The Woman in Black

I went with the audible original of this, narrated by Paapa Essiedu. It was fantastically done, with music and all the ghostly thuds. The only hiccup was dialogue was lowered as if those speaking to Arthur were further away—a cool idea, but I found these lines to be hard to hear both at work with an AirPod in and in the car. The narration as fantastic though.

I found myself truly blown away that this novel is from the 80s. The author’s voice, the way it’s written, the way the content is presented, just all speaks to it being a classic of much older origin. With that sort of Victorian-gothic creeping atmosphere you’d expect from the ghost stories that started it all. Even following in the footsteps of the likes of The Turn of the Screw and the later The Haunting of Hill House with its focus on the feel of the haunting much more than the actions of any ghost. And while this novel does turn into actual consequence, I felt that it still toed the line.

Arthur is a junior solicitor, so when the chance to prove himself is presented, he jumps at the opportunity. Penning a brief explanation to his fiancée, certain she will understand, he leaves for the job. He has been tasked with attending the funeral of Mrs. Drablow, the sole occupant and owner of Eel Marsh House. After representing his firm at the funeral, he must go to the house and search it for any document of worth before her final business is settled. However, the house is at the end of a causeway, wreathed in fog and mist, and becomes unreachable during the tide. As if that wasn’t enough to raise his hackles, there’s also something more at work here. Her secrets, some of which are even sinister, are boiling just below the surface.

I really enjoyed how the author made the reader feel each and every thudding heart beat from Arthur. That each eerie instance is drawn out for all it’s worth. It excels as an atmospheric ghost horror, and that’s a genre I don’t always think succeeds. And I still can’t believe the facsimile quality of their much older sounding writing, it’s honestly a triumph.

While you’ll most likely find yourself uneasy, or feeling suspense, I doubt anyone will actually feel genuine fear or terror. While the ending is truly horrific and bleak, the story is just much more understated than that. Definitely for fans of those ghostly tales of old.

An engaging, creepy read that really helped me set a tone for this year's spooky season! It maintains a sort of low level, constant eeriness without ever going over the top, but also without ever spiraling downward into dullness. That's a tricky thing to get right and I found the balancing act on display here to be really impressive! A smidge more action might've been an improvement, but it may also have cheapened things? I really came away from this one respecting the author's restraint. And there's no denying that when the story finally does show some teeth it's done so to great effect.

I'm gonna have to dig up the original film adaptation soon! It looks good. Maybe do a double feature with the Daniel Radcliffe version? I remember nothing about that movie other than that I thought it was surprisingly solid.

Simply extraordinary.

Final thoughts from my notes:

- The ending literally made me gasp
- After leaving the Eel Marsh House the first time, I found myself dragging myself through the book
- It's chilling and unsettling
- Although the ending was predictable and I saw it coming a mile away — the way it was told and excuted was incredible. The ending sucks you in and spits you out with an abrupt ending making it a fitting end for this book
- The ending was so good that it bumped my rating from a 3.5 to a 4. Though I liked the writing, I wasn't sure if I could see myself reading this again but the way it ended just tied up the story so well and devastatingly that I could see myself reading this again during Halloween time.
- The writing was incredible. After only a few pages in, I already wanted to read more of her work.
- Definitely a must read for writers

This is one of those times where a story is so tropey that it's formulaic, but where the author unabashedly and completely leans into the trope as to make it pretty enjoyable to read.

The premise of this book is oddly similar to that of Bram Stoker's Dracula. A young, upcoming, and betrothed lawyer is sent to a remote estate to take care of a client's paperwork. He first meets townspeople who seem positively traumatised by the said estate and whatever lurks those grounds, but who all remain maddeningly reticent and silent, and simply just give him furtive scared looks and ominous cryptic hints. Lawyer has to hole himself up in the said estate to complete his work, and you probably can fill in the rest.

But whereas in Dracula there is an active malevolence that dogs the steps of Jonathan Harker, in The Woman In Black, the evil is a bit more passive. We get the sense that Arthur Kipps had simply stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time. Arthur meanwhile constantly swings between being balls-of-steel fearless and scared shit senseless, all of which simply serves to place him in situations to experience the ghostliness of the story. The beginning of this book was also a little messy and confusing, where we are first introduced to Arthur Kipps at different ages all at once, but certainly gets better once the storytelling becomes more linear. The plot is fairly predictable throughout and doesn't serve up any mind-bending twists, but even when you see it coming, it's still executed pretty well and makes a pretty enjoyable read.

