Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining
Review: Straub's great strength as a writer is that he writes with considerable style; his weakness is that his work is rather loosely structured. GHOST STORY--which doesn't have anything to do with a ghost, by the way--shows both strength and weakness in the same package. It's enjoyable, and stylishly written, but I did not find the plot greatly memorable.
Rating: 
Summary: An enormous disappointment
Review: I'd been saving this title for twenty years, and finally decided to read it based on how many good reviews I'd read of it. I was utterly disappointed: although the smalltown in wintertime atmosphere was beautifully evocative, the fight with the ghost didn't seem scary at all, but rather dully cinematic (there's a huge fight at the end, and then another even more enormous fight after that, and the great teaser of a beginning is resolved after that in a somewhat pedestrian fashion). I think what was most disheartening for me was how derivative the book was: the first story of the Chowder Society is clearly a reworking of "The Turn of the Screw," and much of the rest of the story relies heavily on Steven King's SALEM'S LOT in both its plot and its method.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic!
Review: "...your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions..." Joel, 3:3 In 1979, I discovered the novels of a guy named Stephen King and began reading more extensively in the horror genre. On the prowl for something similar, I happened on Straub's book in the library. I checked it out, little realizing that I had begun a decades long love affair with his work. It's now been almost twenty years since I read it the first time--I've read hundreds of books since then, but few thrilled me like Ghost Story. Rereading it now, I realize the depth of Straub's accomplishment. Like the legendary storytellers to whom he pays homage, Straub has created a timeless tale of terror, an enduring classic. Reduced to its essentials, Ghost Story is a tale of supernatural revenge. As young men, Ricky Hawthorne, Sears James, Edward Wanderly, Lewis Benedikt and John Jaffrey accidentally kill a woman named Eva Galli. They panic, and decide to cover up her death. Placing her body in a borrowed car, they push the vehicle into a nearby lake. As the car sinks into the muck, they see a sight that haunts them for the rest of their lives: for a moment, it appears as if Eva is still alive, as they catch a glimpse of her face through the rear window. Shaken, they vow to keep her death a secret, and go on with their lives. Fifty years later, the group still lives in their hometown of Milburn, NY, prosperous and content. Now known as The Chowder Society, they meet on a regular basis to swap ghost stories, but they never speak of Eva. Then, Edward Wanderly dies during a party given in the honor of an actress named Anne-Veronica Moore, apparently of fright. The remaining members experience a series of prophetic dreams in which several of them die. Unable to admit to themselves that Eva Galli has returned to haunt them, they send for Don Wanderley, Ed's nephew. A writer by trade, Don has penned a horror novel called The Nightwatcher, based, we later learn, on his own experiences with Eva, known to him as Alma Mobley. Don's arrival in Milburn seems to send a signal to the evil which threatens the group, resulting in the deaths of two more of their number. The survivors band with Don and Peter Barnes, a young man whose mother has been killed by Eva and her minions. Together they struggle to locate and destroy their nemesis. Straub sets the tone for the novel from its first sentences, which express a thought repeated throughout the book. Readers are immediately confronted with the question, "What's the worst thing you've ever done?," followed by the response, "I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me...the most dreadful thing..." Readers are filled with anticipation, wondering what the dreadful thing could be. Straub then proceeds to explore what Stephen King called "a very Jamesian theme...the idea that ghosts, in the end, adopt the motivations and perhaps the very souls of those who behold them." Straub leaves it unclear whether Eva/Alma/Anne Veronica could exist without her victims' belief to sustain her--we never know whether her existence is independent, symbiotic, or totally dependent on those she is out to destroy. Straub's clues muddy the waters, as when Eva and another shapeshifter are asked, "Who are you?" Their answer, "I am you, " is maddening and ambiguous. Numerous readings reveal how much the book owes to Salem's Lot. Straub has publicly acknowledged this debt, stating that "I wanted to work on a large canvas. Salem's Lot showed me how to do this without getting lost among a lot of minor characters. Besides the large canvas I also wanted a certain largeness of effect. I had been imbued with the notion that horror stories are best when they are ambiguous and low key and restrained. Reading Salem's Lot, I realized that the idea was self defeating." On reflection, the debt to Salem's Lot is obvious. Both feature small towns under siege from the supernatural. In both, the terror escalates until the towns are threatened with destruction--Jerusalem's Lot is consumed by purifying fire, while Milburn is decimated. In each, a writer's arrival