- Hardcover: 160 pages
- Publisher: Profile Books; First Edition edition (11 Oct 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1846680751
- ISBN-13: 978-1846680755
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11.4 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 220,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Man in the Picture: A Ghost Story
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Product Description
Review
"'A tale brimming with excitement, mystery and vitality... The story unfolds at a thriller's pace' (The Times) 'Hill is a writer with the courage of her convictions who knows that there are few things more enjoyable than the inexplicable and eerie, conveyed within an accomplished and solidly reassuring framework' (Independent) 'Like all the classic ghost stories, Susan Hill's begins in traditional spooky style with the winter wind howling off the fens and bursts of hailstones rattling against the windows... This is a Hill Hallowe'en special. No mistake' (Daily Mail)"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
The chilling tale of a painting so terrifying, its secrets will haunt those who see it ... A ghost story by the author of The Woman in Black.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Susan Hill wrote one of my favourite `ghost stories' and in fact one of my favourite novels The Woman in Black a book that I recommend to anyone and everyone. So after quite a while since her last ghost story Mist in the Mirror now here is The Man in the Picture and I read it in one go, I simply devoured the whole thing. I did wait until it was dark and the curtains were drawn just to get the perfect atmosphere. You can't read a ghost story in daylight or on the tube, it doesn't work.
The tale is told on a winters night before the fire (a perfect time and place to read this book if you can) Theo a Cambridge don, is telling his former student Oliver the strange history of the picture that he has on his wall. What may appear to be a beautiful Venetian scene of partying and masks in the street has much deeper secrets and scares in its frame. Poor Oliver is unaware that having been told the tale it will change everything for him and soon the painting will be taking its effect on his own life. This painting is no ordinary painting for it has the power not only to imitate life but also to take it, forever. And the reason it does this? Well without giving anything away its revenge, simple bitter revenge. Revenge for what or whom you will have to read to find out.
Susan Hill is a superb writer who can turn her hand to anything; her crime novels are wonderful, it is however her ghost stories that I love the most. The way she sets the scene so simplistically and builds the tension so easily before you know it your spine is tingling and the hairs on your back and neck are rising. They have that gothic or Victorian feel to them that harks back to the classic era of ghost telling. Sadly I didn't have a fire as I would have given anything for the sound and warmth of wood crackling while I was turning the pages and getting the chills.
The tale is told on a winters night before the fire (a perfect time and place to read this book if you can) Theo a Cambridge don, is telling his former student Oliver the strange history of the picture that he has on his wall. What may appear to be a beautiful Venetian scene of partying and masks in the street has much deeper secrets and scares in its frame. Poor Oliver is unaware that having been told the tale it will change everything for him and soon the painting will be taking its effect on his own life. This painting is no ordinary painting for it has the power not only to imitate life but also to take it, forever. And the reason it does this? Well without giving anything away its revenge, simple bitter revenge. Revenge for what or whom you will have to read to find out.
Susan Hill is a superb writer who can turn her hand to anything; her crime novels are wonderful, it is however her ghost stories that I love the most. The way she sets the scene so simplistically and builds the tension so easily before you know it your spine is tingling and the hairs on your back and neck are rising. They have that gothic or Victorian feel to them that harks back to the classic era of ghost telling. Sadly I didn't have a fire as I would have given anything for the sound and warmth of wood crackling while I was turning the pages and getting the chills.
40 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read this after listening to a review on Radio 5. The reviewers indicated the novella was heart-stoppingly chilling and a good old fashioned ghost story. I love a good ghost story; so much more chilling than the gore of today that occupies the horror genre.
The book is well written and would benefit from being read on a misty winter or autumn evening in front of a roaring fire, with the house to yourself, the phone turned off and the gurantee of no disturbances.
I read it in an hour, so it kept my attention, always a good sign.
It loses stars for me as it had zero chill factor; never once did I look over my shoulder; never once has it kept me awake, not once have I thought about the content of the novella since.
It should pull on everyones fears... the eyes in certain pictures that appear to follow you round the room, but it failed for me to connect. I came away from this thinking that Hill could write better, so today I have started reading the Women in Black to see if that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Worth a read, but really not spine tingling.
The book is well written and would benefit from being read on a misty winter or autumn evening in front of a roaring fire, with the house to yourself, the phone turned off and the gurantee of no disturbances.
I read it in an hour, so it kept my attention, always a good sign.
It loses stars for me as it had zero chill factor; never once did I look over my shoulder; never once has it kept me awake, not once have I thought about the content of the novella since.
It should pull on everyones fears... the eyes in certain pictures that appear to follow you round the room, but it failed for me to connect. I came away from this thinking that Hill could write better, so today I have started reading the Women in Black to see if that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Worth a read, but really not spine tingling.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An enjoyable novella, marred by occasionally clumsy prose. It reads a little too much like a first draft. The plot is good but there are awkward instances such as the revelation that Oliver has a girlfriend who he intends to marry. She is important to the plot but the fact that she is only mentioned as we get to the final chapters makes her feel tacked on. I also found it difficult to work out when the book was set. It feels very old-fashioned which I have no problem with but the mention of a mobile phone near the end feels out of place. Not as good as her other ghost stories.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
GOOD BUT WITH RESERVATIONS
A good creepy story but it certainly isn't a book or even a novella - more like a long short story. I also spotted a couple of anachronisms, while various loose ends were left... Read more
Published 17 days ago by Carl Hughes
A little disappointing...
As a new fan of Susan Hill I just couldn't wait to get my teeth into this novella. I shouldn't really compare it to `The Women in Black' but it just doesn't have the same grip and... Read more
Published 18 days ago by Andie P
Art, vengeance and Venice in one evocative novella
When I heard that this novella was loosely inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, possibly my favourite book of all time, I was eager to give it a try! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Miss E. Potten
A true old fashioned ghost story
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a good old fashioned ghost story - which are (unfortunately) so few and far between these days. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bree
Unbelievable
Suspect I am now too old and scientifically inclined to like ghost stories as I don't believe in ghosts. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dunfermline woman
The Man in the Picture
Not always easy to write a ghost story and get the fear and atmosphere across but, as always, Susan Hill is a master of this genre, and this book will not disappoint you!
Published 3 months ago by MistyMoo
Revenge or retribution ...
This is the third of the `ghost' stories of Susan Hill's that I have read - they all share the same sense of timelessness and evocation of a place that could be almost anywhere -... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Keen Reader
Not for connoisseurs.
If you like ghost stories and have read the best, you will be disappointed in this one. Hill's Woman in Black was possibly the most terrifying ghost story of modern times, a true... Read more
Published 8 months ago by M. A. Hill
Hill at her Best
It's pretty hard to write a review of a Susan Hill ghost story without mentioning "The Woman in Black," so I'm not going to compare it against "The Man In The Picture" as I feel it... Read more
Published 13 months ago by CitizenWolfie
The Woman in Black - the demo version
When musicians produce an album they usually do a demo first: trying out the ideas, making something that's perfectly listenable but doesn't have the polished quality of the final... Read more
Published 13 months ago by S. Finnie
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