Susan Hill - The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

8. The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill (1983)
Length: 164 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 11 February 2013
Finished: 20 February 2013
Where did it come from? I downloaded this ebook from Amazon back in January of 2012 and then I acquired a physical copy from a Library Book Sale.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 January 2012 as an ebook; Since 2 February 2013 as a physical book.
Why do I have it? I like horror and Susan Hill is a new author for me.

Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming London solicitor who is sent to the town of Crythin Gifford - deep in the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. He comes to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of a client, Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. Mrs. Drablow's house stands at the end of the causeway, wreathed in fog and cloaked in mystery, however Arthur is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind Eel Marsh House's sheltered windows.

The routine business trip Arthur anticipated upon his arrival quickly takes a horrifying turn. He glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral and a creeping sense of dread begins to take hold within him. His sense of dread increases exponentially when he questions the townspeople about the mysterious young woman's identity and is met by walls of silence and deep, abject terror. That people know something of the young woman's purpose but refuse to say anything about it, is obvious and very perplexing to Arthur. As he sorts through Mrs. Drablow's papers, Arthur is continually haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and apparitions - a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap in trouble, and a child's terrified scream in the fog.

I loved this book! I had actually bought myself an ebook copy of this book from Amazon back in January of 2012, but was searching everywhere for a physical copy of my very own! :) I do enjoy reading ebooks, and I have an Amazon Kindle that I use a lot, however I find that I prefer actually holding a book and turning the pages from time to time. The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill was rather hard to obtain a copy of, but at the Library Book Sale that mom and I went to on February 2nd, I grabbed this book off the shelf and bought it. My mom read the book first and then I took it to read next. 

I give this book an A+! and was pleasantly surprised when a back ordered copy of the movie starring Daniel Radcliffe came in the mail. Now mom and I want to watch the movie whenever we can - I hope that the movie does the book justice.

A+! - (96-100%)

May you read well and often

2 comments:

Carmen said...

Hi Mareena, I follow Rosefire's site and decided to check yours.
Did the movie do the book justice? Most times it doesn't but there are golden rare exceptions.

Emeraldfire said...

Hello Carmen,
Thanks for visiting my blog! My mom and I haven't watched the movie yet, but I do have high hopes that it will be good - hmmm...maybe I should lower my expectations slightly? Come back and visit any time, Carmen, it's great to meet you! :)
Mareena