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ladykatka's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was a great audiobook as it was done like a radio play. Not only were there different voices for some of the characters but you could also hear the hoof beads and the dog barking and the wind blowing so there was really good spooky ambience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Child death
owenglasgow's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Child death
ocelotdoll's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
There is a simplicity in The Woman in Black's writing of horror. The cover proudly touting it the "classic English ghost story" initially led me to expect a tame and slightly cliché story and for the majority of the book this holds true. A main protagonist who does not believe in ghosts goes to an isolated place where the inhabitants all behave suspiciously, he is to visit a supposedly haunted house but and when he is left to his down devices paranormal events take place. Those events are also perfectly classic and cliché, the black woman standing and watching the protagonist but disappearing every time he tries to approach her, strange sounds being heard across the house, unnerving fog preventing communication with the outside, everything is almost boringly expected. Yet, there is something in Susan Hill's writing that makes it all dreadfully efficient, The Woman in Black whilst never reaching the peak of bodily horror that the Exorcit managed to keep me more consistently on edge. However, whereby naming it a classic the cover also brought me to believe that when things seemed to head towards a happy end, the book in a very quick yet not at all rushed way hit me with its true horror, leaving it as the abrupt and final note of the story. It's a very efficient horror story and when things got going, it was an easy read, I would however fault the start for being a bit too slow by my tastes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
amylia_k's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The writing of this book is dense, it’s incredibly descriptive- some of it adds to the spookiness other parts seem pointless and don’t add anything at all. It definitely picks up in the second half of the book and my heart was definitely beating faster. Whilst it was challenging , it was still a good read. I definitely think the play captures the story much better than the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Grief
lsankey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
fe_aye's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This story is a classic, but honestly I found it kinda hard to enjoy. I don’t think that’s the fault of the book though more a personal preference. If you want to read about a haunting then this is probably the one I would suggest
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
echosong's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Woman In Black by Susan Hill is a good short story, with good writing that leaves you with an unresolved uneasy feeling much like the protagonist must feel.
Narrated from the perspective of a future Arthur Kipps, The Woman In Black, follows him as he writes down his experience from when he was a young lawyer looking from a promotion that changed his life forever and his hope that by writing it down, he will finally exorcise the ghost haunting him. Primarily set in a small village suffering from constant intense fogs, Arthur meets, from a distance, the titular Woman In Black, when he’s sent to get a recently deceased woman’s affairs in order, the story documents what happened to him on that week.
Character wise, there is not that much character development. Other than Arthur and his deteriorating state, all the other characters are static, with the reader finding out more about them, but none of them being developed further than their initial meeting.
While I enjoyed the writing style, which I feel lends itself to a narrator of the 1800s, it is difficult to get through the first part of the story. It’s only around chapter 6 that the ghost shenanigans really start and I was at my most interested.
Narrated from the perspective of a future Arthur Kipps, The Woman In Black, follows him as he writes down his experience from when he was a young lawyer looking from a promotion that changed his life forever and his hope that by writing it down, he will finally exorcise the ghost haunting him. Primarily set in a small village suffering from constant intense fogs, Arthur meets, from a distance, the titular Woman In Black, when he’s sent to get a recently deceased woman’s affairs in order, the story documents what happened to him on that week.
Character wise, there is not that much character development. Other than Arthur and his deteriorating state, all the other characters are static, with the reader finding out more about them, but none of them being developed further than their initial meeting.
