| The Good House Author: Tananarive Due Genre: Horror Publisher: Recorded Books Release Date: July 9, 2004 Audiobook: 21 hours and 37 minutes Narrator: Robin Miles Source: Purchased from Audible.com Buy the Book: Amazon |
Book Description
From the American Book Award winner and
author of "one of the most talked about debuts in the horror field since
the advent of Stephen King" (Publishers Weekly) comes a
terrifying story of supernatural suspense, as a woman searches for the
inherited power that can save her hometown from evil forces.
Tananarive Due's first three novels gained her legions of dedicated fans who recognize a true master of the genre. Now she returns with her best yet -- a chilling story set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. The house Angela Toussaint's late grandmother owned is so beloved that townspeople in Sacajawea, Washington, call it the Good House. But is it?
Angela hoped her grandmother's famous "healing magic" could save her failing marriage while she and her family lived in the old house the summer of 2001. Instead, an unexpected tragedy ripped Angela's family apart.
Now, two years later, Angela is moving past her grief and taking control of her life as a talent agent in Los Angeles, and she is finally ready to revisit the rural house she loved so much as a child. Back in Sacajawea, Angela realizes she hasn't been the only one to suffer a shocking loss. Since she left, there have been more senseless tragedies, and Angela wonders if they are related somehow. Could the events be linked to a terrifying entity Angela's grandmother battled in 1929? Did her teenage son, Corey, reawaken something that should have been left sleeping?
With the help of Myles Fisher, her high school boyfriend, and clues from beyond the grave, Angela races to solve a deadly puzzle that has followed her family for generations. She must summon her own hidden gifts to face the timeless adversary stalking her in her grandmother's house -- and in the Washington woods.
Tananarive Due's first three novels gained her legions of dedicated fans who recognize a true master of the genre. Now she returns with her best yet -- a chilling story set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. The house Angela Toussaint's late grandmother owned is so beloved that townspeople in Sacajawea, Washington, call it the Good House. But is it?
Angela hoped her grandmother's famous "healing magic" could save her failing marriage while she and her family lived in the old house the summer of 2001. Instead, an unexpected tragedy ripped Angela's family apart.
Now, two years later, Angela is moving past her grief and taking control of her life as a talent agent in Los Angeles, and she is finally ready to revisit the rural house she loved so much as a child. Back in Sacajawea, Angela realizes she hasn't been the only one to suffer a shocking loss. Since she left, there have been more senseless tragedies, and Angela wonders if they are related somehow. Could the events be linked to a terrifying entity Angela's grandmother battled in 1929? Did her teenage son, Corey, reawaken something that should have been left sleeping?
With the help of Myles Fisher, her high school boyfriend, and clues from beyond the grave, Angela races to solve a deadly puzzle that has followed her family for generations. She must summon her own hidden gifts to face the timeless adversary stalking her in her grandmother's house -- and in the Washington woods.
Review
I purchased this book awhile ago solely based on the author who I love and the price. It was on sale for $9.00. But it sat on my bookshelf a long while. Maybe a year? Well that is not the important part of this review. I started reading this mega paperback book (496 pages) and I could not move very fast. *whisper* It was my fear of big books. (Something about them seem so daunting and I just stop.) So this time I purchased the audiobook from Audible.com to help me out.
Now on to the review....
I had no idea what to except from this story. I didn't know how scary Tananarive Due was as a scary book writer (a la Stephen King) or if she was scary at all. But I have to say... she got me a few times. I mean, like, turn the audiobook off and turn on some happy music.
Angela is a mover and shaker as the managing rep for a big name actress. She is a jet setting African American mom who's teenage son Corey lives with his father in Oakland. Every year she stops and meets with her son at her grandmothers old house for some quality time. "The Good House" and it's former owner (Grandma Marie) were know by everyone in the community as healers and helpers.
