Barbara Michaels: Someone in the House and a Note about Reviews

Hello, dear readers.

I know I'm posting reviews (sort of) fast and furious right now. The simple reason is that I'm interspersing reviews of some I've recently finished reading with ones I have read in the last year or so or over and over again. The number of posts will probably slow a bit in the coming week to a few a week, but I hope you are finding some new authors to try out and/or that you are enjoying reviews of old favorites. Please comment and let me know what you think! :)

I read this novel again back in March of 2008-- after many years. It was first published in 1981.

The thrust of the story is that Anne and Kevin are graduate students who stay in his parents' mansion, Grayhaven, in Pennsylvania for the summer. The interesting thing about the mansion is that it was transplanted years ago from Europe. That choice is quite original; I don't think I've ever encountered that particular set up before, but it lends itself to all sorts of possibilities.

Anne, Kevin, and the older couple in the novel, Kevin's Aunt Bea and Roger, end up together trying to solve a mystery about the house after seeing spirits and having strange things happen-- including sex with a ghost. Yes, it's really in there. This novel focuses solidly on pagan religions, Christianity (especially Catholicism as Bea is religious and Anne is not), theology, and history.

The ending is a surprise/twist that some might not like. I find the novel to be one of Barbara Michaels' most haunting because of it.

Characterization: 5/5 [I felt like I knew the characters; they are round and real. Anne I pictured as a bit homely or plain. Bea I pictured as Bea Arthur and Kevin as a 20 something Daniel Radcliffe.]

Plot: 4/5 [The suspense is strong, but the end is a bit unexpected.]

Atmosphere/spooky stuff: 5/5 [Yes, many supernatural/paranormal events and a question of what/who is evil, throughout.]

Literary: 5/5 [This one is smart, like all of Michaels' works. It will make you think about a variety of topics.]

Romance? Yes, with qualifiers. This novel does not follow the typical formula of boy meets girl, falls in love, all is well. One relationships lasts, and one doesn't, and it all hinges on setting.

**I highly recommend this novel. It is one of my favorites and is not at all formulaic. Michaels makes a brave plot choice with this one. What do you think? Is this one you have read and enjoyed or not? Would you consider reading it?


Rating: 4+ stars     ****.75

Velda Johnston: A Presence in an Empty Room

I'll begin with this novel since I just read it. Velda Johnston authored over a dozen Gothic novels before her death in 1997, but I had not read any of them that I recall until I read this one published in 1982. I plan to read more of her novels now.

The main character, Susan Hapgood, has lived with her father for many years. His illness is the major focus of her sheltered life. At 23, after his death, she meets Martin Summerslee in a bookstore. They move back to the ancestral home in Maine, and strange things occur regarding his first wife who died in a plane crash.


Overall, I recommend this book. I will rate each book this way with blurbs alongside each mark:

Plot: 3/5 [The plot moves quickly enough, but there was one section where a minor character talked for six or more pages that was a bit strange.]

Characterization: 3/5 [The characters were drawn a bit thinly. I got a good sense of Susan and of Martin, but Martin was too good to be true. It was almost annoying. The first wife was well drawn as was her friend, Migs.]

Atmosphere/Spooky points: 4/5 [This novel has a real plot twist that I did not see coming. That alone gives me cause to rank it fairly high. The supernatural comes into play, and it is quite spooky/threatening throughout a portion of the novel. The ancestral home setting as well as a spooky old church and pagan rituals add to these elements.]

Literary or not: 3.5/5 [This novel is surprisingly smart. References are made to various academic works that Susan and her father collected and read as well as theories stemming from said works. The hero of the novel is a writer/researcher. This element of depth/smartness always appeals to me.]

Rating: 3+ stars

**I do recommend this one. The plot twist and some unusual elements of the supernatural were enough for me to enjoy this novel.