Review: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

The Woman in Black
by Susan Hill
Paperback, 176 pages
Published: 1983
Synopsis: The classic ghost story by Susan Hill: a chilling tale about a menacing spectre haunting a small English town.

Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming London solicitor who is sent to Crythin Gifford—a faraway town in the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway—to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of a client, Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. Mrs. Drablow’s house stands at the end of the causeway, wreathed in fog and mystery, but Kipps is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind its sheltered windows. The routine business trip he anticipated quickly takes a horrifying turn when he finds himself haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and images—a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child’s scream in the fog, and, most terrifying of all, a ghostly woman dressed all in black. Psychologically terrifying and deliciously eerie, The Woman in Black is a remarkable thriller of the first rate. - goodreads.com

Keeping my pledge to read it 1st, I promptly got my grubby fingers on this book after seeing the movie trailer.  On, February 3, 2012 the movie adaptation of this book is being released starring Daniel Radcliffe. The book is 176 pages long so I think you guys can read this in two months.

The Woman in Black totally solidifies that I am most certainly a city girl! Seriously! When I started reading this I could not help but think, what a cool place, it sounds so beautiful and serene, I wonder if there is a real place like this, maybe a bed and breakfast, It would be a wonderful weekend getaway.

Towards the end of this book I am totally thinking I would much rather find a getaway deal in the heart of NYC.

Like I said, I am a city girl. I need to be somewhere someone would hear me scream. I am horrified of rural places. Mostly from my own paranoia and overactive imagination. For instance, I have worked myself into a fearful frenzy of the thought of this crazy dude from around where my brother in law lives (I call him the Sasquatch of the Hollow) Whenever I am driving up my Brother-in-laws long wooded driveway, secluded in the Virginia mountains I am convinced I will see the Sasquatch of the Hollow winding through the trees at twilight mingling with the shadows amid the horrendous sounds of screech owls. AHHHH! Silence also horrifies me. I need honking horns and sirens to lull me to sleep. So this story set around a house that is situated on the marsh only accessible at low tide with creepy “frets” (thick fogs) rolling in at a moments notice scares me out of my wits. Now add some creepy wasted face ghost with a malevolent essence around her. Heck No! This is a ghost story! A classic ghost story! Of course this ghost story is only as scary as your imagination. This one clicked with mine it fed on my fear of being trapped on the marshes with a wasted face malevolent ghost and no way to leave AHHHHHH it gives me goosebumps thinking about it. If you are looking for something to read during a dark night, grab a blanket and cup of tea. You won’t be disappointed.