- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ); Open market ed edition (1 Aug 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0753825430
- ISBN-13: 978-0753825433
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,176,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Girl On The Landing
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Product Description
Review
Torday is a gifted writer, I loved it (The Bookseller Alice O'Keefe )
It seems Paul Torday can do no wrong. The Girl on the Landing is his third book and destined to do as well as the other two. (Caroline Jowett DAILY EXPRESS )
The author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen impresses again with this absorbing tale of identity (PSYCHOLOGIES )
the finale is terrifying, harking back to old-fashioned ghost stories, but with a modern, plausible twist - it stood the hairs of my arms on end (Toby Clements DAILY TELEGRAPH )
Torday skilfully maintains a knife-edge tension... an original and satisfying thriller (Michael Arditti DAILY MAIL )
A gently comic novel about schizophrenia sounds like the worst idea ever, but Torday pulls it off magnificently.. a clever, gripping novel (John O'Connell THE TIMES )
Paul Torday's third and extremely accomplished novel.. is another tour de force from one of our best emerging writers (Virginia Blackburn DAILY EXPRESS )
compelling and totally captivating (BELLA )
Five stars (HOTSTARS )
his prose remains anything but safe. It is supple, skilful and literary... this is a fabulously good yarn. (Kate Kellaway THE OBSERVER )
It's good to see such a highly successful writer resist the urge to repeat the surefire winning formula... Torday will no doubt keep gaining readers and respect (Catherine Heaney IRISH TIMES )
Paul Torday seems to take pleasure in confounding expectation.. (he) clearly enjoys playfully probing the nature of what is possible (Clare Allan THE GUARDIAN )
From the author of the exquisite Salmon Fishing in the Yemen comes an equally exquisite tale (Henry Sutton DAILY MIRROR )
Torday gives a polemical twist that gives the novel a depth and a real seriousness (Tom Adair THE SCOTSMAN )
a compulsively readable psychological thriller... Torday's ability to keep the reader in the grip of a nightmare is exceptional (Tina Jackson METRO )
A fantastically gripping and chilling novel (BEST )
Told by husband and wife, this intriguing story of the impact of ghostly visitors is an unusual exploration of mental illness (CHOICE )
It seems Paul Torday can do no wrong... one of a new breed of British authors who cannot be ignored... A seductive page-turner (NEWS OF THE WORLD )
There is simplicity and enthusiasm to his style that perhaps explains his enormous popularity. And he is clearly on a roll. (Lucy Atkins SUNDAY TIMES )
this is an easy-reading page-turner that will find its way into many holiday-bags this summer (Jeremy Hazlehurst CITY A.M. )
What starts as a tale of domestic disharmony evolves into a gripping, ghostly page-turner (Melissa McClements FINANCIAL TIMES )
back to his best with this elegant ghost story-cum-thriller.. an absorbing yarn (Max Davidson MAIL ON SUNDAY ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
It seems Paul Torday can do no wrong. The Girl on the Landing is his third book and destined to do as well as the other two. (Caroline Jowett DAILY EXPRESS )
The author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen impresses again with this absorbing tale of identity (PSYCHOLOGIES )
the finale is terrifying, harking back to old-fashioned ghost stories, but with a modern, plausible twist - it stood the hairs of my arms on end (Toby Clements DAILY TELEGRAPH )
Torday skilfully maintains a knife-edge tension... an original and satisfying thriller (Michael Arditti DAILY MAIL )
A gently comic novel about schizophrenia sounds like the worst idea ever, but Torday pulls it off magnificently.. a clever, gripping novel (John O'Connell THE TIMES )
Paul Torday's third and extremely accomplished novel.. is another tour de force from one of our best emerging writers (Virginia Blackburn DAILY EXPRESS )
compelling and totally captivating (BELLA )
Five stars (HOTSTARS )
his prose remains anything but safe. It is supple, skilful and literary... this is a fabulously good yarn. (Kate Kellaway THE OBSERVER )
It's good to see such a highly successful writer resist the urge to repeat the surefire winning formula... Torday will no doubt keep gaining readers and respect (Catherine Heaney IRISH TIMES )
Paul Torday seems to take pleasure in confounding expectation.. (he) clearly enjoys playfully probing the nature of what is possible (Clare Allan THE GUARDIAN )
From the author of the exquisite Salmon Fishing in the Yemen comes an equally exquisite tale (Henry Sutton DAILY MIRROR )
Torday gives a polemical twist that gives the novel a depth and a real seriousness (Tom Adair THE SCOTSMAN )
a compulsively readable psychological thriller... Torday's ability to keep the reader in the grip of a nightmare is exceptional (Tina Jackson METRO )
A fantastically gripping and chilling novel (BEST )
Told by husband and wife, this intriguing story of the impact of ghostly visitors is an unusual exploration of mental illness (CHOICE )
It seems Paul Torday can do no wrong... one of a new breed of British authors who cannot be ignored... A seductive page-turner (NEWS OF THE WORLD )
There is simplicity and enthusiasm to his style that perhaps explains his enormous popularity. And he is clearly on a roll. (Lucy Atkins SUNDAY TIMES )
this is an easy-reading page-turner that will find its way into many holiday-bags this summer (Jeremy Hazlehurst CITY A.M. )
What starts as a tale of domestic disharmony evolves into a gripping, ghostly page-turner (Melissa McClements FINANCIAL TIMES )
back to his best with this elegant ghost story-cum-thriller.. an absorbing yarn (Max Davidson MAIL ON SUNDAY ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'The best book of the year...a truly astonishing take on what appears on the surface to be mental illness and turns out to be something far darker' -- Virginia Blackburn SUNDAY EXPRESS 'This is an exciting novel - part love story, part psychological thriller - which confounds your expectations as it tightens its grip.' -- John Koski YOU, MAIL ON SUNDAY 'The story of Michael Gascoigne's strange affinity with the wilderness unravels slowly, tantalisingly...' GUARDIAN 'Torday carries off a surprising, suspenseful update of Stevenson in the 21st-century Jekyll-and-Hyde thriller.' OBSERVER 'Torday is clearly having fun' SUNDAY TIMES 'A highly unusual fusion of atmospheric ghost story and sensitive protrayal of mental illness' GOOD BOOK GUIDE
--This text refers to an alternate
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a tale of creeping menace, combining a chilling portrait of a couple's passionless marriage with a good old fashioned ghost story. Torday evokes the Scottish highlands with particular skill. The hills and dark woods surrounding Micheal's estate are filled with strange winds and voices. Nothing is quite what it seems.
