Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
London : Vintage, 1999.
Description
Fiction. Horror. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML: The classic ghost story by Susan Hill: a chilling tale about a menacing spectre haunting a small English town. Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming London solicitor who is sent to Crythin Gifford--a faraway town in the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway--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 mystery, but Kipps is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind its sheltered windows. The routine business trip he anticipated quickly takes a horrifying turn when he finds himself haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and images--a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child's scream in the fog, and, most terrifying of all, a ghostly woman dressed all in black. Psychologically terrifying and deliciously eerie, The Woman in Black is a remarkable thriller of the first rate..… (more)
Media reviews
I love this style of writing... very detailed and descriptive. Although some of our students have said that they had a hard time getting through the first few chapters, I was immediately captivated.
User reviews
LibraryThing member abbottthomas
Susan Hill creates a wonderfully creepy introduction to this ghost story, very much in the tradition of M R James and Sheridan Le Fanu. As with most ghost stories, the build up is scarier than the denoument, but she gives us a nasty sting in the tail. The action takes place in salt marsh country,
I would put the period of the story in the early part of the inter-war years. 'Pea-soup' fogs largely disappeared from London by the 1950s - 'London particulars' is a very 19th.C. term but motor transport is clearly described in London and was not uncommon at his destination despite the use of pony and trap by some. Gas light in London streets suggests the first half of the 20th.C. but the isolated Eel Marsh House has mains electric light - improbable, I would have thought, until the 1920s at least.
Despite Kipps' initial enthusiasm for the strange beauty of the marshes we quickly become aware of an unhappy atmosphere in the area. No one wants to discuss his late client or her house, even the local man who will drive him there and back does so with scarcely a word. The house itself rings all the right bells, windswept with moaning in the chimneys, a ruined abbey complete with graveyard in the garden, gloomy and dusty and with a closed door, apparently locked but without a keyhole, at the end of an upstairs passage. Read it for yourself - it won't take long - to experience the steady jacking-up of the tension. When Kipps has recovered from his nasty experience and returns to London you may feel you can relax, but don't. Not just yet....
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estuarine, and almost certainly on the east coast of England between the Wash and the Humber - the word fret for a sea-fog is an east coast usage. We are left in some doubt as to the location as Arthur Kipps, the main protagonist of the tale, leaves a fog-bound London from King's Cross Station, but rather than take the East Coast line, he travels first to Crewe. Changing trains, he tells us that he is going north and veering to the east before his final change onto a branch line at the fictitious Homerby. If we assume the train from Crewe is heading for Grimsby, the most significant town on the south side of the Humber estuary, Kipps will end up near the coastal flatlands between Cleethorpes and Mabelthorpe. Certainly he is not on any moors. The name of Mrs Drablow's house, Eel Marsh House, would sit well on a North Lincs coastal property as there used to be a significant eel fishing industry around there.I would put the period of the story in the early part of the inter-war years. 'Pea-soup' fogs largely disappeared from London by the 1950s - 'London particulars' is a very 19th.C. term but motor transport is clearly described in London and was not uncommon at his destination despite the use of pony and trap by some. Gas light in London streets suggests the first half of the 20th.C. but the isolated Eel Marsh House has mains electric light - improbable, I would have thought, until the 1920s at least.
Despite Kipps' initial enthusiasm for the strange beauty of the marshes we quickly become aware of an unhappy atmosphere in the area. No one wants to discuss his late client or her house, even the local man who will drive him there and back does so with scarcely a word. The house itself rings all the right bells, windswept with moaning in the chimneys, a ruined abbey complete with graveyard in the garden, gloomy and dusty and with a closed door, apparently locked but without a keyhole, at the end of an upstairs passage. Read it for yourself - it won't take long - to experience the steady jacking-up of the tension. When Kipps has recovered from his nasty experience and returns to London you may feel you can relax, but don't. Not just yet....
