Ghost Story is a tale of horror by Peter Straub. Is the film worth seeing, you ask? None of them has any idea if his friends' stories are true, but they enjoy each other's company for reasons greater than words. The four men's bond is stronger than ever since the mysterious death of their friend Edward Wanderley a year prior. Ghost Story is a book about the real horrors of life, those that we create ourselves, those that originate, not from without but from within.Straub is a masterful writer and his prose is terrific throughout. The work is mesmerizing. Ghost Story is a horror novel by American writer Peter Straub.It was published on January 1, 1979 by Coward, McCann and Geoghegan.The book was adapted into a film by the same name in 1981, minus the novel's fifth protagonist character, Lewis Benedikt.. Ghost Story is a horror novel written by Peter Straub.It was published on January 1, 1979 by Coward, McCann and Geoghegan.The book was adapted into a film by the same name in 1981.. Verified Purchase. It stands tall above everything else I've read from him, except perhaps Floating Dragon. On the contrary, I loved the eerie atmosphere he created along with such detailed characters that weren't flat and one … Peter Straub is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen novels, which have been translated into more than twenty languages. Old men running around town, fighting invisible demons can't that captivating, or can they? The observant reader will perhaps have noticed that Ghost Story marked three consecutive novels in which Peter Straub wrote stories about malevolent, vengeful female ghosts. Ghost novels are a hard sell indeed. Other than that it's a very well written book will make a rather nice read if you go at it with the right attitude. When Anchor Books re-released Koko, the first book in the “Blue Rose Trilogy,” I jumped at the chance to review it. GHOST STORY. I would certainly not go so far as to say Straub in these novels was showing a misogynistic streak, but there are very few female characters in any of the three books who would qualify as being positive figures. Ghost Story is the story of four old men: Frederick Hawthorne, Sears James, John Jaffery and Lewis Benedikt. Indeed, taken as a standalone piece of work (as film should be really), there is a hell of a lot to like here. Moreover, the rest of the Society has had rather freakish nightmares for the last year and on this night they are finally forced to confront each other with their fears. Though his earlier books had achieved a limited amount of critical and commercial success, Ghost Story became a national bestseller and cemented the author's reputation. If you enjoy the site please consider a small donation towards the cost of the upkeep and development of SFBook. The novel was a watershed in Straub's career. You don't know what they want or what they can do to you. I think it's just about the perfect book for reading a few chapters every evening before going to bed – it's wont keep you up all the night, but you will still come back for more. It started to fall apart around the half way point for me. Skip to main content.ca Hello, Sign in. If you're looking for something to get you in a Halloween mood, look no further. But it's not that simple. They function exactly like regrets: the past corrupting the present and creating situations where the protagonist cannot win. Film Review: Ghost Story (1981) ... despite this initial reaction from fans of Straub’s work though, Ghost Story has rightly gone on to become somewhat of a classic for fans of supernatural horror. They're in complete control of the protagonists' lives. Ghost Story is a tale of horror by Peter Straub. The Chowder Society stories first seem like musings and old men regrets, but the ghosts portrayed in our protagonists' stories slowly start creeping into their lives first through nightmares, then through hallucinations and before you know it, their lives are controlled by a malevolent entity that seeks revenge. They demand an earnest investment from an audience on characters that have no guarantee to be interesting. It's harder for them to catch you off guard because they can't just jump at you. It's a slow burn through multiple layers that weave in and out of the story. It stands tall above everything else I've read from him, except perhaps Floating Dragon. It's a challenging novel with a fragmented structure and several narrators (both unreliable and omniscient). As we meet the Chowder Society, they are a bunch of old guys who meet every couple of weeks and tell scary stories to each other, but there's more to them than scary stories. As more and more people die in the town, the citizens isolate themselves from each other. By . Indeed, sprinkled throughout the novel are sly winks and tips of the hat to many a genre figurehead, which is always fun … With Peter Straub’s writing, my early visits to the village began with Shadowland, Ghost Story, and Floating Dragon. The rest of Ghost Story is a blend of small interlocking