Rating: 
Summary: Shades of Ripley -- and others
Review: "Notes on a Scandal" kept me engrossed during the two days it took me to finish it, but it didn't do much more for me than that. Both the Booker nomination and the all-round glowing reviews have therefore surprised me a little. In part, the book reminded me of "The Collector" by John Fowles, in which a mousy, isolated civil servant kidnaps a glamorous art student, or of (as noted on the cover) Patricia Highsmith's "Ripley" books. There are also similarities with numerous films (and the novel is indeed quite "cinematic"), in which sinister-protective friends with obsessive streaks would offer up all for the object of their devotion, more often than not with a class difference at its base. I suppose I've just read and seen too many (admittedly trashier) books and movies with a similar theme to really be suprised or captivated by "Notes..." Things I did like about the book: the comic notes (like Sheba's laughably romanticised, soap-opera ideas about the classes below her); and Barbara Covett's rarely predictable persona: at various times in the novel, she proves herself to have a scathing sense of humour, and together with her sharp observations of her fellow staff members, this at least lends some complexity to the merely pathetic character she could have turned out to be. Perhaps I'm failing to see subtleties about the characterizations in the book (I might lack the refinement to appreciate them), but for me (at the risk of sounding very pedantic), this was never a "literary" reading experience, just a distracting read, though one with too many echoes of other stories.
Rating:
Summary: This book is creepy!
Review: "What was she thinking" is the story of a secondary school teacher, Sheba, who has an affair with one of her students. It is narrated by her friend Barbara, also a teacher at the same school. I admired this book, but I didn't like it. Not one of the characters was appealling. Barbara who narrates the story is downright creepy, obsessed with her friend's life and determined to make Sheba dependent upon her. It felt a bit like seeing into the mind of a psychopath (minus the violent behaviour). Sheba is probably the most likeable character, but you feel like shaking her for making such a colossal mess of her life. Stephen, with whom she has the affair, is just an immature boy and it's hard to see why she becomes so enamored with him. The book is well written but it's quite slow and feels a bit predictable - although the ending brings it all together very well.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling and chilling
Review: A fascinating book, mainly focusing on the relationship between two teachers, one a 60-ish spinster type, the other a married 40-ish woman. The older woman, Barbara, covets a friendship with the younger woman, Sheba. Sheba, however, begins a torrid affair with one of her students at a lower-class school. Barbara takes it upon herself to take 'notes' of the scandal and transcribe this history as she observes it happening, as Sheba eventually relates it to her, and what she believes is happening. As Barbara tells this story, she gives away not only details of Sheba's life and the scandal that ensues (the affair, once out, creates a media frenzy), but she reveals a great deal about her own life (and sometimes lack thereof). It's quite chilling to get these insights and revelations and to watch it all unfold. The story is intelligent and holds a few surprises, and it's definitely compelling. I wasn't 100 percent certain I wanted to read it at first, but once I cracked the cover, I found myself drawn into this creepy narrative and wondering what makes Barbara tick.
Rating:
Summary: A More Interesting Title Than Story (so far .. )
Review: Although I'm only half way through the book, and have had thoughts ot returning it before finishing, I wanted to write a review on my impression so far. First off, this book is a little strange, to say the least. The voice of the story, Barbara, is an odd character ... no friends, seemingly poor social skills, extremely judgmental, and awfully dry ... it seems hardly realistic that someone as sweet as Sheba would be drawn to her friendship given the obvious fact that no one seems to like her ... one would think that this would be a clue as to the type of person she is or isn't. Second, the affair between Sheba and the teenager ... EWWWW, is all I can say ... I'm a teacher of 2nd graders, but deal with adolescents as well who come to the classroom as assistants, mentorees, etc., and teenagers from the high school who come to work afterschool custodial jobs ... and I can't imagine EVER EVER EVER having an affair with ANY of them! It just seems mentally ill to me to think of a mere child in a lustrous way. Third, this book isn't the easiest to read. I noticed in another review that someone said "dictionary need not be handy." I highly disagree ... I can't get through the book without a dictionary b/c some of the words the author uses I've never even heard used! This does not make me uneducated and I consider myself a person with understanding of and use for sophisicated vocabulary. But some of Heller's words ("unctuous," for example) are those which most people would not use in ordinary speaking conversation, which makes it somewhat difficult for me to read. This is not to say I haven't learned some fabulous new words that will undoubtedly come in handy some time in conversation or writing, but, they haven't made me a better reader or greater conversationalist. So, overall, I have to give this book a 3 for now ... maybe I will have changed my mind by the end of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Witty and Sinister
Review: At first glance you may be inclined to include this novel in the Brit lit/Chick lit genre. It's anything but. Sixtysomething school teacher Barbara Covett's life appears to be a bitter, dull affair. She is contemptuous of both her colleagues and students, and appears to be little more than a lonley, friendless spinster. There is however a lot more going on with the mild mannered Barbara than may be evident at first glance. When she meets Sheba Hart, the new art teacher, Barbara develops what could only be described as an "unusual" attachment. The married forty year old Sheba has her own secrets as well. She's carrying on an illicit affair with one of her students. Barbara's growing attachment to Sheba is both fascinating and disturbing, and the novel is both scathingly funny and highly literate(you may well need to haul out the dictionary a time or two). Barbara may be a mousy "old bag" (as she describes herself), but for my money she's a force to be reckoned with.
