The House Next Door

Rating:
Summary: Wow! Great psychological horror - with a modern twist.
Review: I loved this book. I found it very crisp and it never waivered in its intensity, although it had amusing and delicious moments of yuppy socializing and two fantastic heroes:
Colquitt and Walter Kennedy, who refused, by the end, to allow the horrors next door to continue. Yes, they had to perform a drastic deed to end the tyranny of the architectural monster-house, but no one can say they were wrong to do it. There is a major question left for the reader to ponder at the end of the novel...I won't spill it here, and spoil the book for the lucky readers to come... I say "lucky," because this is definitely a 'treat' book that will keep you up all night and turning the pages frantically. And I have to say I miss Col and Walter and Razz and Foster Grant. House is also a charming love story. It's about good, popular people who love each other unconditionally... In fact, I think it is one of the few suspense novels that portrays a truly loving couple, for Col and Walter never fall out of love with each other, no matter what horrible things happen around - or to - them.

Rating:
Summary: This Is One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read
Review: I read this book last summer and I still think of it every now and then. It was so well written, engrossing, mesmorizing. I could not put it down. It would make a fantastic movie. I love the way Anne Rivers Siddons writes; although this book is somewhat different than her others. This is more of a horror book with beautiful writing. Just writing this review, I want to read it again

Rating:
Summary: Psychological Horror
Review: I read this book when it first came out many years ago, and I still think of it often. There is not too much I can say about what makes this a true masterpiece for lovers of the horror genre without giving too much away. Suffice it to say that ultimately it is you, the reader, who becomes a victim of that "House Next Door".

Rating:
Summary: Mildly interesting at best..........
Review: I'm not at all familiar with Siddons' other work, but was recommended this book by a fellow literary enthusiast. I was remarking how great a book Hell House by Richard Matheson was, & it was suggested that I read The House Next Door.

While well written, the book is incredibly dry, boring & extremely contrived. It's clearly a feeble attempt at a "scary" novel by someone unaccustomed to the genre. Again, Siddons is obviously a great writer in terms of style/skill, but this novel was bad. The two stars are merely given as a nod to her ability as a writer, rather than the story itself.

I have no idea why Stephen King would have such great things to say about this book, as it is certainly not in league with even his worst effort. The only people I imagine would be pleased with this book are those that do not typically read horror/supernatural tales, but are in an "adventurous" mood.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite of all Ms. Siddons's novels
Review: I've read them all and loved them. Siddons is a fine tale-teller (just as you'd expect from a Southerner) and she has a talent for creating real and believable characters. I'm not a fan of horror and picked this up thinking it was suspense. I was right -- horror suspense!

When strange things begin happening at the new house next door to the Kennedys, this book just takes over. I couldn't get away from it until I finished it.

Siddons was a long time reporter for Atlanta magazine, honing her craft under one of the best editors of the 50s and 60s. That's why her prose is so magical -- descriptions of people and places are vivid and never dull.

This is Siddons at her very best. I hope she writes another suspense novel someday. I'd like to have that to look forward to.

Rating:
Summary: Horror with class!
Review: I've read this book so many times that my copy is falling apart. I enjoyed getting to know the well-drawn characters -- the way they meshed and interacted was fascinating to me. The author got the job done without gross ugliness and shock. Proves that a house doesn't have to be old and full of bats and cobwebs to be scary. I even liked that the ending was not the usual burning down of the house, or ritual to appease the spirits, or wholesale massacre of all the remaining characters except for one gibbering madman.

Rating:
Summary: The horror in an everyday world
Review: If you are an Anne Rivers Siddons fan, you will recognize the type of characters in this novel. It is a world which goes horribly awry. There is real horror here, not the shock and gore usually presented as a horror tale. A deliciously
disturbing read!

Rating:
Summary: A timeless masterpiece.
Review: It's difficult to believe this book was initially published in 1978 or that it was only Siddon's second book. There is nothing dated about it! The story pulls you in, with a feeling of dread, that builds step by step. I picked up the book on the recommendation that it is a top notch example of it's genre. I can comfirm that is so.

Rating:
Summary: Even new houses can be haunted
Review: It's hard to believe that this tale of a house gone bad was written over 25 years ago. The atmosphere created around an upscale neighborhood of BMW's and martini drinkers felt remarkably current and not at all dated. In fact our society is likely even more enamored today with the trappings of the wealthy than when this novel was first written. This creepy story focuses on a new house built in an established well-to-do neighborhood. Although the reasons are inexplicable, the house itself is hell bent on wrecking havoc on the individuals who reside within it's walls. There are no ghosts here, just a malevolent force bent on destruction.

Told from the perspective of the couple who live next door, this novel provides a different take on the traditional haunted house genre; that of the observer not the resident. My only minor criticism of this story was that the ending felt somewhat rushed given the build up. Still, a worthy book if your looking for a late night read.


Rating:
Summary: First Rate; Low-Key but Riveting!
Review: Ms. Siddons has created a true masterpiece of modern horror. Beautifully written and extremely low-key in approach, this tale of a contemporary house in suburban Atlanta (not even built at the start of the book) begins almost innocently as the residents of the neighborhood discuss the house to be built and speculate about the new neighbors. But soon enough, things go spiraling out of control as the residents of the house (and of the entire neighborhood) are victimized and destroyed by the evil power the house seems to have. I've read this one almost to pieces; here the chills are all the more effective because they seem as if they could actually happen, somehow. A gem.