in town seems to trigger disaster. Both writers strike up alliances with young teenagers whose lives are ruined by the terror, Ben Mears with Mark Petrie and Don Wanderly with Peter Barnes. Both forge an almost parental bond with their young allies, replacing those lost parents. In both, the evil lives on--Ben and Mark end up on the run, while Don, after ending the threat of Eva, presumably goes off to face her evil aunt. In the end, however, Salem's Lot was merely a template, a guide which opened Straub's eyes more fully to the possibilities of horror. Ghost Story is a marriage of two sensibilities: King's, from which it derives its more operatic moments, and Straub's, in that it thoroughly fulfills his literary ambition to expand the boundaries of the traditional ghost story. It also stands as perhaps the first example of Straub's trademark exploration of the power of stories, of the capacity of stories to uncover the truth. Much as King's book stands as a tribute to writers like Bram Stoker and Richard Matheson, Straub's stands as a tribute to writers specifically referenced in the book (Hawthorne, Henry James) and those not (like Poe, Irving, Lovecraft, Bierce and M. R. James) but whose influence is there nonetheless. Recently, I had the vicarious pleasure of watching my thirteen year old daughter Leigh read this wonderful book for the first time. I took her enthusiastic reaction as validation of my long held opinion that Ghost Story is one of the finest horror novels of the past half century.
Rating:
Summary: One of the great horror novels
Review: Ghost Story is not only one of Peter Straub's finest books, it's one of the finest horror novels written. Of course, Hollywood then went ahead & made a truly awful film! So if you're avoiding reading this book because you saw the film, do yourself a favor and read this book! Straub's depiction of a town under siege by malevolent forces is unforgettable, much in the same way of King's Salem's Lot.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: Ghost Story is a classic of horror fiction and as such, it is far, far superior to any of the "slice and dice" horror stories or movies floating around out there. Ghost Story is a book about the real horrors of life, those that we create ourselves, those that originate, not from without but from within. Straub is a masterful writer and his prose is terrific throughout. I really got a sense of "place" with this book, something that doesn't always happen. The characters are well-drawn as well and I came to care about each and every one of them and I took a great interest in their own perception of events. Even if the horror or mystery genre is not your cup of tea, please do not be put off by Ghost Story. This is a real classic of fiction, one that actually defies classification. While Ghost Story didn't actually scare me (I think we have all been too bombarded with horror for that), it did give me shivers and kept me turning pages well into the night. I think fifty or even one hundred years from now, people will still be reading Ghost Story and telling each other what a great book it is.
Rating:
Summary: Supremely Elegant Horror!
Review: GHOST STORY is one of the most beloved novels of my adolesence. I read the book at white heat when I was ten, stunned by the power of the imagery and the subtle brilliance of the storytelling. Straub's characters are original and memorable. I visualized them all so strongly that I was deeply affected by all their fates. Fortunately, I have come to regard this book even more highly as time has gone by - I reread it at least once each February and the pacing, elegant language and dazzling images never cease to amaze me. Unlike Stephen King, Straub never goes for the "gross-out" factor in his writing, and as a result, GHOST STORY might seem a little tame in comparison to other horror novels. This is really a book of spine-chilling suspense and slow terror rather than out-and-out horror and gore (although the book does have its bloody parts!). The tale is carefully woven, moving seamlessly from the present to the past to utter fantasy and back again. The plot concerns the fates of four well-to-do men, pillars of their small community of Millburn, New York. Their lives are comfortable, prosperous and settled. But Ricky, Sears, Lewis and John all share a dreadful secret that has come back to haunt them after fifty years. A "Nightwatcher" - a shape-shifting supernatural predator arrives in town and takes revenge on the four men one by one. She has many names (Anna/Alma/Ann-Veronica) and many lives, and seems to take great pleasure in destroying and manipulating ordinary humans, along with her strange undead henchman, the werewolf Gregory. Straub's immortal ghost is one of the great horror villains in recent literature. With the help of young writer Don Wanderley, the group must confront the sins of their past to comprehend what is happening to their town and to them. Anyone familiar with the weather in upstate New York will recognize the isolation that comes with the heavy, unrelenting snows of each winter. Straub's minor characters are expertly drawn, and the town itself, like King's SALEM'S LOT is really a major character too. This is a marvelous work of fantasy-horror which you really should not read alone at night! P.S. The movie GHOST STORY is simply awful - don't bother with it!
