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    The Lantern: A Novel
    The Lantern: A Novel
    The Lantern: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Lantern: A Novel

    Written by Deborah Lawrenson

    Narrated by Kristine Ryan and Gerianne Raphael

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Set in the lush countryside of Provence, Deborah Lawrenson’s The Lantern is an atmospheric modern gothic tale of love, suspicion, and murder, in the tradition of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Drawn to a wealthy older man, Eve embarks on a whirlwind romance that soon offers a new life and a new home—Les Genévriers, a charming hamlet amid the fragrant lavender fields of Provence. But Eve finds it impossible to ignore the mysteries that haunt both her lover and the run-down old house. The more reluctant Dom is to tell her about his past, the more she is drawn to it—and to the mysterious disappearance of his beautiful ex-wife. An evocative tale of romantic and psychological suspense, The Lantern masterfully melds past and present, secrets and lies, appearances and disappearances—along with our age-old fear of the dark.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 9, 2011
    ISBN9780062099877
    The Lantern: A Novel
    Author

    Deborah Lawrenson

    Deborah Lawrenson studied English at Cambridge University and worked as a journalist in London. She is married with a daughter, and lives in Kent, England. Deborah’s previous novels include The Lantern and The Sea Garden.

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    Reviews for The Lantern

    3.5/5

    222 ratings43 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Although Lawrenson has a heavy hand with foreshadowing, nothing is as it seems; not even the main character's name. An intriguing book.
    • 3/5
      too long rambling on, sometimes not much connection between chapters, I thought it was an ok listen
    • 3/5
      A story interweaving a story of a modern couple who are having their own problems, and a narration of a story by one of the previous owners of the house in Provence that they have just brought. There are plenty of secrets - between Dom and Eve, between Marthe and her sister Benedicte. Much of the tension is about Dom being secretive about his previous wife Rachel who has disappeared off the scene. Eve keeps finding indications that Rachel has been in Provence before and Dom's refusal to talk about it just makes matters worse. Near the end of the book Eve discovers that she's pregnant. However, apart from the discovery and a little morning sickness, that's it. Eve doesnt discuss it with Dom, even when she must have been showing, it doesnt come up in the epilogue etc. which is all a little disappointing. Why mention it in the first place if it wasnt going to go anywhere? Even if it to all end happily?
    • 4/5
      When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom, their whirlwind relationship leads them to purchase Les Genevriers, an abandoned house in a rural hamlet in the south of France. As the beautiful Provence summer turns to autumn, Eve finds it impossible to ignore the mysteries that haunt both her lover and the run-down old house, in particular the mysterious disappearance of his beautiful first wife, Rachel. Whilst Eve tries to untangle the secrets surrounding Rachel's last recorded days, Les Genevriers itself seems to come alive. As strange events begin to occur with frightening regularity, Eve's voice becomes intertwined with that of Benedicte Lincel, a girl who lived in the house decades before. As the tangled skeins of the house's history begin to unravel, the tension grows between Dom and Eve. In a page-turning race, Eve must fight to discover the fates of both Benedicte and Rachel, before Les Genevriers' dark history has a chance to repeat itself.My Thoughts:This book was a pleasure to read. It is the type of comfort book that I love to get right deep into and curl up. Dark old rambling houses, family secrets and twists and turns.I did find myself being reminded of ‘Rebecca’ when I was reading this book and as part of it was very similar. Just like in’Rebecca’ we never find out the narrator’s real name, just that Dom called her Eve. Also there is a former wife who we never meet but is strong character in the book. Sometimes I think we have a lot to thank ‘Rebecca’ for.A duel story that does come together at the end and a very pleasant read indeed. I did feel that I wanted strongly to pick up the book to see where it was going and was sorry to finish it as I was leaving the charaters behind.I highly recommend this book for the dark evenings that are now upon us. Just perfect!
    • 2/5
      A retelling of Rebecca, with a separate story intertwined. I feel as though the book would have been stronger without the subplot, and it was hard for me to sympathize with the main character.
    • 5/5
      I love this author's voice, she is a very fresh breath of air. The novel was set in France, and it took me on a long, wonderful journey through the countryside. I thought I knew where the story was going, and it kept changing things up, which I loved. I cannot wait for another novel from this author, she's amazing. please take a chance, and read it soon!
