|
The Birthing House |  | Author: Christopher Ransom
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy Used: $3.11
as of 11/20/2009 16:50 MST details
You Save: $21.88 (88%)
New (37) Used (37) Collectible (1) from $3.11
Seller: bookseeker2009
Rating:  88 reviews
Sales Rank: 97001
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0312385846
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780312385842
ASIN: 0312385846
Publication Date: August 4, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
It was expecting them. Conrad and Joanna Harrison, a young couple from Los Angeles, attempt to save their marriage by leaving the pressures of the city to start anew in a quiet, rural setting. They buy a Victorian mansion that once served as a haven for unwed mothers, called a birthing house. One day when Joanna is away, the previous owner visits Conrad to bequeath a vital piece of the house’s historic heritage, a photo album that he claims “belongs to the house.” Thumbing through the old, sepia-colored photographs of midwives and fearful, unhappily pregnant girls in their starched, nineteenth-century dresses, Conrad is suddenly chilled to the bone: staring back at him with a countenance of hatred and rage is the image of his own wife…. Thus begins a story of possession, sexual obsession, and, ultimately, murder, as a centuries-old crime is reenacted in the present, turning Conrad and Joanna’s American dream into a relentless nightmare. An extraordinary marriage of supernatural thrills and exquisite psychological suspense, The Birthing House marks the debut of a writer whose first novel is a terrifying tour de force.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 88
The Birthing House starts strong, moves quickly, and falls completely flat. November 1, 2009
Richard Szponder (Naperville, IL)
The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom was one of those books I found browsing through the new releases on the Barnes & Noble web site. The premise is original and hooked my attention. Conrad and Jo Harrison move from busy and loud Los Angeles to a small Wisconsin town, Black Earth, where they purchase an old Victorian birthing house. The house, whose history remembers countless deliveries of babies, both alive and dead, seems to call to Conrad who makes the purchase without the approval of his wife. He sees it as the perfect environment in which to mend their damaged marriage, plagued by accusations of infidelity and mistrust.
From the moment they arrive, Jo is uncomfortable in the house and quickly departs to Michigan for a job opportunity. During an encounter with the former owner of the house, Conrad is given some old photographs of the former residents. In one of the photos, he recognizes one of the women as his wife, and so begins his journey to understand how his wife could appear in a photo that was obviously decades old.
Strange visits from ghostly apparitions, bizarre and violent behavior in his dogs, and an odd attraction to the pregnant teenager next door plague Conrad Harrison as he tries to understand what is happening to his sanity. Meanwhile, his wife becomes impossible to reach after admitting to him that she, herself, is pregnant with his child.
The story moves quickly through short, readable chapters. Suspense builds throughout as the reader becomes hopeful for a climactic and twisted ending. Unfortunately, shortly before the story ends, the book takes an obscure twist into ambiguity, pummeling the reader into the perspective of Alma, the ghost who possesses the house (and sometimes its residents).
The house's history is never fully explained, and the ending comes to an abrupt halt leaving the reader confused and frustrated in the last twenty pages. Had the book not taken this strange and abstract twist and had it continued on its original path, it would have been a read worthy of the time spent on it.
 Great for fire kindling October 27, 2009
rueck (USA)
I can't remember the last time I was so terribly disappointed in a book. Like others have said, this book is not remotely scary, just plain strange. I felt like the author started the book and once he was into it just didn't know where the story should lead. And don't get me started about the ending, it was simply awful. I finished it while camping and had the book been mine to keep I would have thrown it straight into the fire. What a waste of my time.
 Not that great... October 27, 2009
ThisThatNEverything (Columbus, Ohio United States)
I was hoping for a really thrilling read but was sadly disappointed. First of all, anything remotely having to do with Sci-Fi is normally not my cup of tea but I enjoy a good thriller & after reading a few Sci-Fi related books recently that I've enjoyed I've been trying to give them a try. I did enjoy the first half to two-thirds of this book but it just never took off for me. I was never scared or on the edge of my seat as I wanted to be & in my opinion the ending was horrible. I'm not sure that I really understand what happened & sadly I don't care. I was just glad to finally be done. I can't say that I'd recommend this unless somebody really likes ghosts stories. Then you may enjoy this book.
 Great Ghost Story October 24, 2009
David Keith (Washington, IN)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm surprised by all the negative reviews here. I really enjoyed this novel. Best ghost story I've read in a few years, and one that challenges a few horror conventions. Certainly the best horror novel since Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box or John Farris' Phantom Nights. Perhaps that's why some don't like it. It's not a comfortable predictable horror novel. If you're ready for a scary ride into new horror territory, you'll enjoy this novel. Personally I'll be looking forward to reading more by this author.
All over the map October 21, 2009
A. S. Design (Everett, WA USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This looked like it might be an interesting book. I've read most of it, but Man, it jumps all over the place and the main character (Conrad) is all over the map. One minute, he's into his wife. The next minute he's cheating on her. The next minute he wants his wife and on and on...
Maybe it'll come together in the end, but right now, it's a terribly annoying story that is just going ON AND ON. Nothing "scary" is really happening at all. In one section, the guy's saying his house is haunted, in other sections it's like he's forgotten that he's made that connection....
just kind of a clusterF of a book.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 88
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. Working Dogs | |