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
If you like a good ghost story, this one has all the usual elements---a young man sent to a remote village with an assignment; a local populace that warns him mysteriously against the place he must go to complete this assignment; a healthy dose of skepticism gradually replaced by a healthy dose of
Reviewed in 2014
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the daylights scared out of said young man; strange noises and visitations in the night; a vision no one else sees (or admits to seeing); a retreat from the scene of the haunting; a partial explanation; and, finally, an ending with a barb in its tail. All told from the perspective of that young man, now grown old, looking back on it all many years hence. A little Shirley Jackson, a little Edgar Allan Poe, a little Daphne DuMaurier...Reviewed in 2014
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LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
A short-ish tale, but none the less unnerving, for that. Susan Hill manages to convey all the chill and creep of the house on the moors, separated from civilisation by the daily-flooded causeway and the mysterious ‘frets’ or mists that roll in off the sea without lingering so long on the
If I ever have to spend a night in a lonely house on the moors, I’m taking a small terrier with me.
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landscape that the story gets bogged down; the story itself is a simple one, but truly shiver-inducing, perhaps because the author artfully engages our sympathies with the narrator, Mr. Arthur Kipps, retired estate lawyer, whose reluctant unfolding of the story immerses the reader in a cold, sad tale that exceeds the pleasantly horrible boundaries of most ghost-stories and snaps its fingers in the face of complacency.If I ever have to spend a night in a lonely house on the moors, I’m taking a small terrier with me.
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LibraryThing member Meredy
Within the frame tale of the old English tradition of telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve, the author delivers plenty of creepy atmosphere, suspense, and spooky happenings. She does quite a nice job of imitating the style of an educated writer of the 19th century without going overboard with
The narrator's voice has an authentic quality that is enhanced by his assertion that he refuses to tell his tale for the entertainment of others and instead will leave it to be found after his death. His horror and sadness are very present and credible in context.
Unfortunately there was a spoiler right on the back cover of the paperback. It ruined a good buildup to one of the shivery effects.
I'm not much of a reader of Gothic novels in general, but I've read all of Poe and a number of other 19th-century writers who went in for spine-chilling tales. I can't remember a moodier or more weirdly hypnotic setting than Eel Marsh House, Crythin Gifford--not even Dracula's eerie castle in Transylvania.
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archaic verbal and grammatical effects. I was bothered by the many comma splices (complete sentences joined by commas but no conjunctions) and a few conspicuous editorial lapses.The narrator's voice has an authentic quality that is enhanced by his assertion that he refuses to tell his tale for the entertainment of others and instead will leave it to be found after his death. His horror and sadness are very present and credible in context.
Unfortunately there was a spoiler right on the back cover of the paperback. It ruined a good buildup to one of the shivery effects.
I'm not much of a reader of Gothic novels in general, but I've read all of Poe and a number of other 19th-century writers who went in for spine-chilling tales. I can't remember a moodier or more weirdly hypnotic setting than Eel Marsh House, Crythin Gifford--not even Dracula's eerie castle in Transylvania.
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LibraryThing member rainpebble
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill; (3 1/2*)
A good story of haunting, The Woman in Black holds the reader's interest. It has everything a good ghost story entails. A dark & aboding house, the eerie marshlands surrounding said house, strange things that "go bump in the night", the small village where
Mrs. Alice Drabble of Eel Marsh House is a client of Arthur Kipps' soliciting house in London and when she dies, his employer sends him out to her lonely house on the marsh to dig through her private papers to speed up dealing with her estate.
When Arthur gets to the village he finds no one there will speak with him of the reclusive Mrs. Drabble, her house nor her life. However the man who trundled her groceries & needs out to her house in his pony cart is willing to take him to the house & return for him.
While at the house Arthur hears the most frightful sounds, sees apparitions and literally hears things that "go bump in the night." He is there alone and tries to remain calm and continue with his work but it becomes more and more difficult. As he goes through Mrs. Drabble's papers he finds very little of use until he comes across a bundle of letters regarding a distant relative of Mrs. Drabble's who is unmarried and in the family way. The young lady wishes to keep the baby but doesn't have the means and so the little boy is adopted by the Drabbles. He later comes across legal paperwork that suggests the reasons for the hauntings of Eel Marsh House and the more he learns the more the hauntings continue until Arthur becomes ill in heart, soul & body. He is rescued from the house in a collapsed state and taken to the home of a gentleman he met on the train coming out who says he must remain until he is on the road to recovery. He is attended by the local doctor, fed nourishing broths and that coupled with much bed rest does Arthur much good. He is surprised one day to receive his fiance, Stella, who has come to take him back to London on the train.