    • 4/5
      A gothic novel set in Provence that mirrors du Maurier's Rebecca. This first-time author is a master at writing vivid descriptions of the sights and smells of Provence thru all four seasons. There are two alternating narrators, both with compelling stories that intertwine. There are 2 nasty animal abuse scenes I did not read, but they were true to character development, just skip them. There is some fun decorating/renovating stuff that I loved to ice the cake.
    • 3/5
      Switching between past and present was clumsy at first and I had a hard time understanding what Eve saw in Dom at all. I did enjoy the mystery, but I'm not exactly satisfied with how it all concluded. I'd still like to read more from this author. She did have some beautiful phrases and again, I liked the mystery from the past.
    • 2/5
      I should have stopped reading this book after I got to page 100 and was already irritated with it. The animal cruelty didn't need to happen, except that maybe it was showing that Pierre really was capable of murder. The thing that really ticked me off about this book and it ticks me off with EVERY book that does this. There were technically two stories in this book. One in the present and one in the past by over 50 years. While reading, you didn't know the story had switched, you didn't know who the voice was from since it was all written in the first person and you didn't know which person was talking. The chapters were really short so when you were getting used to one narrator a different one popped up. I want to be absorbed into the story, not work at figuring out who the narrator is. Start the chapter with a name or something to let the reader know. Some people will enjoy this book so because of that I gave it 2 stars. But I wish I hadn't wasted my time on it. I did like the cover artwork.
    • 4/5
      Initially, I had some difficulty getting into this contemporary Gothic novel with its alternating story line; but soon the pieces fell into place as I settled in for an enjoyable mystery. When vacationing Eve meets the secretive and mysterious Dominic in Switzerland and their whirlwind romance leads them to purchase Les Genevriers, a secluded farmhouse near the lavender fields in the South of France countryside. Dom reluctance to marry Eve appears to be connected to the reasons behind his divorce to Rachel, his previous wife, a relationship that Dom refuses to talk about to Eve. The longer that Eve lives at the farmhouse, the more the bright sunny region is subsumed by the ever oppressing, dark and foreboding farmhouse life with Dom. Additionally, she discovers that the farmhouse was previously owned by the Lincels, a family with its own secrets and evil deeds. The setting becomes a character in its own right through the author's skilled descriptive prose.
    • 4/5
      I love gothic tales so when I stumbles across this one - with is captivating cover and an author quote that it is "Reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's classic [Rebecca]" - I figured this would be a good rainy day kind of read. The story has a slow build to it - at times, a painfully slow build - and Lawrenson's use of pronouns when she shifts the story narration from Eve in the present to Benedicte in the past left me in a bit of a muddle at times with the story and its overall direction. It seemed to just ebb and swirl, dancing around a mystery of mysteries not to be named or openly discussed. That was frustrating, at least for the first 2/3 of the book. Yes, it drags the reader around that long. Lawrenson spends a lot of time describing the story thorough the olfactory senses, which works well for the perfume angle of the story but seems a bit much when she is setting the scene or building the atmosphere of the story. What did work was the last 1/3 of the story and it worked so well that I am willing to forgive Lawrenson the slow, meandering build that it took to get us there. Sometimes, the view at the top of the hill is worth all of the struggle and effort to climb the hill to see it. Lawrenson shows promise with this debut novel for writing an atmospheric, gothic tale that creeps up on you. I still don't see the [Rebecca] angle but since I wasn't a big fan of [Rebecca] as a spellbinding gothic story, that reflects positively on this story by Lawrenson. Overall, a slow build that takes a level of concentration to stay on top of the rapid shifting points of view while you collect the pieces of the mystery, but the ending does reward you for persevering.
    • 3/5
      Wonderful descriptions of Provence, the deep scents of lavender, sage, rosemary, lush fruit, along with the heat, the sun, the winds, the blue or stormy sky. The story took a back seat to feel of the place for me, but those senses were worth reading the book. Every time I put it down I was surprised to find that I wasn't sunburned.
    • 2/5
      I had read a few reviews that compared this book with Rebecca which is one of my favorite books. There were some small similarities which appeared to be intentional since she made reference to the novel Rebecca. The Lantern wanted to be a great gothic novel but was really just average.