At a time when so many writers are busy experimenting with form and technique, it is a joy to read a book that focuses so resolutely on great storytelling. Torday is a writer of literary fiction who is also a pleasure to read.
That's not to say the book doesn't have depth or intrigue. The book's eerie tone is reminiscent of 'The Turn of the Screw' or even Robert Browning's terrifying tale 'My Last Duchess.'
Curl up on a dark night, light a flickering candle and prepare for a treat!
At a time when so many writers are busy experimenting with form and technique, it is a joy to read a book that focuses so resolutely on great storytelling. Torday is a writer of literary fiction who is also a pleasure to read.
That's not to say the book doesn't have depth or intrigue. The book's eerie tone is reminiscent of 'The Turn of the Screw' or even Robert Browning's terrifying tale 'My Last Duchess.'
Curl up on a dark night, light a flickering candle and prepare for a treat!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having enjoyed Torday's first novel and been slightly disappointed with his second, this third offering is back on form. It is a gripping story, with a dual narrative perspective, combining a fascinating mix of mythology with the Lamia story ( you may remember Keats' femme fatale) interwoven with mental illness, the emotional climate becoming more tense as the plot develops.
The novel starts off in a rather dry and prosaic manner, charting the dull marriage of two apparently unsuitable people, where everything is predictable and yet the reader can see the humour in the situation.However, in an approach reminiscent of Henry James''The Turn of the Screw', the tension builds up to its nail biting climax, leaving the reader with unanswered questions in true macabre fashion. Effectively written and crafted, I thoroughly recommend this to those who enjoy a good yarn, and who also consider 'what is psychological truth'.
The novel starts off in a rather dry and prosaic manner, charting the dull marriage of two apparently unsuitable people, where everything is predictable and yet the reader can see the humour in the situation.However, in an approach reminiscent of Henry James''The Turn of the Screw', the tension builds up to its nail biting climax, leaving the reader with unanswered questions in true macabre fashion. Effectively written and crafted, I thoroughly recommend this to those who enjoy a good yarn, and who also consider 'what is psychological truth'.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Torday's first novel "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" and therefore looked forward to reading "The Girl on the Landing." I found the characters and setting to be immersive - I found myself just pulled into this world of a British upper-crust couple who are sleep-walking through life until something truly unexpected happens. Without giving the plot away, I will say that the novel surprised me, and left me racing to get to the end, only to be scratching my head and wondering what exactly happened (in a good way). I'm glad that Paul Torday took up writing in his 60s (rather than not at all). He has a fresh, unique style and fascinating characters.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Well worth reading
This one appeared in the post, not quite sure who sent it to me. Wouldn't have picked it up otherwise.
This is a really good book. Read more
This is a really good book. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Half Man, Half Book
Hmmmmm - I enjoyed the salmon fishing.....
but there is something I just can't put my finger on with this book - I think it's underdeveloped characters which could have been so much richer and fun to believe in - but aren't... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Andy
The Girl on the Landing
A fnantastically well crafted book. My favourite by Paul Torday. I like the fact that characters from other books are woven into each of the stories he writes. Read more
Published 4 months ago by James
Enigmatic and chilling
This is a well-written modern take on the gothic/supernatural genre, updated with some important things to say about modern ideas of psychosis, identity and our dependency on drugs... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Roman Clodia
His best to date
This is a wholly different approach to Salmon Fishing In The Yemen and to my mind a better and more satisfying novel, although I enjoyed SFITY too. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bourne Free
Compelling but overly lurid depiction of mental illness
In Michael Gascoigne, Torday has created a compelling character whose personality makes this book a gripping read. Read more
Published 7 months ago by crumb
Landing a Torbay
SAFE READING - NO SPOILERS
If you need book plot information, please see the product details or other more comprehensive reviews. Read more
If you need book plot information, please see the product details or other more comprehensive reviews. Read more
Published 9 months ago by RR Waller
Missing something
I found this book rather peculiar. It started off badly because I read the first chapters thinking it was set in the early 20th century. Read more
Published 10 months ago by R. F. Wheelhouse
Nice, easy read - keeps you interested
I enjoyed this book - I read it cover to cover in a day. It got better as it went on. Within the first 3 chapters, I wasn't hooked, but then the story kicks in and I was. Read more
Published 11 months ago by The Good Ship
Dark and mysterious
I was recommended this book by my English teacher and I really enjoyed it. It reached into the mind of a mentally unstable person and opened the plot nicely. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Miss Ward
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