When you can see most of the plot points coming, it does take something away from the horror aspect of it. This book makes for a great verbal ghost story, and I can even see why it makes for excellent material for adaptation into the mediums of film and theatre, so it's a bit odd that in its original textual medium it falls a bit flat. I never really felt properly scared throughout even though I knew I was reading scary moments. It was scary only insofar that I can imagine it being a properly scary moment in a movie.

I'll leave more commentary under spoilers about the horror aspect of the book since it would inevitably spoil the plot, but suffice to say that this is indeed a “classic ghost story”. This is probably an excellent tale to recount around the campfire, or would make a great Halloween read. It's almost self-aware in that the story begins with Arthur being unexpectedly triggered when his family is telling each other ghost stories around the fire on Christmas Eve, which then motivates him to put down his experiences on paper. So if you go in with that expectation, you certainly won't be disappointed.

Spoilery thoughts: The book felt like a textbook skeleton model of “how a ghost story should go”. We have the retrospective suspense when Arthur keeps repeating how traumatised he is from that incident in his life so long ago, then the prospective suspense when he's starting from the beginning and then talking about how everyone in that village gave him weird looks. Then of course we have the nights spent alone in the manor (usually starts off accidentally) where more ghostly incidents happen, some hints of the backstory of the ghost (there must always be one), a climax, and then eventually rescue and salvation after which the hero will certainly find out the full story of the ghost, then ending with the creepy “the ghost still survives” moment where we find out what happens in the future with Arthur's wife and son. It's a very very common horror formula and it was so obvious here that Hill might as well have written this as a casual example in a writing class.Also, the fact that the Arthur immediately concludes that the thing he's seeing is a ghost almost from the get-go and then spends the rest of the book just basically saying, “I ain't scared of no ghosts.” in his bravado kinda takes something away from the suspense. A lot of horror stories work better when there's a bit of suspense for the reader in who/what exactly the malevolent entity is, but in this one, we know immediately that these are just... ghosts, just spirits of people who are dead, so there's nothing more to know about them. The ghosts were completely unmysterious for most of the book and so there was no veil to pull down later in the book, which therefore resulted in a pretty meh climax.I might have overlooked this more if the story also gave me something a bit more with the ghost's backstory, but even there it felt rather unsubstantial. So the ghost turns out to be Jennet, a mother driven to grief and sorrow after her child dies in a drowning accident. She nurses a lifelong hatred for Alice Drablow simply because she was the one who asked them to go out on that trip to town that day? It just seems a little out of proportion. I'm by no means disregarding the enormity of grief a parent can have for a child who passes suddenly, but the way this was explained and portrayed in the book just doesn't do it justice. I can't quite understand or get behind how deep Jennet's hatred and evilness must be, or why she seems to be targeting other children around the town. For that matter, why does she target Arthur in the end, and why so long after his visit to Eel Marsh? Perhaps she was jealous of other children surviving when hers didn't and that jealousy was so strong that it eclipsed her sanity, but that was never quite conveyed and that point was never really driven home to the reader imo.

It's just bad writing. You have an 80s novel trying to act Victorian, so it's just vague time wise, language wise and structure wise. It's just a bad imitation of the kings of the genre. Also nothing happens, and instead of spookiness you get the narrator repeating to us how scared and frightened he is over and over. I don't read a horror book to listen to some guy telling me he's scared, the point is to get spooked ourselves. Anyway, it's unending, the book could've been an interesting 20 page short story but it's 10 times that, and i will not spoil the ending, but let's say it angered me more than anything else.

Genuinely terrifying gothic horror story , this relatively short novel will have you looking over your shoulder at night. Themes of sadness and heartbreak are also layered in between horror elements of this novel making for a much more effective horror tale!

Understated creeping terror, gothically atmospheric and a quick thrilling read. This got me out of a massive reading slump.

Supremely creepy. Had goosebumps raising up the back of my neck as I read it.

Oh.. my.. GOD

This story was so atmospheric and creepy, I'm so happy I read this in the day time

I could picture every character so clearly and I felt like I really got to know them in only 200 short pages

also Spider the dog? the best character!