    • 2/5
      this was a good spooky ghost story, but I'm just not the gothic, setting-orientated reader. I tend to skim large paragraphs of information, which also tends to get in the way of the author setting the mood.
    • 4/5
      Though slow to start, once The Lantern gets going it is a fabulous gothic read that lands firmly in the territory of Jane Eyre and Rebecca, but with its own rich mystery drawing on the history and life in the French countryside. Lawrenson’s luscious prose skillfully builds tension throughout the novel and her heroine, Eve, is the perfect mix of naiveté and young woman struggling to navigate a world that is just a bit too sophisticated for her to grasp.
    • 3/5
      I didn't like this as much as I wanted to.
    • 3/5
      Pretty well written, I found myself pulled into this story, only to find myself pulled out time and time again. This book had mediocre characters and, at times, the storyline seemed to jump along and become stilted. It did pick up towards the end and it did make me think throughout. All in all a pleasant read.
    • 3/5
      I agree with bookworm. I liked this book...and I didn't like it. The stories were interesting enough to hold my attention, to a point, although I had pretty much figured it out by mid-book. The stories themselves were interesting and the descriptions were outstanding. I really enjoyed her writing and would probably try another of her books.
    • 4/5
      Eve is swept off of her feet by the older Dom, and before she knows it she is following him to Les Genevriers, an old abandoned house in a small hamlet in the south of France. At first all is wonderful as they fix up the home, but soon the ghosts from the past creep in to come between them.Throughout this book, one word kept going through my mind: lush. Humid, dank, and dense through much of it, but lush throughout!The setting is very important to the storyline. This story is all about ghosts and the past, and you really need the antiquity of the buildings and landscape, and the old local legends and myths to create this haunting atmosphere.The atmosphere really ties into the story. I believe that the environment should be warm and arid, taking place in France, which I don’t believe is known for high humidity. And yet the feeling that I kept getting throughout this story was “lush” and humid, dripping and cloying. It was really a contrast to the true atmosphere of the setting. It set the relationship between Dom and Eve. When things were going well between them, the air would be light, warm, the plant life in bloom. Then the sky would get overcast, the plants dormant, rains falling. When the weather would turn and everything would be gray and miserable, the mood would likewise change between Dom and Eve.This is a story for the senses. It's the movement of shadow, the twist in the light, the way the breeze feels as it hits your skin. There's an oppressiveness in the air that bears down on you. But more than anything it is the sense of smell that drives the story. Vanilla, lavender, citrus and almond-- the sense of smell is important to this storyline, which hosts scenes from the youth of a blind woman who became a perfume-maker, and you are drawn in to how it was to be her and living through your sense of smell.I enjoyed this story. I felt that the "main" characters of Dom and Eve lacked some development and were actually secondary to the ghosts of Benedicte, Marthe, Pierre and the rest. It was the ghostly glimpses into the past that kept me intrigued. I loved how expressive the author could be, and her writing could really pull me in. My final word: Part love story, part ghost story, part mystery and suspense, this is a leisurely jaunt through the past. Some have expressed annoyance at how similar Lawrenson's writing is to that of Daphne du Maurier. Since I haven't yet read any of du Maurier's work, I can't really speak to that, and did not have any similar annoyances. I found Lawrenson's writing beautifully descriptive without being overly done, and it really drew me in to the sights, smells and sensations of the surrounding environment. The book left me a little melancholy, but all-in-all hopeful for the future of the characters, and I was left wanting to read more from author Deborah Lawrenson.
    • 3/5
      In comparison to the likes of the classics or even the more modern Thirteenth Tale or Kate Morton novels, the Latern is a less than entralling gothic novel. It centers around two stories. The first is of a modern day woman who has moved to France with the love of her life - who may or may not be a murderer. The second is the life story of a woman who feels guilt over the mysterious happenings centered around her family. The Lantern uses the standard cliques, including a mysteriously absent wife, a sociopathic brother, and a heap of unexplained ghost sightings. I enjoyed the novel for what it was, but I would have liked it to be a bit more surprising. The ending feels forced and a bit corny. I was never shocked during this novel or even mildly surprised. I like to be surprised in this sort of book, but the author failed to make the twists all that interesting. Also, the book was told in first person from two points of view, but the author failed to make either of the voices stand out. The characters, in general, were unexciting and vague. The plot and mysteries were the main focus but unfortunately, they were almost as unexciting as the characters. I wanted to like this book, but in the end, I felt let down. I would recommend rereading the Thirteenth Tale or the Monk instead of cracking the pages of this lackluster novel.