They marry soon after and Arthur puts the experience behind him until one day.........one day................
Well, you will have to read the book to discover more of the particulars and the finale. Needless to say I enjoyed this book as I have every Susan Hill I have read. (Mrs. de Winter aside) I like the spare way she writes without throwing in flowery phrasing and unnecessary wording. I found this to be a good read and recommend it for those who enjoy a little spooking and haunting.
A good story of haunting, The Woman in Black holds the reader's interest. It has everything a good ghost story entails. A dark & aboding house, the eerie marshlands surrounding said house, strange things that "go bump in the night", the small village where
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no one wishes to speak of the strange goings on out at the house, and of course your innocent who is sent to the house to do some sleuthing work.Mrs. Alice Drabble of Eel Marsh House is a client of Arthur Kipps' soliciting house in London and when she dies, his employer sends him out to her lonely house on the marsh to dig through her private papers to speed up dealing with her estate.
When Arthur gets to the village he finds no one there will speak with him of the reclusive Mrs. Drabble, her house nor her life. However the man who trundled her groceries & needs out to her house in his pony cart is willing to take him to the house & return for him.
While at the house Arthur hears the most frightful sounds, sees apparitions and literally hears things that "go bump in the night." He is there alone and tries to remain calm and continue with his work but it becomes more and more difficult. As he goes through Mrs. Drabble's papers he finds very little of use until he comes across a bundle of letters regarding a distant relative of Mrs. Drabble's who is unmarried and in the family way. The young lady wishes to keep the baby but doesn't have the means and so the little boy is adopted by the Drabbles. He later comes across legal paperwork that suggests the reasons for the hauntings of Eel Marsh House and the more he learns the more the hauntings continue until Arthur becomes ill in heart, soul & body. He is rescued from the house in a collapsed state and taken to the home of a gentleman he met on the train coming out who says he must remain until he is on the road to recovery. He is attended by the local doctor, fed nourishing broths and that coupled with much bed rest does Arthur much good. He is surprised one day to receive his fiance, Stella, who has come to take him back to London on the train.
They marry soon after and Arthur puts the experience behind him until one day.........one day................
Well, you will have to read the book to discover more of the particulars and the finale. Needless to say I enjoyed this book as I have every Susan Hill I have read. (Mrs. de Winter aside) I like the spare way she writes without throwing in flowery phrasing and unnecessary wording. I found this to be a good read and recommend it for those who enjoy a little spooking and haunting.
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LibraryThing member anotherjennifer
This is the quintessential ghost story. The novel is narrated by a character named Arthur Kipps, now an elderly man, who recounts the eerie events that occurred decades earlier when he was a solicitor settling the estate of Alice Drablow.
As a young man, he was sent to a small town to attend Mrs
Author Susan Hill does a superb job of creating that foggy, damp atmosphere that's ideal for old-fashioned ghost stories. I saw the play which is based upon the novel when I was in England last year and actually jumped out of my seat a couple times. I went out to buy the book before the plane ride home. The book isn't scary in that same jump-out-of-your-seat-and-scream (as the group of school children in the audience did frequently) sense, but that's not to say that it's boring. If you enjoy subtly creepy stories, you'll devour this book.
As a young man, he was sent to a small town to attend Mrs
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Drablow's funeral and sort through the widow's papers. Although it was an ordinary task, Kipps' life was permanently altered by the appearances of a woman in black, the mystery he uncovered, and the strange occurrences in Eel Marsh House--Mrs Drablow's large home, surrounded by marsh and cut off from the mainland during high tides.Author Susan Hill does a superb job of creating that foggy, damp atmosphere that's ideal for old-fashioned ghost stories. I saw the play which is based upon the novel when I was in England last year and actually jumped out of my seat a couple times. I went out to buy the book before the plane ride home. The book isn't scary in that same jump-out-of-your-seat-and-scream (as the group of school children in the audience did frequently) sense, but that's not to say that it's boring. If you enjoy subtly creepy stories, you'll devour this book.
