This House is Haunted by John Boyne ~ Started: 01.01.15 ~ Finished: 04.01.15
Name of Book: This House is Haunted
Title of Book: John Boyne
Edition: Kindle
ASIN: B00BUB5DPK
Number of Pages: 301
Synopsis ~
1866, London. As Charles Dickens takes to a London stage on a foggy Autumn night to read from his ghost stories, Eliza Caine and her father settle into their seats. A huge admirer of the novelist, Mr Caine has insisted on attending, despite his worsening cold. Returning home, a fever hits him and within 24 hours he is dead, leaving Eliza alone in the world. A teacher by trade, Eliza notices an advertisement for a governess position at Gaudlin Hall in Norfolk.
Deciding that she needs to start over, she applies for and is offered the job. Arriving at Thorpe station she is almost pushed beneath a train but is saved by two villagers who, although initially friendly, become quiet and uneasy when she mentions the position she has accepted. Arriving at Gaudlin, Eliza meets the two children in her care, Isabella and Eustace. To her surprise, they appear to live there alone. There are no parents, no adults at all, and no one to represent her employer. The children, however, seem to expect her and show her to her room. From the night she arrives a series of disturbing incidents take place, each one of which threatens her life, and slowly Eliza begins to believe that this house is haunted. A solicitor in the village reveals some of the secrets of Gaudlin to her, others she must discover for herself.
The action takes us from a London classroom to a Norfolk grand estate, and from a small Spanish town to a graveyard in Great Yarmouth. Elizabeth refuses to be frightened away from her position; if she is to survive Maudlin and save the children, then she must take on the ghost herself.
'This House is Haunted' is the story of Eliza Caine, a 21 year old schoolteacher raised by her father following the sudden death of her mother. Eliza has had a somewhat sheltered childhood and depends on her father. Eliza's life changes with her father's untimely death following his attendance at a reading by Charles Dickens.
Suffering from grief, Eliza decides she needs a change from the life she has always known and applies for a position as a Governess at Gaudlin House, as soon as Eliza arrives at the train station to begin her journey to Gaudlin, she is pushed in front of a oncoming train, it's the quick thinking of the local doctor which saves Eliza.
Eliza begins her stay at Gaudlin House but as she quickly discovers there is something wrong , there is a unseen presence at Gaudlin House and it seems to be targeting Eliza.
What I thought of 'This House is Haunted ~
I did enjoy 'This House is Haunted' in many ways, the story was interesting, it did engage me and I did want to find out how it would end. However, I found myself not connecting to the main character/narrator Eliza Caine at all, she was likeable and I felt that she coped with what was happening to her as well as could be expected but the majority of the conversations she had seem to lead to her 'throwing her hands in the air' but in all fairness she had a good reason.
The children of the story Isabella & Eustace were stronger characters especially Isabella, who is a very confident girl who intimidates Eliza, while Eustace is confused by all the changes in his life and wants to be loved.
The intensity of the story is good to read as secrets are revealed and Eliza faces the unknown.
Parts of the story reminded me of 'The Turn of the Screw' by Henry James which did not put me off as much as I thought it would, 'The Turn of the Screw' is a stronger story.
The ending was expected and slightly disappointing.
All in all, a decent ghost story.
Rating: 3/5
