- Hardcover: 122 pages
- Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd; First Edition edition (1 July 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1841951994
- ISBN-13: 978-1841951997
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.7 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,001,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps
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More About the Author
Product Description
The Guardian
"This is a man who would give Conrad a run at writing the perfect sentence...Room will now have to be made at Faber alongside Alasdair Gray, James Kelman, Irvine Welsh and A.L. Kennedy."
Bella Bathurst, The Herald
"Faber's disconcerting vision, his instinctive feel for pace and suspense, and his vision of an upside-down existence are too unsettling and too finely drawn to be knocked off course."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 56 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sian is troubled by nightmares and seeks solace in an archaelogical dig at Whitby, climbing 199 steps each day to the dig at the Abbey. Her growing concern about the nightmares and a lump in her leg are skilfully interweaved with her relationship with Magnus, his dog Hadrian and the unravelling of the story written on fragile paper in a bottle. The writing is spare and evocative, and conveys vividly and well the setting of the Yorkshire fishing town. The relationships between the main characters and the delineation of the author of the mysterious document are skilfully realised. I read it at a sitting and felt a sense of loss when I had finished it.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I came to this book having read "Under the Skin". Whilst it is completely different from the earlier novel, this book is certainally amongst my favourites. It's one of those books that can be read on many levels, as my English teachers were always saying: and some of the levels are only really apparent after reading it through. It may be short on pages, but it is long on literary craft and technique. Faber creates deep and believable characters and an impressive sense of place. I wanted to go to Whitby after reading it. Highly recommended.
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I ordered this through amazon.com.uk because I don't have access to this book through US booksellers. And I loved his book Under the Skin. The Hundred and Ninety-nine Steps got a bad review in the Times Literary Supplement but on the strength of his first novel, I had to order it. Read it in one sitting. Was absolutely captivating. A mystery, a love story, intertwined...had me guessing until shortly before the end. And then I knew the punch line - or so I thought. And then the final sentence was written. And I teared up. A surprise and emotional ending. It takes somebody extraordinary to be able to have one sentence at the end of a novel or novella to surprise an experienced reader, in a much unexpected way. But despite a bad review from the TLS, I had to get this book, and as is sometimes the case, reviewers miss the mark totally (at least to my way of thinking). From someone who is a fiction-aholic (and a lover of UK fiction), I truly loved this book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Faber strikes again!
Having read Under the Skin and the two collections of Faber's short stories, I am utterly mesmerised by this author. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jeraldo
The hundred and ninety-nine steps
After reading The Crimson petal and the White, I expected more from the author. This book (Hundred and Ninety-nine Steps)contains two short novellas that are not worth reading. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Maria teresa Gil Real
Terrible!
I love The Crimson Petal and The White and its follow-up companion, The Apple. It's certainly within Michel Faber's imagination to create compelling, brilliant characters and taut... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. I. Harrison
OK but not brilliant
I took this book on holiday and it was easy to read, however it is pretty dull as nothing much happens in it
The author has obviously researched Whitby carefully and... Read more
The author has obviously researched Whitby carefully and... Read more
Published 12 months ago by P. Driver
Read it and forget about it
This book was an ok read. I came across it randomly on my kindle and gave it a try. A very quick read with excellent description of the setting (Whitby) but apart from that nothing... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Roger
A bit disappointed...
This book appeared to have all the right ingredients for a great story but I'm afraid I felt let down by the end. There's the intrigue with our heroine's leg... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Sandy
A Workshop Exercise
Given Faber's undoubted skills, present in both the Crimson Petal and the White, and in the dark, mysterious and wholly gripping Under the Skin, this was a serious disappointment. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Sentinel
Love it or hate
This novel seems to inspire either awe or disdain. After reading it, I was surprised at how many people rated it highly. I was very disappointed. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Rachel Arnold
Unsatisfying and pointless.
The characters were flimsy and uninteresting, the plot not as clever as the author seems to think, and the ending hardly worth getting to. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Artist
A wasted opportunity
The Hundred and Ninety-nine Steps tells the story of Sian, an archaeologist involved in a dig at Whitby Abbey who has to climb the 199 steps of the title from her hotel to the top... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Petra Bryce
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