“The shape, gray and lacking definition, a blur of darkness against the mist, did not move toward Noemí. It remained still. It might be nothing but a statue.” (Quotation page 96)
Content
Parties at the Tuñóns’ house never end up before one A.M. But this time, Noemí Taboada, leaves at ten P.M., because her father had called her home. Virgil Doyle, the husband of her cousin Catalina, has invited Noemí to visit Catalina. A few weeks ago, Catalina had written a quite disturbing letter to Noemí’s father. So Noemí has to find out, what really is happening in that old mansion called High Place, situated in the foggy, chilling countryside, which gives Catalina such a deep fright. Soon Noemí too feels a gripping, terrifying presence in that house and her nightmares convince her, that she has to leave that place as soon as possible, but certainly not without her cousin. Therefore, she first has to find a way to save Catalina from what seems a kind of spell coming from the house that makes it almost impossible to leave.
Theme and Genre
This story is written in the tradition of a typical English gothic story, mixed with Mexican ghost stories and elements of fantasy. We find ghosts, supernatural apparitions and a remote, old, haunted house, connected to dark family secrets.
Characters
Noemí is twenty-two years old and a glamorous, socialite, who takes live easy, likes to flirt and party. Nevertheless, when her five years older cousin Catalina needs her, courageously she begins to dig into the secrets deep in the past of the Doyle family and not even terrifying nightmares can stop her.
Plot and Writing
Noemí is the main character and the story is told chronologically. It shows all elements of Gothic Literature, from mystery, fear, curses, atmosphere, setting to villains, anti-hero, suffering women and romance. It is clear that Gothic Stories have to go beyond scientific understanding, leading to mysteries and strange, fearful events. However, as the story develops, the supernatural and paranormal activities are just too much, missing the elegance of the authentic English Gothic Fiction.
Conclusion
A gripping novel, a modern gothic tale with elements of horror and fantasy.
“I don’t think we will ever learn the truth of what happened at Gruhuken. However I know enough to be convinced that something terrible took place.” (Citation page 2)
Content
Jack Miller always wanted to be a physicist, but there had just been money for the University College. Now he is twenty-eight years old and when he is asked to join an Arctic expedition as communications man, he takes his chance. Their camp will be at Gruhuken, in the Nord-East corner of Spitsbergen, which means one year in an uninhabited region, including four months of complete winter-darkness. As Teddy, their medico, had to stay in London and Hugo, the glaciologist, had broken his leg during the journey and had to go back to Tromsø, only three of them, Algie, the geologist, Gus, the biologist and leader of the team, and Jack as their communications man arrive at Gruhuken the 7th August 1937. It seems that their Norwegian skipper knows more about the lonely wilderness of Gruhuken, than he wants to tell them, he just mentions that Gruhuken is a place where strange things had happened and could happen again.
Theme and Genre
This novel, set in lonely, dark Arctic nights, is a gripping ghost story with strong psychological elements.
Characters
There are three main characters, wealthy upper class Oxford studied Gus and Alchie, and Jack. At the beginning, Jack feels the social difference between them and himself, but soon they work together as a team. When the story expands and at the end of October the darkest part of the year begins, the period of endless nights, the events focus on Jack.
Plot and Writing
The story is told by Jack Miller as first-person narrator, as it is based on his personal journal with almost daily entries, and therefore written chronologically. The setting in the dark, cold, foggy, snowy Arctic loneliness and isolation together with some secrets and shadows to be seen and felt is perfect for an atmospheric fearful story. “The Arctic calls”, or cabin fever, the Norwegians call it “rar”, when men go mad from the dark might be one psychological, logical explanation, or, as Jack says to himself: “But the thing to remember, Jack, is that it’s only an echo. It’s like a footprint or a shadow.” (Citation page 120). However, the days reveal that the main problem for Jack is not to be there alone, but the question, whether he is really alone. Impressionistic, scenic descriptions complete the story, leading you immediately into the beautiful, but merciless and dangerous Arctic wilderness.
Conclusion
A gripping, suspenseful story that sends a shudder down your spine, an enjoyable read especially for dark evenings.
“Haunted or no, there was something so uncanny in the appearance of the old gables, fast rottering to ruin, that even in the crepuscular light and early evening, persons would hurry by it with a shudder, while later at night, many would go a long way round rather than pass its weather-worn walls.” (Quotation pos. 337 “The Phantom Riders” by Ernest R. Suffling)
Theme and Content
A collection of ghost stories set in the Victorian and Edwardian time. Written by different authors, these twenty-one old gothic tales too are multifaceted, but always gripping and spooky. The reader meets phantom riders, haunted houses and haunted rooms, the dead sexton, Mr. Morgan in Australia who always hurries home before it gets dark, and a friendly ghost who helps his descendants and real true stories about eerie appearances with no logical explanation. Mysterious things happen in these nights around Christmas, where the snow is falling and shadows might be not only shadows but also something else.
