ghost story peter straub reviews
In the rear view mirror, behind the long row of cars, behind the police car, an old truck sent out a tall column of black smoke through a chimney-like pipe beside the engine. They just don't write many like this one anymore. We’d love your help. I enjoyed rereading it and found that I had forgotten much of it and had a better understanding of the plot. But some of the descriptions of the premise that I'd read were somewhat misleading as to what's really going on in the book (and that comment applies to the above description as well), and its bestseller status prejudiced me against it. I feel bad for these people that they have no patience and that their short attention spans won't let such a wonderful tale slowly unfold before their very eyes. I first read Peter Straub’s terrifying Ghost Story decades ago, and I recently decided to pick it up again to see if my impressions had changed. I feel like the story tries it's best to make you stop reading it at certain points. Do you think I will enjoy Straub? So starts the 1979 Peter Straub novel "Ghost Story" with this fascinating question. It is written in the style of an old world gothic, with drama, tension and a growing sense of dread and doom. I have heard a lot of good things about Peter Straub, and I knew that Ghost Story is considered to be one of his best books. I've read it several times and I'm about to do so again because it's a tradition of mine to read it at Christmas. This novel in particular? Everyone says this book is really scary.. . Back in December, I decided to use my Audible credit on Ghost. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. And he could imagine the girl shouting, 'He made me come with him, he ties me onto him when he sleeps!' I'm still trying to figure out what was so scary about this book. I did not like this but.. now, Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2019. It's by far his best. Straub is an old master of this genre. EXCERPT: Still in South Carolina, he thought that a highway patrolman was following him: the police car was twenty yards behind, keeping the same distance whatever the man did. I wasn’t scared reading it but thinking about it..after experiencing the whole shebang..yeah its CREEPY! First and foremost, I would like to thank Jessica (Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile) for this awesome addition to my collection. He was simply being drawn on towards Charleston, pulled by the traffic through miles of flat scrubby country: suburbs were always visible in the distance, miserable collections of little houses with frame garages. It's a multi-layerd novel, that leaves a lot to the imagination of the reader. This doesn't happen a whole lot, mind you, but it got annoying when it did, and I was glad to finally finish it. The "woman" also has an evil sidekick. Something's going to happen to the whole town of Milburn, and The Chowder Society members with their spooky stories and premonitions are right in the middle of "it"........ For Ricky Hawthorne, his law partner Sears James and friends Edward Wanderley, Lewis Benedikt and Dr. John Jaffrey, their n. For Ricky Hawthorne, his law partner Sears James and friends Edward Wanderley, Lewis Benedikt and Dr. John Jaffrey, their nightmares all began on the same day, October of 1929....and what happened on that day was the beginning of the evil presence........ Not the scariest book I've ever read, (we all have our own definition of scary) but a darn good GHOST STORY! Is he a cereal killer?? That doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I've read Ghost Story at least eight times during the past three decades, and was always curious about why Peter Straub set the prologue and epilogue of the novel in my family's old vacation spot. He made this claim in 1981. "Probably Ghost Story by Peter Straub is the best of the supernatural novels to be published in the wake of the three books that kicked off a new horror "wave" in the seventies—those three, of course, being Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and The Other. I've read over halfway through this book so far, and only the prologue, and 3 or 4 other chapters have been good. Peter Straub was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 2 March, 1943, the first of three sons of a salesman and a nurse. Julia is a relatively short novel whereas Ghost Story is a gigantic, ambitious work. Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2017. He was particularly disgruntled to see what he had taken for a bundle of old rags on the tracks outside was a human body. is he going to kill that little girl? It stands tall above everything else I've read from him, except perhaps Floating Dragon. In a romance book, it's happily ever after; in a mystery novel, it's the... To see what your friends thought of this book, Hi Jshalhov. They (our protagonists, the Chowder Society) managed to "harm" or "hurt" the creature. A short summary would include: tornadoes; big dogs; bullies; the basement; fire; music class; swimming lessons; spiders; cat burglars; and girls. As long as you pay attention you will be fine. At that point, I put Peter Straub down for good. Welcome back. Twenty-five years later, this statement holds true. The southern sun seemed to assault his face, grind at his pores. Or so I thought. Ghost Story, along with Shadow-Land, are my two favorite horror novels. by Peter Straub ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 31, 1980 Beware, readers who enjoyed Ghost Story: you are not likely to enjoy this--a pretentious and convoluted attempt to update the dark folklore of the Brothers Grimm, with stories within stories that add up to sheer murk. I was afraid that it wouldn't hold up to my memory of it. I've read a few negative reviews on here and the common theme is that it was too much or they found it boring. Quite simply the scariest book I've ever read. It was about six in the afternoon, and the freeway was crowded: he felt himself being drawn helplessly along with the traffic, at the mercy of whoever was in the police car - helpless, trapped. If you like horror this is probably right up your alley. There is some serious unfocused meandering going down in this story so far, it reads like a bad Stephen King knockoff. Ghost Story is far superior to that cinematic rubbish, and the antagonists far more menacing. The last half of this story would have to be phenomenal in order for me to recommend this book to anyone. This is one of the scariest books I’ve ever come across. He feared the patrolman cruising up beside him and shouting: 'Get over!' There are things, my friend, that have lived before man, and which will continue to live...forever. Back in December, I decided to use my Audible credit on Ghost Story to torture myself, it turns out. Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2018. One of Straub's best books, imho. It's a little more literary in style than early King. Though the novel is a bit dated (we have gone through quite the technological revolution since it was written in the late 70s), it still scared me like it did 30 years ago when I first read it. Review: Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Not a Straub fan, but this is a good book. I found it very boring. I worried about that for decades. Warning: this review will include spoilers. [ the above mentioned beings our protagonists have been led into self-destructive, even evil acts. Ghost Story Authors like Peter Straub can take an essentially familiar spook story and make it work as a novel because of the solitary hold on the reader and ample time to embroider the details. He could not remember the number of the freeway he was on. He did not say "Not again" (what he said was "Shit on this"), but "Not again" was what he meant.”, “...nobody can protect anybody else from vileness. Straub's story isn't a quick read. One of the better "ghost stories" out there (in spite of the fact that it's not exactly a story about a ghost per-se). Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. My main issue with the novel is that it wasn’t scary. Straub's story isn't a quick read. I recently watched the movie again and decided to read the book again as well (since the movie was so heavily chopped up and modified, as most movie adaptions are). She is calm, passive, … If I'd known how good this book was when it came out in 1979, I wouldn't have waited 30 years to read it! In this 1st episode of Holiday Themed Reviews, I review "Ghost Story" by Peter Straub. A Guide to the Ghastly Subgenres of Horror. It was a long book & I pushed myself to finish it because I kept waiting for something scary to happen. “Probably Ghost Story by Peter Straub is the best of the supernatural novels to be published” – Stephen King Read this one if you like a long, detailed story and small-town story settings. by Pocket Books / Simon & Schuster, Inc. Where with Dan Simmons and Orson Scott Card their words just seem to effortlessly flow into my mind, I find there are times when I need to reread Straub's sentences. Ghost Story – Peter Straub Pocket Books – 1980 (Originally published 1979). On the contrary, I loved the eerie atmosphere he created along with such detailed characters that weren't flat and one-dimensional. Peter Straub is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen novels, which have been translated into more than twenty languages. Also, my book buddies were reading it and talked me into joining them but truly I only have myself to blame for thinking I’d matured enough to enjoy it now. This page works best with JavaScript. You can still see all customer reviews for the product. Once the novel has reached the halfway point you’ll find your fingers glued to this book and unable to put it down. Although I will say that the story Sears shares with the Chowder Society near the beginning of the book was probably my favorite part of the whole book because it truly was horrifying. [ The novel works it's way to the general idea that there is another "race" or "species" of beings that have lived along side humans forever. Based on the novel of the same name by Peter Straub, 'Ghost Story' is a satisfyingly creepy tale about four lifelong friends harboring a deep, dark secret from their youth. The characters are varied and although dated, still relevant and real. September 1st 1989 Ghost story is especially chilling, not just in the main narrative that progresses, but in the secondary narratives that support the unfolding mythology. Our main characters, mostly older men in their golden years, along with the son of one of the men, having to battle an almost ancient evil (maybe not ancient, but definitely old) that they previously had encountered in various manifestations through the years. If you love the feeling of something watching you in the dark, the shiver up and down your spine, and the sense of heavy foreboding, Ghost Story will probably suit your fancy. John Irvin, the director of ''Ghost Story,'' and Lawrence D. Cohen, who adapted and considerably reduced Peter Straub's best-selling novel for the screen, begin very well, right in … Lots of Death, lots of dream scenes, and changing faces.. Personally, I enjoy a bit of ambiguity in my horror--often what one can imagine is even more terrifying that what is put down on paper. Jokes on me! It's a chilling story that is highly recommended. This doesn't happen a whole lot, mind you, but it got annoying when it did, and I was glad to fina, First off, let me say that this is a very good story, and it had its scary moments. It was just as boring the second time around. Refresh and try again. Let the story unfold at its own pace. At that point, I put Peter Straub down for good. One of the best written stories I've ever come across! (I read this one as a teenager for the first time). This is a complex, well crafted story well worth the read, Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2017. (It's true that sales tend to measure hype, not quality --but sometimes, as here, the hype is amply justified. Start by marking “Ghost Story” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Evil spirits and monstrous changelings lurk between the pages, and make for a thrilling read. Better understanding of the woods for reading, these corrupt creatures come for the hapless residents and. 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