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mari0320's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
๐๐๐.๐ 3.5 ๐ i know that this is not Saul's bests but , i love the way he writes , the end is not good but for me in general was a fast pace spooky ghosts, reincarnation story. โบ๐
hendricksjulie8's review
dark
tense
4.75
7/13/21
very twisty and turny. the characters are complex and the plot is attention-grabbing
very twisty and turny. the characters are complex and the plot is attention-grabbing
ethanz's review
3.0
A very solid 3 stars.
A young boy named Michael has ghostly contact with the legend of Nathaniel in the small farming community. The same farming community where the unfortunate wives are being told their babies are being born dead...
What was once a legend to keep kids off an old mans property was slowly revealed to be true... something....was out there.
OR... is this Michaelโs slow spiral into madness? After losing his father, is this what makes him snap?
Or is the ghost of Nathaniel real? He might be realer then you think.
Nathaniel, was a ghost/revenge story that was different in many ways that I wonโt get into because I donโt want to spoil anything for the reader. John Saul is a great author from his time. I really wish I found him sooner.
A young boy named Michael has ghostly contact with the legend of Nathaniel in the small farming community. The same farming community where the unfortunate wives are being told their babies are being born dead...
What was once a legend to keep kids off an old mans property was slowly revealed to be true... something....was out there.
OR... is this Michaelโs slow spiral into madness? After losing his father, is this what makes him snap?
Or is the ghost of Nathaniel real? He might be realer then you think.
Nathaniel, was a ghost/revenge story that was different in many ways that I wonโt get into because I donโt want to spoil anything for the reader. John Saul is a great author from his time. I really wish I found him sooner.
susanbevans's review
3.0
Easy and enjoyable to read - in just a couple of days. It's another wonderfully creepy novel from the mind of John Saul.
ryan_lieske's review
3.0
It can't be denied, John Saul's books are formulaic. If you've read one, you've pretty much read them all. Usually they concern a family with secrets, more often than not involving children. He aims to be Stephen King, but falls very, very short. Honestly, I have no problem with this, because when I decide to read a Saul novel, I know what I'm getting into. I've read several of his books, and while none of them have come close to being as good as his debut, "Suffer the Children" (a book he has, arguably, just been rewriting and retitling since it became a bestseller -- kind of like Robin Cook keeps doing with "Coma"), I keep coming back to them when I'm need of a literary snack. And "Nathaniel" is a serviceable, fun read. The plot kept me intrigued, although I feel it got a bit muddled at the end, and ultimately left me unsatisfied. Overall, though, this is an innocuous supernatural horror story that you can kill a few hours with, and not feel too guilty about afterwards.
lfgabel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Told in a straight forward, easy-to-read manner, Saul's Nathaniel had me gripped in the first few pages. It's always a good sign when you form visceral gut reactions to characters quickly, so much so that you want certain things to happen to them. I'm immediately invested. The pages flipped by as if time had stopped. The book had just the right mixture of creepy and scary. It would make a great movie. I discovered this book by accident in a Little Free Library, and I'm glad I did.
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