Conclusion
This selection of traditional ghost stories, written in the poetic language of the olden times, is a perfect read for the dark winter nights around Christmas time.
“As for me,
I know very well that when I read him of a dark night, I am obliged to creep to
bed without shutting ny book, and without daring to look behind me.” (Quotation
from “The Dead Man’s Story”, pos. 1056)
“We talked on an extraordinary variety of subjects, I distinctly recollect a long argument on mushrooms-mushrooms, murders, racing, cholera; from cholera we came to sudden death, from sudden death to churchyards, and from churchyards, it was naturally but a step to ghosts.” (Quotation from “Number Ninety”, pos. 3878)
Content
The Phantom
Coach by Amelia B Edwards
The Ghost
of Christmas Eve by J.M. Barrie
The
Governess’s Story by Amyas Northcote
The Story
of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens
The Dead
Man’s Story by James Hain Friswell
Bone to His
Bone by E.G. Swain
Jerry
Bundler by W.W. Jacobs
The Old
Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell
Thurlow’s
Christmas Story by John Kendrick Bangs
The Story
of a Disappearance and an Appearance by M.R. James
The Real
and the Counterfeit by Louisa Baldwin
Mustapha by
S. Baring-Gould
Wolverden
Tower by Grant Allen
Number
Ninety by B.M. Croker
The Great
Staircase at Landover Hall by Frank Stockton
A Strange
Christmas Game by Charlotte Riddell
What Was
He? by Theo Gift
The Brazen
Cross by H.B. Marriott Watson
The Beeston Ghost by John Swaffield Orton
Theme and Genre
A collection of classic Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories about inexplicable, supernatural, spooky experiences, written by different authors.
Conclusion
A perfect collection for dark winter evenings, giving you spine-tingling feelings. Very different stories and different writing styles make this book a thrilling, enjoyable reading.
“The
emptiness of the place enfolded us like a shroud. The air was cold and smelled
faintly of earth, incense and candles.” (Quotation page 44)
The
narrator remembers one special Christmas, more than forty years ago. He is
fifteen years old and has to stay in school over the holidays, together with a
boy named Faraday, who is two years younger. Mr. Ratcliffe, an old, long
retired teacher, takes care of them and during the evenings, he entertains them
with ghost stories about the nearby Cathedral. Some of the stories have real
backgrounds, such as the fate of Mr. Goldsworthy, two hundred years ago, and the
beautiful anthem he wrote, since lost. Therefore, the boys plan to climb the
tower of the Cathedral and search for the lost sheet of notes.
THE LEPER
HOUSE
“There’s
always a next time.” (Quotation page 159)
After the
funeral of his sister, the narrator is on his way to visit a client in Ipswich
and afterwards he would drive home to London, where he lives. But there are
roadworks, the day changes into a dark, rainy, stormy evening when the traffic stops
again. Therefore, he follows some local drivers, taking a narrow road, when one
of the tires of his car is punctured. He leaves the car, starts to walk and suddenly
he sees a light and arrives at an old cottage by the sea.
THE SCRATCH
“Two things
happened that afternoon which were both important, though I didn’t realize
their significance until later.” (Quotation page 176)
Clare and
Gerald live in a rural area, near the Forest of Dean. Jack, Gerald`s young
nephew, just back from the army in Afghanistan, is going to stay with them for
some time. He dislikes their cat Cannop, because he generally does not like
cats. He is sure that there must be wild cats in the Forest, because sometimes
he notices a big, dark shadow on his daily walk through the forest. One day
Clare sees a big scratch on his arm.
Conclusion
Three stories, modern versions of the well-known traditional Gothic novels, a perfect read for rainy, dark afternoons and evenings. The gripping, suspenseful plot starts from normal daily situations, which makes everything that happens plausible. There are always more solutions and explanations, left open for us readers to think about and find our own ideas. Just relax, light some candles and enjoy the high literary quality of stories and the eerie fascination.
“Fiona realized as she walked inside that she’d been picturing something Harry-Potter-like, with high Gothic ceilings and warm candlelight.” (Quotation page 56)
Content
Idlewild Hall had been a boarding school for girls, sent away by their families. Finally closed around 1979 and since abandoned, the new owners want to restore it and reopen the house as a new, modern school.
