The Seance
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76 of 78 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It is sometimes remarked that inanimate objects can have such a strong presence within a story that the object almost becomes one of the characters. I think this is certainly true of the sinister Wraxford Hall. This crumbling manor house has accrued its reputation down the years thanks to its eccentric inhabitants and its location. Its spooky setting amidst overgrown grounds and the surrounding sprawl of woodlands, known as Monks Wood, has caused the local poachers to pursue their game elsewhere. A pack of vicious hounds is said to roam the area and the ghost of a monk is believed to haunt the woods. Anyone who sees the spectre is reputed to die within the month.
`The Seance' is John Harwood's second novel and is set in Victorian England. Events unfold through pages of narrative seen from the perspectives of three of the story's main characters: Constance Langton, John Montague and Eleanor Unwin.
Constance's distraught mother is inconsolable following the death of Constance's sister. In desperation, Constance and her mother attend a seance in the hope of providing some much needed comfort. John Montague is a barrister and amateur artist who is charged with tracing the heir of Wraxford Hall. Montague decides to commit the hall to canvas and on taking up his brushes, finds himself suffused with artistic powers that he had not, previously or since, possessed. Eleanor Unwin suffers from blinding headaches and an overbearing mother. Her headaches are the result of so-called visitations from the dead.
The social niceties of the time are particularly well drawn in the women's narratives and journals. Unchaperoned ladies and unsuitable husband material are almost as much to be feared as the manor house that binds the various characters. Eleanor's toxic mother is especially outraged when marriage to an artist threatens to heap social stigma on her family.
The scenes in and around Wraxford Hall are deliciously creepy. The weather-staples of Victorian mystery stories - the bone-chilling cold, swirling mists and lightning - are much in evidence as the protagonists attempt to uncover the secrets that they and the house share.
If you've already enjoyed John Harwood's excellent first novel, `The Ghostwriter', or, if Victorian-era mystery stories are your thing, you won't want to miss `The Seance'. This is a compelling and highly atmospheric novel from a superb writer.
`The Seance' is John Harwood's second novel and is set in Victorian England. Events unfold through pages of narrative seen from the perspectives of three of the story's main characters: Constance Langton, John Montague and Eleanor Unwin.
Constance's distraught mother is inconsolable following the death of Constance's sister. In desperation, Constance and her mother attend a seance in the hope of providing some much needed comfort. John Montague is a barrister and amateur artist who is charged with tracing the heir of Wraxford Hall. Montague decides to commit the hall to canvas and on taking up his brushes, finds himself suffused with artistic powers that he had not, previously or since, possessed. Eleanor Unwin suffers from blinding headaches and an overbearing mother. Her headaches are the result of so-called visitations from the dead.
The social niceties of the time are particularly well drawn in the women's narratives and journals. Unchaperoned ladies and unsuitable husband material are almost as much to be feared as the manor house that binds the various characters. Eleanor's toxic mother is especially outraged when marriage to an artist threatens to heap social stigma on her family.
The scenes in and around Wraxford Hall are deliciously creepy. The weather-staples of Victorian mystery stories - the bone-chilling cold, swirling mists and lightning - are much in evidence as the protagonists attempt to uncover the secrets that they and the house share.
If you've already enjoyed John Harwood's excellent first novel, `The Ghostwriter', or, if Victorian-era mystery stories are your thing, you won't want to miss `The Seance'. This is a compelling and highly atmospheric novel from a superb writer.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It's nice to say that John Harwood has maintained in "The Séance", his second novel, the same high standard for creepiness that he set in his first, "The Ghost Writer".
This time Harwood has gone the whole gothic hog, setting the story in Victorian England and beginning with the story of Constance Langton, who in true Bronte style, is lonely and neglected by her parents after the death of her sister Alma as a young child. Constance takes her mother to a séance, hoping to cure Mrs Langton's malignant grief, with tragic results, then learns she is the benefactor of an eccentric relative's will and has inherited Wraxford Hall, a place with an equally tragic past and reputation for being haunted. Through the séance, Constance has come into contact with Vernon Raphael of the Society for Psychical Research. Raphael asks that he and his colleagues be allowed to investigate Wraxford Hall and determine if there are really any supernatural influences and also to solve the mystery of a previous owner's death and the disappearance of a young woman and child, a mystery that Constance believes may explain her own unhappy past.
This is not the kind of book to start reading in the bath, in case you find yourself still immersed, prune like and freezing, several hours later. It should be enjoyed before a crackling fire, the curtains securely drawn, the wind and rain lashing at the windows and a comforter wrapped tightly about your person.
This time Harwood has gone the whole gothic hog, setting the story in Victorian England and beginning with the story of Constance Langton, who in true Bronte style, is lonely and neglected by her parents after the death of her sister Alma as a young child. Constance takes her mother to a séance, hoping to cure Mrs Langton's malignant grief, with tragic results, then learns she is the benefactor of an eccentric relative's will and has inherited Wraxford Hall, a place with an equally tragic past and reputation for being haunted. Through the séance, Constance has come into contact with Vernon Raphael of the Society for Psychical Research. Raphael asks that he and his colleagues be allowed to investigate Wraxford Hall and determine if there are really any supernatural influences and also to solve the mystery of a previous owner's death and the disappearance of a young woman and child, a mystery that Constance believes may explain her own unhappy past.