2.5 Stars

It was OK. I recognise that for it's time it was good, sinister and a bit creepy but only if I sat and thought about the torment Jennet (the eponymous Woman in Black) had to go through. I feel my brain is just not made for classics or gothic horror as I tend to find both terribly dull.

For added interest, try reading this as a cautionary tale as to what happens when patriarchal systems of oppression get their way. What of the book would have come to pass if Jennet had not been cast out by her parents?

I appreciated the fact that this book was not full of cheap horror thrills, but I felt that every time it seemed like something was going to happen nothing did. In fact, the narrator's fears seemed largely unwarranted.

It wasn't until the end that something moderately satisfying happened. And when it did, it was over in a flash.

The best part of this book was the dog. She was the real hero of the piece.

The spooky bits were good, everything else put me to sleep, at one point literally. This book reads like a reddit nosleep post if they had those in [whenever this book is set, I don't care, I have forgotten]. Non-descript mandude who constantly insist he's a rational intelligent man is spooked by spooky shit yet insist on seeking out the spooky shit and then proceeds to shitting his pants. I didn't care about what happened to him. I wouldn't have cared about him even if the book wasn't written by an older version of him and therefore we know he survives More disappointing I didn't care about the spooky stuffs backstory either - it was pretty predictable and not terribly interesting. And then - the book ends. It literally ends with him going “enough”. Enough! The end. I at least expected something to happen in his present or I don't know what the point of the framing device was. Why'd I spend the first chapter remembering his family's names when they never show up again! Whatever. Came for the creepy bits, stayed for the creepy bits, so, a rather weak 3 stars for the creepy bits.

This review can also be found on my blog.

cw: child death

At that moment I began to doubt my own reality.

This was my first Susan Hill read and I can say that I'm now very excited to explore some of her other works. I don't read a lot of gothic horror, but this definitely worked for me and I'd like to wade a little further into the genre. The writing conveyed such a strong atmosphere and I found myself really swept up in everything. It was definitely spooky, but didn't outright scare me, which is a nice happy medium. I thought the characters were well-done, although we only spend time with a few of them. My only complaint was that the ending felt rushed and a little abrupt.

Buddy read with Sarah!

3.5 Stars for The Women in Black.
We open the story with our main Character Artur Kipps and his family telling Ghost stories around the fire on Christmas eve, Arthur struggling with memories of his past quickly steps away before reliving his spooky experiences.
Arthur, a Junior lawyer is sent into the countryside to attend a funeral for one of his law firm's clients, he quickly realizes that all is not normal with the house he must explore.
The story is well written leaving most of the horror to your imagination with the final chapter ending well and genuinely leaving me with chills.
I would have liked more from the story but remembering this book is under 200 pages I feel like the story is well fleshed out with the main character of Arthur well fleshed out and believable, now I need to watch the stage show!

What a place to haunt
quicksand, sudden spooky mists
even some ruins!

Weather or not you believe in ghosts, the afterlife or the supernatural this is a unique and creepy story.
I am giving this book only 3 stars because for me this book was a frustratingly slow paced, bleak and depressing book to read with a horror ending.
Why was the information about the woman in black only mentioned towards the end of the book?
I didn't find the book scary, and it was frustrated that whenever the main character Arthur Kipps did see the woman in black nothing in particular happened.
This book for me was very disappointing to read.
I did like this story, but it disappointed me because whenever the woman in black was seen she didn't do anything other than just stand and stare at the main character Arthur, even time she appeared not much happened.
If the explanation about why she was still around or the fact the that town and townspeople were cursed was explained a bit sooner in the book, (nearer to the beginning of the book rather than near to the end of the book) then the rest of book would have made sense.
I find the chronological order a bit annoying.
It would make sense that if a town was cursed then there would be sightings or a terrifying ghost but the author took to long to get to the point or explain this.
I prefer the film to the book, because at least the time frame in which all the creepy encounters with the woman in black are disturbing, I was hoping that this book was going to be at least creepy or disturbing but it was disappointing and didn't scare me, although vengeful spirits/ghosts that want revenge & would curse you, kill your children is quite disturbing, I did like this book but it could have been a lot better.

Une histoire d'horreur et de fantômes glaçante, encore un livre dont j'ignorais l'existence et que j'ai découvert grâce au film. Une très bonne ambiance, qui s'installe de façon pernicieuse et vient tout doucement faire frisonner le lecteur, jusqu'à provoquer des sueurs froides à la lecture de ces quelques pages...

