'Sarah Waters' masterly novel is gripping, confident, unnerving and supremely entertaining' Hilary Mantel In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, its owners - mother, son and daughter - struggling to keep pace with a changing society. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than ...
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'Sarah Waters' masterly novel is gripping, confident, unnerving and supremely entertaining' Hilary Mantel In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, its owners - mother, son and daughter - struggling to keep pace with a changing society. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become entwined with his. 'The #1 book of the year . . . several sleepless nights are guaranteed' Stephen King 'Chilling . . . a meditation on the nature of the British and class, and how things are rarely what they seem' Kate Mosse 'Not only is it tremendously rich, it's an absolute treat to read - the kind of thing you desperately want to finish and then feel bereft when you do' Bridget Collins 'Waters has determined to scare the pants off her rightly devoted audience. She succeeds unquivocally' Erica Wagner, The Times 'A brilliantly observed story, verging on the comedy, about Britain on the cusp of modern age' Independent on Sunday
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Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Riverhead Books.
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Good. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover if applicable. Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include From the library of labels. Shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by Greenworld Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Riverhead Books.
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Good condition. It may show normal signs of use such as light writing highlighting or library markings but all pages are intact and the book is fully readable. A solid complete copy that's ready to enjoy.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $0.99, fair condition, Sold by Zoom Books East rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Glendale Heights, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Riverhead Books.
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Fair. Book is in acceptable condition and shows signs of wear. Book may also include underlining highlighting. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $1.37, fair condition, Sold by MERS Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from SAINT LOUIS, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Riverhead Books.
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Fair. Used-Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact but shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes highlighting or minor water damage but the text is readable. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable. Any access codes or passwords originally included with the book may be expired used or no longer valid. Image is stock photo and cover art edition may be different than pictured.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $1.49, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Colorado rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Riverhead Books.
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Good. All pages and cover are intact. Dust jacket included if applicable though it may be missing on hardcover editions. Spine and cover may show minor signs of wear including scuff marks curls or bends to corners as well as cosmetic blemishes including stickers. Pages may contain limited notes or highlighting. From the library of labels may be present. Shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set packaging may be missing. Bundled media e.g. CDs DVDs access codes may not be included.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $1.49, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books East rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Glendale Heights, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Riverhead Books.
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Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $1.49, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books Company rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lynden, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Riverhead Books.
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Book is in very good condition and may include minimal underlining highlighting. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $1.63, good condition, Sold by Evergreen Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Riverhead Books.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $1.75, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books Company rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lynden, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Emblem Editions.
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Book is in very good condition and may include minimal underlining highlighting. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of The Little Stranger to cart. $2.00, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Virago Press Ltd.
Moody and interesting characters, but just didn't take off for me. Her Fearful Symmetry has now set the bar higher for these kinds of stories.
COVER2COVER
Apr 25, 2010
This was a good ghost story which could have been a great ghost story. I have read one other book by this author, and she is a very talented writer, but since I am not a fan of lesbian/gay fiction I have avoided her books until I saw this one which does not contain that element. I was really looking forward to this one, but found it dissappointing due to uneven pacing and large sections that could have been left out altogether.
The story is told from the perspective of a middle aged, bachelor, country doctor who has pulled himself up from the working class, and only makes a modest living. From his boyhood he has been in awe of a local estate, Hundreds, and manages to ingratiate himself to the remaining members of the family who are struggling to maintain the estate which is gradually deteriorating around them. He eventually manages to get himself engaged to the plain spinster daughter. Disturbing things begin happening in the house; strange marks on walls, items "moving" inexplicably, strange sounds "teasing" the occupants from room to room, fires, and more until people are driven to madness or suicide. Caroline, the daughter, reads about a theory that an individuals subconcious can somehow cause these things to happen, that a "little stranger" can be released from an individual unknowingly. Caroline suspects her mentally disturbed brother, but by the end of the book you will suspect someone else entirely.
I wish I could give this four or even five stars because the story itself is great. Unfortunately it just drags in too many places, and as other reviewers have pointed out, could have used some editing by a hundred or more pages. Too Bad! Otherwise great.
Valentyne
Oct 28, 2009
Really hooked me
I agree with many of the other reviewers who felt pulled in and involved in this story. I loved and enjoyed the supernatural elements, but they are not the main story, though they lurk beneath everything that happens, and certainly will raise goosebumps. There is a mystery here to be unraveled, but it ends up being somewhat ambiguous. I don't mind, since the narrator Faraday sees what he can see through the lens of "rational" thinking and his subjective experience; the reader can read in other things and take another point of view, and most likely will. Most interesting. The book really pulled me forward and kept me up late at night and reading fully engrossed in noisy situations where I normally would be distracted. A good sign! The characters are sympathetic in most every case, and the tragedy of the Ayers family imbues the entire tale with melancholy and longing. A great book which I highly recommend.
