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Original poster

Well, I read The Little Stranger....

47 replies

BelligerentGhoul · 20/08/2010 18:29

Anybody want to talk about it? :)

I read The Woman In White too - finally!

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Original poster
BelligerentGhoul · 24/08/2010 23:20

Nope, I don't think it was him. Nothing gave me that impression.

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FannyMcKnee · 24/08/2010 16:17

It hadn't occurred to me that it might have been him until my MIL pointed it out

elvislives · 21/08/2010 17:40

Hated this book and felt like I'd wasted precious reading time on it. No actual story, and what twist?

LaDiDaDi · 20/08/2010 23:32

Found the period and social class detail of it interesting but the actual story was pants imo.

KurriKurri · 20/08/2010 20:18

I think there's a couple of contenders for the 'twist', to do with Faraday's role in the whole story. (Agree they are not really twists though). Still loved itGrin.

DunderMifflin · 20/08/2010 20:12

I think the twist is the 'Susan's the ghost' thing - pretty obvious for a twist so maybe I'm wrong!

Original poster
BelligerentGhoul · 20/08/2010 20:00

God - if it's Martin Amis, just bin it. He's dreadful.

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Original poster
BelligerentGhoul · 20/08/2010 19:59

No, I didn't notice the twist either!

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thesecondcoming · 20/08/2010 19:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
BelligerentGhoul · 20/08/2010 19:37

I liked him.

I thought The Woman In White was superb - maybe reading The Little Stranger immediately afterwards meant that disappointment was inevitable though.

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KurriKurri · 20/08/2010 19:23

I really enjoyed it BG. I hadn't read any SW before, but looking forward to her others now. I didn't think it was as scary as the hype made out, but I didn't mind that, because I thought the characters were well drawn.

I rather enjoyed the ambiguity and lack of resolution.

I liked The Woman in White too when I read it years ago, but have largely forgotten it. Time for a re-read.

DunderMifflin · 20/08/2010 19:18

I felt it was a bit nothingy too - was disappointed at the end that it had all gone nowhere.

The Susan thing was really obvious and the characters didn't seem complete.

teameric · 20/08/2010 19:17

I agree it could have been scarier, but I still found it very atmospheric. What was your take on the ending?

Lilymaid · 20/08/2010 19:16

OK, did he do it then? My reading group generally thought so.

stainesmassif · 20/08/2010 19:15

Did you actually like the narrator or do you mean he was interesting? I couldn't bear him. I agree that the book is a bit blah tho.

Original poster
BelligerentGhoul · 20/08/2010 19:15

I used to use that as a class reader, when I first started teaching eons ago!

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cyb · 20/08/2010 19:14

Yes, good word. I wanted more scampering along dark corridors in dead of night and fires and poltergeistery things. The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively (kids book ) is scarier!

Original poster
BelligerentGhoul · 20/08/2010 19:11

Exactly Cyb. All the hype seemed to suggest it would be - but it wasn't. It all just felt a bit...spiritless, if that's the right word!

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cyb · 20/08/2010 19:02

I wished it had been scarier

mummytime · 20/08/2010 19:00

I only got to the end because it was my book group book. The rest liked it but I found it boring, and didn't like anyone.

Original poster
BelligerentGhoul · 20/08/2010 18:47

I didn't dislike it but........

I just thought it was missing something, I think. I liked the narrator and thought the characterisation was pretty good but it just didn't seem to really get anywhere, I thought. I finished it feeling as if I'd heard it all before and the ending was predictable without having that awful/wonderful sense of inevitability that you get in the best/traditional ghost stories.

Tbh I was just starting to think, 'well, hurry up and die then' by the final quarter. Blush

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teameric · 20/08/2010 18:38

I loved The Little Stranger, did you like it?
Haven't read The Woman in White