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disconightwing's review against another edition
2.0
Blackbriar is the classic (children's) horror story about a young orphan who moves into a haunted house.
I'm sure if I had read this when I was the appropriate age to enjoy it, my rating would be a little different, but as it is I'm having a really hard time with it. It's also possible that it's just a bit too outdated, for lack of a better term. Things change, and it might have been scary when it was published, but now it's just… campy.
Danny lives with one of the employees of the school he attends, but she isn't his guardian. She convinces him to move out of London and into a country house several hours away. She seems way too flighty to even be allowed around children, even in that time period—she takes this kid out of London and into the country without informing his legal guardian or the school he attends… or anyone else, come to think of it… and when he suggests to her that this might be a bad idea she kind of shrugs it off and says "by the time anyone figures it out, we will be long gone!"
…Okay?
Anyway, the biggest disappointment for me in this whole novel was that it's supposed to be a ghost story. Throughout the whole book it was obvious that no ghosts were appearing, nor were they going to appear. The so called "paranormal" happenings in the book were obviously not paranormal at all and that really disappointed me. There were a few "witches," which weren't witches at all but just a bunch of adults playing pretend, and even that didn't show up until the very end of the book.
Now that I think about it… this might have scared me a little when I was five.
I'm not sure that I liked any of the characters, except maybe Lark. Philippa (the secretary) came off as extremely creepy, first by basically kidnapping this kid and then by running all of his friends off, so that she was literally the only person in his life. Danny was just a crabby, lazy boy.
The ending of the book made very little sense to me, too. There was resolution, but it was crammed into the last few sentences and the last page covered a long span of time. I HATE it when books do that. Include an epilogue if you must, but don't cram years of adjustment into three sentences and tie everything up into a neat little bow, please. It just looks like you got tired of writing the book and wanted to move on.
I'm sure if I had read this when I was the appropriate age to enjoy it, my rating would be a little different, but as it is I'm having a really hard time with it. It's also possible that it's just a bit too outdated, for lack of a better term. Things change, and it might have been scary when it was published, but now it's just… campy.
Danny lives with one of the employees of the school he attends, but she isn't his guardian. She convinces him to move out of London and into a country house several hours away. She seems way too flighty to even be allowed around children, even in that time period—she takes this kid out of London and into the country without informing his legal guardian or the school he attends… or anyone else, come to think of it… and when he suggests to her that this might be a bad idea she kind of shrugs it off and says "by the time anyone figures it out, we will be long gone!"
…Okay?
Anyway, the biggest disappointment for me in this whole novel was that it's supposed to be a ghost story. Throughout the whole book it was obvious that no ghosts were appearing, nor were they going to appear. The so called "paranormal" happenings in the book were obviously not paranormal at all and that really disappointed me. There were a few "witches," which weren't witches at all but just a bunch of adults playing pretend, and even that didn't show up until the very end of the book.
Now that I think about it… this might have scared me a little when I was five.
I'm not sure that I liked any of the characters, except maybe Lark. Philippa (the secretary) came off as extremely creepy, first by basically kidnapping this kid and then by running all of his friends off, so that she was literally the only person in his life. Danny was just a crabby, lazy boy.
The ending of the book made very little sense to me, too. There was resolution, but it was crammed into the last few sentences and the last page covered a long span of time. I HATE it when books do that. Include an epilogue if you must, but don't cram years of adjustment into three sentences and tie everything up into a neat little bow, please. It just looks like you got tired of writing the book and wanted to move on.
manwithanagenda's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
William Sleator's first novel, 'Blackbriar', is a slow build of suspense and growing unease that leads to a rapid finish with unanswered questions. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It was creepy as all-get-out and I would have liked it as a kid.
After his mother's death Danny Chilton has lived with the school secretary Philippa Sibley. They have an unsual relationship in that Philippa treats Danny as much as a friend as a minor under her care. Philippa is tired of city life and convinces Danny to go alone with her to a remote house she was able to buy cheap because it had been listed for sale for years without a buyer. They leave without informing the school or his legal guardian - a lawyer who issues stipend checks from his mother's estate - and set up in the lonley house known as Blackbriar.
