Nightshade

Rating:
Summary: Chilling, as advertised
Review: This was my first John Saul novel, and I found it a fast and spooky read. Some parts were repetitive, as if the author just needed to fill a few more pages, and the nearly unanimous placing of blame by the townspeople was a little hard to swallow, but it served to isolate the protagonist in his desperation. Such mechanisms seem forgivable when the purpose is to give readers goosebumps. If the characters were to stay away from forbidden rooms, refuse to follow apparitions in the night or just get the hell out of the creepy house it would be more logical, but a lot less fun. Overall, the author played fair and kept me guessing. I'll try him again soon.

Rating:
Summary: SOME PEOPLE LOVE IT, AND I GUESS SOME DON'T..I DID
Review: I CAN'T SEE WHAT ALL THE PEOPLE GIVING THIS A BAD RATING DIDN'T ENJOY ABOUT THIS NOVEL...I THOUGHT IT WAS BETTER THAN MOST OF JOHN SAULS OTHER NOVELS. IT GRIPPED YOU THOUGHOUT THE WHOLE NOVEL, AND DID NOT LET GO UNTIL THE BOOK ENDED. THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST SUSPENSFUL NOVELES I HAVE EVER READ.

NIGHTSHADE STARTS OFF WITH AN OLD LADY'S HOUSE BURNING DOWN FROM THE KITCHEN. THE LADY'S DAUGHTER TAKES HER INTO HER HOUSE UNTIL THE LADY CAN FIND A WAY TO GET BACK ON HER FEET, OR THEY CAN SEND HER TO A RETIERMENT HOME. THE LADY IS NOT EXACTLY THE BEST COMPANTY, SHE DEMANDS A ROOM FOR HER LONG DEAD DAUGHTER TO PUT ALL HER DAUGHTERS LEFT BELONGINGS IN. SOON THINGS START TO GET WEIRD AND SOUNDS ARE HEARD FROM THE ROOM..SOMETIMES THE LONGDEAD DAUGHTER IS EVEN SEEN BY SOME..BUT NO ONE BELIVES THEM..AND AFTER THAT THINGS GET REALLY HORRIBLE AND ONE BY ONE PEOPLE GO MISSING..THEN DEAD..

Rating:
Summary: Twisted
Review: This book was very twisted. just when you think you have it all figured out--the REAL ending is finally revealed. A hint though---do NOT read this book late at night right before you go to sleep. You will NOT have very pleasant dreams.

Rating:
Summary: great till the end
Review: I thought the book was pretty good. Of course I have a bias seeing as I've always read John Saul. I was a little disappointed in the end, with the whole schizo. twist, but finding out that the mother was not really the boys mother and the father was his father was what made the book. I wasn't expecting that at all.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Tired Formula
Review: John Saul is a hack writer with very little imagination. In all of his books, a youth encounters a dark sinister spirit which affects his/her entire family blah blah blah. The names and places are changed to protect his lack of imagination, but the plot is always the same. This is the last John Saul book I will ever read. Give it up already.

Rating:
Summary: It's a fun summer read
Review: I am not done reading the book. I am half way. So far it's an OK read. Not up to the stuff he wrote long ago but still a fun summer read. Why not? It's an easy read and not complicated to understand.

Rating:
Summary: Good Summer Read But Little Else
Review: As an avid reader I generally mix in the pulp fiction between more serious literary novels or non-fiction. As mindless fiction, 'Nightshade' generally delivered. It kept me entertained and interested throughout. I even stayed up late to finish it. So if you're thinking about taking it to the pool or the beach I recommend it, thus the three stars.

WARNING: the following part of the review contains SPOILERS. On the other hand looking at it from a more literary perspective, this book had a number of serious flaws. First, regardless of any type of promise made to her dying father, I have no idea why Joan Hapgood would want to take in an old witch like her mother. Most families want to take care of their aged relatives and not send them to a nursing home. What becomes clear as the book proceeds, however, is that the grandmother was a pretty awful human being well before Alzheimer's. Why would anyone that had been abused like Joan invite renewed abuse now exacerbated by her mother's mental condition? In addition, why would she take her in knowing that it would probably break up her family as well? I don't think most people would insist that the grandmother be allowed to stay like Joan did. I also agree with those reviewers that have written that the rapid loss of friends due to the father's shooting wasn't very believable. I kept thinking "Some friends you've got there Matt." First, even if they like the parents or are family friends, most teenagers are more loyal and have a greater friendship with the child, not with the mother or father. Second, even if the breakdown in friendship occurred it would proceed more gradually. I don't believe it would become an instant vendetta like it did in the novel.