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LibraryThing member Banoo
This was a good old-fashioned ghost story, the kind of story that gets into your head, the kind that makes you lock the door... at least it was for me, especially that night, when reading about the noises coming from behind the locked door, and the dog was growling scared, and the noises didn't
Gothic, Victorian-like story of a woman in black in the northern coastal marshes of England. Trust me... you don't want to see her.
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stop, and the lights went out...Gothic, Victorian-like story of a woman in black in the northern coastal marshes of England. Trust me... you don't want to see her.
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LibraryThing member MusicMom41
This is the third book I’ve read for this years’ Halloween Read and is, so far, the least satisfying for me. Although I have no complaints about the writing, even from the beginning this book seemed somewhat flat. It was written in the 1980’s by an English author who seems to be attempting to
I also found that I was often able to anticipate what would happen and why rather than experiencing what the main character was feeling. This story might have been better told in third person rather than first person. The narrator was very analytical about himself and the strange occurrences going on, which made me also analytical instead of settling into the flow of the story. In spite of that, throughout most of the book I kept enough interest to want to finish the story. My biggest complaint is I felt manipulated by the ending. Even though I saw the final event coming I was still angry when it happened. Perhaps, because I did see it coming!
Bottom line: A lot of people have really liked this book and I can see the attraction, even though it didn’t work for me. I consider it a 19th century Gothic wannabe without the style and the ability to create an atmosphere that would draw me into the story.
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write a ghost story in the 19th century Gothic style. At first I though maybe it was because it was more novella length without the time to really set up the atmosphere, but The Turn of the Screw was a novella and the atmosphere was skillfully built up to grab the reader and hold him breathless. It may have been that my problem was that I had just finished [The House of Seven Gables] with its heavy emphasis on atmosphere that develops much more slowly than in Hill’s story in which there seem to be sudden changes of both atmosphere and mood. I felt very detached as I read this book, almost to the point of analyzing why I thought it was "missing the mark!" Another problem may be that the first chapter of the story shows the protagonist many years removed from this part of his life, well and happy with his family around him at Christmas. It’s like feeling that obviously he managed to survive the experience and move on so there was not the sense of great urgency that catastrophe would befall him. I also found that I was often able to anticipate what would happen and why rather than experiencing what the main character was feeling. This story might have been better told in third person rather than first person. The narrator was very analytical about himself and the strange occurrences going on, which made me also analytical instead of settling into the flow of the story. In spite of that, throughout most of the book I kept enough interest to want to finish the story. My biggest complaint is I felt manipulated by the ending. Even though I saw the final event coming I was still angry when it happened. Perhaps, because I did see it coming!
Bottom line: A lot of people have really liked this book and I can see the attraction, even though it didn’t work for me. I consider it a 19th century Gothic wannabe without the style and the ability to create an atmosphere that would draw me into the story.
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LibraryThing member soniaandree
This novel was deliciously gothic and I’ve enjoyed reading it from the start til the end. The main character tries to change the course of his fate by resolving a mystery and unexplained deaths. It is best read at night, as it helps the gloomy ambience, with a cup of tea. This is a book I shall
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read again. Show Less
LibraryThing member coloradogirl14
As with many of the books I read, I picked this one up after watching the movie, which scared the living daylights out of me. The book, on the other hand was a much tamer experience - more atmospheric than downright terrifying, but still pleasantly spooky.
This is a traditional English ghost story
While this story doesn't offer anything radically new, it's a solid, well-crafted ghost story that relies on subtle atmosphere and creepiness rather than bold scares. And it's a short read too. I think I finished this one in 24 hours, if not one sitting.
I've suggested this book several times to people looking for a "tame" horror novel, usually around Halloween. In fact, I've labeled this as one of the best novels for reading on a chilly autumn night.
So in terms of plot, character, and theme, this book doesn't have many secrets. In terms of atmosphere, it delivers big time. I think this book should be considered a "mood" read - the sort of book you pick up when you want to have a very specific reading experience.
(On a semi-related note, if you're looking for a horror movie that delivers scares without blood & guts, the movie is excellent.)
Readalikes:
The Turn of the Screw - Henry James. Classic English ghost story with a slightly different twist: is the spiritual phenomena actually paranormal or is it psychological?