    • 4/5
      The Lantern is a Gothic tale of Provence set in a looming old house complete with a moody and mysterious resident and a ghost. Eve and her boyfriend Dom purchase the atmospheric and remote Les Genevrieres, but once they move in their relationship seems to disintegrate. Dom refuses to talk about his previous marriage and becomes more and more isolated. Mysterious objects appear and disappear in the house. Then, when digging a new pool, builders find the bodies of two women on their property. Eve has no idea what relationship these bones might have to her boyfriend and his former wife, or to a college student who has recently gone missing from the area. At the same time as Eve and Dom try to live with each other and their house, the book tells the story of the house's former residents, a blind perfumier and her sister. This book is full of beautiful descriptions of Provence, both in the well-known, sunny summers that produce the lavender harvest and in the colder, more desolate winters. Lawrenson does an excellent job of creating a suitably creepy atmosphere. I enjoyed the two stories she told, though I sometimes found Eve's naivete hard to believe- buying a house with a guy who literally will not say anything about his past is probably not the best idea.
    • 4/5
      I wanted to read this book the moment I heard about it. It was supposedly a take on Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and I fully adored that book. Love, love, loved it. I waited though but read every review of it I could, spoilers and all. When I finally gave it, I read it in almost one sitting. I couldn’t put it down.Eve, a translator working in Switzerland, falls for a man named Dom. Their whirlwind relationship lands them in Provence at a small abandoned house called St. Genévriers in the south of France. They’re in love with each other and with the little house they bought. Dom, having sold a successful business, has money and it makes for a quiet, easy life. They get lost in restoring the now run-down little hamlet to its former glory. What they didn’t count on was a devastating secret coming back to haunt them.This book moves between the past and the present but never falters in atmosphere. The setting, strewn with lavender fields and dark secrets, is wonderfully evocative. Lawrenson drops you in those fields, describing each and every petal almost. I worried in the beginning that I would tire of her descriptions but I didn’t. Every setting comes with a tactile feeling --- gritty, dust falling from a ceiling, a rough wall, the soft petals of a flower. I fell in love with it and I have a thing for French settings which I know made this an easy sell for me.The relationship between Eve and Dom isn’t so open and easy though. Dom has a secret he refuses to share for all of Eve’s prodding. It casts a pall on their happy life which Dom seems fine with. Eve begins to harp on it and can’t let go. When everything is finally revealed, the secret, while devastating, doesn’t destroy them even if the life they thought they had has now disappeared. An enchanting, gothic tale it is but it’s not Rebecca. I don’t think anything will live up to that book for me, and in a way, I think it’s unfair to position this book as a re-telling of that story. While a few elements will remind you of du Maurier, this isn’t the same story. When I started this book, I did remind myself on almost every page not to compare it to Rebecca and that didn’t happen past the first few chapters. The comparisons didn’t change my opinion of this book either. It was good. It stood on its own. Comparisons be damned.The Lantern is a story of people looking to be loved and finding happiness and fulfillment in lives full of sadness. It moves at a slow pace but feels as though it has an ending and will come to some sort of resolution, happy or not. Everything is solved and the explanations are not always simple ones, but they have meaning and purpose for the characters which I can appreciate even if I felt some things were left too easily. This was my first book of 2012 and I have to say it started my year off pretty well.
    • 4/5
      Engaging story and characters, set in Italy.
    • 3/5
      Dom and Eve have a whirlwind romance and end up buying a run down property in Provence called Les Genevriers. Dom is a secretive man and Eve struggles to get much out of him, including what happened to his ex-wife, Rachel. Running alongside this story is that of Benedicte Lancel, the former occupier of the property for many years, along with her family for some of that time. I think I must have missed something with this book. I was very keen to read it for a number of reasons, mainly that I liked The Art of Falling by the same author, and also because I love dual time frame novels. However, for me, the two stories were not clearly delineated and although I mostly knew whose story I was reading at any one time, I would have liked it to be made a bit clearer, maybe with a date or a different font. I was reading a proof copy, so this may well have happened in the finished version.Also, the stories meandered quite a lot, they didn't really flow and the book as a whole was overly descriptive to the point where I was crying out for some decent dialogue. It's a nice enough book, and clearly the author loves the region of Provence in France, but it kind of left me feeling that this could have been a much better book had it had a tighter pair of storylines.
