The Uninvited
Registered by 
perryfran
of Elk Grove, California USA on 6/21/2021
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
perryfran of Elk Grove, California USA on 6/21/2021 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
2 journalers for this copy...
Older hardcopy that I found at a used bookstore several years ago.
Brother and sister Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald flee their busy London lives for the beautiful but stormy Devon coastline. They are drawn to the suspiciously inexpensive Cliff End, feared amongst locals as a place of disturbance and ill omen. Gradually, the Fitzgeralds learn of the mysterious deaths of Mary Meredith and another strange young woman. Together, they must unravel the mystery of Cliff End's uncanny past - and keep the troubled young Stella, who was raised in the house as a baby, from returning to the nursery where something waits to tuck her in at night... The second in Tramp's Recovered Voices series, this strange, bone-chilling story was first published in 1942, and was adapted for the screen as one of Hollywood's most successful ghost stories, The Uninvited, in 1944.
Brother and sister Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald flee their busy London lives for the beautiful but stormy Devon coastline. They are drawn to the suspiciously inexpensive Cliff End, feared amongst locals as a place of disturbance and ill omen. Gradually, the Fitzgeralds learn of the mysterious deaths of Mary Meredith and another strange young woman. Together, they must unravel the mystery of Cliff End's uncanny past - and keep the troubled young Stella, who was raised in the house as a baby, from returning to the nursery where something waits to tuck her in at night... The second in Tramp's Recovered Voices series, this strange, bone-chilling story was first published in 1942, and was adapted for the screen as one of Hollywood's most successful ghost stories, The Uninvited, in 1944.
I've had this older hardcopy edition of The Uninvited for several years. I remember finding it at a used bookstore in Maryland and bought it solely because I remembered enjoying the 1944 movie version starring Ray Milland and Gail Russell.
I really didn't remember too much about the movie...I probably last saw it over 20 years ago...but reading the book did bring back some of its plot and details. The story is about a brother and sister, Roderick and Pamela, who happen upon an old house in the cliffs of Devon, England sometime before WWII (the novel was first published in 1942). The house is called Cliff End and it has been unoccupied for several years. After meeting with the owner, an old curmudgeon, they are able to buy the house at a cheap price, but the owner did warn them of some disturbances there. The granddaughter of the owner, Stella, has some unappealing ties to the house. Her mother died there when she was only three and she may have been murdered. There are stories surrounding the house of Stella's father and his mistress from Spain, named Carmel, along with his wife, Mary. Well it turns out that the house is haunted by the spirits of both Mary and Carmel but what really happened to them when Stella was young and why are they haunting the house?
This was basically a good old-fashioned ghost story complete with seances using a glass and cards for divination (a precursor to the Ouija Board?), possible possession and exorcism, and an evil ghost that causes cold when it is present. Overall, I enjoyed this for what it is even though the writing was definitely dated. I now need to seek out and rewatch the movie version to see how they compare.
I really didn't remember too much about the movie...I probably last saw it over 20 years ago...but reading the book did bring back some of its plot and details. The story is about a brother and sister, Roderick and Pamela, who happen upon an old house in the cliffs of Devon, England sometime before WWII (the novel was first published in 1942). The house is called Cliff End and it has been unoccupied for several years. After meeting with the owner, an old curmudgeon, they are able to buy the house at a cheap price, but the owner did warn them of some disturbances there. The granddaughter of the owner, Stella, has some unappealing ties to the house. Her mother died there when she was only three and she may have been murdered. There are stories surrounding the house of Stella's father and his mistress from Spain, named Carmel, along with his wife, Mary. Well it turns out that the house is haunted by the spirits of both Mary and Carmel but what really happened to them when Stella was young and why are they haunting the house?
This was basically a good old-fashioned ghost story complete with seances using a glass and cards for divination (a precursor to the Ouija Board?), possible possession and exorcism, and an evil ghost that causes cold when it is present. Overall, I enjoyed this for what it is even though the writing was definitely dated. I now need to seek out and rewatch the movie version to see how they compare.
Journal Entry 3 by perryfran at Wishlist Tag Game , A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Friday, June 25, 2021
perryfran at Wishlist Tag Game , A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Friday, June 25, 2021
The book arrived safely today; many thanks! It's in very good shape for a 1942 edition. I recall the haunting film quite well, and look forward to comparing the book to the movie.
Later: A very enjoyable read, with the story showing that the film adaptation was pretty faithful in tone and details. The story is presented as being told by Roderick himself, in the form of a book written at the urging of his friend Garry. As Roderick and his sister Pamela stumble across the remote but lovely Cliff End and begin to establish a home there, they also make the acquaintance of several neighbors - with some romantic attachments beginning to blossom, though that's not the primary focus of the story. The details of the haunting are subtle at first, and become confusing to the characters as the story unfolds - turns out there's more behind it than they imagined, but eventually all comes clear.
The tone of story is often quite light-hearted; Roderick's voice seems to be a pleasant, optimistic, sometimes snarky one, and I enjoyed his little asides. There are entertaining scenes involving friends of Roderick and Pamela's, who bring their own issues and reactions to the story. And of course the whole thing, creepy atmosphere and old tragedies and family secrets and all, resolves to a highly satisfactory ending!
[There's a TV Tropes page on the 1944 film, with some references to the novel as well.]
Later: A very enjoyable read, with the story showing that the film adaptation was pretty faithful in tone and details. The story is presented as being told by Roderick himself, in the form of a book written at the urging of his friend Garry. As Roderick and his sister Pamela stumble across the remote but lovely Cliff End and begin to establish a home there, they also make the acquaintance of several neighbors - with some romantic attachments beginning to blossom, though that's not the primary focus of the story. The details of the haunting are subtle at first, and become confusing to the characters as the story unfolds - turns out there's more behind it than they imagined, but eventually all comes clear.
The tone of story is often quite light-hearted; Roderick's voice seems to be a pleasant, optimistic, sometimes snarky one, and I enjoyed his little asides. There are entertaining scenes involving friends of Roderick and Pamela's, who bring their own issues and reactions to the story. And of course the whole thing, creepy atmosphere and old tragedies and family secrets and all, resolves to a highly satisfactory ending!
[There's a TV Tropes page on the 1944 film, with some references to the novel as well.]
Journal Entry 5 by 
GoryDetails
at Little Free Library, 646 DW Hwy in Merrimack, New Hampshire USA on Monday, January 17, 2022
GoryDetails at Little Free Library, 646 DW Hwy in Merrimack, New Hampshire USA on Monday, January 17, 2022
Released 2 yrs ago (1/17/2022 UTC) at Little Free Library, 646 DW Hwy in Merrimack, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!
[See other recent releases in NH here.]
*** Released for the 2022 Movie challenge. ***
*** Released for the 2022 Keep Them Moving challenge. ***
