The Uninvited by Farris, John by Farris, John

I first read this book at about the age of ten, after watching the 1944 film on late night on television (I was enthralled). There are sub-plots and characters which weren't included in the movie version, but Macardle's fluid writing style keeps one's interest until the last page. The story is about strange ghostly disturbances at "Cliff End" (in the movie, the Georgian house was re-named "Windward"). There are wonderful characters: the Fitzgeralds (Pamela and Roderick) who are siblings, Stella Merideth, the young moonstruck girl who's enchanted by the dangers which lure her into her mother's past. Commander Beech is gruff and Miss Holloway is cold and rather heartless (especially towards Stella; her supposed mother was an "intimate friend" of Holloway's). The Spanish Gypsy - Carmel Casada - whom Llewellyn used as a model for his paintings holds the key to the puzzle....Macardle uses plenty of exclaimation marks throughout the book and her writing style is a wee bit dated - but this story has an ingeniously unique twist in which readers of the ghost genre should appreciate. The Irish Ms. Macardle also wrote THE UNFORESEEN, (about a woman with "second sight") DARK ENCHANTMENT (about witchcraft in France) and a non-fiction book entitled THE IRISH REPUBLIC.

For some reason, exceptional ghost stories are almost always found in short story form. Neither M.R. James, F. Marion Crawford, nor Sheridan Le Fanu-all contenders for all-time best writer of ghost stories-ever wrote a satisfactory book-length ghost story. Perhaps the strict form of this genre is too difficult to maintain beyond a certain length. Examples of ghost novels that do not disappoint are few, and they include such masterpieces as Richard Matheson's "Hell House," Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House," and Stephen King's "The Shining." Dorothy MacArdle's "The Uninvited" is on a level with these books, and it predated them all. With its classic English setting, generational mystery, and engaging characters, it is the perfect book for curling up by the fireside on a winter's night. And don't miss the terrific 1940s movie version starring Ray Milland.

I have been reading this book for about twenty years and have enjoyed the film for about thirty years! Both are fantastic, but the book goes far beyond the characters and plot of the film, and gives us fully developed personalities and complex plotting. If you are a fan of mysteries, especially English mysteries, you will not be disappointed in this puzzler. As you read along, you can almost feel the wind on the cliff, hear a mournful sigh, and smell the mimosa!

This was the first John Farris novel I'd read, and I was so impressed, I had to go out and find more of them. More similar in style to Dean Koontz than Stephen King, I was disappointed that there wasn't more by the time I finished the book. Definitely a page-turner. Currently reading "Fiends", we'll see if it's as good :)

John Farris' "The Uninvited" is a fantastic book. It is a psychological suspense which gradually introduces the reader to the characters and the setting but then explodes with horror and suspense within the last few chapters of the book.