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson. The story doesn't point to a specific soul haunting the halls of Hill House, but in terms of atmospheric haunted house stories that rely on subtlety rather than big scares, this story can't be beaten.
The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters. Two historical haunted house tales set in England, albeit during slightly different time periods. However, the paranormal phenomena in The Little Stranger is more ambiguous than in the Woman in Black. Are there really spirits in the house? Or are they figments of the imagination.
This is a traditional English ghost story
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in every way - isolated and derelict mansion, superstitious English town, lots of fog and mist, vengeful spirit - so, yes, the story will have some predictable elements. A young lawyer, Arthur Kipps, is sent to Eel Marsh House to settle the estate of Mrs. Alice Drablow. Eel Marsh House, being the isolated and derelict mansion mentioned above, is not happy to see him. Arthur starts seeing the haunting vision of a mysterious woman dressed all in black, and he comes to find out that whenever the woman has been seen, a child dies a horrible death.While this story doesn't offer anything radically new, it's a solid, well-crafted ghost story that relies on subtle atmosphere and creepiness rather than bold scares. And it's a short read too. I think I finished this one in 24 hours, if not one sitting.
I've suggested this book several times to people looking for a "tame" horror novel, usually around Halloween. In fact, I've labeled this as one of the best novels for reading on a chilly autumn night.
So in terms of plot, character, and theme, this book doesn't have many secrets. In terms of atmosphere, it delivers big time. I think this book should be considered a "mood" read - the sort of book you pick up when you want to have a very specific reading experience.
(On a semi-related note, if you're looking for a horror movie that delivers scares without blood & guts, the movie is excellent.)
Readalikes:
The Turn of the Screw - Henry James. Classic English ghost story with a slightly different twist: is the spiritual phenomena actually paranormal or is it psychological?
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson. The story doesn't point to a specific soul haunting the halls of Hill House, but in terms of atmospheric haunted house stories that rely on subtlety rather than big scares, this story can't be beaten.
The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters. Two historical haunted house tales set in England, albeit during slightly different time periods. However, the paranormal phenomena in The Little Stranger is more ambiguous than in the Woman in Black. Are there really spirits in the house? Or are they figments of the imagination.
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LibraryThing member Crazymamie
What a deliciously creepy read. It reminded me of the beginning of Dracula because of the narrative style but also because of the circumstances - solicitor gets sent on an errand to someplace that he has never been and must travel by multiple conveyances to get there, everyone that learns about his
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business and destination reacts strangely but will not give him the inside scoop, and then seriously strange things start happening. This is a ghost story told in the gothic style that will not disappoint. The ending also holds up. I am giving it 4 1/2 stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member RBeffa
This is an odd book. It is illustrated thoughout my copy with pen and ink drawings which reminds me of things I read as a child, or perhaps an old New Yorker or maybe even a touch of Madeline. This is written in a very old fashioned style as if it was 100 years old rather than 30. I was so
Our main character Arthur Kipps tells us a story of something he experienced as a young man. For him it is supposedly true, but I think he may have just been telling us a tale. I would advise prospective readers to persevere past the beginning because it does get much better and does manage to slowly build with a rather surprising and dramatic ending.
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thoroughly underwhelmed with the start of the novel that I was ready to throw it on the heap after about 25 pages. But ... I went and looked at some reviews and found other readers remarked on the blase beginning so I read on and it became a much better story. This book seems to have fans, and then there are a few who are underwhelmed. This is supposed to be a modern classic ghost story - and since I read close to none of that sort of story, at least as an adult, I can't give it a fair comparison. It reminded me a little of 'The Haunting of Hill House' by Shirley Jackson.Our main character Arthur Kipps tells us a story of something he experienced as a young man. For him it is supposedly true, but I think he may have just been telling us a tale. I would advise prospective readers to persevere past the beginning because it does get much better and does manage to slowly build with a rather surprising and dramatic ending.
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LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
What a terrific read! This book is small and engrossing enough to wrap you up in a creepy ghost story any time you're up for such an adventure. It's the tale of what happens to Arthur Kipp, a solicitor who is sent by his employer to settle the estate of the recently deceased Alice Drablow. Mrs.
