Rating: 
Summary: Liked it, but didn't live up to the hype!
Review: Perhaps, I am not as familiar with the horror genre as some of the other reviewers, but I didn't find the book as exceptional as the vast majority of the reviewers. [Warning: do not read any further if you haven't read the book!] First, I didn't think the idea of having Eva being an immortal hateful supernatural shape-shifter is nearly as compelling as Eva simply being a vengeful ghost (a la movie). I mean, if she is an immortal evil entity, then the initial wrongdoing by the Chowder Society was not nearly as heinous a crime as if they had killed a human, and tried to cover it up. Thus, in the movie, Eva has more of a 'right' to be outraged and vengeful, thus obfuscating the line between the 'good' guys and the 'bad' guys. In addition, the idea of her controlling two henchmen (Gregory and Fenny Benton) - as scary as the two entities were - seemed to somehow diminish the potency of Eva rather than enhance it. Secondly, though the book is never boring and reads quickly, I did find the build-up to be a bit long. I don't things get really rolling until about 2/3 the way through. Perhaps, it should have been a 400 page book rather than a 567, I don't know. Having said all this, however, I had particularly vivid mental images while reading the book so Straub definitely is able to evoke atmosphere and dread. But, when I read some reviewers suggesting how they were almost too frightened to read the book at times - I have to wonder if they live in some isolated home in the woods, and were reading the book by candlelight in the middle of the night. As it certainly was not all that scary to me.
Rating: 
Summary: STARTS SLOW ENDS SLOW, BUT WHO CARES
Review: This can be forgiven, of course. Peter Straub's book didn't really captivate me in the beginning, as it was slow and somewhat dull, though with an aura of intrigue, which soon drew me into Straub's dark and complex web. I, truly, didn't find the book well to be categorized as a horror novel, as there is little that scared me (except for the train station event, with the eyeless boy, and the unthinkable creature, which was a wise decision of Straub not to give away too much detail on this demon-thing). No, I believed it was more of a mystery, binding together unrelated and supposedly insignificant events (the beginning, for example) into one large story that makes complete sense The book is so complex, it makes you wonder how you could have read it easily. But that's Straub's gift, I believe. To weave a story that is actually smart but yet allow you to follow along. The ending was truly a little anti climatic, but the events beforehand made up plenty. A good novel to read on a long car trip. In the dark.
Rating:
Summary: Scary!
Review: I had to read this book twice. The first time I quit about 2/3's through---the "coming up the staircase" description. It was just too blame frightening. "Why am I doing this to myself". The second time was when after I had seen the movie. It is a brilliant book of the old fashioned ghost story genre! And I asked again "Why am I doing this to myself?"
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and complex psychology thriller
Review: Hidden secrets, mysterious strangers and unexplained occurrences all come together in Milburn, New York, where a group of friends begin to die one by one under unusual circumstances. On the one year anniversary of the first death, the survivors, haunted by fiendish nightmares, decide to confront their fears and ask for help from their deceased friend's nephew, who has also experienced the loss of his brother under unusual circumstances. As they fit the pieces of the puzzle together, the town become increasingly terrorized by an unknown force. This book is an absolute masterpiece of intertwining human emotion. A tale of perfect small town America gone wrong, Ghost Story is not light reading. This dark and chilling novel will draw readers in until the tense and suspenseful end.
Rating:
Summary: One of the top 10 Horror novels ever written, superb!
