_groovyginger_'s review against another edition
3.0
The Woman in Black is a chilling ghost story set in a small, rural English town on the coast. The time period isn’t specifically mentioned, but I gather it’s the early 1900s. I wish we could have had a solid date; it makes me feel more centered when I'm reading hist fic.
Our protagonist Arthur Kipps works for a lawyer in London and is sent on a trip to attend to the affairs of the recently deceased Alice Drablow in rural Crythin Gifford. It should be a simple business trip: attend the funeral and settle Mrs. Drablow’s affairs. When Arthur notices a ghostly woman in black, he asks the townspeople about her. They all avoid his questions; some are visibly afraid. Arthur is sent to Mrs. Drablow’s estate on the marshes, Eel Marsh House, and it’s there he experiences a series of hauntings. Can he survive and get to the bottom of the Woman in Black’s mystery?
So, this book starts off strong. It sets a spooky, Gothic tone, so I was surprised to discover it takes place much later in history than I thought. I think this book would be better suited if it took place in Victorian England. It just seems more Gothic, so I was slightly jarred at the mention of motor cars and telephones.
This is a short, fast paced read, which I liked. However, for as short as it is, I was surprised how little action there is. Arthur doesn’t spend too much of this novel actually in the haunted house. There’s a lot of exposition and mundane stuff. Simply put, this book could have been scarier. Like I said, it starts off spooky and doesn’t really maintain that theme.
Also, I’m just not sure I liked how it was written. It’s presented as Arthur writing about his experiences years after they happened, and there’s too many flourishes. Too many commas. In journalism school I was taught that commas should be used sparingly because they represent a pause. To that degree, there’s like five commas, or pauses, in each sentence. It really breaks up the narrative for me. The wording was superfluous and almost came off as pretentious at times. I just wanted Arthur to tell the story, and not pretend he was writing a Jane Austen novel. This is probably just a reflection of me and my tastes, however.
I don't want to be too hard on this book; I wanted to enjoy it more than I did. It was a solid read and semi-fit what I was looking for this spooky season.
Our protagonist Arthur Kipps works for a lawyer in London and is sent on a trip to attend to the affairs of the recently deceased Alice Drablow in rural Crythin Gifford. It should be a simple business trip: attend the funeral and settle Mrs. Drablow’s affairs. When Arthur notices a ghostly woman in black, he asks the townspeople about her. They all avoid his questions; some are visibly afraid. Arthur is sent to Mrs. Drablow’s estate on the marshes, Eel Marsh House, and it’s there he experiences a series of hauntings. Can he survive and get to the bottom of the Woman in Black’s mystery?
So, this book starts off strong. It sets a spooky, Gothic tone, so I was surprised to discover it takes place much later in history than I thought. I think this book would be better suited if it took place in Victorian England. It just seems more Gothic, so I was slightly jarred at the mention of motor cars and telephones.
This is a short, fast paced read, which I liked. However, for as short as it is, I was surprised how little action there is. Arthur doesn’t spend too much of this novel actually in the haunted house. There’s a lot of exposition and mundane stuff. Simply put, this book could have been scarier. Like I said, it starts off spooky and doesn’t really maintain that theme.
Also, I’m just not sure I liked how it was written. It’s presented as Arthur writing about his experiences years after they happened, and there’s too many flourishes. Too many commas. In journalism school I was taught that commas should be used sparingly because they represent a pause. To that degree, there’s like five commas, or pauses, in each sentence. It really breaks up the narrative for me. The wording was superfluous and almost came off as pretentious at times. I just wanted Arthur to tell the story, and not pretend he was writing a Jane Austen novel. This is probably just a reflection of me and my tastes, however.
I don't want to be too hard on this book; I wanted to enjoy it more than I did. It was a solid read and semi-fit what I was looking for this spooky season.
mazza57's review against another edition
2.0
This felt like a much more "classic" style tale. To my mind it lacked something was an Ok read but nothing special
durrareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The story itself was pretty mundane—there was nothing too spooky about it. But the writing was so atmospheric that you can imagine every single thing happening.
crystal_lake80's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jedwag's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
readwithjordss's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ocelotdoll's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
There is a simplicity in The Woman in Black's writing of horror. The cover proudly touting it the "classic English ghost story" initially led me to expect a tame and slightly cliché story and for the majority of the book this holds true. A main protagonist who does not believe in ghosts goes to an isolated place where the inhabitants all behave suspiciously, he is to visit a supposedly haunted house but and when he is left to his down devices paranormal events take place. Those events are also perfectly classic and cliché, the black woman standing and watching the protagonist but disappearing every time he tries to approach her, strange sounds being heard across the house, unnerving fog preventing communication with the outside, everything is almost boringly expected. Yet, there is something in Susan Hill's writing that makes it all dreadfully efficient, The Woman in Black whilst never reaching the peak of bodily horror that the Exorcit managed to keep me more consistently on edge. It's a very efficient horror story and when things got going, it was an easy read, I would however fault the start for being a bit too slow by my tastes.
Spoiler
However, whereby naming it a classic the cover also brought me to believe that when things seemed to head towards a happy end, the book in a very quick yet not at all rushed way hit me with its true horror, leaving it as the abrupt and final note of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
lindacbugg's review against another edition
Everyone else seemed to enjoy it-I was bored silly!
pickett22's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun in a horrific sort of way. The set up and atmosphere was much scarier than anything that actually happens in the book. While being incredibly tragic and upsetting, it's not really that scary.
I enjoy reading outside of my usual genre from time to time and this was a good pick. Well written, engaging, a fantastic cast of characters, and the setting was really cool. Also, I am a huge fan of Spider.
Is this considered a classic? Because it should be.
I just looked this up: apparently it's also a play and the whole thing is performed by two actors. Apparently it's incredibly popular.
Definitely worth the read.
I enjoy reading outside of my usual genre from time to time and this was a good pick. Well written, engaging, a fantastic cast of characters, and the setting was really cool. Also, I am a huge fan of Spider.
Is this considered a classic? Because it should be.
I just looked this up: apparently it's also a play and the whole thing is performed by two actors. Apparently it's incredibly popular.
Definitely worth the read.