I really like how the story develops. We know ahead of time that this is a scary story, yet the author allows us, at least part of the time, to have a dog for companionship. Thank you!
In the same way that Stephen King uses humor to alleviate anxiety during his tales of horror, Susan Hill has her own techniques for breaking the reader's terror, allowing us time to calm down and recharge. These "calming breaks" make this story immensely more readable as they enhance our curiosity to move ahead in the story.
I am most grateful to pbadeer, fellow LibraryThing member, for recommending this book to me. I enjoyed it so much.
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Drablow had lived in a secluded house accessible only via causeway during low tide as it became the only house on a virtual island when surrounded by water during high tide. The land surrounding the house was lovely during good weather: vast flat marshland, blue sky, calling sea birds. During bad weather, it was frightful: fog so thick it was impenetrable by sight, distressing sounds of unexplicable origins.I really like how the story develops. We know ahead of time that this is a scary story, yet the author allows us, at least part of the time, to have a dog for companionship. Thank you!
In the same way that Stephen King uses humor to alleviate anxiety during his tales of horror, Susan Hill has her own techniques for breaking the reader's terror, allowing us time to calm down and recharge. These "calming breaks" make this story immensely more readable as they enhance our curiosity to move ahead in the story.
I am most grateful to pbadeer, fellow LibraryThing member, for recommending this book to me. I enjoyed it so much.
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LibraryThing member JBD1
Oh yeah. Deliciously dark and spooky, and spectacularly illustrated with wood engravings by Andy English. Susan Hill at her best.
LibraryThing member mazda502001
This book is a good spine-tingler and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately I saw the movie before reading the book (wish it had been the other way round) and didn't find the book had the atmospherics (obviously) that the movie had. Having said that I wouldn't read it when I went to bed. Much better in the
Back Cover Blurb:
Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor in London, is summoned to Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, and to sort through her papers before returning to London. It is here that Kipps first sees the woman in black and begins to gain an impression of the mystery surrounding her. From the funeral he travels to Eel Marsh House and sees the woman again; he also hears the terrifying sounds on the marsh - the eerie sound of a pony and trap and a child's scream in the fog.
Despite Kipp's experiences he resolves to spend the night at the house and fulfil his professional duty. It is this night at Eel Marsh House that contains the greatest horror for Kipps. Kipps later discovers the reasons behind the hauntings at Eel Marsh House. The book ends with the woman in black exacting a final, terrible revenge.
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light of day.......Back Cover Blurb:
Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor in London, is summoned to Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, and to sort through her papers before returning to London. It is here that Kipps first sees the woman in black and begins to gain an impression of the mystery surrounding her. From the funeral he travels to Eel Marsh House and sees the woman again; he also hears the terrifying sounds on the marsh - the eerie sound of a pony and trap and a child's scream in the fog.
Despite Kipp's experiences he resolves to spend the night at the house and fulfil his professional duty. It is this night at Eel Marsh House that contains the greatest horror for Kipps. Kipps later discovers the reasons behind the hauntings at Eel Marsh House. The book ends with the woman in black exacting a final, terrible revenge.
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LibraryThing member curlycurrie
This is an excellent ghost story. Atmospheric and totally believable. The hero is rather reluctant and is refreshing in being curious but not swashbuckling! The descriptive narrative transports the reader to Eel Marsh House (I could hear the pony and child)and succeeds in sending real shivers down
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the spine! Show Less
LibraryThing member CathrynGrant
I first heard about this story from a friend who saw the stage adaptation in London. She said it was terrifying. Because of that visceral review, I had high expectations for the book.
There are a number of very unsettling scenes, and the ending, although somewhat easy to see coming, sent chills
There are a number of very unsettling scenes, and the ending, although somewhat easy to see coming, sent chills
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through my spine. My only criticism is the set-up took much too long and there were a few other points where the story dragged a bit. But overall, a quick, scary read. And those unsettling scenes are the type that will linger in my mind for a very long time. Show Less
LibraryThing member susiesharp
This was a good spooky ghost story not gory but psychologically suspenseful. Arthur Kripps is given the task of going through the papers of a woman he has never met her, but his firm is handling her affairs after her death. What Arthur finds in the town and house is something that will stay with
This book was written very well with just the right amount of suspense and trepidation, as events happen to Arthur I found myself with butterflies in my stomach and was glad no one came up behind me while I was reading. I liked that the author made you feel the darkness, smell the marshes, and hear the sounds and that’s what’s great about this book it has great atmosphere and does a good job at pulling you in.
