Rating: 
Summary: Deeply disturbing
Review: Don't start this in the evening, or you'll find yourself up all night!Just as the main character cannot escape the pressures and horrors of his college experience, so too is the reader trapped by this compelling story. From the very beginning, I simply could not put it down. Even a week later in the light of day images from this book continue to haunt me, appearing unbidden in my mind's eye. The vivid descriptions draw you deep into the dark world of Adams House -- a place from which escape seems impossible. I look forward to hearing more from Sean Desmond.
Rating:
Summary: Stephen King for the Harvard Crowd
Review: For a debut novel this baby has the goods. Scary, suspenseful and well written. There's a little Donna Tartt here, a dash of Henry James (just the ghost stuff, don't worry), and whole lot of Stephen King -- think The Shining. A lot people from Harvard get whacked, so if they bother you like they bother me, you'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: Gripping and Chilling
Review: I couldn't put this one down. Sean Desmond has written an unbelievably engrossing novel with as many twists and turns as the tunnels that play a big role in its plot. I found myself wondering what was real and what wasn't. He has created a very interesting and complex protagonist -- one who I'm still not sure I completely understand. I can tell you one thing - this Sean Desmond must have experienced some very wacky things while he was at Harvard to pen this novel. You wouldn't be able to find me anywhere near Adams House!
Rating:
Summary: Harvard will Never be the Same
Review: I have been to Boston twice in my lifetime and during my time there, I have visited Harvard on more than a couple of occassions. The atmosphere is dark, grim and not the oh so cheerful college-style freedom you come to get acquainted with when visiting any other university in any other part of the world. I always thought that was because of the Harvard demeanour and the fact that going to one of world's most respected school kind of does that to you. This book takes that personally contrived notion, gulps it up, spits it back out and forms a whole different and darker image of the place. We start off with the length, which is very right for this book in more than a different count. First being that Sean Desmond is a first time author where mistakes could be masked by making things up to the point and another is the fact that a story like this one is greatly told in a hit and run fashion. Desmond is successful enough to take us into a journey deep in the mind of the narrator, who through the novel is nameless. His thoughts, desires and fall from grace is well depicted throughout. The story moves more like a fall from grace style of writing and holds true to many biblical mythos and figures. Is it scary? I have read scarier books, but this book holds a suspense factor of 9 on a 10 scale. You just want to know what might happen. The only thing that the book fails to answer is why things are happening. The book will leave you wanting more, but I won't necessary think it would make an insomniac out of you. For a first time author, Desmond is good and his lacking are only apparent when it comes to naming places in the Boston area in great detail with names and such. This creates a lot of confusion with those not familiar with the place, especially knowing that these places actually exist in reality. I'm planning to visit Boston this summer and I would definitely have to make time to spend in Adams House and walk in the steps that this story's charcater walked in. Harvard will never be the same in my eyes after reading this piece. For once, the danky old place has become a tad bit exciting.
Rating:
Summary: I fell for Adams Fall
Review: I love reading books in which you can lose yourself. The characters become so real you feel you know them. The story so intriguing - you can't stop reading because the answers to your questions are just a few more pages away. "Adams Fall" is one of those books. Author Sean Desmond creates a world that is macabre and magnetic. The story is smart and suspenseful. It is a pleasure to read.
Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorites of the year!
Review: I loved this book so much that I've added the author to my list of favorites for the year and am eagerly awaiting his next book (due in March 2002). If its anywhere near as good as this one, I'll be up all night reading it.
But on to this book: Adam's Fall takes place in the world of an elite university and author, Sean Desmond, a Harvard graduate, clearly knows the world about which he writes. The pressures, anxieties and competition of a top university are all revealed here. But the novel is more than that - at the heart of the book is a mystery, focusing on a murder (suicide?) and a love triangle.
What kept me glued to the pages of this one was way Desmond created his world and left just enough suspense to keep my interest. Was the suicide really a murder? What happened just before then? And is there something supernatural or unearthly behind all this or is the protagonist simply going slowly, but undeniably, insane? Could Adams Fall be haunted or is it the protagonist's soul which is haunted? The answers aren't clear till the end...meanwhile, things get stranger and stranger. Bloody sheets. Possible ghosts. Eerie sightings. All written so vividly it'll make every last hair stand up on your neck.
Although I really enjoyed this one, readers should be warned that this novel has some of the flaws of a book written by a first-time writer - some awkward plot sequences, a few slow parts, a tendency to bog down some sections with overdescription.
On the other hand, it has oarts that so perfectly capture the life of college students and the pain and confusion of searching for one's identity that I found it easy to overlook the flaws. Kudos to Desmond for a promising debut!
Rating:
Summary: Warning: this book will cause insomnia
Review: I reached a point while reading this novel where I was terrified to continue reading, but I was equally terrified to close the book and turn off the light! (I opted to keep reading, and boy am I glad to be 3,000 miles away from Harvard's blood-soaked bricks.) My favorite scene was set on Halloween night in the steam tunnels beneath the library - don't expect to fall asleep after reading that chapter! Sean Desmond is a master of terror and I am certain that his horrifying portrait of Adams House circa 1994 will haunt me for years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: The old college try!
Review: I read Sean Desmond's Adams Fall expecting it to be thrilling and captivating. I got so bored with it, it even amazed my dad when he read this incredibly boring book! If you want a good book to read, I suggest that you read Bloodline by Jill Jones. Bloodline has terror, mystery, love, romance, an twists all the way through to the end. I still remember exactly what happened throughout the entire book, including what chapters the events took place in. Don't finish reading all your mystery books until you have read Bloodline by Jill Jones.
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I read Sean Desmond's Adams Fall expecting it to be thrilling and captivating. I got so bored with it, it even amazed my dad when he read this incredibly boring book! If you want a good book to read, I suggest that you read Bloodline by Jill Jones. Bloodline has terror, mystery, love, romance, an twists all the way through to the end. I still remember exactly what happened throughout the entire book, including what chapters the events took place in. Don't finish reading all your mystery books until you have read Bloodline by Jill Jones.
Rating:
Summary: Will Creep You Out and Make You Paranoid
Review: I read Sean Desmond's book in an old hotel. Big mistake. I couldn't sleep. Every creak in the walls was a killer, every random flash of light was an ax. It doesn't matter whether or not the faceless protagonist is dreaming or really in hell, you will think this is happening to you. Even if you're not at Harvard.
| 