The house has a reputation. Locals grow silent and cold when they hear that is where the new arrivals are staying. The house also lacks a proper road, there's no electricity, and water is supplied by a hand pump on the cellar stairs. This was published in 1972 when such things were still not unheard of - my father's house in the United States in that year had only just had plumbling installed. It is still a radical adjustment that Sleator uses to establish just how isolated the two (and Philippa's cat Islington) are.
Danny meets a girl his age at a local ancient site and befriends her. This doesn't sit well with Philippa, who likes to keep Danny to herself. She often forces him to give up friends. This is another layer to the suspense and horror.
Then there are the dark secrets of the house itself. Fires light themselves. A young woman's voice laughing in the night. A sinister wooden doll found hidden which Philippa begs to be discarded.
This was a quick read and worth checking out. Sleator would reach greater heights in his writing, but from the beginning he had the touch.
After his mother's death Danny Chilton has lived with the school secretary Philippa Sibley. They have an unsual relationship in that Philippa treats Danny as much as a friend as a minor under her care. Philippa is tired of city life and convinces Danny to go alone with her to a remote house she was able to buy cheap because it had been listed for sale for years without a buyer. They leave without informing the school or his legal guardian - a lawyer who issues stipend checks from his mother's estate - and set up in the lonley house known as Blackbriar.
The house has a reputation. Locals grow silent and cold when they hear that is where the new arrivals are staying. The house also lacks a proper road, there's no electricity, and water is supplied by a hand pump on the cellar stairs. This was published in 1972 when such things were still not unheard of - my father's house in the United States in that year had only just had plumbling installed. It is still a radical adjustment that Sleator uses to establish just how isolated the two (and Philippa's cat Islington) are.
Danny meets a girl his age at a local ancient site and befriends her. This doesn't sit well with Philippa, who likes to keep Danny to herself. She often forces him to give up friends. This is another layer to the suspense and horror.
Then there are the dark secrets of the house itself. Fires light themselves. A young woman's voice laughing in the night. A sinister wooden doll found hidden which Philippa begs to be discarded.
This was a quick read and worth checking out. Sleator would reach greater heights in his writing, but from the beginning he had the touch.
nullmoon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
3.25
library_brandy's review
3.0
I loved William Sleator's books as a kid, and I read this one several times, always hoping that it would finally make sense and be enjoyable. Thirty years later, it's perfectly understandable and I have no idea why I struggled.
Boy and guardian move to secluded country house that's been empty for ages; house has a Bad Vibe to it and townspeople refuse to talk about it; Boy researches and gets half the story; townspeople still creepy about the house; Bad Vibes take over; Boy and friend solve mystery and put an end to house shenanigans.
This book has atmosphere up the wazoo. What it lacks is. .. I don't really know. A compelling plot? Characters I care much about? A friend character who doesn't change from Strong Independent Girl to Simpering Damsel to contrast Boy's arc of growing independence and freedom (a heavy-handed metaphor for adolescence if ever there were one)?
So, yeah, I don't know why this never made sense to me. But I do understand why I never loved this one like I did House of Stairs.
Boy and guardian move to secluded country house that's been empty for ages; house has a Bad Vibe to it and townspeople refuse to talk about it; Boy researches and gets half the story; townspeople still creepy about the house; Bad Vibes take over; Boy and friend solve mystery and put an end to house shenanigans.
This book has atmosphere up the wazoo. What it lacks is. .. I don't really know. A compelling plot? Characters I care much about? A friend character who doesn't change from Strong Independent Girl to Simpering Damsel to contrast Boy's arc of growing independence and freedom (a heavy-handed metaphor for adolescence if ever there were one)?
So, yeah, I don't know why this never made sense to me. But I do understand why I never loved this one like I did House of Stairs.
tracisbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Blackbriar is the classic (children's) horror story about a young orphan who moves into a haunted house.
