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.
Helpful Score: 1
Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming London solicitor who is sent to the town of Crythin Gifford - deep in the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. He comes to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of a client, Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. Mrs. Drablow's house stands at the end of the causeway, wreathed in fog and cloaked in mystery, however Arthur is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind Eel Marsh House's sheltered windows.
The routine business trip Arthur anticipated upon his arrival quickly takes a horrifying turn. He glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral and a creeping sense of dread begins to take hold within him. As he sorts through Mrs. Drablow's papers, Arthur is continually haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and apparitions - a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap in trouble, and a child's terrified scream in the fog.
I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. The story was just my style of horror! Mareena was looking through the bookshelves and just had to grab this book before anyone else did. She had bought an ebook of this book for herself about a year ago and had been on the lookout for a physical copy of The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill ever since. I give this book an A+! and I have Mrs. Dewinter by the same author already on my bookshelf. I'll also be placing The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill on my Wish List.
The routine business trip Arthur anticipated upon his arrival quickly takes a horrifying turn. He glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral and a creeping sense of dread begins to take hold within him. As he sorts through Mrs. Drablow's papers, Arthur is continually haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and apparitions - a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap in trouble, and a child's terrified scream in the fog.
I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. The story was just my style of horror! Mareena was looking through the bookshelves and just had to grab this book before anyone else did. She had bought an ebook of this book for herself about a year ago and had been on the lookout for a physical copy of The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill ever since. I give this book an A+! and I have Mrs. Dewinter by the same author already on my bookshelf. I'll also be placing The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill on my Wish List.
Creepy, atmospheric, ghost story about complete hatred and despair that manifests itself into a haunting of pure evil. Great descriptions by the author.
This was a quick read and very well written. that said, I thought this "ghost story" was over hyped and not in the league of Shirley Jackson or Stephen King at all. Read it for the eloquent victorian style of writing, story was "eh".
A satisfyingly creepy ghost story that ranks up with the classics "The Uninvited" by Dorothy Macardle, "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, "The Elementals" by Michael McDowell, and "Hell House" by Richard Matheson (although not as over-the-top as the last one.)It's not really a "young adult" book, although young readers can enjoy it as well.
This was an interesting story, although not as scary as I had thought it would be.
This short horror novel was made into a movie a few years back, with none other than Dan Radcliffe in the primary role. It was based on this book, Susan Hill's 1983 novel which tells the story of a disturbing apparition whose sighting seems to precipitate the death of a child. A young solicitor, Arthur Kipp, travels to a remote English village to set in order the affairs of an old widow woman, Alice Drablow. The deceased seems to have been a recluse in the village, living at a remote manor at the end of a long causeway, known as Eel Marsh House, not surprisingly located on a desolate stretch of marshland.
Upon arrival, the villagers are distant and even disturbed at any mention of either the house or its former owner. Arthur decides to stay at the remote manor house for a few days to go through the deceased's papers and documents, before the sale of the house, despite the vague warnings of the townspeople with whom he has interacted. He immediately begins to experience odd occurrences at the house, followed by noises and odd sightings. At Alice's funeral, he first notices a skeletal figure in black funerary garb. The locals then appear horrified at his report that this figure had been sighted, and refuse to divulge any additional information about the mysterious Woman in Black.
Don't want to provide too many spoilers (other than the ending is quite different in the 2012 movie than in the novel), but this is a very capable ghost story. The writing is very engaging and descriptive, definitely reminiscent of a Victorian ghost story. Highly recommended for this time of year, if you're looking for a short and entertaining read.
Upon arrival, the villagers are distant and even disturbed at any mention of either the house or its former owner. Arthur decides to stay at the remote manor house for a few days to go through the deceased's papers and documents, before the sale of the house, despite the vague warnings of the townspeople with whom he has interacted. He immediately begins to experience odd occurrences at the house, followed by noises and odd sightings. At Alice's funeral, he first notices a skeletal figure in black funerary garb. The locals then appear horrified at his report that this figure had been sighted, and refuse to divulge any additional information about the mysterious Woman in Black.
Don't want to provide too many spoilers (other than the ending is quite different in the 2012 movie than in the novel), but this is a very capable ghost story. The writing is very engaging and descriptive, definitely reminiscent of a Victorian ghost story. Highly recommended for this time of year, if you're looking for a short and entertaining read.
The story is slightly different from the movie and in some ways creepier for making you imagine more. Susan Hill is an amazing writer.
Good ghost story. Not overly graphic but hints of horrors not seen but heard. Very creepy. Quick read as well. Nothing like the movie so if you've seen the movie don't expect the book to be the same. Both great stories though.
Just creepy enough to keep the light on at night.
Just creepy enough-well written, a quick read.
A good quick read. Dreadful ending. Jennet became a terrorizing banshee. Spider is a good dog. What did this man do to deserve to be haunted like this?
