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Book Description
One of the great classics of modern horror!
Product Description
It began shortly after the party at which one of their members, Edward Wanderley, had died ¿ or was killed. The Chowder Society, who for years had met in customary evening dress with the object of telling each other tales of every kind, now found themselves drawn towards the supernatural. It was some sort of solace for Edward¿s loss. They began to tell ghost stories, extraordinary ghost stories . . . ghost stories that did not always stop when the teller finished speaking . . . Then came the dreams, shared simultaneously by the Chowder Society members, forecasting horrors the four ageing men can scarcely bring themselves to discuss. And now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past ¿ and get away with murder.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I came to read Ghost Story not expecting too much. The blurb on the back described old men -The Chowder Society - telling each other ghost stories, and a old murder. Yet from the outset, this novel confounded my expectations. From the opening scenes with an abduction of a very strange child through to the closing scenes when a very old monster is consigned to the ocean, this is a story that deserves reading.
More than anything else, this book is a great example of plotting. Some very disparate elements of the story that a reader might question the relevance of slowly come to be essential to the story as a whole. And it is a story that takes place across many years, and across the US. And such varied plot elements mean that the numerous climatic battles in the novel are not so much warranted as necessary.
Also, the novel manages to make the threat menacing to more than just the central characters. The threat ends up consuming a whole town, and the atmospheric scenes when the snow starts to fall and a whole community falls apart are as melancholic as they are chilling. The horror is destined for far more than just the Chowder Society, and Straub gives a near perfect template for any novel that wants to portray a small town under siege. Many Stephen King novels, for example, owe a real debt to this book.
If I have one criticism of this novel, then it would be that it doesn't quite act as a traditional ghost story for me; it is more of a standard horror novel. But this is the best Straub work I have read, and one of the best horror novels I have ever read as well.
More than anything else, this book is a great example of plotting. Some very disparate elements of the story that a reader might question the relevance of slowly come to be essential to the story as a whole. And it is a story that takes place across many years, and across the US. And such varied plot elements mean that the numerous climatic battles in the novel are not so much warranted as necessary.
Also, the novel manages to make the threat menacing to more than just the central characters. The threat ends up consuming a whole town, and the atmospheric scenes when the snow starts to fall and a whole community falls apart are as melancholic as they are chilling. The horror is destined for far more than just the Chowder Society, and Straub gives a near perfect template for any novel that wants to portray a small town under siege. Many Stephen King novels, for example, owe a real debt to this book.
If I have one criticism of this novel, then it would be that it doesn't quite act as a traditional ghost story for me; it is more of a standard horror novel. But this is the best Straub work I have read, and one of the best horror novels I have ever read as well.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the best book I've read in the contemporary Horror genre. I've been buying Straub's later books in hopes that he can repeat the performance he carried off in this one and have been dissapointed with the results (Shadowland was a fun read, however).
Actually, in terms of sheer good writing, I would have to rank one of his earliest novels, Julia, as the most comparable. This book really got under my skin and even pervaded my unconscious while I was reading it. I found myself dreaming in Straub's cadences. This is a tour-de-force horror story, and yes, does rival James' The Turn of the Screw in terms of aritistry. Hopefully, sometime Straub will turn out another one of this calibre.
Actually, in terms of sheer good writing, I would have to rank one of his earliest novels, Julia, as the most comparable. This book really got under my skin and even pervaded my unconscious while I was reading it. I found myself dreaming in Straub's cadences. This is a tour-de-force horror story, and yes, does rival James' The Turn of the Screw in terms of aritistry. Hopefully, sometime Straub will turn out another one of this calibre.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent read. If you are into this type of book, you will love this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What's the worst thing you've ever done?
'Ghost Story' is a must-read for fans of fiction. It ranks as one of Straub's best, alongside Shadowland and Koko. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Acton
It plods along
I'm one third of the way into the novel now, and finding that it plods along. I think that structurally it rambles somewhat - floating around between various different characters... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Pros and Cons
Chilling and influential - King owes a debt
This is one of the best supernatural stories I have ever read. Really have no idea why some reviewers can't finish it or find it boring, I had to literally stop myself reading it... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Maoster
Very frightening in parts
I got hold of this book because the film had a real impact on me when I was a lot younger and is one of the scariest films I've ever seen. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. L. E. Hardman
Boring, random with an over complicated plot??
I thought it was awful but was determined to read to the last page as so many people had recommended... Read more
Published 15 months ago by RT Twinem
Dont bother!
This book is wierd! You read the back and think yeah this is going to be good an then you try an read five pages an get lost in a sea of treacle. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Clairabelle
Subpar weird fiction
For years I've been looking forward to this book. It has a reputation for being one of the best titles of recent years. Read more
Published 18 months ago by D. De Gruijter
Best ghost story I've read
A group of old men, gather every week at night by the fire in a cosy leaving room, sipping brandy and telling each one a scary story each time, until one of the stories turn out... Read more
Published 19 months ago by odevoted
AMAZING BEGINNING BUT END DISAPPOINTS
I just finished reading this book, and for the first 300 pages I was absolutely addicted. It was genuinely frightening, and I found myself rushing to bed at night to read some... Read more
Published on 27 April 2009 by Miss Corleone
The Beauty of Lies
"What's the worst thing you've ever done?"
"I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me...the most dreadful thing... Read more
"I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me...the most dreadful thing... Read more
Published on 8 April 2009 by Steve Jensen
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