I'm sure if I had read this when I was the appropriate age to enjoy it, my rating would be a little different, but as it is I'm having a really hard time with it. It's also possible that it's just a bit too outdated, for lack of a better term. Things change, and it might have been scary when it was published, but now it's just… campy.
Danny lives with one of the employees of the school he attends, but she isn't his guardian. She convinces him to move out of London and into a country house several hours away. She seems way too flighty to even be allowed around children, even in that time period—she takes this kid out of London and into the country without informing his legal guardian or the school he attends… or anyone else, come to think of it… and when he suggests to her that this might be a bad idea she kind of shrugs it off and says "by the time anyone figures it out, we will be long gone!"
…Okay?
Anyway, the biggest disappointment for me in this whole novel was that it's supposed to be a ghost story. Throughout the whole book it was obvious that no ghosts were appearing, nor were they going to appear. The so called "paranormal" happenings in the book were obviously not paranormal at all and that really disappointed me. There were a few "witches," which weren't witches at all but just a bunch of adults playing pretend, and even that didn't show up until the very end of the book.
Now that I think about it… this might have scared me a little when I was five.
I'm not sure that I liked any of the characters, except maybe Lark. Philippa (the secretary) came off as extremely creepy, first by basically kidnapping this kid and then by running all of his friends off, so that she was literally the only person in his life. Danny was just a crabby, lazy boy.
The ending of the book made very little sense to me, too. There was resolution, but it was crammed into the last few sentences and the last page covered a long span of time. I HATE it when books do that. Include an epilogue if you must, but don't cram years of adjustment into three sentences and tie everything up into a neat little bow, please. It just looks like you got tired of writing the book and wanted to move on.
I'm sure if I had read this when I was the appropriate age to enjoy it, my rating would be a little different, but as it is I'm having a really hard time with it. It's also possible that it's just a bit too outdated, for lack of a better term. Things change, and it might have been scary when it was published, but now it's just… campy.
Danny lives with one of the employees of the school he attends, but she isn't his guardian. She convinces him to move out of London and into a country house several hours away. She seems way too flighty to even be allowed around children, even in that time period—she takes this kid out of London and into the country without informing his legal guardian or the school he attends… or anyone else, come to think of it… and when he suggests to her that this might be a bad idea she kind of shrugs it off and says "by the time anyone figures it out, we will be long gone!"
…Okay?
Anyway, the biggest disappointment for me in this whole novel was that it's supposed to be a ghost story. Throughout the whole book it was obvious that no ghosts were appearing, nor were they going to appear. The so called "paranormal" happenings in the book were obviously not paranormal at all and that really disappointed me. There were a few "witches," which weren't witches at all but just a bunch of adults playing pretend, and even that didn't show up until the very end of the book.
Now that I think about it… this might have scared me a little when I was five.
I'm not sure that I liked any of the characters, except maybe Lark. Philippa (the secretary) came off as extremely creepy, first by basically kidnapping this kid and then by running all of his friends off, so that she was literally the only person in his life. Danny was just a crabby, lazy boy.
The ending of the book made very little sense to me, too. There was resolution, but it was crammed into the last few sentences and the last page covered a long span of time. I HATE it when books do that. Include an epilogue if you must, but don't cram years of adjustment into three sentences and tie everything up into a neat little bow, please. It just looks like you got tired of writing the book and wanted to move on.
hazelalaska's review against another edition
3.0
This was a bit of a disappointment to me. I had originally found this book by chance when I was in middle school, and I totally ate it up. For 13 year old me, this had just the right amount of creepiness. I can never read or watch anything that’s too scary because I have an overactive imagination, especially at night. Back then, I would have given this a rating of 4 or 5 stars, but reading it again as an adult, it doesn’t hold up. It wasn’t that creepy, maybe because even though I couldn’t remember exactly what happened, I remembered it all was resolved pretty well. However, there were certain things that bothered me this time around, reading more critically, including some plot conveniences. It gets 3 stars from me now because I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it, it was pretty average.