If you are a fan of Victorian ghost stories I highly recommend this book this will be a book I will recommend to anyone who likes ghost stories that are suspenseful without any blood & gore.
This was my first book by Susan Hill and after her descriptive writing in this book I will try others by her.
4 Stars
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him for the rest of his life.This book was written very well with just the right amount of suspense and trepidation, as events happen to Arthur I found myself with butterflies in my stomach and was glad no one came up behind me while I was reading. I liked that the author made you feel the darkness, smell the marshes, and hear the sounds and that’s what’s great about this book it has great atmosphere and does a good job at pulling you in.
If you are a fan of Victorian ghost stories I highly recommend this book this will be a book I will recommend to anyone who likes ghost stories that are suspenseful without any blood & gore.
This was my first book by Susan Hill and after her descriptive writing in this book I will try others by her.
4 Stars
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LibraryThing member nicky_too
I was surprised to find how much story Susan Hill had managed to put in to a 160 page book.
Someone had recommended the book to me and reading the first few pages in the bookstore made me buy it.
At first I found it a little dull (only a little). She does describe a lot! That is usually not my
Also, I immediately saw comparisons between this story and the set up of Dracula by Bram Stoker. That didn't put me off, because I happen to like Dracula.
However, fairly early on quite a bit of the story was actually predictable. Then why do I still give this book 4.5 stars?
Because it's GOOD!!!
Somehow all that describing actually works. Just when I start thinking "Ok, I get the point now!", she adds just one line more. And that one line grabs me by the throat. It's the way she describes things that give me that uneasy feeling this story needs. It gives me a good reason to keep on reading. After all, I do want to know if what I think will happen will actually happen.
Make no mistake, this is scary stuff. I'm glad I bought it and I'm about to recommend it to quite a few people.
Someone had recommended the book to me and reading the first few pages in the bookstore made me buy it.
At first I found it a little dull (only a little). She does describe a lot! That is usually not my
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thing.Also, I immediately saw comparisons between this story and the set up of Dracula by Bram Stoker. That didn't put me off, because I happen to like Dracula.
However, fairly early on quite a bit of the story was actually predictable. Then why do I still give this book 4.5 stars?
Because it's GOOD!!!
Somehow all that describing actually works. Just when I start thinking "Ok, I get the point now!", she adds just one line more. And that one line grabs me by the throat. It's the way she describes things that give me that uneasy feeling this story needs. It gives me a good reason to keep on reading. After all, I do want to know if what I think will happen will actually happen.
Make no mistake, this is scary stuff. I'm glad I bought it and I'm about to recommend it to quite a few people.
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LibraryThing member JaneSteen
Where I got the book: purchased on Amazon.
As this is the movie tie-in edition I feel justified in talking about the movie as well. I was a big fan of Susan Hill's ghost stories way back when, so it's fun to revisit them - inspired, of course, by watching one of the hands-down creepiest movies I've
The novella follows the old-fashioned ghost story format: leisurely set-up with a story-within-a-story structure, the "now I must tell my tale but I really don't want to" method. The narrator takes his time bringing the reader into the story, with some superb atmospheric location shots (so to speak) - I could really see the flat water of the estuary with sea blending into sky, or was I remembering the scene from the movie? (The location you see in the movie, by the way, is apparently a composite - not really an island.)
Then you get to the really creepy stuff - and it was, although not nearly as much as the film version. But still, I wouldn't recommend reading this one alone in a dark house at midnight with the wind howling. And we finish up with a kicker, or Carrie moment as I like to term them - again, in a style consistent with older ghost literature. I would have preferred some more foreshadowing of the ending, for the atmosphere of the earlier chapters to be sustained right up to the finish; I felt that Hill was reaching to finish with a bang.
