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_marjolaine_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
se_wigget's review against another edition
Months ago, Gail Carriger posted on Facebook, asking for recommendations of gothic novels. I purchased a few of them, including this book.
Page 102: Eating alone is depressing?!? Maybe if you're an extrovert. Or is there a reason you don't want to be alone? Avoiding yourself?
The writing style is good and full of realistic details. It has eeriness and psychological baggage of a gothic novel. Plus the apartment is unsettling and probably haunted.
But from early on the book has cringey, problematic word choices (the r word, calling women bitches and shrews, using the word Chinamen, etc.) The protagonist even has a homophobic reaction to her boyfriend wearing a shirt that has faded to pink. I wondered: Is the reader supposed to dislike the main character? Is it just the main character, or also the author? When on page 115 I came to the xenophobic phrase "illegal alien" in a paragraph (not in dialog), I concluded that it's also the author and slammed the book shut.
Well. This author really knows how to remind me why I should focus on reading queer authors and tell straight authors to fuck off.
Page 102: Eating alone is depressing?!? Maybe if you're an extrovert. Or is there a reason you don't want to be alone? Avoiding yourself?
The writing style is good and full of realistic details. It has eeriness and psychological baggage of a gothic novel. Plus the apartment is unsettling and probably haunted.
But from early on the book has cringey, problematic word choices (the r word, calling women bitches and shrews, using the word Chinamen, etc.) The protagonist even has a homophobic reaction to her boyfriend wearing a shirt that has faded to pink. I wondered: Is the reader supposed to dislike the main character? Is it just the main character, or also the author? When on page 115 I came to the xenophobic phrase "illegal alien" in a paragraph (not in dialog), I concluded that it's also the author and slammed the book shut.
Well. This author really knows how to remind me why I should focus on reading queer authors and tell straight authors to fuck off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexism, Racial slurs, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Racism, and Toxic relationship
badseedgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Women in horror. Why don’t women write more horror novels? Or more accurately, why are more women horror authors not singled out for awards in the genre of horror. Only three books by women authors have won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in the last 10 years. Two of those novels were by Sarah Langan. Only seven novels by women authors have been nominated in the last 10 years. Again, Sarah Langan represents two of the seven. Women have made great strides in other genre works, especially in fantasy and increasingly in science fiction. Why then do they keep lagging in the horror field? The reason for this little tirade at the beginning of this review is because I love horror writing and I wanted to try and read some women horror writers. Boy, was I disappointed by the Bram Stoker award list. Now I understand that the British Fantasy Society’s August Derleth Award is a little better with 12 novels by women nominated in the last 10 years, but there is a caveat. Only 7 women are represented by those 12 books, and there were only 2 female winners in the last 10 years. I can’t help but wonder, are women authors unable to write good horror fiction, or is this a case of them being overlooked? Just something to think about.
Ok I will now get off my soap box and get on with my review.
It seems that good old-fashioned ghost stories may be coming back into vogue, at least they were back in the 00’s. I am just getting around to reading books from this time, so for me 2016 was the year of the ghost story. Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box was one such example I read this year (It was not good) and now Sarah Langan’s Audrey’s Door. In my opinion Ms. Langan was miles more successful in her attempt to modernize the ghost story.
For one thing, Ms. Langan sets her novel in the bustle of a NY apartment. When one thinks of a “haunted house” one rarely thinks of an apartment. I mean the name itself haunted HOUSE, pretty much tells you where you expect the haunting to occur. So, setting the haunting in a NYC apartment turns the expectations of the reader right from the start.
I also enjoyed the idea that Audrey is a brilliant but deeply damaged character that is still trying to make good of herself. I felt the same feelings towards Audrey in this book as I did by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I want to see both characters succeed, because both characters suffer so much in their younger years, and despite it all still strive to make their lives a success. Everyone loves an underdog.
Plus, the story was full of excitement and suspense. Each chapter adds layers of horror, that left this reader breathlessly turning the pages. The story was not slowed by the drifting back in time in the form of memories recalled by Audrey, instead they added to the suspense of what was going on in the present.
