PDF Regina’s Song

Regina's Song

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There she lives, incomprehensible to the rest of the world. Until the day Mark, a family friend, comes to visit and the young girl utters her first intelligible word. From that day forward Mark spends hours with Renata at the hospital. When she finally begins to communicate again in English, she reveals virtually no memory of the past.

Mark remains a strong link between Renata and her former life—a fact that drives him to a resolute sense of responsibility for the fragile girl. Brilliant and beautiful, Renata gradually reacclimates herself to the outside world. But she is far from recovered.

Her nightmares grow steadily more frightful, followed by wild fits of hysteria and dark mood swings. She attends the same college as Mark, a family friend and surrogate big brother, who juggles his own course schedule and teaching responsibilities. Meanwhile, as Seattle is plagued by a grisly serial killer, Mark has a terrifying realization: Could she be the killer?

But his nocturnal vigils do nothing to ease his fears. If he says anything, it's guaranteed to send Renata back to the hospital. But if he doesn't there may be blood on his conscience Part murder mystery, ghost story, and psychological thriller, Regina's Song masterfully fuses together elements that elicit our deepest, darkest fears Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Regina's Song , please sign up.

Lists with This Book. There's not much to say about this book.

The characters are flat, and story is predictable, the setting is forgettable, and the writing itself is bothersome. The entire work is written in a first person slang, but before you think of Clockwork, you should know that its bad slang. Characters are constantly asking for "the scoop," "hitting the bricks," or being "cutsey-poo. The vast majority of the book is given over to describing pointless mundane details in the lead character's life. Daily pointless conversation, what he thinks about a given author, how he gets coffee in the morning, etc. The characters are always amazed at each other's abilities, complimenting one and other on their good work, and just generally getting along.

There are no conflicts between any of the characters, except for a single one that is obviously the one we're supposed not to like, but he has a grand total of eight lines or so that show up at the very end. And the plot had one major twist, if it can be called that at all, and I got the impression that it was supposed to come as a surprise. This is revealed around page , and I would guess the average reader would have been waiting for it to happen from about pages That leaves a lot of dead space for coffee and bricks and tile flooring and book shelves and other irrelevancies seriously.

So, if you were to chop this down to a page novella, it would at least be over more quickly. Without changing the writing, I'm not sure the story could be improved any. I often wondered throughout if it were actually a book written for the teen crowd, or middle school students. That would actually explain a lot. View all 4 comments. May 12, Leia rated it did not like it Recommends it for: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.

To view it, click here. From the description, this book sounds like a zinger, right? I mean, what more do you want? Identical twins so identical that they frequently swop roles without anyone knowing! Their personalities so entwined that it's impossible even for them to say where one ends and the other begins! Then one of them is murdered! I mean, the possibilities here for good, compelling fiction with or without supernatural elements - although I obviously prefer with are virtually endless.

To my vast disappointment, From the description, this book sounds like a zinger, right? To my vast disappointment, however, the book is not only composed entirely out of stale prose, canned dialogue, pre-packed stereotypes and cardboard flat characters, but there is just about no plot at all. The surviving twin gets released from a mental hospital because she wants to attend university; suddenly a mysterious spates of killings with victims that are known for their criminality turn up.

That's basically it, I'm very sorry to say. The premise and mystery of the twins and their twinhood and how the loss of it affects the one left behind is just not explored at all. Instead, it's basically a revenge story which you already knew, right?

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I mean, do you need spoiler tags to know that the "murder mystery" part of the novel is the surviving twin hunting down the dead twin's killer, killing anyone she thinks it may have been coz they deal drugs sometimes until she actually gets the right guy? So through the eyes of Mark we follow Renata, the surviving twin, as she attempts to reintegrate in society. Sure, three of them are girls and they all study different thingies, but they all agree on everything all the time , they use the exact same dialogue and phrases as the other characters, and even the same conversational tone!

It's like one person talking to himself, that person being the Prototypical Eddings Creation Tee Em, which is a smart-ass wannabe comedian with They all hold exactly the same views on just about everything, although it's just damn convenient that one of them is a philosopher, who can ask very deep, yo questions about the nature of personality and morality without ever really discussing these things, since everyone agrees with everything instantly.

Also, luckily one of them is a lawyer, who can help Mark and the Surviving Twin TM out when legal troubles arise in a way which everyone agrees with and is perfectly happy with, despite it being, in my view, ridiculously unethical and immoral. Also, luckily one of them has a brother on the police force, very handily getting all the inside info that help them figure out who's committing the murders and how to get that person out of this damn mess they made. Also, one is a psychology major, so we handily have analyses on hand, all of them uncontested, naturally, explaining everything Renata goes through and the why the who what and etc.

