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The Woman in Black

Hill, Susan (Book - 2011)
Average Rating: 2 stars out of 5.
The Woman in Black


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"An excellent ghost story... magnificently eerie... compulsive reading." -- Evening Standard 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

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"An excellent ghost story... magnificently eerie... compulsive reading." -- Evening Standard 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.

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Imprint: New York - Vintage Books , a div of Random House, Inc
Edition: 1st Vintage Books ed
ISBN: 9780307950215, 0307950212
Language: English
Notes: Originally published: London: Hamish Hamilton, 1983
Statement of responsibility: Susan Hill
Characteristics: 164 p. ;,21 cm
Author (Original Script): Hill, Susan
Call number: MYSTERY HILL 2011
Library Identifier 2744033
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Eek! I'm easily scared, so I certainly found this book creepy. Hill doesn't inspire fright with gouls popping out of nowhere, so much as with the atmosphere she creates, which was very eerie. I found the ending a bit unfulfilling, though, and the way that Hill's narrator constantly invokes the Gothic by saying that the whole thing wasn't very Gothic (when it was), made it seem like a little bit of a satire. But that's just my take.

Nov 02, 2012
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  • ehbooklover_MarkhamPL rated this: 3.5 stars out of 5.

An evocative ghost story in the Gothic style that provides all of its scares via atmosphere and a slow build up of suspense rather then relying on blood and gore. The perfect read for a dark and stormy night.

Nov 01, 2012
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  • gemini07 rated this: 4 stars out of 5.

Loved the descriptive writing style. Good story, well written novella.

Aug 26, 2012
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  • biblioholic rated this: 5 stars out of 5.

In 1990, on a trip to London, I went to see a theatrical production of "A Women In Black." I didn't know what it was, but it was the most convenient show fior which tickets were available. I didn't expect much. I just wanted to go the theatre in London. I didn't expect to receive the greatest scare of my life, or to have chills run down my spine, and to jump from my seat in fear. But I did. The simple, sparse production produced more fear in me than had lavish big-budget productions like "Poltergeist" or "Jaws." And so, when I started reading Susan Hill's novel, I knew what to expect, and also wondered whether there was anything new to be experienced in the book. There was. Reading Susan Hill's prose is like watching a master craftsperson. It is the soul of parsimony. Not a word wasted. In only a hundred-some pages, she creates an inescapable terror.

Aug 15, 2012
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  • Loriel_2 rated this: 4 stars out of 5.

Good old-fashioned Gothic novel, creepy and atmospheric. Best read alone on a cold blustery night for maximum effect. No gore, yay!

Jul 24, 2012
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  • SFCohen rated this: 2.5 stars out of 5.

It's a ghost story. It's pretty much the ur-ghost story, except it was written too recently for that. Doors that were locked are mysteriously opened, rocking chairs creak when there's no one to rock in them, strange noises are heard over the moors... All the elements are here, but there's nothing new or surprising or different in the way they're put together. Somehow there's atmosphere without tension.

Jul 16, 2012
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  • Dimmu16 rated this: 4.5 stars out of 5.

A very interesting read. Very tragic as well.

A very well-written old fashioned ghost story. Probably not chilling enough for those addicted to blood and vampires, but just right for me.

Jul 05, 2012
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  • KarenW rated this: 4 stars out of 5.

Susan Hill has created a ghost story that is like a creeping clinging bit of sea weed caught on the beach after the tide has gone out. Arthur Kipps is more than willing to take on extra responsibilities at his job as a junior solicitor. He catches the earliest train to a remote spot on the moors, and Eel House. There he will bury the owner, and encounter the Woman in Black. Other sights and sounds will force themselves onto him and give him the scare of a lifetime. Expertly written and suspenseful, this beats the movie all to hell and back.

Jul 04, 2012
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  • Maybea rated this: 5 stars out of 5.

The point wasn't to be a "scary story" you guys.

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Jul 22, 2012
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  • gasperis rated this: 4 stars out of 5.

The book version is quite different from that of the movie. Good choice for someone who desires only a little scare. If more scare is desired view the movie.

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