Reviews

Het victoriaanse huis by John Boyne

towanda000's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

janey's review against another edition

3.0

I like John Boyne's writing but you would think by now I would know that horror doesn't float my boat.

burningupasun's review against another edition

4.0

This was a surprisingly good read! I say suprisingly, because I often don't enjoy books written by men, especially when the main character is a woman. This was pretty well done in that regard. It's one of those books where half the scary factor is the way people of the time treat the character going through the scary things. Because she's a woman, they all doubt her, talk about her being "hysterical," and do the same for all the women in the position before her. It was well done, as was the gothic atmosphere and the actual spooky ghost parts, as well.

I only knocked it a point for a few things I noticed. Mainly the hint of racism present a couple times. (The woman who is the main ghost is from "Spain" and everyone mentions her "dark skin" multiple times. She's considered crazy and no one ever expresses much sympathy for her.) I also wasn't a fan of part of the end:

Spoiler

When Isabella dies and the main character, who frankly never tried to get to know her at all, goes "oh well, she was damaged and probably would never have gotten better, alas she died, better go coddle her brother some more." She was like THIRTEEN YEARS OLD, oy vey.

But those were mostly minor things in the long run and it's definitely a good read if you're looking for something spooky and gothic for Halloween.

nickysbooks78's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.75

melreb8's review against another edition

4.0

This book should be read as entertainment. I believe it was written tongue-in-cheek. Of course, the main character could have extricated herself from the situation, and of course she was slightly hysterical and unstable at times. It all adds to the "fun." :-)

swilson's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

4.25

rachaich's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

2.5

I felt disappointed by this one - his other books have kept me riveted but this didn't have enough tension or atmosphere. Other authors have done it better!

svreads's review against another edition

4.0

I'm not typically one to pick up books of the horror genre, but I was drawn to the cover of this book as well as the fact that it was written by the author of "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," which is one of my favorites. While there were many aspects of the typical horror story - ghosts, an old and dark castle, a quiet yet creepy English village - the story itself was also enjoyable.

scottjp's review against another edition

2.0

A Dickensian Victorian gothic with all the familiar trappings that comes off as affected and inauthentic, marred by annoying and anachronistic feminist asides. I guess modern writers must be woke. The mystery of what happened to the parents is sort of interesting and I was intrigued by the character of the daughter, but you're better off reading something actually written in that time period.

catethereader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25