Related Subjects: Author Index
Book reviews for "Wood,_Bari" sorted by average review score:

The Killing Gift
Published in Paperback by New American Library (1987)
Author: Bari Wood
Amazon base price: $3.95
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $2.99
Average review score:

Incredibly complex and thought provoking
When I picked this up, I thought it would just be a horror book. The story of Dr. Jennifer List Gilbert, a very ordinary and lonely woman whose extraordinary and unwanted "gift" repulses all the other people in her life. It begins with a sociopathic intruder to the Gilbert home dying an inexplicable and painful death during a home invasion robbery. The story of the police officer trying to get to the bottom of the mysterious death is interwoven with the strange and sad life story of Dr. Gilbert. Scary, suspenseful, tragic - I've read this book so many times I've worn out my copy and need a new one! Definitely recommend.

psychic killer .... quite suspenseful
This is a story about a woman who is a recluse. Attacked by an armed man, the main character kills him by wishing him dead. The homicide detective who investigates the crime becomes enthralled with this woman and her killing gift. Excellent suspense story, more suspense than horror. It's a Putnam Award Novel. definitely worth a look.

Excellent, captivating, I've read it several times.
A truly unusual book written 20 years ago. I've read it several times to relive the thoughts of the main characters and their stuggles with the amazing power of Jennifer.


Dead Ringers
Published in Paperback by New American Library (1988)
Authors: Bari Wood and Jack Geasland
Amazon base price: $3.95
Used price: $0.99
Collectible price: $2.64
Average review score:

Absolutely enthralling-I couldn't put the book down!
These co-authors take you on a captivating journey into the complex relationship between these twin brothers. As children the twins share essentially all lived experiences and into adulthood the pattern perpetuates. They grow up to become esteemed gynecologists and share the successes of their work. What becomes evident however, is their marked intra-psychical differences as one demonstrates dominant and aggressive traits while the other twin, highly sensitive and submissive traits. Both end up in a downward spiral as they can not function outside of their powerful psychological and biological connection.

These authours write with a style that goes deep causing you to lift your taboos for the moment! They address the grey and very human factors within the characters that might on the outside only be labelled as good and evil. One identifies with the entrapment of the twin whose painful innocence and sensitivity leads us to forgive his inadequacies and make him the hero. One desperately hopes he can break free from his relentlessly, over-bearing brother.

This is truly one of the best reads I've ever come across and since I read this almost 10 years ago I've tried hunting down other works from these authors. I'm glad I discovered this site!


Amy Girl
Published in Hardcover by Penguin Audiobooks (1987)
Author: Bari Wood
Amazon base price: $18.95
Used price: $0.49
Collectible price: $1.36
Average review score:

don't read at night alone
A girls mom dies than she somehow kills her dad than she inherits her grandmas house and.... Read to find out wat happens and what happens to her
AND I AM 13 YRS OLD BY THE WAY

This book touched me in a way, a book never did before...
I got this book from some friends of my parents whop where cleaning out their libary, and they gave me some books... I am normaly a fan of thrillers/action books (I'm a 14-years old boy) but I started reading it, I liked it so much that I raced trough it so fast, that it was out the morning of the next day... The rest of the day I had problems concentrating me on things, beacouse the book touched me in a way, only few books did before... I really recomend it to everyone, it's a really nice book, only the end is too sad for me :-( SO GO GET IT!

I din't read this whole book, but what I did read was great.
This book was great!!! I would love to get my hands on it again. I never got to finish reading it. I would recomend this book to anyone who loves great books.


Light Source
Published in Hardcover by Penguin Audiobooks (1987)
Author: Bari Wood
Amazon base price: $1.98
Used price: $2.30
Collectible price: $2.00
Buy one from zShops for: $19.99
Average review score:

We need LIGHTSOURCE now!
A finely crafted tale of scientific possibilities apparently just beyond our grasp. A "what if" scenario of character, intelligence, power and true evil which rises to an exquisite level of tension and suspense. Emily Brand is so well drawn that I am still cheering for her; hoping she is out there somewhere, safe and working.

If only it were true!
Emily is a physicist who has finally figured out how to power a large city using only the atoms from a glass of water. Nuclear Fusion. No more power crisis, no more outrageous oil prices. She is not after money or glory or fame, she just wants to build the machine. For a character to be antisocial, terribly shy, and a genius you would think that they would also be hard to care about. Bari Wood really brings Emily to life although she is all of the above. You cannot resist rooting for this woman because she is entirely unselfish and is determined to bring her discovery out because of what it would mean to the country and the consumer, not to herself. The Corporate Bad Guy is indeed bad, heartless and intelligent. The character of the President was very well done, appearing hopeless and helpless until you realized he was hiding intelligence and a steel determination. Emily's true nemesis, a boy she does not even remember from school grown into a unfeeling monster with a pathological need to hurt Emily for a perceived insult to him years ago, one she is completely unaware of having committed. The pace of this book is fast, the action never stops. The characters are very well filled out, some chillingly so as in the case of David. I highly recommend this excellent book!

