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narniaru's review against another edition
4.0
It really is a different ghost story because there is so much more to this novel than creeky floorboards and spooky bathtubs. The characters are all well developed and their stories are interesting while not always easy to digest.
achtungbebe's review against another edition
2.0
While, I don't want to say it was a bad book, it wasn't good either. I found 99% of the characters unlikable, and to be general PITAs. Not only were they shallow, so were their personalities.
llynn66's review against another edition
3.0
Growing up in a brand new late 1960s era ranch with zero personal history or back story made me a lifetime aficionado of old houses. My favorite stories as a child often involved children moving into very old houses with mysterious passageways and loot in the attic from a bygone era. A haunted house story was such a treat I even fanned Scooby Doo on the sugar and TV drenched Saturday mornings of childhood. I am still on the constant lookout for a haunted house tale...fictional or otherwise!
It is my feeling that all homes are "haunted" by the lives of Previous Owners, whether you can actually intuit the details or not. They leave behind little messages...a marble or matchbox car behind the baseboard of a room, idly lost one rainy afternoon and waiting decades to be found again. Other owners leave behind stray letters or financial accounts in the dark recesses of closets or storage areas. In real life most of these artifacts are benign and leave nothing but a fleeting impression of a hum drum life. Occasionally, even in real life, the house harbors much darker secrets.
The Dwelling on Belisle St. is a lovingly restored receptacle for the pain, violence and disappointments of previous lives. The house speaks to only certain buyers over the years...people who need such a place. New owners rarely last long and meet the tragic ends they are fated. The house is patient and waits expectantly for just the right people.
This was an enjoyable haunted house story. I found it a bit claustrophobic to read -- not actually a detriment to the atmosphere in the story. In a few areas I feel the author could have done a bit more with the story. One character, in particular, stands out as someone who was briefly introduced in the first third of the book and then never heard from again. Her long term connection to the street, and thus the proximity of The House, may have made an interesting side story.
I found the mention of the very small township that bordered my own remote home town to be an enjoyably creepy coincidence... an aperitif on the very last pages of the epilogue!
It is my feeling that all homes are "haunted" by the lives of Previous Owners, whether you can actually intuit the details or not. They leave behind little messages...a marble or matchbox car behind the baseboard of a room, idly lost one rainy afternoon and waiting decades to be found again. Other owners leave behind stray letters or financial accounts in the dark recesses of closets or storage areas. In real life most of these artifacts are benign and leave nothing but a fleeting impression of a hum drum life. Occasionally, even in real life, the house harbors much darker secrets.
The Dwelling on Belisle St. is a lovingly restored receptacle for the pain, violence and disappointments of previous lives. The house speaks to only certain buyers over the years...people who need such a place. New owners rarely last long and meet the tragic ends they are fated. The house is patient and waits expectantly for just the right people.
This was an enjoyable haunted house story. I found it a bit claustrophobic to read -- not actually a detriment to the atmosphere in the story. In a few areas I feel the author could have done a bit more with the story. One character, in particular, stands out as someone who was briefly introduced in the first third of the book and then never heard from again. Her long term connection to the street, and thus the proximity of The House, may have made an interesting side story.
I found the mention of the very small township that bordered my own remote home town to be an enjoyably creepy coincidence... an aperitif on the very last pages of the epilogue!
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