REVIEW: THE WOMAN IN BLACK (MOVIE TIE-IN) BY SUSAN HILL

THE WOMAN IN BLACK (MOVIE TIE-IN EDITION): A GHOST STORY
SUSAN HILL
GENRE: HORROR


SYNOPSIS (Goodreads)

A classic ghost story: the chilling tale of a menacing specter haunting a small English town. Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming London solicitor who is sent to Crythin Gifford--a faraway town in the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway--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 mystery, but Kipps is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind its sheltered windows. The routine business trip he anticipated quickly takes a horrifying turn when he finds himself haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and images--a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child's scream in the fog, and, most terrifying of all, a ghostly woman dressed all in black.

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MY TAKE

3 STARS

The Woman in Black is just as the synopsis says-- a classic ghost story. This story aims to chill, not horrify; and does so in an effective manner.

The main character in this story is (lawyer) Arthur Kipps. In the beginning of the story, Arthur is with his family on Christmas Eve. His step-children have a very unconventional tradition of sitting around the fireplace on Christmas Eve to tell ghost stories. The children have asked Arthur to participate, to which he refuses. Arthur does know a ghost story- one he witnessed first hand, but doesn't care to speak of. He decides instead of speaking about it, he will put it on paper.

Thus begins the (quick, 165 page) telling of the Woman In Black.

For the better part of the story I actually sympathized with the ghost, although at times Arthur claimed he felt malevolent and revengeful energy radiating from the woman. The circumstances from her former life were very sad, and she carried that sadness with her in death, and brought along enough anger to match. The ending of this book caused me to gasp!

I really liked the author's writing style and the Victorian feel of this book. If you like classic ghost story telling, you will enjoy this book.




PAPERBACK PRICE: $10.99