Young
Journalist Fiona Sheridan has her own bitter memories connected with the
Idlewild property, as twenty years ago her sister Deb had been found dead on the
former sports field. Although Tim, her sister’s boyfriend, had been sentenced,
for Fiona there are still lots of very unclear details and open questions. She
wants to write an article about Idlewild Hall and starts her own researches.
When the renovation team finds the remains of the body of a young girl, dead
for more than sixty years and definitely murdered, she digs deep into the past
of Idlewild Hall. Who was Mary Hand?
Theme and Genre
This dark and atmospheric story is written in the perfect tradition of the famous Gothic fiction originated in England in the second half of the 18th and the 19th century. There are female heroines, four girls in 1950 and Fiona in 2014, a ghost and darkness and mysteries. Topic are the living conditions of for different reasons unwanted girls in the early 60ies, but also female friendship, tenacity and courage, now and then. Another topic are grieve and loss and the Holocaust.
Characters
Fiona is likeable, because although her questions are soon getting dangerous for her, she is not willing to stop and give up. 1950, in the dark, cold surrounding of Idlewild School, four girls, Katie, Roberta, CeCe and Sonia are best friends, holding together against everything.
Plot and Writing
The story takes place in Barrons, Vermont. There are two timelines, the fifties with each chapter focusing on one of the four girls and 2014, with details going back to 1994. Both timelines are gripping und breathtaking, with surprising twists and turns. Especially historical facts connected to Sophie´s story were thoroughly researched.
Conclusion
A dark, atmospheric novel in the tradition of the famous English Gothic literature, gripping and full of suspense. A perfect pageturner, sleepless nights included.
Deutsche Ausgabe: Die schwarze Frau, Goldmann Verlag, 18.
Februar 2019
“But as I stared at my new home, I felt a curious urge to ask Heckling to turn the carriage around and drive me back to Norwich, where I might sit on a bench at Thorpe Station until the sun came up and then return to London, a job badly done.” (Original citation page 70)
Content
When her father suddenly had died, 21-year-old schoolteacher Eliza Caine wants to leave London and applies for the position of a governess at Gaudlin Hall in Norfolk. Her job begins in October 1867. When she arrives, she meets the two children, she will look after, 12-year-old Isabella Westerley and her younger brother Eustace, 8 years old. They seem to live alone in this grand country house. There is Mrs. Livermore who cooks and cleans but she lives in the nearby village. Soon Eliza learns that she is not the first governess coming here, but only one of them is still alive, because the house is full of secrets and terrifying things happen. Nevertheless, she is determined to not abandon the two children.
Theme and Genre
A gripping ghost story in the best tradition of the famous 19th century gothic novels, including a dark house with secrets and supernatural mysteries, and a brave heroine. The narrative takes place in England, in the year 1867.
Characters
Isabella and Eustace are very well educated children, but they are very quiet, severely traumatized by the circumstances of the death of their mother. Eliza is missing her father, but she has a very brave character, not willing to give up when she can solve some of the mysteries surrounding Gaudlin Hall and the two children. It is typical for this kind of gothic novels that the reader likes the heroine and fears for her.
Plot and Writing
The exciting, creepy story is written in the first person, told by Eliza, the governess. As Eliza begins to ask people, she and the reader learn about past events that explain some of the occurrences happening in the present. Unforeseeable twists until the last pages stress the captivating storyline.
Conclusion
A spine-chilling gothic novel that makes the reader shiver and unable to stop reading. Perfect for enjoyable reading hours on dark winter afternoons and stormy evenings.
“This moon made the night extraordinary penetrable and showed me on the lawn a person, diminished by distance, who stood there motionless and as if fascinated, looking up to where I had appeared looking, that is, not so much straight at me as at something that was apparently above me.” (Citation pos. 1100)
Content
The Turn of the Screw
“This moon
made the night extraordinary penetrable and showed me on the lawn a person,
diminished by distance, who stood there motionless and as if fascinated,
looking up to where I had appeared looking, that is, not so much straight at me
as at something that was apparently above me.” (Citation pos. 1100)
A wealthy
Gentleman from London, guardian for his nephew and niece, looks for a governess
and hires a young woman. The two children live in his country home in Essex.
Flora, the little girl, is beautiful, well educated and just loveable and after
just one hour, she and her new governess have become friends. Her elder
brother, Miles, too is a beautiful child, gentle, with good manners. Everything
seems to be absolutely perfect – but things are not always, as they seem to be.
A famous,
celebrated and well-known Gothic novella.
The Romance of Certain Old Cloths
“One of
these days my daughter shall wear them – my rings and my laces and silks.”