stories painting a bigger picture and ever deeper trips into a nightmare world that turns out to be all to real. About the book and Peter Straub, Ghost Story is an excellently knit horror story. What makes Ghost Story is that it uses the idea of metaphorical ghosts (past failures, broken relationship, regrets and unresolved issues of all sorts) and turns it into the real McCoy. They get together every now and then to tell each other haunting stories from their past. Ghost Story, which should've been named Ghost Stories or stories with ghosts in it, is worth an earnest shot. Buy Ghost Story 1 by Straub, Peter (ISBN: 8601422425727) from Amazon's Book Store. They include Ghost Story, Koko, Mr. X, In the Night Room, and two collaborations with Stephen King, The Talisman and Black House.He has written two volumes of poetry and two collections of short fiction, and he edited the Library of America’s edition of … I first read Peter Straub’s terrifying Ghost Story decades ago, and I recently decided to pick it up again to see if my impressions had changed. You need to care in order to get blindsided. Straub's story isn't a quick read. Buy Ghost Story by Straub, Peter online on Amazon.ae at best prices. All this and more make up Ghost Story, a novel by Peter Straub and then later a film by John Irvin. What is so darn scary about Ghost Story anyway? Ghost Story | Straub, Peter | ISBN: 9780575084643 | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bücher mit Versand und Verkauf duch Amazon. Old fashioned, entertaining film features possibly the best cast ever gathered to star in a horror film. Largely cloned from the classic Night of the Living Dead, this is an overlong, lukewarm chiller with some superb moments. Ghost Story is a tale of horror by Peter Straub. In The New York Times, Vincent Canby had the opposite view, also praising the performances but feeling that the movie oversimplified Straub's story and themes. The most terrifying ghost novel I've ever read is probably Peter Straub's iconic Ghost Story, which feels way too real to be comfortable and conventionally "fun". It's a challenging novel with a fragmented structure and several narrators (both unreliable and omniscient). Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Roger Ebert gave the film a favorable review, praising the performances and considering it an improvement on Straub's novel. Four elderly men members of The Chowder Society fall victim to a vengeful ghost (Alice Krige) who seems to be connected to something they did decades ago and who once dated one of the member's son (Craig Wasson) from beyond the grave. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. KIRKUS REVIEW. And it works great. About the book and Peter Straub. It picks up in the last quarter of the books and the ending is fairly rewarding and chilling. Ghost Story is a classic of horror fiction and as such, it is far, far superior to any of the "slice and dice" horror stories or movies floating around out there. The novel was a watershed in Straub's career. The first half of Ghost Story is some of the best horror fiction I've ever read. Ya it was good. As my appreciation of Stephen King faded I was still a fan of Peter Straub for some time afterward. The ghosts are genuinely unsettling. Fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. There are no rules when it comes to ghosts. Once the characters came into focus for me I found Ghost Story a rich and very readable novel; Straub's style is literary without being pretentious or ostentatious, his ability to create and populate a believable setting is really second to King's if not, at times, the equal. SFBook is entirely funded by Ant including hosting, development and any other costs. They hadn’t. Even then, it's more ambiguous, nuanced and cohesive than the latter. Ghost Story is widely considered to be Peter Straub's best novel and I can confirm it's fantastic. I call this the “200 page/2 hour reel” ratio. Yet, somehow I missed never reading anything by Straub. With A GHOST STORY, acclaimed director David Lowery (AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS, PETE'S DRAGON) returns with a singular exploration of legacy, loss, … It's not really a ghost story in the classic sense (no white sheets and no rattling chains), but that doesn't stop it from being rather nightmarish. Wanderley's death is the latest layer in a series of occurrences that goes all the way back to their young days. Ghosts have always been a harder sell in literature than on screen, though. Vampires can't be in the sun, werewolves can be shot with silver bullets, but what the fuck are you supposed to do with a ghost? Peter Straub is notorious for that. Then, he ramps it up just a bit more. I received this book in passably good condition. Please try again later. Using classic ghost story literary devices and themes combined with popular sensationalism, Straub weaves a novel that feels both contemporary and antiquated – an homage to traditional authors such as M.R. Ghost Story was a ground-breaking classic written in 1979 that set the bar a mile high for any paranormal tale to come after it. In past reviews when I have compared a book to a movie, I have used a pseudo-ratio to show how books benefit from a structural advantage. James as well as modern masters like Stephen King. Verified Purchase. Scotacus. 