Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I think it's safe to say I was as scared reading the book as watching the film...
“I have seen whatever ghost haunts Eel Marsh and that burial ground. A woman in black with a wasted face.”
“I felt not fear, not horror, but an overwhelming grief and sadness, a sense of loss and bereavement, a distress mingled with utter despair.”
“I would write my own ghost story. Then perhaps I should finally be free of it for whatever life remained for me to enjoy.”
This was a perfectly written gothic ghost story. I was hooked from page one all the way until the end. Susan Hill’s writing is so authentic to the era that I thought this book was written closer to the time period rather in only 1983!
I love how she keeps the story simple yet engaging. Arthur is looking back upon the tragic ghostly encounters of when he was 23 and visited the house of the recently deceased Mrs. Drablow. The house on Eel Marsh house is surrounded by marshes and fog/mist where a woman in black roams. Oh, and sounds of a horse and trap falling into the marsh with the sound of a child screaming. It is perfectly creepy through and through without any kind of gimmicks. So many horror stories go overboard to scare you. The Woman In Black slowly ratchets up the spookiness and tension until it’s equally tragic conclusion. The house and the marsh become a character in itself and quite frankly, I found the fog/mist a thousand times scarier than Stephen King’s The Mist.
Lastly, I appreciated as a reader how Susan Hill allowed me to feel the isolation and anxiety of the main character, Arthur. You feel his emotions throughout. Also, this was a clean read, true to the era it takes place, which was great.
I highly recommend The Woman In Black to anyone who loves a slow burn, creepy gothic ghost story.
“I felt not fear, not horror, but an overwhelming grief and sadness, a sense of loss and bereavement, a distress mingled with utter despair.”
“I would write my own ghost story. Then perhaps I should finally be free of it for whatever life remained for me to enjoy.”
This was a perfectly written gothic ghost story. I was hooked from page one all the way until the end. Susan Hill’s writing is so authentic to the era that I thought this book was written closer to the time period rather in only 1983!
I love how she keeps the story simple yet engaging. Arthur is looking back upon the tragic ghostly encounters of when he was 23 and visited the house of the recently deceased Mrs. Drablow. The house on Eel Marsh house is surrounded by marshes and fog/mist where a woman in black roams. Oh, and sounds of a horse and trap falling into the marsh with the sound of a child screaming. It is perfectly creepy through and through without any kind of gimmicks. So many horror stories go overboard to scare you. The Woman In Black slowly ratchets up the spookiness and tension until it’s equally tragic conclusion. The house and the marsh become a character in itself and quite frankly, I found the fog/mist a thousand times scarier than Stephen King’s The Mist.
Lastly, I appreciated as a reader how Susan Hill allowed me to feel the isolation and anxiety of the main character, Arthur. You feel his emotions throughout. Also, this was a clean read, true to the era it takes place, which was great.
I highly recommend The Woman In Black to anyone who loves a slow burn, creepy gothic ghost story.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this for English class in school
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Can't stand the main character making all these blind and bold decisions only to act like a coward when he made the choice to stay there twice. Was led to believe this book would be at the very least spooky or chilling. It was neither. The writing was pretty in some places though, and all the other characters (not you, Arthur Kipps. Not you.) were likable. I liked Mr Daily and Spider the most. Won't spoil the details of course. Think I might have seen the 2012 movie based on this book, but I'm pretty sure that was turned into Hollywood-ified schlock with garrish "scares" ruining the original story.
Spooky with an old time classic storytelling. The right amount of scary for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No