(Citation pos. 2364)
Two
sisters, Rosalind and Perdita, fall in love with the same man, Mr. Arthur
Lloyd, who marries Perdita. Perdita dies in childbed. Arthur has to promise her
to keep her chest with all her belongings and beautiful dresses for their
daughter. After some time, Arthur marries Rosalind and she is very curious
about the chest.
An American
Gothic tale.
The Ghostly Rental
“The last
red light of the sunset disengaged itself, as it was about to vanish, and
rested faintly for a moment on the time-silvered front of the old house.”
(Citation pos. 2540)
One grey
December afternoon, the narrator, a young Cambridge student, takes an old road
to shorten his way. He comes to a house in an orchard of old apple-trees and he
is curious about the house. The house is haunted, he is told, but he feels that
there must be more, some secret. So he returns to the place and one day he sees
a mysterious old man enter the house. He has several more meetings with the old
man, Captain Diamond. One day in September, the old man sends for the narrator,
he is dying and has one favor to ask.
Sir Edmund Orme
“From the
first time of her seeing me she had been sure there were things I should not
escape knowing.” (Citation pos. 3224)
It is
season in Brighton and the un-named narrator falls in love with charming
Charlotte Marden. Her mother has a secret and one day something happens and the
narrator shares the secret of Mrs. Marden.
A ghost story
told by an outer narrator and based on a written report of the events by the
inner narrator.
Owen Wingrave
“He talked
about the ‘immeasurable misery’ of wars, and asked me why nations don’t tear to
pieces the governments, the rulers that go in for them.” (Citation pos. 3881)
Young Owen
Wingrave is prepared for a brilliant military career like all his ancestors,
but he prefers Goethe and books to the military life of a soldier. Therefore,
his coach Spencer Coyle, his best friend and family members come together at
Paramore House, the home of the Wingraves, the house with a haunted room, where
no one ever sleeps. Owen is against war, but not a coward as assumed by his
family and is ready to proof it.
The Friends of the Friends
“Certainly they ought to meet, my friend and
he; certainly they would have something in common.” (Citation pos. 4406)
Their
friends think that they should meet: she had been abroad with her aunt when she
sees her father waiting for her in a museum – it was the moment he had dies
back at home in England. He had been a student in Oxford many years ago, when
he saw his mother waiting in his room – it was the day when she had died in
Wales. However, for years all appointments for some reasons failed.
The Real Right Thing
“The first
night our young man was alone in the room it seemed to him that his master and
he were really for the first time together.” (Citation pos. 4895)
Mrs. Doyne
asks George Withermore, a writer and journalist, to write a biography about her
husband Ashton Doyle, who had suddenly died some months ago. Doyne, a well-known
writer and young Withermore had been very close friends. George is allowed to
work in Ashton’s study, to go through his documents and papers to get
information for the biography on his friend. After some time, George has a
negative feeling while writing about Ashton.
The Third Person
“The person
the elder of the pair had seen in her room was not – well, just simply was not
any one in from outside.” (Citation pos. 5244)
Miss Susan
and Miss Amy, second grade cousins, have inherited an old house in Marr and the
will said it should be sold. But they both were so happy about the house; they
liked it and decided to live there together, in the house of their anchestors.
One day they find a small chest full of old papers and they ask the vicar to do
some researches.
A humorous
ghost story.
The Jolly Corner
“For me it
is lived in, for me it is furnished.” (Citation pos. 5869)
Spencer
Brydon left New York with twenty-three and returned thirty-three years later.
Owner of several houses, family property, he had lived in Europe from the
leases and has come back for some renovation and construction works. Just one
of the houses remains as it is with its great, grey, empty rooms.
A story
about alternative futures and possibilities.
Conclusion
A selection of the famous Gothic ghost stories by Henry James. Family secrets and spooky tales about the unknown, the mysterious in life and occurrences that remain inexplicable. A perfect read for dark winter days.
‚Tis the season to be jolly … or is it’? (Book cover)
Content (Book cover)
Christmas Eve. While the world sleeps, snow falls gently from the sky, presents lie under the tree … and murder is afoot. In this collection of ten classic murder mysteries by the best crime writers from the 1920s to today, death and mayhem take many festive forma, from the inventive to the unexpected. From a Santa Claus with a grudge to a cat who knows who killed its owner on Christmas Eve, these are stories to enjoy – and by mystified by – in front of a roaring fire, mince pie in hand.
Theme and Genre
A collection of classic short stories, written by well-known authors. We meet a cat that helps uncover the truth, strange “Footprints in the Sky”, a valuable unique manuscript and a thoughtful making story about “On a Christmas day in the morning.
Conclusion
Special, thrilling and enjoyable short stories, perfect for this time of the year.
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