There was a dream-like, or more appropriately labeled nightmare quality about the story. It seemed like Audrey drifted from one horrible event to the next, I never felt like I was living Audrey’s life, but was more a voyeur in her nightmares. Although I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, it almost felt like the ending of the original “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie. The door opens, it is sunny but there still feels like there is an undercurrent of an unfinished horror waiting just around the corner to drag the characters back to the horror they just escaped from. It left me feeling like there was just unfinished business. I’ don’t know there was just something about the ending that bothered me. Maybe it just seemed a little too pat.
All in all, Sarah Langan was a wonderful find and I look forward to reading more of the writings.
Ok I will now get off my soap box and get on with my review.
It seems that good old-fashioned ghost stories may be coming back into vogue, at least they were back in the 00’s. I am just getting around to reading books from this time, so for me 2016 was the year of the ghost story. Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box was one such example I read this year (It was not good) and now Sarah Langan’s Audrey’s Door. In my opinion Ms. Langan was miles more successful in her attempt to modernize the ghost story.
For one thing, Ms. Langan sets her novel in the bustle of a NY apartment. When one thinks of a “haunted house” one rarely thinks of an apartment. I mean the name itself haunted HOUSE, pretty much tells you where you expect the haunting to occur. So, setting the haunting in a NYC apartment turns the expectations of the reader right from the start.
I also enjoyed the idea that Audrey is a brilliant but deeply damaged character that is still trying to make good of herself. I felt the same feelings towards Audrey in this book as I did by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I want to see both characters succeed, because both characters suffer so much in their younger years, and despite it all still strive to make their lives a success. Everyone loves an underdog.
Plus, the story was full of excitement and suspense. Each chapter adds layers of horror, that left this reader breathlessly turning the pages. The story was not slowed by the drifting back in time in the form of memories recalled by Audrey, instead they added to the suspense of what was going on in the present.
There was a dream-like, or more appropriately labeled nightmare quality about the story. It seemed like Audrey drifted from one horrible event to the next, I never felt like I was living Audrey’s life, but was more a voyeur in her nightmares. Although I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, it almost felt like the ending of the original “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie. The door opens, it is sunny but there still feels like there is an undercurrent of an unfinished horror waiting just around the corner to drag the characters back to the horror they just escaped from. It left me feeling like there was just unfinished business. I’ don’t know there was just something about the ending that bothered me. Maybe it just seemed a little too pat.
All in all, Sarah Langan was a wonderful find and I look forward to reading more of the writings.
lusimusi's review against another edition
No me gustó como estaba escrito, me aburría.
littlemissgemreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
precioussantiago's review against another edition
4.0
I’m really glad that I picked this book up. Rosemary’s Baby is my all time favorite movie/book and after reading the synopsis I was sure that this would be a 5 star read.
Audrey was an interesting character and although most of the scenes in which she interacted with people was cringey and awkward I really enjoyed reading about her. Kudos to Sarah Langan on creating such an interesting character.
That aside the first portion of the book I was really engaged and was interested in the Brevairy apartment building. But then we kind of shift gears and focus more on Audrey’s back story and by the time we circled back to the horror elements of the story I just kind of wasn’t interested anymore. This book isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy psychological horrors I think you would like this.
mostlyreadinghorror's review against another edition
4.0
I’m really glad that I picked this book up. Rosemary’s Baby is my all time favorite movie/book and after reading the synopsis I was sure that this would be a 5 star read.
Audrey was an interesting character and although most of the scenes in which she interacted with people was cringey and awkward I really enjoyed reading about her. Kudos to Sarah Langan on creating such an interesting character.
That aside the first portion of the book I was really engaged and was interested in the Brevairy apartment building. But then we kind of shift gears and focus more on Audrey’s back story and by the time we circled back to the horror elements of the story I just kind of wasn’t interested anymore. This book isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy psychological horrors I think you would like this.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
2.0
The premise sounded great: crazy architect builds houses of evil, blue-blooded geriatric Manhattanites occupy the only remaining buidling, young woman moves in and finds herself in a pickle. Unfortunately, most of the book deals with the heroine's declining mental health and unhappy childhood, with detours into the lives of her boss and ex-boyfriend. The potential spookiness was overshadowed by clunky pop-psychology. What a waste of a perfectly good haunted apartment building.
bibliophile24's review against another edition
4.0
Sarah Langan is now on my list of favorite horror authors. What a fabulous creepfest! I wish I had time to say more.
fantastic_visions's review against another edition
4.0
This was a slow read for me. Interesting characters, and definitely disturbing.