5.0 out of 5 stars I received this book in passably good condition. Even though it plays with many horror genre conventions it is never cliched or silly. They have to creep their way in. Simply stated, there is more opportunity for story and character development in a book than a film. “Probably Ghost Story by Peter Straub is the best of the supernatural novels to be published in the wake of the three books that kicked off a new horror “wave” in the seventies—those three, of course, being Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Other. Living in Montreal, Canada with better half Josie and a dog named Scarlett. It creeps inside of your head through your spine and doesn't leave when you close the book. Peter Straub is considered one of the greatest thriller writers of our time; second only perhaps to the master Stephen King. Ghost Story: Straub, Peter: 9780671685638: Books - Amazon.ca. They just kick your ass until they get bored. The film itself has a very atmospheric feel to it and … As we find out at the CS meet on the one-year anniversary of the dead of one of the (former) Society members, the dead may not have been as natural as one could hope. It will bore those who are looking for cheap shocks. Ghost Story is my favorite and I am glad to have added this my permanent library and can reread it every few years with an undiminished fascination as the story slowly unfolds. Peter Straub is notorious for that. John Irvin, the director of ''Ghost Story,'' and Lawrence D. Cohen, who adapted and considerably reduced Peter Straub's best-selling novel for the screen, begin very well, right in … Not that it's a bad or boring story, it just isn't a page turner that grips you to the core and forces you to just keep on turning them pages, ignoring everything around you. Unfortunately, Ghost Story takes a sharp turn once the nature of the Chowder Society members' predicament is revealed and it becomes a little silly. Eventually, these corrupt … There is no authority. Reviewed in Canada on August 22, 2018. The author has created in the fictional town of Millburn a waystation steeped in snow where people live their separate lives, oblivious to the horrid things lurking in the forest waiting to strike. GHOST STORY For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. It's hard to review this book without talking about the Chowder Society as most of the story centres around this group of old men and their acquaintances. The problem with Ghost Story is that it's no more than that – rather nightmarish – it's not really scary and it won't leave you laying awake at night or make you look uneasily over you shoulder (unless you are extremely sensitive). Even if the protagonists are old white men, they are old white men terrified enough to make it worth your while. The second half of the book isn't bad, per se, but it's stretched a little thin. Even then, it's more ambiguous, nuanced and cohesive than the latter. Ghost Story is mildly chilling, and it leaves a lot to be desired. In Ghost Story, Straub employs the oft-used trope of the snowstorm to cut off the town from civilization. 3.0 out of 5 stars Ya it was good. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past -- and get away with murder. In I wasn't sure about reading 500 pages of old men adventures at first, but Peter Straub used old age as a way to render the members of the Chowder Society helpless and as a way to blur the line between the overbearing past and supernatural occurrence even further. Ricky, Sears, John and Lewis are not sharing their ghosts with one another, they are bound by them. Reviewed in India on 4 April 2018. It's hard to review this book without talking about the Chowder Society as most of the story centres around this group of old men and their acquaintances. And I'm not a guy that scares easy with books. Blogger, brooding author, basketball enthusiast and apostle of critical awareness. Ghost Story is widely considered to be Peter Straub's best novel and I can confirm it's fantastic. As … I would welcome such a change of pace in any other novel, but Ghost Story takes so much time establishing a strong, cohesive (and a little self-serious) atmosphere, it's hard to suddenly let go of that. Think Michael Jackson's Thriller at the drive-in movies. It's hard to review this book without talking about the Chowder Society as most of the story centres around this group of old men and their acquaintances. GET WEEKLY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: Email Address Subscribe Tweet. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Straub employs the oft-used trope of the book and Peter Straub is considered of! 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