A great "What if" novel
If you watched the movie "Chain Reaction" and liked it definitely read this book! What if Economical Cold Fusion was a reality? Inexpensive and Plentiful Energy. What would the Oil companies do to protect themselves from ruin? A Lady Physicist discovers the answer forcing her to run for her life. Her only hope is to make the President aware of her discovery before the powers at be catch up with her. Not too technical, but a real thriller.


Doll's Eyes
Published in Paperback by Avon (1994)
Author: Bari Wood
Amazon base price: $5.50
Used price: $0.73
Collectible price: $3.50
Buy one from zShops for: $2.55
Average review score:

Great Read
This was a good book. I enjoyed the quick pace and the ending turned out to be different than I expected. It was also nice to know what the killer is thinking about through the book, instead of being suprised at the end to find out who the killer is.

Deep and Involving
I was prompted to read "Doll's Eyes" after seeing the movie, "In Dreams," which was supposedly based on the book. Well, other than having a psychic heroine, there is very little resemblance between the movie and the book. The movie was good on its own, but I think the book is a little more involving and coherent.

We meet Eve Stein who has been "blessed" or "cursed" with psychic abilities. While visiting her estranged husband at his new lakeside residence, she touches a swing and flashes on a vision of a woman being killed nearby. We learn the killer's identity early and he is certainly a cold, heartless murderer.

Eve tells her vision to a local cop, Dave Levotsky, an almost local legendary detective, who doesn't believe her until she touches him and tells him things about himself that no one could possibly know.

From thereon, Wood takes us on a deep, disturbing journey as the killer learns of the psychic's ability and does everything he can to find her and kill her --- but not before he forces her to reveal what horrible thing happened in his childhood that left him with serious physical and mental scars.

While I usually dislike writers who try to justify their villains' heinous crimes and make you feel sorry for them, Wood pulls this one off nicely. Adam Fuller DID have a horrible childhood and one can certainly see why he feels compelled to murder.

The final confrontation between Adam and Eve (ha!) in the cemetery is chilling and even touching. However, I was kind of disturbed at Eve's sudden "sympathy" for the man who was going to kill her, but the open-ended ending lets you know that things will work out for Eve.

A good solid thriller and highly recommended. Watch "In Dreams" too even though it's nothing like the book!

A page turner thriller
This is the first book I have read by Bari Wood. And it will not be the last. Even though you know who the killer is from the start. You are still sitting on the edge of your seat. Ms Wood has a way with words to strike that chilling nerve in the back of your neck. While reading this book I kept checking to make sure I was alone. The characters had a lot of depth and were very believable. Great job.


Twins
Published in Hardcover by Penguin Putnam~childrens Hc ()
Author: Bari Wood
Amazon base price: $
Used price: $0.94
Collectible price: $6.35
Average review score:

A forgotten gem
This is a well-told novel of obsession between two twins caught in an innocent, incestous, homosexual relationship that becomes ruinious. The interesting thing about this novel is that it sticks with you after reading it. In case you don't know, it was turned into the film, Dead Ringers, which featured Jeremy Irons. Dead Ringers has an entirely different focus than the novel, for obvious reasons, but the film is as equally successful. Both the novel and the film should be checked-out by horror fans; both are unjustifiably forgotten and overlooked. I'm not sure if three or four stars is the right rating, but it's a good book, regardless; try to find it at your library or used book store, and read it. It's one of the better horror novels I've ever read, although a different type of horror is explored.

Far superior to the film adaptation
Although it inspired the film by David Cronenberg, "Twins" is a much more graphic and intense work than its cinematic counterpart. The twins' relationship is explored in-depth and the descriptions of the "utensils" of one doctor's craft are enough to make even the hardiest of men cringe.

Inasmuch as summer is just around the corner, this is one book that should be packed in the lunch basket along with the other "goodies" for that afternoon trip to the beach.

It is a spooky "treat" that one can't pass up.


The Basement
Published in Audio Cassette by Books on Tape (1995)
Author: Bari Wood
Amazon base price: $64.00
Average review score:

Very interesting story, but the ending didn't make it
This novel had a very good plot and the character's and the events were very realistic. But at the end it seems as though the author gave up and just ended any kind of way. The story hyped you up to the max. Goody Redman, the event with the Pastori's and the bees, the assult, eveything. But when you got to the end it seems as though the author said, "SIKE!" and just left you hanging. I believe the author is very creative and I'm sure other works are worth reading, but The Basement should stay in the basement.

DARK, DEVILISH AND DISAPPOINTING
"The Basement" is one of those books that when you finish reading it, you're not quite sure what happened. Ms. Wood has a very good sense of the vernacular and creating flesh and blood characters with believable eccentricities and hang-ups.