What was interesting, though, was that a plot point that was made much of in the movie is not brought into the book until the end. The movie, in fact, imposed a structure on the story that the author didn't give it, and I think it was an improvement. I ended up feeling as if the novella was a first-draft sort of affair that provided plenty of atmosphere and all the important elements but needed work, and the movie was the finished version. Would I have thought that if I'd read the book first (and maybe I did, but it would have been 25+ years ago and my memory's not that good).
Recommended, anyway. Susan Hill's always good value.
As this is the movie tie-in edition I feel justified in talking about the movie as well. I was a big fan of Susan Hill's ghost stories way back when, so it's fun to revisit them - inspired, of course, by watching one of the hands-down creepiest movies I've
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seen in a long time. Brrrrrrr.The novella follows the old-fashioned ghost story format: leisurely set-up with a story-within-a-story structure, the "now I must tell my tale but I really don't want to" method. The narrator takes his time bringing the reader into the story, with some superb atmospheric location shots (so to speak) - I could really see the flat water of the estuary with sea blending into sky, or was I remembering the scene from the movie? (The location you see in the movie, by the way, is apparently a composite - not really an island.)
Then you get to the really creepy stuff - and it was, although not nearly as much as the film version. But still, I wouldn't recommend reading this one alone in a dark house at midnight with the wind howling. And we finish up with a kicker, or Carrie moment as I like to term them - again, in a style consistent with older ghost literature. I would have preferred some more foreshadowing of the ending, for the atmosphere of the earlier chapters to be sustained right up to the finish; I felt that Hill was reaching to finish with a bang.
What was interesting, though, was that a plot point that was made much of in the movie is not brought into the book until the end. The movie, in fact, imposed a structure on the story that the author didn't give it, and I think it was an improvement. I ended up feeling as if the novella was a first-draft sort of affair that provided plenty of atmosphere and all the important elements but needed work, and the movie was the finished version. Would I have thought that if I'd read the book first (and maybe I did, but it would have been 25+ years ago and my memory's not that good).
Recommended, anyway. Susan Hill's always good value.
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LibraryThing member isolde100
Written years before The Man in the Picture, this novel is also about a malevolent, vengeful ghost who destroys the lives of anyone who sees her. A perfect read for a stormy winter night. A classic "gothic" ghost story set in England.
LibraryThing member mahallett
saw the play in london TWICE. found it so so. i started the book and expected it to be so so too but i enjoyed it, understood it better and was kinda spooked. he says many times that he's happy in his second life but i wonder or is it just that when we're old we wonder more about other lives.
LibraryThing member nicx27
This is a book that I tried a few years ago and couldn't really get into. However, as I'm going to see the play next week I thought I would give it another go. It's funny how tastes change, as I loved it the second time round and found it to be a compelling ghost story. I wasn't scared by it, but I
Susan Hill has written a modern classic with The Woman in Black, and this is a book that I believe will endure for many years to come. It's a very short book, but tightly packed with ghostly goings-on and I loved how Susan Hill brought the story to a conclusion. Highly recommended.
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did read the majority of it in the daytime. Had I read it at night on my own I might have been more spooked by it.Susan Hill has written a modern classic with The Woman in Black, and this is a book that I believe will endure for many years to come. It's a very short book, but tightly packed with ghostly goings-on and I loved how Susan Hill brought the story to a conclusion. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member jburlinson
I like ghost stories. However, I am very seldom satisfied by either long or short versions of the genre. In a very general way, I suppose I prefer those that make it hard to determine whether the haunting is taking place 'in here' or 'out there.' 'The Turn of the Screw' is the classic example, and
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The Haunting of Hill House is another excellent specimen. In the book under review, it's pretty clearly happening 'out there,' and what's happening is pretty conventional. The suspense is all of the 'don't go down in the cellar' variety. Here, it's 'don't spend another night in the haunted house' and 'don't go out in the fog' kind of stuff. As to style, Ms. Hill was apparently paid by the comma. I did enjoy the drawings by John Lawrence, in that they emphasize the drabness and insignificance of the narrator-hero. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarionII
This is great stuff. So many authors aspire to write modern 'gothic', and just don't cut it - Susan Hill manages it effortlessly. I can re-read this over and over again
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1983
ISBN
9780099288473