    • 4/5
      The Lantern is a modern gothic ghost story set in an old farmhouse in the South of France. The story is told from two points of view: Eve, who currently lives in the house and Bénédicte, the former owner who resided there years ago.Eve has recently moved into the house with Dom, a man she is madly in love with but whom she knows little about. At first Eve is enchanted by the house and the beautiful grounds but in time she begins to fear the house is haunted and that Dom is keeping horrible secrets from her. In alternating chapters Bénédicte tells her story of living in the house decades ago with her family and the tragedy that surrounded them.I liked the use of two first person narrators and could feel the story taking place in both the past and the present. Bénédicte’s story in the past was the stronger of the two tales. A gothic just seems to work better in the past. Maybe I watch too much CSI but if I were Eve I’d have done some background checks on Dom rather than just obsessing about what he might be hiding. In Bénédicte’s time when someone went missing they were often missing forever. Her story was more believable. In the end, the two stories began to converge as the mysteries are solved.This a nicely written, entertaining story but not very ghostly and not too suspenseful. It’s dark and moody and haunting but I did not find it riveting. I listened to the audio and initially had a little difficulty with the French/English accent of the narrator who portrayed Eve. This probably says more about my lack of familiarity with French pronunciation than the narrator, and after a while I didn’t have to skip back and listen to words a second time. The narrator who did Bénédicte also had a French accent but was easier to understand. Despite my initial problems with the accents, I’m glad I listened rather read the book. The descriptive imagery was pleasant to hear but it might have become tiresome to read and then I would have ended up skimming over some beautiful passages.The Lantern was one of my choices for the R.I.P. Challenge. While this wasn’t a creepy or scary book it was a good choice for the season and a book I would recommend.
    • 4/5
      Article first published as Book Review: The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson on Blogcritics. Long term relationships need trust and communication to continue growing. Secrets and small lies by omission can create thoughts of the worst kind, and can change the dynamic of a relationship.In The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson, we are transported to the provincial countryside, and ensconced into the old and beautiful Les Genevriers, a turn of the century farms house. Eve is enchanted with her budding romantic relationship with an older man of means. Dom is kind and caring, full of charm and as their love grows, she finds a happiness she did not expect existed. Finding and moving to this beautiful home is an experience of dreamlike proportions. The romance fills her and she slowly loses contact with her family and friends. She needs only Dom to fill her needs. He is encouraging and loving suggesting she take this time to work on a project she loves, writing. His suggestion meets with more approval as she becomes more deeply entranced with him.Exploring and setting about repairs on this beautiful old home becomes an adventure as they find hidden rooms and small treasures. As they explore the here and now, we are also being given a glimpse into the life of the prior owner of the home, Benedicte Lincel, a young woman who leads a life of beauty due to the area she lives, and yet endures much heartbreak and tragedy. The stories are told conjointly and yet separately.As eve ventures into the writing arena she meets many of the townspeople. As she continues in her attempts, she begins to stumble on questions about the man she loves. He seems to be known in the area, yet he attempts to hide the fact. As she begins to ask questions she is only met with silence or even worse, refusal of discussion. As her perfect life begins to erode, a body is found on the property, causing further damage to their once idyllic days. And even as Eve tries to dig further, she begins to see a woman in the gardens, and smell enchanting smells that draw her. Has Dom become a stranger to her, or did she ever really know him? Is her life in danger, and who is the strange woman in her garden?Lawrenson has weaved an intricate tale of life and love. As you follow Eve on her journey, you also find a ghostly presence of Benedicte as she lives her life in the same home, yet on a different plane of existence. As you read and if you have any sensitivity to those who have gone before, you can feel the faint shadowing of the two different time lines interconnecting in a strange and fascinating way. Almost like the shadowy presence of the lives of those who lived before and yet being enacted even as Eve tries to understand the life she is now leading, which has become shrouded in danger. Full of lies and secrets, it almost seems as though her pain draws those from the past to the present, as young Benedicte too meets her demons.The characters and enhancements are well done, and the mystery draws you in, pulling you into a strange and eerie world where secrets and lies have damaged the lives of those who want nothing more than happiness. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to the light romance fan, as well as those who enjoy suspense. While somewhat historical, it lacks the actual historical education involved in many fictions, although the light sprinkling of history is certainly interesting. This would be a great find for a book club or reading group. The questions engendered would create some interesting dialogue on what we need to know about the past of those close to us. This would be an interesting book for discussion.This book was received free from the the publisher. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