The eight friends in this book have been friends for years; they are all rich and seem to have little in life to worry about. The main character, Myra Ludens, has had an unhealthy fear of her basement for years and decides the best thing to do is to renovate it, and hopefully banish all her fears. Even her friends who come over for bridge every week don't like the basement---even after the $30,000 renovation job!

Myra's sleuthing reveals that the body of a woman hanged as a witch in the late 1600's is buried right underneath Myra's basement. The renovator admits later that they even found the woman's bones but didn't want to tell anyone in fear of losing business. (I'm not sure about that one?).

At any rate, Myra is then "possessed" by the witch's spirit or has gone mad, or perhaps even has her own paranormal talents. This is something Ms. Wood never fully reveals, thus leaving the reader unsure of the real reason behind the deaths seemingly caused by Myra's "wishes."

It's got some good points---excellent characterizations, some real suspenseful scenes and a few original twists---but overall, "The Basement" is a novel in search of a better ending.

A fascinating read.
Even a $30,000 renovation doesn't stop the chill along the back of the neck and an overwhelming need to escape the basement. The basement was a joke among the bridge club members; they called it the black hole. Even the woman who designed the renovation summed everyone's reaction in a simple word: vile. So Myra Ludens must summons the courage to do something about it. Meanwhile, Myra also attempts to summon the courage to deal with the rest of her life. The neighbors have a noisy, yippy, obnoxious dog that never stops barking from early morning until after dark. The first time Myra attempts to ask her neighbor to do something about the dog, the Pastoris' rude behavior sends her scurrying back across the road. The second time, she finds herself uttering an ominous warning. Shortly thereafter, the man and his dog are dead. As other unnatural deathsfollow, they only have one thing in common; that is, every victim offended Myra. As Mrya researches her house, she learns that the woman named Goody Redman was hanged for witchcraft and buried on her land. Convinced that the spirit of the witch haunts her basement, Myra determines to do something about it. With the friends she grew up with, the other seven members of the bridge club, she attempts to banish the spirit that haunts the basement. The Basement is an addictive read that kept me up in the wee hours of the morning with the need to finish it. The quick pace and curiously detailed characterizations along with a marvelous authorial voice combine to create a tale of horror that both fascinates and repels. While I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending, The Basement is a fascinating read.

Cindy Penn Reviewer


Tribe
Published in Paperback by New American Library (1987)
Author: Bari Wood
Amazon base price: $3.95
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $0.99
Average review score:

The Tribe
The story: Five youths are found dead in a basement, covered in clay. Eight elderly rabbis are the suspects.

The Tribe is, I suppose, ostensibly a horror novel, though it more closely resembles a thriller with some supernatural overtones. In either case, it fails to deliver any sense of suspense or terror, though it does occaisionally manage to evoke some mystery. It is, really, a novel about the constrictions of group identity and the dangers of clannishness, and the relationships of characters dealing with these issues. It is also about fighting wars that ended long ago. It is through these themes only that the book achieves any power.

The prose itself is unimpressive; the same style of short, enunciatory sentences can be found in thousands of cheap novels. I found I was also distracted by numerous spelling errors, and the descriptions of characters emotions were sometimes embarrasing.

However, the elements of Jewish lore and mysticism that pervade the story are interesting, though the outcome of the story is immediately obvious to anyone with even cursory knowledge of Jewish folktales.

I can't say I cared about any of the characters, though Luria did manage to add some menace to the tale. I was, however, impressed with the character Rachel Levy. Her struggles as a Jewish woman added some much needed flavor to the story.

I can't really recommend this book, but I can't say to avoid it, either. It's rather unimpressive, but it's not bad. It is a quick read, exceedingly short (just over three hundred pages) and it may prove of interest to some people. Just don't expect anything special. The best that I can say is that it is high-quality mediocrity.

Atmospheric page-turner
Not particularly scary but immediately engaging, with well-drawn characters. Very readable.

What THE EXORCIST was to Catholics, THE TRIBE is to Judaism
WHAT THE EXORCIST WAS TO CATHOLICS, THE TRIBE IS TO JUDAISM. THIS TERRIFYING TALE OF CANABALISTIC MYSTICISM AND MAGIC WILL HOLD YOU SHIVERINGLY SPELLBOUND. What is the mysterious link between the Belzig Concentration Camp Jewish captives suddenly found alive and well fed in their powdery clay coated gray barracks, and the five teenagers who, 35 years later, after murdering a Rabbi's son are found hideously murdered in a powdery gray coated clubhouse?...This book will have you furiously turning pages to find the fascinating and frightening answer!


Twins: Dead Ringers
Published in Paperback by iUniverse.com (2001)
Authors: Bari Wood and Jack Geasland
Amazon base price: $22.95
Used price: $2.19
Buy one from zShops for: $22.95
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Related Subjects: Author Index

Reviews are from readers at Amazon.com. To add a review, follow the Amazon buy link above.