A Judgement in Stone
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2007) |
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Ruth Rendell |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime, Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Hutchinson (UK) Doubleday (US) |
Publication date | 2 May 1977 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 191 pp |
| ISBN | 0-09-129070-8 |
| OCLC | 3606842 |
| 823/.9/14 | |
| LC Class | PZ4.R4132 Ju PR6068.E63 |
A Judgement in Stone is a 1977 novel by British writer Ruth Rendell.
Plot summary
[edit]Eunice is taken on as a housekeeper by a family of four. She has kept her illiteracy a secret and is obsessed with continuing to keep it so. Unknown to her new employers, she has already murdered the father for whom she had been caring, and has falsified her references. Her inability to adapt to her place in society is masked by the cunning with which she conceals the truth about herself. Misinterpreting every act of kindness she is offered by her employers, she eventually turns on them, stealing the guns that are normally kept locked away. With the aid of a fellow social misfit, she murders the entire family. But Eunice's illiteracy prevents her from recognizing and disposing of a written clue that was left behind. Eventually a tape recording of the shooting made by one of the victims is discovered. Eunice is charged with the crime, and is mortified when her illiteracy is revealed to the world during the court proceedings.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
[edit]The novel was adapted twice for film: the British production was entitled The Housekeeper (1986) and starred Rita Tushingham as the illiterate maid. The French film La Cérémonie (1995) was directed by Claude Chabrol and starred Sandrine Bonnaire as the maid, and Isabelle Huppert as a shopkeeper. Bonnaire and Huppert shared the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 52nd Venice International Film Festival for their performances.[1][2]
In June 1992 it was also performed as a musical at the Lyric Hammersmith in London. [3]
Release details
[edit]- 1997, UK, Hutchinson (ISBN 0-09-129070-8), Pub date 2 May 1977, hardback (First edition)
References
[edit]- ^ Maslin, Janet (20 December 1996). "Maid Is Hired: Danger Is Served (Published 1996)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Jeff Smith on Offscreen Sound in La cérémonie". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "A JUDGEMENT IN STONE Lyric Hammersmith, London W6 Opened 11 June, 1992". cix.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2024.