Helpful Score: 3
The Woman in Black is truly an engrossing ghost story with a haunting ambiance that will stay with you long after you finish the book! The book was hard to put down as I couldn't wait to find out when the woman in black would appear again. This is a great rainy day read about a horrific tragedy that will make the hair on your neck stand on end. I will say that Eel Marsh House will stay in my mind for a very long time.
Helpful Score: 3
This is a genuinely spooky ghost story. It takes place in an old English countryside manor surrounded by marsh. The telling of the story is like a "Dickens" ghost story, but darker and more malevolent. It is a fairly quick read that sets a haunting atmosphere and builds toward a powerful ending that will haunt you. I loved it!
Helpful Score: 2
Now I know a lot of horror fanatics who have and will say that this book is not scary. And, having read it, I can say that it's not scary like a horror movie that startles you out of your seat with gore. It's a little more cerebral than that. The author, Susan Hill, has the great ability to build suspense with her words. I felt the stress of impending doom in my heart the further I read on in this book. That's a talent!
Susan Hill created two horrors with this novel. First, there is your obvious horror - that of some tortured paranormal being haunting creepy places. But second, there is a more subtle horror - the kind of personal horror that happens every day in real life, the kind of horror that will change your life for the worst. It's that kind of horror that had me saying at the end of the novel, "That's horrible," and I don't mean the novel was horrible. It's just a horrible tragedy.
Susan Hill created two horrors with this novel. First, there is your obvious horror - that of some tortured paranormal being haunting creepy places. But second, there is a more subtle horror - the kind of personal horror that happens every day in real life, the kind of horror that will change your life for the worst. It's that kind of horror that had me saying at the end of the novel, "That's horrible," and I don't mean the novel was horrible. It's just a horrible tragedy.
Helpful Score: 1
Very good gothic ghost story.
Helpful Score: 1
Great ghost story reminiscent of some classic Victorian stories such as "Turn of the Screw." This one is about a London lawyer sent to go through some papers in an old house out on the marshes after the elderly owner passed away. The lawyer wasn't quite ready for the ghostly "woman in black" that haunted the town, or the cries for help from a little boy late at night on the marsh. I found this to be a very chilling story and would recommend it. I did see the movie version of this earlier this year which was much embellished and included a totally different ending. If you haven't seen the movie, I would recommend reading the book first.
