Rating: 
Summary: Keeps you up at Night
Review: Having read all the reviews of this book I was expecting a so-so experience, but I think the really negative reviewers have got it wrong. I don't think there is anything off-putting about the narrators, they are not "snobbish" or shallow, or tedious. I did not find them annoying. I just really enjoyed the story. Having read A LOT of horror, I can say this one really raised the hairs on my neck many times, particularly with the middle story. THAT is very very creepy! It was compelling, suspenseful and genuinely horrifying at times. Aside from a tendency to string together too many "and's," the writing is wonderful and not distracting from the story.
Its not perfect: I agree that the ending is a little bit of a let down, but that was a minor point. The rest of it is so thoroughly enjoyable.
I would highly recommend this!
Rating:
Summary: It Gave Me Goose Bumps
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It did get slow in some places but nearly each chapter ended with a bang and the ending was superb! It was scary without being really gory in a Stephen King kind of way. The way of getting inside the narrators head was so well written that by halfway through the story you were convinced the house was evil. It was great. I'd definently recommend you pick up this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Still In My Library
Review: I bought this book way back in 1978 when it first came out and have had it in my library ever since. It would get a five star rating but for one thing -- some of the dialogue is wildly unbelievable. However, the writing itself is first rate and the main characters - because they are nice, good-looking but actually nothing special people - are used to great advantage. We see all that is happening through the eyes of normal, if moderately wealthy, couple who initially try to make sense out of what is starting to happen in their yuppie (before the term "yuppie" was known) neighborhood -- then are figuratively swallowed by something even the reader can't really understand. After all, the house isn't really haunted; it's brand new!! Oh, but YES there is something there -- where did it come from? The architect?? But Kim seems like such a nice chap ...Col and Walter are unable to accept some of the things they are seeing (possibly thinking of lowered property values?) and one tends to wonder - because they are so close to the house - if they are indirectly being influenced as well. The ending, written subtly without a pretentious explosion or blood pouring down the walls - always makes me shiver a bit. Every couple of years, usually around Halloween, I'll bring this book out and read it. It's an amazingly fresh read each time I pick it up. Something new is always found. Note to producers who may want to turn this into a movie (it hasn't been made into a movie yet has it?): I suggest the casting [for a TV movie] - Rachel Blakely as Colquitt, Will Snow at Walt (both from THE LOST WORLD - ages are right and their chemistry is awesome) and (don't laugh) someone like Johnny Depp for Kim Dougherty, the man who built THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR.
Rating:
Summary: Great read, lousy ending!
Review: I couldn't put this book down. It had my full attention and then...the ending fell flat!I think the author ran of creativity!
Rating:
Summary: Haunted House in the 'burbs
Review: I enjoyed this novel, and disagree with the reviewer who stated that it isn't spooky or scary and doesn't deliver at the end. I actual continue to see the last scene in my mind, over and over. That is the mark of a good ending. Are there problems with the book? Yes. Some of the situations seem dated, and maybe not as shocking to me if I had read it in high school. BUT, the way she used the frame of the book to tell three separate stories which do tie together at the end was very good and allowed for a different kind of character development. We see the main characters change as they see events next door. I read this book right after Shirley Jackson's masterpiece of haunted house books, The Haunting of Hill House. While Jackson's book is better, I think Siddons holds up well in comparison. I especially liked the idea of a MODERN haunted house. Nice touch. All and all a good, if not difficult, read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written, scary and atmospheric
Review: I had never read any of Siddons' other novels, though my wife is a great admirer of hers. After hearing that Stephen King was a great fan of this book, I sought it out. It IS a very well-written, entertaining tale of a REALLY haunted house in an upscale neighborhood. Siddons gets beneath the veneer of suburban living, and shows how the unknown can unravel even the most solid realtionships. This book is atmospheric, spooky and unsettling. While others have called the ending a let-down, I think it works well within the context of the story. Get this one! You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Well written, held my attention to the conclusion! Then THUD
