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The Beacon
 
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The Beacon (Hardcover)

by Susan Hill (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.00
Price: £6.48 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Customers buy this book with The Vows of Silence (Simon Serrailler 4) by Susan Hill

The Beacon + The Vows of Silence (Simon Serrailler 4)
Price For Both: £10.93

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Chatto & Windus (2 Oct 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0701183403
  • ISBN-13: 978-0701183400
  • Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 24,874 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'small talk' --FT


Review

`This enigmatic novella tracks the full impact of Frank's book, probing notions of guilt and truth'
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The Beacon
83% buy the item featured on this page:
The Beacon 3.8 out of 5 stars (8)
£6.48
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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 (4)
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 (3)
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Cupboard Under the Stairs - everybody has one., 28 Nov 2008
By Reuben (Edinburgh, UK) - See all my reviews
Susan Hill's new novella is a dark delight; a tale infused with Gothic undertones - I was left drawing comparisons with "Wuthering Heights" (albeit obliquely). "The Beacon" itself centres on one family and how the inexplicable motives and resentment of one member, Frank, throw his siblings' understanding of themselves and their joint past into jeopardy and confusion.

The plot is tightly structured and full of suspense. It switches between past and present as the main character, May, recalls her life and that of her three siblings, Colin, Frank and Berenice, and the emotional damage each sustains from having to live with tainted memories of their childhood. It is a story of betrayal and revenge, but also of a life left unfulfilled, the untold memories and secrets that could be present in any family's past, and the human capacity to corrupt and manipulate.

The result is ambiguous and sinister, the reader being left unsure just as the characters in the story are, what is true and what "The Cupboard Under the Stairs" really signifies.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Starts well...then what happened?, 4 Jan 2009
As a major fan of Susan Hill I was so looking forward to this book,read the reviews on here ,all seemed fab.
However,as with the last book the Ghost in The Mirror I was left disappointed.
After a great start,The Beacon just fizzles out,with I feel,no satisfactory or explanatory ending.
I wont spoil the book by explaining further but I was left with a ...is that it? feeling at the end.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Beacon, 1 Dec 2008
By J. Baron (Brighton, Sussex) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Susan Hill has done it again! I couldn't put the book down. The way she manages to build up such characterisation and a feeling of place is remarkable. It was a book that left me feeling bereft. Particularly for May who was left to look after her mother, who appeared to have been a emotionally disturbed woman. There was one piece earlier in the book referring to Bertha looking up at a tree and having a feeling of panic. That was never explained. Nor was the cupboard under the stairs but it obviously had terrible memories for Frank. The ending is ambigious and leaves the reader wondering. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb book from Susan Hill
It only took me a couple of days to read this wonderful book from Susan Hill. This is my first ever book review for Amazon as I felt compelled to let other readers know what a... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Louie1401

3.0 out of 5 stars A bleak little tale
For a very short novel, this takes a long time to become interesting. The start is the typical isolated spinster tale that Susan Hill has rather done to death. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Archy

3.0 out of 5 stars The Beacon
Hill tackles an interesting theme, the effect of abuse memoirs upon the families who feature in them. As always with Hill, there are some magic moments, e. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Rich

5.0 out of 5 stars A QUICK READ - BUT EXCELLENT AS ALL SUSAN HILL BOOKS!
I put this on my wish list, but knowing that I enjoy reading Susan Hill so much, my friend ordered as part of my Christmas gifts, it without even looking at my wish list!!! Read more
Published 9 months ago by strudel trigg

3.0 out of 5 stars not her best
I am a great fan of Susan Hill's writing but I felt a little let down at the end of this novel. Easy reading without doubt, but this lacked a little of the magic of some of her... Read more
Published 9 months ago by woody

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