Finally, my primary issue with the novel is the resolution to the central question of "Was it a case of being possessed by a vengeful ghost or was it split-personality?" After reading the novel, the split personality answer seems to make the most sense if you apply it to all the events from the beginning whereas the ghost theory doesn't hold up as well. Saul leaves the reader with a murky answer. While he provides all the clues necessary and seems to indicate that it was a case of split-personality on the part of the mother and massive denial on the part of the son, the final 2 pages of the book make it seem as if it really was a case of a ghostly possession. While some readers might find it interesting - that it might have been some mix of the two scenarios, I found it unnecessary and inconsistent. Revealing that the story had a psychological basis rather than a supernatural would have left it a somewhat interesting read. As it is, I found the final two pages and the related questions to be incongruent with the other facts laid out and unbelievable.

Again though, I don't think most of us choose this type of book thinking it's the next Nobel prize winner. So slap on some suntan lotion, sit back and enjoy the mindless entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: This is the first book I have read by John!
Review: I have never read any of John Saul's books, but I know I will continue to read them because he is a fantastic writer! Nightshade was an amazingly gripping and suspenseful book, with wonderful story lines and a great plot. A very unsuspecting ending occurs that I would have had no idea it could have possibly happen. This book was awesome, and if you haven't read any of his books...you should. Nightshade is a masterpiece! I recommend this book to everyone who likes thrillers.

Rating:
Summary: Good Little Mystery
Review: This is an interesting enough book. It is far from original and pretty predictible, but if you just want something to read that you can enjoy this is that type of book. I guess you could call it a "pool side novel". The story itself is very fun to read (although pretty damn disturbing at times). My main problem is that book gets pretty repetitive. Saul is always comparing the weather outside to his characters moods, except he uses the same sentence over and over again to do it.

This book is also pretty predictible, but again I didn't read the book for it's literary value. I just read it because I wanted an interesting book to read while getting a tan. And it surved its purpose. Another thing is that this book moves along like a Young Adult novel. Everthing is toned down and discription is very mild (if people want vivid description read the book The Beyond. I still get grossed out when I think about that book.)

I would recomend this book to anyone who is not looking for high art, but instead for a nice little read that won't wrack your brain. Although you also have to be able to deal with issues like child abuse, molestation, and incest to really get through parts. But otherwise it is ok.

Rating:
Summary: A creeping novel!
Review: John Saul's "Nightshade" is a real spooking novel. I had read his 1977 book, "Suffer the Children" and "The Presence" a few years ago. I used not to like the ghost books but I gave myself a chance to read the "Nightshade". I reckoned to think it must be another ghost story but it did pulled me into the book. "You can do that" I found these words many times in this book...I can do that by reading a whole book. "You can do that". So well I did it, Cynthia! The novel, a creeping one...talking about the daughters and their mother living in the house; Cynthia and Joan the sisters had been in a troubling environment at home and the mother, Emily loved Cynthia too much, thinking that Joan was entirely a vile girl, causing too much troubles and hit the mother's heart hating Joan. Joan always got blamed and punished for the things that Cynthia did on purpose and sticking them to her baby sister. The blows and tongue-lashings on Joan had created herself differently from her older sister but Cynthia died at birth, leaving the son, Matt to Joan...Emily the mother kept tormenting on both until Joan met Bill Hapgoods and then married, lived with him away from the mother for a decade until the mysterious fire forced Emily to live with the Hapgoods. Everything had changed since Emily demanded to remodel the guest room for her daughter, Cynthia to return, not believing that she was dead. Tragedies happened in the family and friends around Joan and Matt, driving them mad...trying to defend Matt about the accident but no one cares about them...the evil is lurking in the Hapgood household... John Saul, I admitted you that I did enjoyed reading it and did stayed up very late to finish the last 200+ pages. I can not help but wanted to finish it. Very well-written chiller. Do not go to the basement alone! Check it out and it will make your bones run cold! I can not wait for his next one, The Manhattan Hunt Club, coming out real soon! Thanks to you, John!