Rating:
Summary: A Curious Friendship
Review: Barbara Covett, a set-in-her-ways lonely spinster and teacher of history, is a truly malevolent person who is seemingly unaware of the poison she spreads around her. Sheba Hart,a silly 45 year old pottery teacher, married and with two children, becomes passionately involved with a 15 year old student. That both women are unaware of their self-deception is at the heart of this well-told novel. Barbara has a psychological need to be needed, and this obessiveness has cost her any meaningful friendships she might have had. Sheba is unable to free herself from her obsession - the 15 year old student with whom she takes fearful risks. Sheba makes Barbara her confidant, setting in motion the events which lead to disaster. The author has created two monsters, although neither one is aware of the consequences of their actions. The reader feels occasional twinges of pity for Barbara - especially during the luncheon "date" she has with the revolting maths teacher- but Barbara's propensity to look down on everyone and everything makes her a most unattractive personality. The author's skill in developing her characters is reminiscent of Ruth Rendell at her best; the reader is captured from the first page with a sense of impending doom, and recognizes that there will be no happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: In Defense of Barbara
Review: Barbara has one redeeming quality: her genuine affection for Sheba's son Ben, whom she refers to as "a dear little boy" (p.77). When Sheba indulges in self-pity after her one of post-scandal visits with Ben, Barbara reflects: "She ought to have been thinking of Ben's welfare back when she was batting her eyelids at Connolly" (p.78). Given Barbara's intensely malicious regard for the majority of the human race, this attitude, to say the least, is surprising. But it's worth thinking about before writing off Barbara merely as a "bitter old virgin from Eastbourne," to use Sheba's words.
Rating: 
Summary: terrible
Review: boring and just got worse, not impressed!
Rating:
Summary: Dark tale of love, friendship and obsession
Review: Craving something different, I picked up Zoe Heller's What Was She Thinking? with utmost anticipation. The synopsis had promised a dark, lurid tale of love, friendship and obsession. This is one of the most gripping novels I've read in quite some time. Barbara Covett, a sixty-year-old schoolteacher and notorious spinster, has lived a rather monotonous existence. That is until she meets Sheba Hart. Sheba's slight eccentricities intrigue Barbara. A friendship ensues, but things take a disarming turn when Sheba confesses to having an affair with one of her fifteen-year-old students. A forty-two-year-old married woman, Sheba has a lot to lose if word gets out about the affair. Barbara becomes her confidante, but her intentions are rather sinister... As mentioned earlier, What Was She Thinking? is an engrossing and gripping tale of love, friendship and obsession. The novel's structure and storytelling is rather different from the books I've read recently - and that's a good thing. I couldn't put this down. The darkness of the novel enthralled me from the first paragraph. Zoe Heller is a talented English author who has made her mark in contemporary literature. Her style is rather similar to Margot Livesey's, one of my favorite authors. Highly recommended...
Rating:
Summary: Superb stylist; excellent novel
Review: Heller has written a fine novel with an effortless, elegant, yet rigorous prose style. She is not, thankfully, the type of writer who likes to do tricks for the reader, directing attention to herself and how clever she is. Instead, the narrative (compelling), characters (real, recognizable, excellently drawn), and style (crisp and intelligent) all work in service of a fascinating fictional reality. I reserve 5 stars for life-altering literature, which this isn't, but WHAT WAS SHE THINKING? certainly deserves to be widely read. It is superb.
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