These things don't need to make sense or have any kind of underlying logical structure, because what this psych major tells us is what we all already know from living in the "real world" and its obsession with Pop psych and easy explanations, so obviously it's the true and only answer possible. Alright, I'm letting my snark get out of hand, but I was truly aggravated by this book. Not only are there no actual characters at all and no plot to speak of, there are no supernatural elements! I mean, the cover of the hardcover version I have says right there, very explicitly: We're just told that wolves and dogs howl when the murders are committed, and that Regina listens to some freaky music with wolves howling.

But back to the review. Even though the authors employ first-person narrative, readers are constantly kept at an oceanic distance from the main character or who the main character, the one doing the action and driving the story , is supposed to be, at least and you feel at best a bit of sympathy for the poor surviving twin while getting constantly irritated at the narrator and his incessant lame joking. You're also told by our narrator that yes, losing her twin was so horrible for Renata that she went mad and so on so he'll keep an eye on her now and again, all very sad, but hey, English Paper due and class to give, mysteries of Milton to talk about exploring, lame-ass comedy to perform.

I'm trying very, very hard to think of what else the narrator does, but I honestly can't add anything to it. I'm so extremely disappointed in this novel mainly because I have such a soft spot for David Eddings. When I was something like 13, I saw a novel of his at the library and the cover so enthralled me that I picked it up. It was the middle book of a series the Elenium, if I remember correctly , and that hooked me on fantasy for life.

So I wanted this book to be good, and I was willing to like it even if it was just mediocre or slightly bad. It wasn't even that. The only redeeming quality I can think of is that there are no spelling or grammar errors. Trees shouldn't have to die for this crap, and there are so many actually good books to read out there that you don't even want to waste the 5 or so hours that it takes to read through this book.

That's time you'll never get back! Nov 13, Jess rated it it was amazing. However, I never read any of his non-fantasy work, because back when I discovered Eddings, Fantasy is all I would read. My tastes have branched out a lot in the intervening 15 or so years, so I was kind of excited about reading Regina's Song when an online book club I participate in Wow. My tastes have branched out a lot in the intervening 15 or so years, so I was kind of excited about reading Regina's Song when an online book club I participate in decided to read it, and I wasn't disappointed.

The weird thing is, this book both was and wasn't typical Eddings. Anyone who's read any of his fantasy work - particularly as much and as often as I have - will certainly see the similarities in his characterization and his tone. In that regard, it was familiar - it was almost like putting on that old ratty pair of jeans that you can't get rid of, because they're just so comfortable, and they fit.

Set in a more modern time period, with most of the story taking place in the mid- to late's, Regina's Song is the story of a pair of twin girls, Regina and Renata, one of whom is murdered. The girls were so identical that no one knew for sure which one was actually murdered - and the surviving twin was catatonic and spoke exclusively in "twin" language, so she couldn't tell anyone which one she was.

After being locked in a sanitarium for a long while, the surviving twin finally begins to speak in English - but she's got almost total amnesia, with no memory of having a twin sister, and doesn't even know who she is. She gets labeled as "Renata. Apr 17, Kara Kelly added it. The story idea was great, but the author completely ruined his own idea!

First of all, the dialogue is beyond ridiculous and unrealistic, as is the idea that a future lawyer, professor, psychologist, and philosopher all live in a house where there is no drinking, no fornicating, and basically no fun at all on a college campus. I have to say it again! Thirdly, the trial is completely unrealistic.

Do your homework David Eddings, seriously. I will never ever ever read another book you have written ever again. You had such a great idea behind this book and completely ruined it. Sorry; that's harsh, but it's true. I would never recommend this book to anyone. Sep 25, Jane Jago rated it really liked it.

If you were expecting the Belgariad or the Malloreon, forget it. This is a contemporary thriller with a chilling core. It explores the relationship between friends and the one between twins. I enjoyed it a lot as it combined Eddings' way with friendship with something a bit more disturbing than one normally associates with the brand. See for yourself if Regina grabs you.

Jan 31, Simon Mcleish rated it liked it Shelves: Originally published on my blog here in June Most people are fascinated by the intimate relationship which exists between identical twins, and this forms the basis of the most recent novel from David and Leigh Eddings, one which edges into the horror genre - a new departure for the pair. Regina and Renata Greenleaf were identical twins, who continued to use a private language between themselves long after most pairs have given it up - right through high school.