I really wish Philippa was more likable. At times, she was downright nasty to Danny, and I wouldn't blame him for wanting to get away from her. She seems like one of those people who always has something negative to say even if you compliment them. For example, Danny praised her cooking, and then she came back with something like "Oh, so you don't like how I usually make it?" She is also incredibly controlling, telling Danny not to hang out with certain people, to the point where she ended any friendships he had. In fact, I think part of her desire to move to the country was so she could continue to control Danny, as he would be more isolated than he was in the city, and thus less likely to leave her. I think she was starting to realize he was getting older and more independent, and she wanted to prevent him from gaining independence from her even though it is a natural part of growing up. I disliked Philippa and her whole attitude throughout the book, and I found nothing to really redeem her. She was just rude to other people, including Lark, making her feel guilty for wanting more food after she had offered her some. It's not like she was at all witty or funny, which might have redeemed her, but she was just generally nasty and controlling.
I think a preteen or someone in their early teens would like this, though nowadays it might be a bit outdated because kids would have no idea what things were like back then. They would be too young at this point to probably remember card catalogs, which is something Danny uses when he is at the library. This ending felt a bit Scooby Doo-ish to me, and I don't think it would really stand up for adult readers.
It was okay for me, but I'm not sure if I would reread it again after re-experiencing it as an adult. I had been looking forward to revisiting it after having read it years ago, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much now as I did then.
Spoilers!
Throughout the book, I was questioning why Danny and Philippa had to bring the cat everywhere with them. If they went to buy things at the store, they brought the cat, and once when they were getting ready to leave and couldn't find him they stopped to look so they could bring him with them. I could understand that maybe in the city it was a way to get him out of the small apartment into the fresh air, but in the country there wasn't the need for it. It later became clear it was for plot convivence so the bad guys would know about the cat who became central to the final scenes.
I found the ending, especially the epilogue, unsatisfying. Both Philippa and Danny leave Blackbriar to rot and fall into ruin? I get Danny had to leave because the lawyer, his legal guardian, considered Philippa irresponsible, which I kind of agree with, but then he goes back to London only to want to go to school in the country. I was expecting that they would say they weren’t scared of staying there anymore and that Danny didn't hear the laughter of Mary Peachy anymore. I don't disagree that Philippa was irresponsible in moving Danny out to the country without informing the lawyer who is his legal guardian, because I think that falls under the definition of kidnapping. I was just hoping for a better ending involving Blackbriar, and it is a shame that it was allowed to fall into ruin after being at least somewhat taken care of for several hundred years.
I really wish Philippa was more likable. At times, she was downright nasty to Danny, and I wouldn't blame him for wanting to get away from her. She seems like one of those people who always has something negative to say even if you compliment them. For example, Danny praised her cooking, and then she came back with something like "Oh, so you don't like how I usually make it?" She is also incredibly controlling, telling Danny not to hang out with certain people, to the point where she ended any friendships he had. In fact, I think part of her desire to move to the country was so she could continue to control Danny, as he would be more isolated than he was in the city, and thus less likely to leave her. I think she was starting to realize he was getting older and more independent, and she wanted to prevent him from gaining independence from her even though it is a natural part of growing up. I disliked Philippa and her whole attitude throughout the book, and I found nothing to really redeem her. She was just rude to other people, including Lark, making her feel guilty for wanting more food after she had offered her some. It's not like she was at all witty or funny, which might have redeemed her, but she was just generally nasty and controlling.
I think a preteen or someone in their early teens would like this, though nowadays it might be a bit outdated because kids would have no idea what things were like back then. They would be too young at this point to probably remember card catalogs, which is something Danny uses when he is at the library. This ending felt a bit Scooby Doo-ish to me, and I don't think it would really stand up for adult readers.
