Watch the YouTube video trailer. A mysterious depiction of masked revellers at the Venice carnival hangs in the college rooms of Oliver's old professor in Cambridge. On this cold winter's night, its eerie secret is revealed by the ageing don. The dark art of the Venetian scene, instead of imitating life, has the power to entrap it. To stare into the painting is to play dangerously with the unseen demons it hides, and become the victim of its macabre beauty...
The Man in the Picture: A Ghost Story
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"'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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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 57 people found the following review helpful
By Simon Savidge Reads
TOP 500 REVIEWER
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.... Read more ›
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.... Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Rich
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.
41 of 46 people found the following review helpful
By York8500
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.
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Chintan Nanavati
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
*Sigh*. This book has really annoyed me. It is a very slight tale indeed and yet retails at a gargantuan £9.99! (Good job I borrowed it from the library instead!) This smacks of exploitation of Woman in Black's legions of fans. Not having read that esteemed tome yet, nor seen a stage version, I can't comment on whether The Man in the Picture is a dip in form or more of the same from Hill.
On the plus side, Hill shows she is quite competent in apeing the style and subject matter of M.R. James. And while I can begrudgingly accept that he was a pioneer of this type of fiction, I have to say I'm left quite cold by his stories. (Not in a spine-tingling way!) I much prefer Bram Stoker's novels or Dickens' ghost stories for olde-worlde chills.
So, yes, despite having some storytelling facility, Hill squanders it on a story with very little originality, stock characters and less fear factor than your average episode of Buffy or Scooby Doo! The lazy plotting, the Miss Havishamesque character of the nonogenarian Countess and the generous smattering of cliche throughout this story really aren't good enough. (Incidentally, Stephen King's latest Duma Key - which happens to revolve around the horror of art among other things - also has a Havishamesque character, but at least her backstory is well fleshed-out and genuinely disturbing.)
Supernatural fiction has evolved into a far more subtle and surprising and interesting and multi-layered beast these days compared to the Victorian exponents of the genre. Check out the novels of Phil Rickman or Stephen King (of course) or early Clive Barker or Koji Suzuki or even James Herbert to be truly frightened. And the almost 40-year-old Exorcist by William Peter Blatty is a far, far superior slice of literary horror than this trifling effort by Susan Hill.
On the plus side, Hill shows she is quite competent in apeing the style and subject matter of M.R. James. And while I can begrudgingly accept that he was a pioneer of this type of fiction, I have to say I'm left quite cold by his stories. (Not in a spine-tingling way!) I much prefer Bram Stoker's novels or Dickens' ghost stories for olde-worlde chills.
So, yes, despite having some storytelling facility, Hill squanders it on a story with very little originality, stock characters and less fear factor than your average episode of Buffy or Scooby Doo! The lazy plotting, the Miss Havishamesque character of the nonogenarian Countess and the generous smattering of cliche throughout this story really aren't good enough. (Incidentally, Stephen King's latest Duma Key - which happens to revolve around the horror of art among other things - also has a Havishamesque character, but at least her backstory is well fleshed-out and genuinely disturbing.)
Supernatural fiction has evolved into a far more subtle and surprising and interesting and multi-layered beast these days compared to the Victorian exponents of the genre. Check out the novels of Phil Rickman or Stephen King (of course) or early Clive Barker or Koji Suzuki or even James Herbert to be truly frightened. And the almost 40-year-old Exorcist by William Peter Blatty is a far, far superior slice of literary horror than this trifling effort by Susan Hill.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ghost Story in the MR James Tradition
Susan Hill is a superb writer of criminal fiction and of ghosts stories. This ghost story centres around an idea that is not, in fact, particularly original - a painting with... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Mr. Alex Taylor
4.0 out of 5 stars
Creepy but samey
I love all Susan's work, but the last couple of books I have read (this one, and Dolly) seem to be same or very similar to the Woman in Black. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Skaty Katie
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
Susan hill does not let readers down. An excellent compelling read. You cannot predict the end and you do not want it to finish
Published 1 month ago by sharron ellis
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's alright...
This is a short story! Please be aware before you buy! it's more a story about an urban legend than any of real horror or suspense. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ecogirl
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spooky!
If you like classic, spooky, shiver down the spine stuff then look no further! This creepy tale is written in a similar style to Gary Spencer's Dark Intentions Dark Intentions and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Minnie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ghost story
First heard about this author from the film "The Woman in Black" with Daniel Radcliffe. A good little book with a gripping story. Read more
Published 3 months ago by April
3.0 out of 5 stars
an easy read.
Shorter than most novels. It keeps you reading in the expectation of something happening but fails to deliver. Not even vaguely creepy. A bit of a disappointment really.
Published 3 months ago by Muttley
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK read
as a bit disapoitnted in this book, i thought it was going to be better, having read the mist in the mirror and the women in black , i felt that there could of been more in the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Nigel Beiley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and a ,little chilling
Susan Hill knows how to cause sleepless nights! I have several of her books but prefer not to read them in bed - yes, I am a wimp, I admit it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Maggie May
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very Gothic
Not as interesting as the Women in Black but a readable story by all accounts and a very decorative and charming book to have!
Published 4 months ago by Annie G
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