I was surprised not to find a Originally published on my blog here in June I was surprised not to find any references to this cryptolalia - use of a secret language - online; may be it's not as common a practice as the Eddings imply. Then, on the point of graduation, their car broke down returning from a party and when one of them went to find a phone, she was attacked, raped and viciously murdered. The surviving twin is so traumatised by this, that she reverts to their secret language, and it is only following six months in an asylum that she recognises anyone or returns to speaking English.

Even so, she cannot remember the past, making it impossible to tell even which twin she is or even to tell her that she had a twin sister. To the chagrin of her parents, the person she recognises is a family friend, Mark Austin - also the narrator of the novel.

A major part of the novel is about Mark's attempts to help the surviving twin now insisting on being known, rather nauseatingly, as Twink rehabilitate to the real world by auditing some of the courses at the university, including the basic English one he teaches. This is the first book in my life that I'm seriously considering giving away. Charlie had more personality than Mark. I was surprised not to find any references to this cryptolalia - use of a secret language - online; may be it's not as common a practice as the Eddings imply. For instance, the prosecution - and the defense - pretty much laid their entire case out. He later switched to writing epic fantasy, a field in which he achieved great success.

His is a graduate student at Washington University the whole novel, like all of the Eddings' non-fantasy, takes place in Washington State. A major part of the novel is about Mark's attempts to help the surviving twin now insisting on being known, rather nauseatingly, as Twink rehabilitate to the real world by auditing some of the courses at the university, including the basic English one he teaches. This means that Twink moves away from her parental home to stay with an aunt, who has a job which means that she is out a large proportion of the time - surely a situation which a psychiatrist would be unhappy about for someone only recently released from a mental ward.

And then strange things begin to happen The main idea is strong, though it could be the basis of a far more bleak novel offering more insight into how it feels to be a twin and the nature of mental illness. This could be done most easily by improving the essays that Twink hands in, which Mark somewhat bizarrely thinks are brilliant - they're nothing like that good.

Such a tale would be a radical departure for the Eddings, and the impression I got was that his was something they kept moving towards and then shying away from to produce something more lightweight. After all, they don't want to alienate all their fans. This desire makes the second half of the novel poorer than the first, and also means that some of the cute phrases and ideas which fill so much of the Eddings' recent writing appear once more. It may also explain an interesting change of attitude: Regina's Song contains a crime investigation and a rather unconvincing courtroom drama as well as the twin psychology and horror elements, and this is something of a mistake from a structural point of view, as it makes the novel seem somewhat overcrowded with strands from different genres.

Nevertheless, Regina's Song is consistently entertaining if you can ignore the cute turns of phrase and the use of identical twins at the centre of this kind of story is fascinating. This book is just a catastrophe. There's so much wrong on so many levels that it's stunning, haha. As others have noted, one of the worst thing about this book is the dialogue. It's atrocious, and seems to be mired in the '50s. It sounds like it's trying to be noir at times "let's hit the streets" , but then it's overly twee at other times Renata calls the main character "Markie-poo". I think Mark is trying to be sarcastic most of the time?

It's hard to tell from the bland tone. Characters co This book is just a catastrophe. Characters constantly repeat each other's names in dialogue too, which is annoying. There's a lot of sexism and racism as well. Asians are consistently called "orientals. They even won't let the males pour their own coffee or make their own sandwiches for lunch, omg.

For some background, I am approximately the same age as Mark, the narrator. And I grew up near Seattle, where this book is set and went to college in Seattle. So believe me when I say that no one lived like this in s Seattle. No one called their female roommates "doll" and "babe" one of the women is pre-med! There's a curmudgeonly tone to this book which does not at all suit the s.

Things the narrator hates: First, if you read the book's blurb, the huge shocker moment is spoiled there. Nothing else happens in the book. It's very repetitive, there's no suspense, you have to seriously suspend your disbelief about the legal system, and it's just plain boring. I kept reading because I was hoping for some great supernatural "twin" thing And some stuff is unexplained too: In fact, that might make for a somewhat interesting read. The ending really pissed me off as well: She is the very definition of it!

She murdered multiple men, in a particularly cruel way. No one seems to care at all about that. Yes I get that they were "criminals" but come on! She's a complete monster but everyone was concerned that she would be safe and coddled the rest of her life; no one cared about justice. I guess it's the middle ages where we send off our inconvenient women to the nuns. I didn't mean to rant this much, but this book is bad. This is my first book by the Eddings, and I'm disappointed; I'm not sure if I want to read the authors' fantasy series now.