While I enjoyed the writing style, which I feel lends itself to a narrator of the 1800s, it is difficult to get through the first part of the story. It’s only around chapter 6 that the ghost shenanigans really start and I was at my most interested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, and Murder
Minor: Misogyny
ggcd1981's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Meu primeiro contato com a história The Woman in Black foi por meio do filme de mesmo título com Daniel Radcliffe como protagonista. Esse filme para mim foi assustador, então quando descobri que era baseado em um livro de Susan Hill decidi que teria que dar certa prioridade a leitura dessa obra. O livro é centrado em dois personagens, o primeiro deles o protagonista e narrador Arthur Kipps, ele inicia a obra como um advogado de sucesso com um passado assombroso. A obra passa depois a dar lugar à história do passado de Arthur - sua visita fatídica, enquanto jovem e ingênuo advogado, à cidade de Crythin Gifford, no nordeste do país, com o objetivo de lidar com a propriedade de um dos clientes recentemente falecidos de sua empresa – no passado Kipps era um jovem impressionável, mas confiante, inconsciente dos horrores que o aguardavam. Através de seu próprio relato de sua juventude, o protagonista explora os eventos assustadores que efetivamente descarrilaram sua vida; em especifico, seus repetidos encontros, durante sua estada na casa em Eel Marsh, com a terrível mulher de preto - o fantasma que assombra a propriedade há décadas. Jennet Humfrye, a titular mulher de preto, faz sua primeira aparição para Arthur no funeral da Sra. Alice Drablow. Kipps nota o traje de luto antiquado da mulher e sua aparência assustadora; embora jovem, ela é horrivelmente pálida e doente. Quando o protagonista menciona a mulher para seu companheiro no funeral, o Sr. Jerome, este fica profundamente assustado - e Arthur percebe que ele foi o único no serviço capaz de ver a mulher. O jovem advogado a encontra novamente quando chega à casa em Eel Marsh - desta vez, Arthur tem certeza de que a mulher deve ser uma aparição fantasmagórica. Depois que Kipps descobre um pacote de cartas escritas por uma mulher chamada Jennet Humfrye para Alice Drablow, a história da vida das duas mulheres se torna mais clara: parentes e talvez até irmãs, Jennet e Alice estavam ligadas para sempre por uma transação terrível. Quando Jennet ficou grávida de um filho ilegítimo, ela foi forçada a abandonar o bebê aos cuidados da Sra. Drablow - ela o fez apenas depois de avisar a mulher de que o filho nunca seria realmente dela. Jennet perseguiu os Drablows ao longo dos anos até que finalmente conseguiu acesso à criança; ela planejou fugir com ele, mas o menino, Nathaniel, afundou no pântano ao lado de sua babá em um terrível acidente de charrete de pônei. A raiva, o ódio, a perda e a dor da mulher de preto são traduzidos em uma terrível malevolência quando ela se tornou a figura que assombra a casa em Eel Marsh, assim como a cidade de Crythin Gifford. Sempre que ela aparece, uma criança local morre - um efeito prolongado de sua obsessão por seu próprio filho perdido. A atmosfera gótica do livro é impecável. Absolutamente tudo que eu espero da ambientação de um livro gótico. A escrita de Hill foi excelente para a proposta do livro, e construiu efetivamente uma história sombria e trágica. O enredo em resumo: Arthur Kipps, um advogado júnior de uma firma de advocacia, é convocado para comparecer ao funeral da Sra. Alice Drablow, a única habitante da Eel Marsh House, sem saber dos trágicos segredos que ali se escondem. A casa fica no final de uma estrada, envolta em névoa e mistério, mas só quando Arthur vislumbra uma jovem devastada, toda vestida de preto, no funeral, que uma sensação de mal-estar arrepiante começa a tomar conta, um sentimento aprofundado pela relutância dos moradores em falar da mulher de preto - e seu terrível propósito. Essa história foi extremamente intrigante, todo o tempo o mistério da aparição mais o cenário lúgubre da casa mantiveram minha atenção presa. Quanto a lógica, sendo um pouco crítica, em uma situação como a da pequena cidade de Crythin Gifford, onde há um espirito maligno e todos sabem, não acredito que ninguém se disporia a avisar uma pessoa destinada a casa foco da assombração. Não contar a um recém-chegado do fantasma que assombra a região é até certo ponto compreensível porque os moradores queriam que o advogado não visse nada, para evitar possíveis consequências. Porém a relutância em compartilhar informação, mesmo após Kipps ter visto a mulher de preto, me pareceu ilógica. Mas isso não atrapalhou minha experiência com a obra. Uma coisa que poderia ter atrapalhado foi a sensação de perigo constante ao cachorro Spider que era o companheiro de Arthur enquanto em Eel Marsh. Minha alta sensibilidade a morte de animais me impediria de gostar muito de uma obra em que o cachorro é morto, felizmente não foi o caso aqui. Assim a obra me entreteve muito, foi um excelente terror e considerei, é claro, superior à sua adaptação para filme. The Woman in Black merece 4.75 estrelas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness and Animal death
rachelunabridged's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
ezrazoe4's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Writing is good, a bit long winded but that's just a feature of gothic horror. The plot was pretty standard. It does make you feel a bit uneasy during certain scenes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death