kind of books you like (perferably sci fi) and maybe become friends my email addres is [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: More Than Just A Wonderful Thriller
Review: I feel bad for those people who have only seen this work on the big screen as well as for those who merely read Harris' tale on a flight from New York to Orlando accepting the popular misconception that it is nothing more than a work of horror and mystery, a surface tale of shock fiction. While the film is probably one of the best novel to film transitions I have seen and the tale is both horrific and mysterious, Harris' creation takes the reader to a far more involved place than that. To merely accept the words on the page and the gross horror that they create is to do yourself and Thomas Harris a great disservice. Yes, enjoy the thrills and chills that resonate through your body, but appreciate the character development and deeper themes that Harris has so carefully crafted.

Anthony Hopkins made Dr. Lecter infamous and in doing so made him the chief character in the minds of many. The masses heaped interest in the mind of the calculating killer, yet in doing so forgot the interest the Doctor himself shows for the young Clarice Starling, an interest that Harris spent much time developing and the interest that drives a good portion of this work. Clarice is given the task of approaching the good Doctor for input concerning the mind of a serial killer, a task that is of relatively low importance, a task she endures because she is willing to show her diligence, and a task she may have been granted simply because of her sex. In the male dominated world of government service Clarice must claw her way to the top, much like Buffalo Bill's victims who try to claw to the top of their death cell. It is Clarice's drive to prove herself in a man's world that saves the lives of her female counterparts from Bill's grasp. Clarice faces the typical obstacles of a woman in her field, yet her feminine nature is also the key that helps unlock the case and the final confrontation with Buffalo Bill.

Harris is a careful craftsman when it comes to character development, and his work far outshines his visual counterparts through Hopkins and Foster, while the screen version of Buffalo Bill is a Muppet compared to Harris' depiction. Through Harris' exposition and Lecter's insight we learn much about the young FBI trainee Clarice Starling, a technique that I really appreciated; instead of merely recounting, or even "showing" us Clarice, we are given another dynamic presentation that rounds out our appreciation and interpretation of this deceivingly powerful young woman. It's tough to think about Lecter without the Hopkins popping up in my mind, but Harris' work paints a wonderful portrait that is so much more than the screen version; a more calculating, sinister evil that haunts the novel and the reader. As terrifying as Lecter is, Buffalo Bill is somewhat more chillingly painted in the tale. Harris does a phenomenal job of creating a man who is pure evil, yet completely believable and touchable-making you wonder about those neighbors of yours who you never see out of doors.

And of course there is the gripping, suspenseful mystery that made the work so popular. Harris tells a wonderful tale that keeps you guessing, and even if you've seen the movie and think you know the ending, you're still wondering exactly what is going to happen when Clarice risks it all and dashes into the basement.

No matter if you have seen the movie or claim to have read the book before, give Thomas Harris his due for writing a beautiful, deep, suspenseful tale that should be praised for its detail and development as it is for its spine-chilling excitement and read this book...with the lights on.

Rating:
Summary: The Importance of Gender: More than just a thriller
Review: "The Silence of the Lambs" is an incredible book because it works fantastically on two levels. Yes, it is extremely suspenseful (it kept me up all night because I was both afraid to keep reading and afraid to put it down), but it also works on a deeper thematic level, and that's what I would like to pursue here. Harris delves into the difficult subject of the role of the sexes in life. Clarice is striving to succeed in a male-dominated world, but her role-model and source of great strength and courage is her mother, the same woman who failed to adapt to this gender-biased soceity. Mrs. Starling could not keep her family together after the death of her husband. Mrs. Starling did not have the money, education, or resources to make ends meet, regardless of the fact that she worked two jobs. Clarice does not want to fall into the same trap that caught her mother. Although Clarice wants desperately to be part of the FBI team, she will not take any role that will land her as a secretary. She knows too well that once a women is dubbed a secretary she can never more upwards. Instead Clarice finds herself interviewing Dr. Hannibal Lecter and pursing the serial murderer Buffalo Bill. In order to succeed (which is arguably the thing that Clarice wants most) she 'uses' everything at her disposal. In fact the other women in this book 'use' everything they can as well. It is a motif throughout the text; some women use their political power (Mrs. Martin), some the garbage that is thrown at them (Catherine), and Clarice uses whatever she has at the moment, whether it be her ability to flirt, to talk with an accent, or to immitate a mountain midwife. Whether this book is read on a thematic level or simply on a dramatic level, it is a riveting, edge-of-your-seat novel. I'm reading it for the second time in only three months because there is more to explore than first meets the eye. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to everyone.

Rating:
Summary: A great literary work
Review: Thomas Harris is a masterful suspense genre writer. This is common knowledge. What often get overlooked are the wonderful literary aspects of his work. Silence Of The Lambs works as both a suspense novel and a fine piece of literature.

Gender issues are a major theme in this wonderful novel. Buffalo Bill does not kill his victims for money or sexual pleasure or fame. He kills his victims, all of who are female, for the most superficial aspect of their beings, their skin. Buffalo Bill wants to become a woman and he believes wearing women's skin will make him one. I do not need to tell anyone to ask a woman to find out if it is skin that makes a woman what she is. Women are being objectified by Buffalo Bill.

Also supporting the theme of gender issues is the compelling character of Clarice Starling. Clarice is an up and coming, star student in the FBI Academy, who wants to become part of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. This unit is extremely difficult to get into. Jack Crawford, FBI Section Chief, wants to give Starling a job, however it involves a lot of paper work. "It was tempting to get into Behavioral Science in any capacity she could, but she knew what happens to a woman if she's ever pegged as a secretary - it sticks until the end of time." Starling is trying to avoid falling into the common stereotype of women in the workplace.