I particularly liked how well Seattle and the surrounding area is drawn - it's obvious the authors have spent time here and know their way around, which makes the book all the more "real. Simply the worst book I have ever read in my life.

Regina's Song, written by David and Leigh Eddings, is a murder mystery novel, with some fantasy themes present as well. The story takes place in Seattle. Start by marking “Regina's Song” as Want to Read: David Eddings was an American author who wrote several best-selling series of epic fantasy novels. David Eddings' wife, Leigh Eddings, was an uncredited co-author on many of his early books, but he had later acknowledged that.

Total waste of time. So, I've had this book for about six months now but only just got around to reading it. I originally picked it up because of the author, since I've enjoyed some of his previous stuff and wanted to see how he tackled the modern world.

Regina’s Song

His characters always seem to follow traditional gender roles the only possible exception being Mary. If that bothers you, don't read this. As it wa So, I've had this book for about six months now but only just got around to reading it. As it was, it felt Eddings also has this fascination with 'twin-speak'. I have never heard of this before in the real world granted, I've only taken an intro linguistics class, but I feel like that would have been touched on were it common.

It also plays a very minor part of Eddings' work Polgara the Sorceress , so I think that's why I wasn't completely confused by it at all. At least in Polgara there is a brief mention of unique verb tenses and meanings I don't normally read this genre so I don't know how it compares to everything else, but I found it interesting. Of course, the reader already knew because of the plot summary on the back, but I digress.

It wasn't quite what we got in some of his fantasy works, and it didn't always have anything to do with the plot, but I still liked it. Even though we only met him towards the end, I had a strong idea about what kind of person Burpee was before he even made a live appearance.

This is both a good and bad thing, but on the good side it's an accurate representation of what the narrator understands which makes sense being a first-person narrated book. I would have liked to see a bit of their normal daily life, the murder would have probably had a bigger impact if I had known what the surviving twin was like before she went crazy and I don't mean when she was a little kid. I don't know what drives him. He's a working man who's getting an English degree and got a sizeable investment with his inheritance. He also likes the twins. I get no sense of this guy's personality.

What does he like? What does he fear? Charlie had more personality than Mark. I mentioned this, but everyone has a rigid gender role. It wouldn't have hurt to swap the roles of, say, James and Erika. At times it seemed like the girls were making the guys do everything, just because there was more focus on what the guys were doing with the implicit information that the girls were cooking. At least Mary was female. The three girls are introduced right off the bat as two Swedes and an Italian. That might not be bad in a fantasy setting but this is the United States, a place that's pretty diverse.

I sure wouldn't be able to tell if someone was Swedish or Italian or not. Oh yeah, and it took me a chapter or two past his introduction to realize that James was black--it was a minor part of his introduction. Contrast that with the girls, and that Eddings also used the word 'oriental' to describe an East Asian was it Japanese? I'm surprised his editor okayed that.

Especially Mark, who went on and on about stuff related to his English major. I don't mind college stuff, most of the book was them going about their lives and all, but it was excessive. I don't know who half the authors he mentioned were, and even then I don't think I've read any of the books and poems he mentioned and frankly I don't care that much.

I think this was probably because Eddings himself was an English major and he just had a lot to talk about. This isn't a failing unique to Eddings Patricia Briggs's Dead Heat comes to mind, and I certainly tend to ramble in my own stuff , but I would have hoped that someone would have stepped in and asked if all that was necessary.

Conrad was cool though. While the vagueness can be both good and bad, it did leave a lot up to the reader If it hadn't been brought up, that would have been better. As it was it felt anti-progressive in a way, though I certainly felt sympathy for Twink. In the end, even though there some issues, I still moderately enjoyed the book. It didn't leave me wanting a sequel, and I didn't particularly care what happened to a few of the characters Mark anyone? I probably wouldn't have read it if it wasn't by Eddings, though. Aug 13, Nola Redd rated it liked it Shelves: I love David and the ever-silent Leigh Eddings.

I enjoy every fantasy book he has written. This book, however, is outside of their general genre, and just doesn't work for me. In fact, I was several chapters in when I realized that I may have actually read the novel before, but blocked it out The story itself has some interesting potential - one of a pair of identical twins is murdered and the other has amnesia, so no one is sure which twin survived. But, oddl I love David and the ever-silent Leigh Eddings. But, oddly enough for such an experience author, the writing is the problem.

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Regina’s Song

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