Review: This has got to be one of the best Horror novels I have ever read. It took me awhile to get through because of the slow atmospheric pacing (which seems a Straub trademark), the novel won't let you read fast. The small town setting, the harsh winter, and New England feel was close to perfect. The characters were likeable, and when they met with misfortune I found I cared. That's a rarity amongst Horror novels. The supernatural creature (self-proclaimed Manitou) is well crafted, although it doesn't really instill fear as much as dread. The sadistic pleasure that the creature has in ruining lives under different guises was the scariest part of this novel. The extreme patience of a true predator, that was what made for instances of terror. Knowing that the characters couldn't escape, even in their dreams, that's what makes this book so great. This felt like reading a John Bellairs novel if he had written one for adults. That was a big plus. The overall way in which this novel worked was just amazing, definitely the work of a master storyteller. Even though it took me awhile I never felt like I was just trudging through. On a scale from 1-10 I would rate this novel a 10 for its importance to the genre of Horror, for the style and craftsmanship of the story, the complexity of the tale, use of atmosphere, the way it just makes you want to go out and recommend it to friends, how it reminded me of reading John Bellairs, and because it's that damn good! And yes, I know, that was a run-on sentence(:=
Rating:
Summary: Too Convoluted
Review: I must admit, I read this book at a time when I was going through a torrid love affair, and that my comprehension as such wasn't the best. But, what I find in this book is this--there are too many subplots. The first thirty pages reads like a Dean Koontz novel. It details a kidnapper and a girl. But what Straub does all too often is his habit of dropping subplots and substories. Every time this book got going Straub dumped the interesting parts in favor or the aristocratic Chowder Society that spun their wheels for nearly 600 pages. This is a fine, fine book. But it is NOT as good a book as Shadowland; a book with less subplots and more effective and satisfying at one-hundred less pages.
Rating:
Summary: Straub's Masterpiece
Review: This is the best book I've read in the contemporary Horror genre. I've been buying Straub's later books in hopes that he can repeat the performance he carried off in this one and have been dissapointed with the results (Shadowland was a fun read, however). Actually, in terms of sheer good writing, I would have to rank one of his earliest novels, Julia, as the most comparable. This book really got under my skin and even pervaded my unconscious while I was reading it. I found myself dreaming in Straub's cadences. This is a tour-de-force horror story, and yes, does rival James' The Turn of the Screw in terms of aritistry. Hopefully, sometime Straub will turn out another one of this calibre.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST GHOST STORY EVER WRITTEN
Review: This is my absolute favorite book, I have read it close to four times now. I toy with the idea of naming my child "Alma". This book is sheerly beautiful, scary, romantic, eery, and sad. The ghost replies to the question, "who are you?" "i am you". Straub's writing style is truly unique and there are poetic passages in this book that take my breath away. His characters are very well developed, strong, and sympathetic. Also notice that the last names of his characters are a tribute to great gothic writers=Sears James (Henry James) Ricky Hawthorne (Nathaniel Hawthorne) etc. The evil in this book is NOT simple and the book doesn't have the traditional wrapped up cathartic happy ending, but how could it? Many reviewers diss this book because of this, but they don't see that that is the point. The movie isn't that bad, it just bears no relation to this ground breaking book. Read it if you enjoy the work of Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, and Robert Marasco. You won't be dissappointed. Also, I was thrilled by the reference to Route 17!
Rating:
Summary: Not to sound like a broken record here but...
Review: This is a great novel. In spite of the tendencies to categorize quality WITHIN a genre, I claim that this ranks as a great novel of the 1970s across ANY genre. The book weaves a dreamy spell that takes hold subtly, deeply. The plot is extremely well constructed - there are no extraneous details. Homage is due (and paid) to the great American craftsmen of the ghost story, Hawthorne and James. The only flaw is in the ending - it's a bit of a letdown. Don't even bother seeing the movie - they don't even compare, in spite of the enthusiasm of some of these other citizen critics. If you have seen the movie already don't worry - the differences with the novel are so essential that it won't really spoil too much (except for the identity of the "ghost"). Best enjoyed in the late fall evenings (around Halloween) of upstate NY by a crackling fire - while you're alone in the house. You will be amazed at the effect - happy reading.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting book after a slow start
Review: Like all of the Peter Straub books I've read, this one took quite awhile to get into it, but then about halfway through I realized I was hooked without noticing the point in which I got hooked. Straub is the only author I've ever read who sneaks up from behind and grabs you like this. Its a good story, with good characters, a scary monster, some creepy scenes, and its way different (and better) than the movie. Its not particularly groundbreaking, but its a fun read if you can get through the first half, what more could you ask for?
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