Review: I have read other books by Ms. Siddons and found them to be very satisfying. This book held my attention all the way through and was very well written and plotted out, but left me completely unsatisfied. I was in the mood for a good ghost story and when I found out that this one impressed Stephen King so much, I thought it would be a satisfying one. Unfortunately I was let down. It wasn't scary, it wasn't spooky, and in the end it didn't deliver. This is the story a very nice couple living in a wealthy neighborhood. Next door is a beautiful wooded lot that they enjoy looking at and are dismayed when bulldozers come and a gentle architect begins building the house next door. They get to know him and care for him, they become the best of friends. You learn to like and care for all three of the central characters in this story -- that is truly the mark of a good writer. In succession, three different families live in the house and come to disaster -- you never get to know them well, but you feel sorry for them. Eventually this wonderful couple and this sweet man are drawn to the end together and that's where the major "thud" comes in. The ending was very unsatisfying and didn't seem well thought out at all. The reason it isn't scary or spooky is because the ghost story portion of the tale is never fully delved into, only alluded to. This book did not gain keeper status on my shelf and I probably will never recommend it to friends. Also, the ending was a little too quick and convenient to be believable. ...If you really want to read it get it from the library then you'll be glad to give it back at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Out-of-the-blue winner
Review: I have to be honest...I never even imagined myself reading an Anne Rivers Siddons book. Never. And that's not to say that I don't think she's a great writer; I just tend to stick with horror or at least with stories that have a darker side. I picked this one up on the recommendation of several fellow horror fans with this thought: "yeah, right, this will be a waste of my time." I suppose if I were truly capable of eating my words, I'd be reaching for a fork.
This novel introduces us to quite a different time in America. It's the 70's, and it's the South, AND the story is set in an upper-class neighborhood where everyone follows an unwritten code of social conduct. Colquitt and Walter Kennedy (never in my life have I met someone named Colquitt) live a quiet, genteel life. Purposefully childless, they enjoy life's luxuries and spend their time hob-nobbing with their equally successful neighbors. Again, this is the 70's--these characters smoke a lot, eat a lot and drink even more; even the most minor of social get togethers is accompanied by a pitcher of martinis, and everyone seems to have the time (and money) to battle hangovers and to throw lavish parties. The Kennedys love their home overlooking a lovely, peaceful empty lot. But then the lot is sold, and a young, spoiled couple build their dream home utilizing the talents of the brilliant up-and-coming architect, Kim Dougherty. The Kennedys befriend Kim and then watch as terror after terror occurs in the beautiful new home. Tenants come and go, and the Kennedys have to choose between their social standing and their perceived duty to stop the suffering by speaking out about the horrible house.
The writing here is wonderful. I could close my eyes and picture every scene. The horror is so subtle that I was surprised to find myself looking over my shoulder throughout this reading. I enjoyed this book, and I've gone on to recommend it to several people. Contrary to some, I liked the ending (and I'll say no more about it). This is one of the best haunted house novels I've ever read, and I plan on holding on to my tattered paperback copy. I never thought I would add a Siddons novel to my horror collection, and I am so happy that I was 100% wrong!
Rating: 
Summary: Going back in time
Review: I just read this book, which took me back to the culture of the 70's. It was engrosing - but some characters were hard to believe. I burst out laughing at the scene in the bedroom at the first party, where handbags and coats were stashed on a bed. A compromising affair when anyone could walk in at any time??? This book describes a very insular world - a world I once lived in. Does it still exist? I do not long to go back.
Rating: 
Summary: Give this book to someone you hate
Review: I loved every page of this book - except the last. I have never been so disappointed and frustrated by the ending of a book in my entire life! The book is well written, interesting, and will have you dying (no pun intended) to know what is going to happen next. The problem is, the author seems to have gotten tired or run out of creative juice at the end, or should I say non-end of the book. Give this book to someone you hate, and woe be it to those who decide to brave the pages out of curiosit
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