    • 4/5
      I think that comparisons to Rebecca are unavoidable, there are the similarities, our heroine whose name may or may not be “Eve” is with a man who won’t talk about his ex-wife is she alive, dead or just missing, Eve needs to know but will the truth be something she can handle. Then there is the story of Benedicte her brother Pierre and her sister Marta who is a blind , they lived in the house that Eve & Dom are now living in. There are a few different mysteries going on in this book plus a bit of a ghost story.This book started out a little slow for me and really didn’t grab me until half way in, I did like the gothic feel and the reveal of all the different secrets well most of the secrets I’m still confused how the murders of the young women in the present fit in with the story.I liked this book however there was just something that didn’t quite click I can’t out my finger on it. I would however say to give it a try it is a good book if you like Daphne DuMaurier or Kate Morton give this book a try. I listened to this one on audio narrated by, Gerrianne Raphael, Kristine Ryan who are new to me and did a good job though at times the French accents got a little thick.3 ½ Stars
    • 1/5
      I tried to get through this book, I really did. I had heard great things about it and was looking forward to reading it.But it just went so slow. I kept putting it down and picking it up again and having to reread pages. It certainly had potential but the plot just did not move. I wasn't able to engage with the characters quick enough for me to want to stay with the book despite it's slow pace. After about a month of this, I finally gave up. I hate to give up on a book unless the writing is bad but I just as if it wasn't going anywhere. I would not receommend this book.
    • 3/5
      The LanternDeborah LawrensonI purchased, The Lantern in a rush of other acquisitions. I read it first. I confess that I read it because it was likened to Daphne Du Maurier. I love Rebecca and I feel the pull of that novel as I sit down and write about The Lantern.I was disappointed. I was disappointed in myself for buying the book because it was likened to Daphne Du Maurier. I set myself up to be disappointed. Good lesson for me actually. Read the cover and buy it or set it down and shame on the publicist for comparing writers and playing on a reader’s weak spot. I love a love story, I truly do. I love mystery, intrigue and I love a puzzle. The Lantern supplied all of that but I felt that the language was more the goal of the author than the story line’s importance. Indeed the prologue started out very inspiring but just short of its mark. “Scents,” do not “sparkle,” however they do “make time stand still.” So there was a give and take in the language or style but the story line was predictable. Perhaps we have become too dull and too exposed to the violent for any story line to grab us, to shake us to our core. I certainly appreciate this novel’s attempt and I certainly hope that the author brings more of her writing – there is promise here. A promise that perhaps skill can be pushed and that a mystery can still be produced in quiet, soft prose so that the story line itself is a rush of adrenaline, a gasp of revelation, in a quiet whisper. Not an easy undertaking but there is a start here.
    • 5/5
      Rich with description, this is not a book to be rushed; it is to be slowly savored. Reading The Lantern is like being immersed in a Alfred Hitchcock movie, a psychological mystery dark with secrets and evil undercurrents. There are 2 interwoven stories being told: Dom and Eve who buy a decaying farmhouse in Provence and begin restoring it and the other is the history of the family who once lived there; as seen through the eyes of one of the daughters, Benedictine. Dom and Eve are newly in love and are content to isolate themselves on the land, enjoying each other and the quiet which gives them time to indulge their talents; his as a musician and hers as a writer. As the year progresses and their relationship deepens, Eve begins to wonder why Dom won’t share his past with her. A chance meeting with a woman in town brings another level of mystery about Dom’s past and the questionable history of the farm.The depth of the atmosphere Deborah Lawrenson created is almost a character in its self—the house as a living being. I read it at the end of the summer—during a muggy thunder and lightening storm that kept knocking out the electricity; my own experience pulling me deeply into their story and adding another layer of tension. Read an Advanced Reader Edition through Amazon Vine. Excellent 5 stars.