I loved this book. A wonderful, atmospheric novel where the tension builds and builds. It is a traditional ghost story, with not a zombie in sight. Perfect for Halloween.

A gorgeously written, classic ghost story, The Woman in Black is a masterpiece of understated horror in the manner of the best Gothic stories of the early 20th century. More novella than novel, it became a bestseller when first published in 1983 and later was made into a stage play, a radio play, a TV movie, and a theatrical film (starring Daniel Radcliffe). This delicious, deeply chilling tale is written—adroitly and to great effect—in a mannered Victorian style, and despite its adherence to the diction and tropes of an earlier time the scares are downright hair-raising. If you don't believe a traditional haunted house story still has the power to shock and disturb, read this book now.

Resenha do blog Sincerando.com, escrita por Sarah Sindorf

Assisti ao filme porque o Daniel Radcliffe ia aparecer, admito. Sou uma grande fã de Harry Potter e estava curiosa para ver como seria sua atuação em um filme diferente. A história não chamou muita atenção, mas dei uma chance. Acabei lendo o livro, no qual o filme se baseou, agora em janeiro.

A história se passa na Inglaterra, com o jovem advogado Arthur Kipps, que é mandado ao interior do país, para cuidar dos papéis que uma cliente idosa e recentemente falecida, que morava isolada numa mansão, onde metade do dia fica inacessível pois a maré sobe e a casa fica ilhada.

A premissa é interessante, pois ele começa a ver uma mulher vestida de preto, sobre a qual ninguém da cidade quer falar, e os moradores locais parecem muito dispostos a encorajá-lo a voltar para Londres. Entretanto, ao contrário do filme, o livro é demasiadamente parado, a história é muito entediante, e tão passável, que não consegue se manter em minha memória.

No filme colocaram a mulher como um ser diabólico que aparece para causar uma tragédia (não falarei sobre para não estragar a história para quem ficar interessado, mas na verdade é muito óbvio, e a revelação do mistério parece piada), e existem várias cenas chocantes que chamam a atenção e ficam presas na cabeça, entretanto, no livro, ela é um ser mais sutil, que causa o mau de uma forma mais implícita, e muito mais silenciosa.

O interessante é ver a discrepância entre os personagens do livro e do filme. O do filme é um jovem viúvo, com um filho pequeno, que acaba nessa viagem numa situação obrigatória, pois dá a entender que o personagem estava tendo um desempenho pequeno no trabalho, e precisava se esforçar mais, com a penalidade de perder o emprego se não aceitasse. É uma pessoa calada, instropectiva e atormentada. No livro, pelo contrário, é um jovem ambicioso, noivo de uma bela mulher, e aceita o trabalho com a esperança de crescer mais ainda na firma e se tornar futuramente sócio, dando assim um futuro melhor para sua noiva. Os dois são céticos quanto a situação que estão passando, e muito determinados a resolvê-la.

O final do livro e do filme também são muito diferentes, e eu confesso que gosto mais do final do filme.

No fundo, a história é de puro suspense, e o filme nos traz muito mais angústia do que o livro. Não considero nenhum dos dois como terror, mas o filme consegue trazer mais sustos. Considero a história fraca, conseguimos entender as explicações que a autora nos passa, mas elas não nos envolvem e não nos ajudam a crer na história. É uma daquelas em que você fica sem resolução.

Existe um outro filme, anterior a esse, que não assisti, e o final é diferente também, pelo pedaço que puder ver no youtube.

Se estiver procurando uma história de terror, não recomendo. É um livro pequeno, então se a curiosidade falar mais alto, não é muito tempo a se perder.

Obs: Aparentemente será lançado um outro filme, com um casal sendo assombrado pela mesma mulher, na mansão.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2339741/

Link da resenha: http://www.sincerando.com/2013/01/a-mulher-de-preto.html

Not scary at all, actually kind of boring.

There are many good things about this book, but let's dwell on the bad for a moment. This book is creepy, but never truly scary as I was hoping it would be. The supernatural things do not happen often enough to make this a really frightening read. (But when they do happen, it is satisfying.)

On the other hand, the setting is superb. The classic foggy English moor proved the perfect creepy place for a ghost story.