It was okay for me, but I'm not sure if I would reread it again after re-experiencing it as an adult. I had been looking forward to revisiting it after having read it years ago, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much now as I did then.
Spoilers!
Throughout the book, I was questioning why Danny and Philippa had to bring the cat everywhere with them. If they went to buy things at the store, they brought the cat, and once when they were getting ready to leave and couldn't find him they stopped to look so they could bring him with them. I could understand that maybe in the city it was a way to get him out of the small apartment into the fresh air, but in the country there wasn't the need for it. It later became clear it was for plot convivence so the bad guys would know about the cat who became central to the final scenes.
I found the ending, especially the epilogue, unsatisfying. Both Philippa and Danny leave Blackbriar to rot and fall into ruin? I get Danny had to leave because the lawyer, his legal guardian, considered Philippa irresponsible, which I kind of agree with, but then he goes back to London only to want to go to school in the country. I was expecting that they would say they weren’t scared of staying there anymore and that Danny didn't hear the laughter of Mary Peachy anymore. I don't disagree that Philippa was irresponsible in moving Danny out to the country without informing the lawyer who is his legal guardian, because I think that falls under the definition of kidnapping. I was just hoping for a better ending involving Blackbriar, and it is a shame that it was allowed to fall into ruin after being at least somewhat taken care of for several hundred years.
kilgoretrout's review
3.0
Gothic fiction that fails to live up to Sleator's later works. Still the book does present a sense of dread here and there. The image of the pesthouse of Danny's dreams and the tumuli were evocative. Did enjoy the descriptions of the countryside and the beginnings of spring. Largely the book is predictable and Philippa comes across annoyingly controlling. I also found the ending rushed and was intrigued by the dwarf witch and the other henchman but it's as if Sleator had a cool idea there and just never followed through with it. The ending feels anticlimactic and not really as satisfying as the build made it seem. Still, for a younger young adult who might be looking for a scary scooby-doo-esque thriller than you can't go wrong with Blackbriar. As a student of Sleator I can see the workings of a lot of his themes in it: dark rooms hiding potential threats, familial conflict, the subtle suggestion of the supernatural, and often enough a main character or characters transported into a place of Gothic mystery.
marcintheoc's review
3.0
I discovered this novel in the Power Middle School library in 6th grade and must have checked it out and read it at least five times. I remember the cover of the hardcover book vividly. I've thought about it over the years and finally looked it up and ordered it. I have to say it didn't hold up as well as I was hoping. But it's still a good story and has made me feel a bit nostalgic.
jodiwilldare's review
3.0
For nearly twenty-five years, the story of Blackbriar haunted me. When I was in sixth grade, Mrs. Mullins read it out loud to our reading class. Even in the fully-lit classroom surrounded by kids the story was scary as hell.
After sixth grade I didn’t give the book much thought. But whenever anyone asked me about scary books this is the one I’d conjure up. The problem was for years and years I had forgotten the title of the book and wasn’t sure if I ever knew the name of the author.
All I could remember was the creepy image of names carved on the back of a door. Each name had a date next to it, effectively making the entire house a giant tombstone. I remember that it had something to do with the Black Plague. But that’s it.
Occasionally, I’d ask someone if they’d ever read the black plague with the names on the door book when they were a kid. “You know the one with the tunnel and names, the NAMES. The names on the door!” Because repetition is the surest way to jog someone’s memory, right?
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After sixth grade I didn’t give the book much thought. But whenever anyone asked me about scary books this is the one I’d conjure up. The problem was for years and years I had forgotten the title of the book and wasn’t sure if I ever knew the name of the author.
All I could remember was the creepy image of names carved on the back of a door. Each name had a date next to it, effectively making the entire house a giant tombstone. I remember that it had something to do with the Black Plague. But that’s it.
Occasionally, I’d ask someone if they’d ever read the black plague with the names on the door book when they were a kid. “You know the one with the tunnel and names, the NAMES. The names on the door!” Because repetition is the surest way to jog someone’s memory, right?
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