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nrogers_1030's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Child death, and Classism
luminous's review against another edition
4.0
Yes. Excellent. Starts off great. Then holding pattern for a while. I found the whole story of the second couple super boring. Then SHTF around 67% and gallops all the way to the end.
There's a chunk of MAJOR classism later in the book that was kind of jarring but I suspect/hope it was characterization on Siddons's part. The casual wealth of Colquitt and Walter and their entire perfect street continually interested me as it was so foreign!
This is indeed about a haunted house, or a haunted property, or maybe everything happening is coincidence - we don't find out which until later - but it is also about relationships, and what we hold dear, and how what we hold dear can be weaponized to destroy us. And about how fragile relationships can be. And perhaps about shared madness, but within the one or those you share the madness with, you feel and sound completely sane. Or maybe it's not madness, and maybe the ever more strange and terrible things you plan to do to save the world from the house...is CAUSED by the house.
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT.
Maybe you, in your rich little enclave with your fancy trips and beach house, maybe you're not much better than those poor people you sneer at later in the book. Maybe you're so twisted you'd kill a young man because of some coincidental deaths that happened near him and you're convinced he's got evil inside him because, even though his having rich parents would absolve him of innate evil in your eyes (sigh), he committed the sin of being ADOPTED and thus the theory of innate evil sticks and they murder him.
I liked watching the descent of Colquitt and Walter. I liked watching the descent of the neighborhood. It was harrowing and I gasped more than once. I like the twist in theory but the above is why on general, no. Also the end is rushed. I liked the slice of the 70s.
There's a chunk of MAJOR classism later in the book that was kind of jarring but I suspect/hope it was characterization on Siddons's part. The casual wealth of Colquitt and Walter and their entire perfect street continually interested me as it was so foreign!
This is indeed about a haunted house, or a haunted property, or maybe everything happening is coincidence - we don't find out which until later - but it is also about relationships, and what we hold dear, and how what we hold dear can be weaponized to destroy us. And about how fragile relationships can be. And perhaps about shared madness, but within the one or those you share the madness with, you feel and sound completely sane. Or maybe it's not madness, and maybe the ever more strange and terrible things you plan to do to save the world from the house...is CAUSED by the house.
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT.
Maybe you, in your rich little enclave with your fancy trips and beach house, maybe you're not much better than those poor people you sneer at later in the book. Maybe you're so twisted you'd kill a young man because of some coincidental deaths that happened near him and you're convinced he's got evil inside him because, even though his having rich parents would absolve him of innate evil in your eyes (sigh), he committed the sin of being ADOPTED and thus the theory of innate evil sticks and they murder him.
I liked watching the descent of Colquitt and Walter. I liked watching the descent of the neighborhood. It was harrowing and I gasped more than once. I like the twist in theory but the above is why on general, no. Also the end is rushed. I liked the slice of the 70s.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
This work of Southern gothic / horror fiction is a little slow to start but once it gets going it's riveting!
Colquitt and Walter Kennedy live in a lovely home in a friendly Atlanta suburb. They and their neighbors visit one another regularly, enjoy cocktails after work, play tennis on weekends, and attend parties at various homes. The Kennedys are pleased to live next door to a vacant lot whose narrowness and ravined terrain have always ensured it stays vacant, an oasis of natural beauty in their neighborhood. Until a young couple hires a hot-shot architect who designs a spectacular house that seems to just grow out of the land. The house is still under construction when odd things start to happen. Not just odd, but downright malevolent and horrific.
I stayed up way too late a couple of nights "waiting for that other shoe to drop." It left me on edge and vaguely anxious; spooked by noises in the night (or in the daytime). Reminds me of the hoopla around [b:The Amityville Horror|325534|The Amityville Horror|Jay Anson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1270057726l/325534._SY75_.jpg|284389] - a book I read when it first came out in the late '70s. A perfect Halloween read!
Colquitt and Walter Kennedy live in a lovely home in a friendly Atlanta suburb. They and their neighbors visit one another regularly, enjoy cocktails after work, play tennis on weekends, and attend parties at various homes. The Kennedys are pleased to live next door to a vacant lot whose narrowness and ravined terrain have always ensured it stays vacant, an oasis of natural beauty in their neighborhood. Until a young couple hires a hot-shot architect who designs a spectacular house that seems to just grow out of the land. The house is still under construction when odd things start to happen. Not just odd, but downright malevolent and horrific.
I stayed up way too late a couple of nights "waiting for that other shoe to drop." It left me on edge and vaguely anxious; spooked by noises in the night (or in the daytime). Reminds me of the hoopla around [b:The Amityville Horror|325534|The Amityville Horror|Jay Anson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1270057726l/325534._SY75_.jpg|284389] - a book I read when it first came out in the late '70s. A perfect Halloween read!
rebelkiss's review against another edition
3.0
I didnt like the animal deaths. I wanted more details about Kim at the end.
punkyjewster's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sirenpacific's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.0
bellelouallen's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book has parts that are SO JUICY I was gasping out loud, but it also has parts that will bore you to tears. Overall, I think it’s a very good book and accomplishes what it sets out to do. I didn’t see the “twist” coming and I makes for a very compelling ending. This reads like Peyton Place but more sinister (i mean this as a compliment) alas, I still haven’t found my perfect haunted house book 💔
nim9's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75