13 April 2017

Gothic & Ghostly | The Widow's House by Carol Goodman

ABOUT THE BOOK

This chilling novel from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Lake of Dead Languages blends the gothic allure of Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca and the crazed undertones of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper with the twisty, contemporary edge of A.S.A. Harrison’s The Silent Wife—a harrowing tale of psychological suspense set in New York’s Hudson Valley.

When Jess and Clare Martin move from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to their former college town in the Hudson River valley, they are hoping for rejuvenation—of their marriage, their savings, and Jess's writing career. 

They take a caretaker's job at Riven House, a crumbling estate and the home of their old college writing professor. While Clare once had dreams of being a writer, those plans fell by the wayside when Jess made a big, splashy literary debut in their twenties. It's been years, now, since his first novel. The advance has long been spent. Clare's hope is that the pastoral beauty and nostalgia of the Hudson Valley will offer some inspiration.

But their new life isn't all quaint town libraries and fragrant apple orchards. There is a haunting pall that hangs over Riven House like a funeral veil. Something is just not right. Soon, Clare begins to hear babies crying at night, see strange figures in fog at the edge of their property. Diving into the history of the area, she realizes that Riven House has a dark and anguished past. And whatever this thing is—this menacing force that destroys the inhabitants of the estate—it seems to be after Clare next…


MY REVIEW

Carol Goodman tells a gothic and ghostly story in her latest novel, The Widow’s House. With plenty of mystery, suspense, and psychological twists, it’s a compelling and thrilling read from start to finish.

Returning to her hometown with the hope of writing inspiration, Clare Martin and her husband easily settle into their roles as the caretakers of an old house with a tragic history. Soon, though, she begins to discover one unsettlingly secret after another—about the house and about her past—as strange occurrences reinforce her eerie discoveries. Jealousy, murder, madness, ghosts… The more Clare untangles the knot of secrets, the less clear the truth of it all appears.

Page after page of this dark, suspenseful, and atmospheric book kept me unsure of which character to trust and what surprise would come next, and I enjoyed it. Fans of ghostly thrillers will not be disappointed reading The Widow’s House—I recommend it.

★★★★

Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I received a complimentary copy of The Widow’s House and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carol Goodman is the critically acclaimed author of fourteen novels, including The Lake of Dead Languages and The Seduction of Water, which won the 2003 Hammett Prize. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family, and teaches writing and literature at the New School and SUNY New Paltz.

Connect with Carol on Facebook.

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