Tananarive Due really excels when she is setting up the story with the history of the characters. I seem to come across writers that bore you to death with too much back story that you completely forget what the story is about. In "The Good House" the author intermingles the past with the present in a nice steady stream.
I am not going to tell you much about the story because it would be filled with spoilers but just know there are a few twist and turns that you won't see coming. AT ALL! As I was reading I thought I knew what was going to happen, but then I was shocked to find out they did happen but not the way I thought they would.
Toward the end of the audiobook, I could not stop listening because I was so hooked and invested in the characters and their next moves. It took me no time to complete this 21 hour audiobook.
So I bet you are wondering why I gave it 4 out 5 stars. Well, I felt toward the end the author just stopped producing fresh ideas and just stopped. It was just finished. Done! Without giving anything away I just was not happy with the last chapter. It was like the "Who shot JR?" moment and I felt let down that something more creative wasn't the conclusion of this epic novel. I mean after ALL of that action and emotions. *sigh*
As for the narrator Robin Miles, she is great. She has the perfect non-reader but actor voice that I love. She read all the parts and made me completely forget there was only one person reading as I got deeper into the book. I don't think anyone else could have pulled off that creole voice and a teenage boy voice in the same book like she did. Excellent job!
I purchased this book awhile ago solely based on the author who I love and the price. It was on sale for $9.00. But it sat on my bookshelf a long while. Maybe a year? Well that is not the important part of this review. I started reading this mega paperback book (496 pages) and I could not move very fast. *whisper* It was my fear of big books. (Something about them seem so daunting and I just stop.) So this time I purchased the audiobook from Audible.com to help me out.
Now on to the review....
I had no idea what to except from this story. I didn't know how scary Tananarive Due was as a scary book writer (a la Stephen King) or if she was scary at all. But I have to say... she got me a few times. I mean, like, turn the audiobook off and turn on some happy music.
Angela is a mover and shaker as the managing rep for a big name actress. She is a jet setting African American mom who's teenage son Corey lives with his father in Oakland. Every year she stops and meets with her son at her grandmothers old house for some quality time. "The Good House" and it's former owner (Grandma Marie) were know by everyone in the community as healers and helpers.
Tananarive Due really excels when she is setting up the story with the history of the characters. I seem to come across writers that bore you to death with too much back story that you completely forget what the story is about. In "The Good House" the author intermingles the past with the present in a nice steady stream.
I am not going to tell you much about the story because it would be filled with spoilers but just know there are a few twist and turns that you won't see coming. AT ALL! As I was reading I thought I knew what was going to happen, but then I was shocked to find out they did happen but not the way I thought they would.
Toward the end of the audiobook, I could not stop listening because I was so hooked and invested in the characters and their next moves. It took me no time to complete this 21 hour audiobook.
So I bet you are wondering why I gave it 4 out 5 stars. Well, I felt toward the end the author just stopped producing fresh ideas and just stopped. It was just finished. Done! Without giving anything away I just was not happy with the last chapter. It was like the "Who shot JR?" moment and I felt let down that something more creative wasn't the conclusion of this epic novel. I mean after ALL of that action and emotions. *sigh*
As for the narrator Robin Miles, she is great. She has the perfect non-reader but actor voice that I love. She read all the parts and made me completely forget there was only one person reading as I got deeper into the book. I don't think anyone else could have pulled off that creole voice and a teenage boy voice in the same book like she did. Excellent job!
Reviews by Other Bloggers
Recommendations
I recommend this book to adults due to language, some violence and sexual language.
Challenges
This book is number 16 in my Off The Shelf Reading Challenge
This book is number 28 in my Women's Reading Challenge
This book is number 25 in my Audiobook Challenge
This book is number 42 in my Goodreads Challenge
This book is number 16 in my Off The Shelf Reading Challenge
This book is number 28 in my Women's Reading Challenge
This book is number 25 in my Audiobook Challenge
This book is number 42 in my Goodreads Challenge
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