Reviews

I like Charlotte Riddell's writing style - it's easy and relaxed, her protagonists are usually likeable young men in the few stories I've read, and there's some humour. None of the ones I've read are at all scary, so she's definitely at the cosy end of horror.

Sadly this one disappointed me a bit. The premise is good - a mansion in which there's a door which won't stay shut. Even if you bolt it, as soon as you turn your back it opens again. Our protagonist, young Phil, offers to stay in the house and lay the ghost. At first he's doing it for the offered reward but he gradually begins to feel loyal to the owner and it becomes a kind of personal challenge.

But after a long, long, long build-up it all ends in a frantic rush and I had to read the last couple of pages twice to try to understand what had happened. And I feel an awful lot was left unexplained - not in an ambiguous The Turn of the Screw way, just in a sloppy well, that's done, kind of thing. Given that it was already overlong I feel she could have gone the extra mile and given us a couple of paragraphs tying things up a bit more satisfactorily.

So it's OK, entertaining enough, but not an unmissable classic.

imakandiway's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.25

jayrothermel's review against another edition

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5.0

A fine adventure of a young clerk.

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