Rating: 
Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: This is one of those books you can't not put down. I love it
Rating:
Summary: Best Read I've Had In A Long Time
Review: This book was given to me as a gift, and I've been recommending it to everyone I know since the minute I put it down. The movie can't even compare to the book, so don't bother with it. I've read Stephen King, Anne Rice, and other current authors of the scary book genre, forget them. Read this book! I took it to work to read during lunch, I read it while stuck in Seattle traffic jams, before work, before bedtime, I could hardly put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Almost a classic
Review: I was mesmerised by this book for all except the very end of it. Peter Straub has managed to put together an outstanding piece of work that comes to within a whisker of perfection. For 500 pages we travel through places that are effortlessly described by the author; Milburn is so real. The characters are woven into a tight, warm script that never allows the high level of suspense to drop during the entirety of the book. To cap everything, once the mystery is solved, Straub has the good sense to end the book almost immediately instead of going on for the sake of it. So what is "Ghost Story"? It is not as straight forward as it sounds. Strange happenings start after the death of Edward Wanderley, a member of a group called the Chowder Society that consists of 5 old men who scare each other with sinister stories. The idea of the log fire, the dinner jackets, the cigars and the whisky evokes a magical existence which sets the scene for the whole book. The story never gets out of this ever-so-slightly surreal style which adds to the reading experience. Even when describing harrowing events, the author still gives the effect of watching them through a bubble rather than most stories which plant you firmly at the scene. I only have a couple of gripes with this novel, and it is these that stop it getting the 5 stars. The first is the manner of the reaction of some members of the cast to the first deaths, particularly of the sheep on Elmer Scale's farm and the Dedham sisters. I do not think they would have been ignored in the way that they were and as a result found the story developed as it did in a way it would not have. I also had a problem with the constant scene changing towards the end of the book. It was necessary and easy enough to follow up until the climax of the novel, but it continued until the very end where I personally thought it was unnecessary and detracted from the way I think it should have ended. This, coupled with the question of why did Don Wanderley meet Alma Mobley earlier in his life resulted in the book being slightly strained. The fact that Mr. Straub only failed on these very minor points is indicative of his triumph. To keep a ghost story going for as long as he has without it degenerating into mindless gore or distracting repetition is an accomplishment indeed. This book is such a fantastic, engrossing read, I am rather amazed that Peter Straub is not more well known
Rating:
Summary: Decent images, imaginative villain, not scary, dull ending
Review: Ghost Story has some images that will give you chills. In one scene, a couple of teenage peeping toms are spying on a woman who happens to be the villain. They're across the street in a darkened church and watching her through a telescope at night. The woman is in her apartment gazing out at the snowy night. Then she turns at looks right at them. The villain is not a traditional monster, like a ghost, vampire, werewolf, or demon. She's got an original history and unique powers. You don't know the limits of her powers or where she comes from, which makes her unpredictable to the reader. I didn't find any scene really scary, but one scene was a little spooky in which they listen to an old recording and hear themselves being addressed by the monster, who knew that years later they would be listening to it. I then started imagining: What if you were watching old newsreel footage from the 1940's on the History Channel or something, and suddenly one of the people being filmed said something creepy on screen you knew was being addressed directly to you. For years and years, no one had really given it much thought or paid any attention to it, but now you realize that someone from the past is mocking you. That would be pretty scary, I think. The ending of the book is pathetic. The story builds to what you think is going to be a climax, but instead of a bang, it just sort of fades into a rambling, diffuse set of partially related events. I literally fell asleep several times reading the last 40 pages. I forced myself through it having come this far already. My advice is: If it's all you've got to read, then go ahead and enjoy what you can, but don't expect too much. If you have other books available, consider something else besides Ghost Story.
|