This is not the kind of book to start reading in the bath, in case you find yourself still immersed, prune like and freezing, several hours later. It should be enjoyed before a crackling fire, the curtains securely drawn, the wind and rain lashing at the windows and a comforter wrapped tightly about your person.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having read John Harwood's The Ghost Writer and enjoyed it, I was curious to see how The Seance would rate. I was not disappointed: this novel is a much more satisfying read. My only regret was that it was too short! The novel was read over two days and I had to put it down so that it could be savoured very slowly.
Set in 1881, the central character, Constance Langton, lives in a rather unhappy household where her mother is fixated on the loss of Constance's sister, Alma, and the family is controlled by her depressed state. Constance's father has been alienated from his wife and buries himself in his work, leaving the house for long periods, leaving Constance alone with her mother. Mr Langton eventually can take no more, and abandons his family to live elsewhere.
In order to help her mother deal with her grief, Constance introduces her to seances in the hope that Alma's spirit can be contacted. Constance also realises she herself has a gift for spiritualism although at first dismissed this. Without spoiling the novel for anyone wishing to read it, the plot thickens rapidly and various characters make a strong impression on Constance, notably the lawyer, John Montague.
When the house, Wraxford Hall, is described, my immediate comparison was with Daphne du Maurier's Manderley, as the house has almost a living and rather sinister presence like it. Add to that Monks Wood, where a spectral monk is said to walk, and you wonder what or who will appear in the grounds of the Hall. The descriptions of the Hall and wood are deliciously creepy and this book would be best read during a wet and gloomy afternoon before a blazing fire (with a glass of red wine in hand).
My overall impression of The Seance was one of a beautifully written novel which gripped me from the start, although I felt it could have been longer. At just under 295 pages, the author could have spun the tale and developed some characters a little more. The language of The Seance is semi-Victorian without its over-wordiness, and it is perfectly pitched to a 21st century reader.
I give The Seance a 5 star rating and look forward very much to Harwood's next novel, which hopefully will be much longer!
Set in 1881, the central character, Constance Langton, lives in a rather unhappy household where her mother is fixated on the loss of Constance's sister, Alma, and the family is controlled by her depressed state. Constance's father has been alienated from his wife and buries himself in his work, leaving the house for long periods, leaving Constance alone with her mother. Mr Langton eventually can take no more, and abandons his family to live elsewhere.
In order to help her mother deal with her grief, Constance introduces her to seances in the hope that Alma's spirit can be contacted. Constance also realises she herself has a gift for spiritualism although at first dismissed this. Without spoiling the novel for anyone wishing to read it, the plot thickens rapidly and various characters make a strong impression on Constance, notably the lawyer, John Montague.
When the house, Wraxford Hall, is described, my immediate comparison was with Daphne du Maurier's Manderley, as the house has almost a living and rather sinister presence like it. Add to that Monks Wood, where a spectral monk is said to walk, and you wonder what or who will appear in the grounds of the Hall. The descriptions of the Hall and wood are deliciously creepy and this book would be best read during a wet and gloomy afternoon before a blazing fire (with a glass of red wine in hand).
My overall impression of The Seance was one of a beautifully written novel which gripped me from the start, although I felt it could have been longer. At just under 295 pages, the author could have spun the tale and developed some characters a little more. The language of The Seance is semi-Victorian without its over-wordiness, and it is perfectly pitched to a 21st century reader.
I give The Seance a 5 star rating and look forward very much to Harwood's next novel, which hopefully will be much longer!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Enjoyable read
An exremely enjoyable victorian thriller, very well written and plotted, I thought the use of different characters telling their side of the story was an excellent device, the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by K. Davies
Seriously creepy
This is the first novel I have read by John Harwood and it exceeded all my expectations. A gothic mystery, a little reminiscent of The Woman in Black and Bleak House, the story... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rossi
Supernatural Thriller
A Victorian Thriller with a supernatural twist. Clever narative and a fast pace make this book an enjoyable read. Read more
Published 2 months ago by foxclover44
A Swirling Storm of a Story
"The Seance" is, as other reviewers have remarked, somewhat reminiscent of Wilkie Collins, particularly "The Moonstone", I thought. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Secret Spi
Victorian Murder
A good, interesting story. I am not prepared to compare it to Wilkie Collins, it is far less dense, and for all its period setting, more "modern" than Collins. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Troy Beal
Seance? What Seance?
NO SPOILERS: For a book called The Seance you would expect it to be a bit more spooky. It is disappointing in that it isn't particularly and that the story is unnecessarily... Read more
Published 10 months ago by The Good Ship
Absolute genius.
The BEST ghost story I've read in a long time. I won't go into the synopsis for you~ you'll have to read it to find out what happens but I will say that it is chilling, clever,... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Laura Middleton-Padgham
Meh...
Can I review this book without including spoilers?
Let's see.
We open with a first-person account of a young lady discovering the sprirtualist movement of the... Read more
Let's see.
We open with a first-person account of a young lady discovering the sprirtualist movement of the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by P. WELLS
Homage to the Victorian ghost story
The Seance by John Harwood is set in the 1880s and is the story of Constance Langton. She becomes involved in spiritualism in an effort to lift her mother from the crippling grief... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Michael Finn
A very poor book
the plot is very flimsy and undeserving of its hype and the characters are very poorly developed. For anyone who wishes to read a good tale of suspense set in Victorian times, try... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Rinconete
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