Reviews

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

stokesyoverlord04's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

charlote_1347's review against another edition

3.0

I'll admit now that I saw the film with Daniel Radcliffe long before reading the book, so apologies in advance for any bias. The writing was lovely - simple yet elegant. The weather imagery, however, got tiring. There are only some many times I can stomach being told it's raining, no matter how fancy it sounds. Characterisation was varied - Arthur, Samuel and the Woman herself were depicted beautifully, with a perfect ratio of show, not tell. Others, such as Jerome and Stella, were paper cutouts that Hill tried to shuffle into the story without defining their personalities or their back stories. We learn about them when it directly relates to the plot, and that is all. Furthering this theme, we learn only what we need to about the plot. Aspects from the film that made it interesting and intense (the deaths of the children, the jump scare in the nursery, Arthur attempting to unearth the Woman's dead son, the impact of that horrific ending) are notably absent, both from action and thought. Don't get me wrong - I understand that the book came before the film and that the film used the story as a springboard. I'm not saying that Hill needs to rewrite the story because that would be unfaithful to her vision. But for me, unfortunately, the book does lack the adrenaline and heart-pounding unpredictability that I garnered from the film. What I have just finished is not a horror story, despite how it's advertised.

anthony_sturgeon's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

4.0

heptapod's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

orang3_w0rld21's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.5

Not a bad read. It’s chilling, spooky, and creepy at times. The Woman in Black is such a good antagonist, but once you read the backstory is heartbreaking. It did drag at times and I felt bored with the reading then. It’s very descriptive; while I’m not fully opposed with descriptions, this is very heavy with it, which I think contributed to my boredom in places. 

The movie adaption, I think, elevated the book a bit more. I recommend watching it.

thelibraryoffabrizia's review against another edition

4.0

It's a good book, I really liked the victorian-gothic setting,but it was a little bit cliche, I understood how it was gonna end within the first half of the book,the plot twists weren't that good,but overall it was written really well and I like the way it was narrated

0kokokay's review against another edition

4.0

This book was entirely creepy. I've watched the movie and didn't like it at all. So I was quite skeptical about this book but it was 10 times better. The descriptions were so creepy I got goose bumps. It was such a good read. I did find myself skim reading some bits as there were a few detail dumps but otherwise a really good read.

obiathus's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Cozy classic story! 

saphirre's review against another edition

dark mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

sim_4520's review against another edition

3.0

This is a nice short horror story, the plot is common to most horror stories which is revenge. But it is depicted in a good way with the scenes contributing to the horror and the ending. it gives me chills.

If you like horror stories must give it a try as it is short and not boring.