There are many instances of gender issues in this novel, and if you still do not believe me, read the novel and figure out which room the well is under that Buffalo Bill keeps his victims in. These are not coincidences. The literary aspects are there. There are no 'throw-away lines' in this novel. To say so would insult Thomas Harris. Every sentence in this novel is there for a reason, whether it be to advance the suspense or to advance the literary themes.

Thomas Harris writes an incredible novel that can be enjoyed on a purely suspense genre level or on a literary level. It is a gripping story and one that propelled one of recent American literature's most famous characters, Dr. Hannibal Lecter into pop-culture icon status.

Rating:
Summary: Has the edge over Red Dragon - just.
Review: "Silence of the Lambs" is the second book of the Hannibal trilogy, and the best. Although "Red Dragon" is a magnificent story, the emphasis is more on the psychology of the book's killer, Francis Dolarhyde, than in "Silence" where we have a shift of emphasis towards the psychology of the FBI trainee, Clarice Starling.

What this allows is the close quarter psychiatry that Lector employs on Starling, and very unnerving stuff it is too. The relationship between the two is the most important part of the book, the actual story of Buffalo Bill is secondary. Harris weaves his plot at such a pace and with such intelligence that the reader, like Starling actually feels some kind bond with Lecter even though he holds all the cards and is intellectually running rings around her. A ludicrous thought when we consider the man's crimes, but it is there none the less.

It is also good to see that the film actually follows the plot of the book closely, and is all the better for it. One advantage that the book has over the novel, however, is the brilliant depiction of character that Harris can provide. The insect expert is far more repulsive in the book than the film where he comes across as just lonely.

"Silence" also overcomes that rather big barrier that accounts for the failings of so many other trilogies; namely that the second book is just a bridge between the stronger first and third novels. Rather unusually "Silence", as the second of three, is actually the best. It is marginally better than "Red Dragon", which I also rate very highly, and is a lot better than the disappointing "Hannibal".

"Silence" should be read regardless of whether you have seen the film or not. If you have seen the film, you know what happens, but Harris' storytelling is a joy to behold.

Rating:
Summary: a young FBI trainee who must deal with one to stop the other
Review: Hey! My name is angy. I come from Austria (Europe). I've to write this review because of school. I like the book very much. I can definitely recommand it. Although I know the movie, it was very hard to understand and it took me a long time. One reason why I've chosen this book was the film 'Hannibal'. After watching this movie I thought of reading the book of the first film. I specially like the character of Hannibal Lector. He is a mystic person. Only the describtion of his eyes and his look made me afraid. In general I think that this book is one of the best thrillers I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Falls short of the movie
Review: Perhaps I've watched the movie too many times. I found the book itself dull. Nothing compares to that look in A. Hopkins' eyes ... watch for it in "Hanibal" at the end of the slide-show scene!

Rating:
Summary: If only Nietzsche were alive...
Review: he'd recognize Hannibal Lecter as a version of his Ubermenschen...beyond good and evil, urbane, intelligent, sophisticated, needing not in the slightest any God or any religion, without fear, without guilt, without anxiety...with really no bad feelings at all. Were he not a cannibal and a psychopath, I think many people would like to be him. Here is a guy incarcerated for years and still manages to live a good life. He lives by his own standards, no own else's. He cares what no one thinks. He reminds me of two other literary Supermen (also psychopaths): John Galt of _Atlas Shrugged,_ and Howard Roark of _The Fountainhead._ In many ways all three appeal to the child in us, with the desire to smash things up and get away with it completely. Lecter is a character that will live on for a long time.

Rating:
Summary: Crime fiction that qualifies as literature.
Review: "Silence of The Lambs" transcends genre. When the lights go out in Buffalo Bill's cellar, you CARE what happens. Thomas Harris' narrative tone subtly changes to suit each character. It almost seems a woman wrote Clarice's paragraphs, an arrogant maniac wrote Lecter's, and Harris just coordinated the characters with the plot.

Clarice Starling is the most three-dimensional female character in modern crime fiction. She doesn't fall into bed with the prime suspect, nor does she have to save the Handsome Detective Who Gets Shot in The Shoulder. Her dual mentorship under FBI supervisor Jack Crawford and Hannibal Lecter is an interesting dynamic. Crawford is retiring soon - you know who that leaves.

With Lecter, we can't expect a full portrait. An extreme character requires an incomplete background. Better to let Lecter explain Lecter, as Harris has done. Buffalo Bill is as sociopathic as Lecter, but without Lecter's charisma. Bill's house is a chilling metaphor for his mind. He's lost, and he's searching for a way out through other people's skin.

Even the throw-away lines add emotional content. Late in the story, Starling's roommate finds her slumped over a washing machine, asleep. It takes a poetic touch to describe the comforting vibration of a washing machine as a brief return to "our last memory of peace." (The womb.)

Strong conflict, strong heroine, frightening villains. Harris demonstrates that when you ditch the cliches, crime fiction can be as thought-provoking and poetic as "real literature."

Rating:
Summary: The BEST book I've read
Review: This is the first and best book I've read. My dad suggested this book so i read it. I later read all of the Thomas Harris books. The Silence of the Lambs was the best of the Hannibal series and I highly reccomend this book to all readers. If you saw the movie and liked it, you will for sure enjoy this book. The parts with Hannibal are by far the best parts of the book. His escape is the best part of the book, better than the ending. You will love reading this book