Asta's Book and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more


or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Trade in Yours
For a £0.50 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Start reading Asta's Book on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Asta's Book [Paperback]

Barbara Vine
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
RRP: £18.99
Price: £18.61 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £0.38 (2%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Want delivery by Thursday, 23 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £4.99  
Paperback £18.61  
Trade In this Item for up to £0.50
Trade in Asta's Book for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.50, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more

Book Description

7 May 2009

Asta's Book is a classic double-detective story by crime master Barbara Vine

For a good, absorbing, well-told story, you could hardly better the unveiling of Asta's secret' Sunday Times

It is 1905. Asta and her husband Rasmus have come to East London from Denmark with their two little boys. With Rasmus constantly away on business, Asta keeps loneliness and isolation at bay by writing a diary. These diaries, published over seventy years later, reveal themselves to be more than a mere journal. For they seem to hold the key to an unsolved murder and to the mystery of a missing child. It falls to Asta's granddaughter Ann to unearth the buried secrets of nearly a century before.

'A dazzling domestic thriller' Guardian

'Obsessively readable' Sunday Telegraph

'Engrossing . . . a mixture of biography, true crime and romance people with vivid minor players and red with herrings' Independent on Sunday

'Absolutely enthralling ... the best yet from the Vine/Rendell bureau. Essential reading' Literary Review

'Simply put, Vine is one of the greatest writers ever' Scott Turow

Asta's Bookis a modern crime masterpiece and will be enjoyed by readers of P.D. James, Ian Rankin and Scott Turow.

Barbara Vine is the pen-name of Ruth Rendell. She has written fifteen novels using this pseudonym, including A Fatal Inversion and King Solomon's Carpet which both won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award. Her other books include: A Dark Adapted Eye; The House of Stairs; Gallowglass; Asta's Book; No Night Is Too Long; In the Time of His Prosperity; The Brimstone Wedding; The Chimney Sweeper's Boy; Grasshopper; The Blood Doctor; The Minotaur; The Birthday Present and The Child's Child.


Frequently Bought Together

Asta's Book + The Brimstone Wedding
Price For Both: £35.26

Buy the selected items together
  • The Brimstone Wedding £16.65

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (7 May 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0141040459
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141040455
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.7 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 102,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Product Description

Review

'An engrossing double-detective story, a mixture of biography, true crime and romance peopled with vivid minor players and red with herrings' Independent on Sunday 'Absolutely enthralling... the best yet from the Vine/Rendell bureau. Essential reading' Literary Review 'For a good, absorbing, well-told story, you could hardly better the unveiling of Asta's secret' Sunday Times

About the Author

Barbara Vine is the pen-name of Ruth Rendell. She has written fourteen novels using this pseudonym, including A Fatal Inversion and King Solomon's Carpet which both won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award. All her books are available in Penguin. Ruth Rendell sits in the House of Lords as a Labour peer. She lives in Maida Vale, London.

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourite books of all time 28 Sep 2010
By C. Bannister TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Kindle Edition
I have read and re-read this book over the years, I love it and think it is one of the best Barbara Vine has ever written.

I love the style of writing the description of life at the turn of the last century. This book always strikes me as being a true story as it is so well written.

If you haven't read it you're missing a real treat.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Published as Anna's book in US? 4 Sep 2009
Format:Paperback
Readers need to be aware that this excellent novel appears to have been published in the US as "Anna's Book"
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Quite complex double mystery. 27 April 2013
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Overall a good read. The family complexities are intriguing and just about credible and the characters are well filled out.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Asta's Book
I would like to recommend this really great read to my friends I always enjoy Ruth Rendell and Barbara Vine stories although if I had to make a preference I would say Barbara Vine
Published 1 month ago by Mrs phoebe a coleman
2.0 out of 5 stars Slower Than A Very Slow Thing
Having read and enjoyed Barbara Vine's novels in the past, this was a disappointment. The plot was incoherent and the story moved at a snail's pace.
Published 2 months ago by D. Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books
When I discovered Asta's Book (actually, the first one was a birthday present), I immediatley fell in love with this intrigueing story that unrevels ever so slowly. Read more
Published 2 months ago by LoveToRead
5.0 out of 5 stars Asta's book
Read this years ago, thought I would reread on my kindle. A really good story with a very interesting angle to the story.
Published 4 months ago by Kate
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally absorbing from the very first page
I am just re reading this from a new copy my original copy somehow mislaid. My head done in by the recent work of this writer, I had forgotten how marvellous she used to be. Read more
Published 4 months ago by smartesthorse
4.0 out of 5 stars Asta's Story, a historic, psychological thriller
Asta's Story is not a typical Barbara Vine thriller but is typically enthralling with many twists and turns. Nothing is clear until the end - is it then? Read more
Published 6 months ago by Bling
5.0 out of 5 stars Rendell/Vine at the Height of Her Powers!
'Asta's Book' has remained with me years after reading it. This is one of those few novels ever written where you can say this is a novel, but also a crime novel and you simply... Read more
Published 11 months ago by C. J. Simmons
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Kindle price 0 13 Dec 2010
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges