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Melanie Caldicott (6 KP) rated The Woman in Black in Books

Apr 29, 2021  
The Woman in Black
The Woman in Black
Susan Hill | 1998 | Fiction & Poetry
10
6.9 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
Absolutely amazing! Hill's Woman in Black is a masterpiece in the ghost story genre. It is chilling, sinister with a macabre yet delectable twist at the end.
Yet, not only is this a superb plot but Hill's prose is so magnificently crafted with frequent clever juxtaposition of contrasting comforting imagery with sinister darkness.
Scary, horrible, completely brilliant!
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Coal House in Books

Nov 11, 2019  
Coal House
Coal House
W.S. Barton | 2015 | Horror
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Set just after the Second World War this follows the story of Finn Harper who decides to turn to property development with his wife. When they are on holiday in Wales they see a house for auction which seems to be a bargain. When the locals won't bid on it they decide to buy the remote and long-deserted house.

So begins Coal House, a suspenseful ghost story that slowly builds to a shattering ending with a chilling twist. Any ghost story turns on the ability of the author to conjure up locations and events that seem both ordinary and strange at the same time and Barton does this with ease, able to raise goosebumps with a few simple words.

The story is clever and interesting with several layers and with characters to match. Finn is initially a skeptic but as strange events happen in and around the house he must consider if they are real or just his imagination.

This is not a long book but does pack a lot into its pages. An excellent read
  
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ClareR (5991 KP) rated Home Fire in Books

Nov 15, 2017  
Home Fire
Home Fire
Kamila Shamsie | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
An interesting view of Islamophobia and muslims living in the UK.
The story of a Muslim family living in London, persecuted by the ghost of their jihadi father. Narrated by five protagonists, who express five different views on today's attitudes of being Muslim in a western country: (non) respect towards religions, the traditional vs modern, what it means to be a Muslim in today's world, and in particular, it's the story of stigmatisation. An interesting, topical story that shows our diverse world, and how we MUST look at what is causing radicalisation.
One of my books of the year.
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The White Hart (Red Grouse Tales) in Books

Nov 28, 2019  
The White Hart (Red Grouse Tales)
The White Hart (Red Grouse Tales)
Leslie W.P. Garland | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The fourth of The Red Grouse Tales is also the most obviously paranormal in nature. Told by Pete, a keen fell runner and ladies' man, his one tale actually consists of three linked stories. The central and longest concerns a visit to an old chapel, all that remains of a stately home. There he meets a woman who relates the tragic story of Christine, the former owner of the house and supposed ghost.

This isn't a ghost story designed to spook or discomfort; instead the intriguing tale of Christine, along with that of Pete himself, is a moral one of how some men and women manipulate each other and at what level that becomes unacceptable. The story itself is light with a happy (if not entirely surprising) ending that will leave a warmth where other stories in this collection have left a chill.

The lightest of the Red Grouse tales (in the edition I read) but very much a suitable one to end with.