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Oct 08, 2008

Holli rated it:

Wow. Just finished this book and I have to say that it's been a long time since a book swept me up in it like this one did. What a powerful story about the dynamics of a group of friends and the wonderful and horrible things that can happen within it. I loved it. Couldn't stop reading about the lives of these people to see what could possibly happen next. Great psychological drama....would really make a perfect movie I think!

7 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 21, 2008

Jessica rated it:

I had high expectations about this book because it had been compared in reviews to Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca -- books I loved. What a disappointment! This book is definitely not even in the same league as the aforementioned books. The group of friends, the indulgent lifestyle, the haunted house -- the elements were all there, but the novel fell flat. The beginning of the book had a lot of potential, but I found the ending to be especially vague and rushed, More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2012

Ian rated it:

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Mar 15, 2011

Leonie rated it:

In part my dislike for this book is exacerbated by the way it's sold as a Gothic mystery type thing. I expected something supernatural to do with the house and all I got was a couple of references with the main character talking about the house's wild, evil pulse or something. The author was clearly working on influences like The Secret History, The Turn of the Screw etc, and while I don't necessarily demand originality, I am almost shocked that she couldn't knock together something better. More...

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Jan 17, 2011

JackieB rated it:

Although I liked this book I did have some problems with it. The first half moved along well but in the middle the plot seemed to slow up a great deal. I think this was because Ms. Whitehouse went into a lot of details about the relationships between the group of friends. At the beginning it was necessary but as you got to know the characters better I don't think it was necessary to provide so much detail. There were also a few plot inconsistencies. The main one was the "gothic" e More...

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Aug 06, 2011

Marguerite rated it:

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Mar 15, 2011

Esme rated it:

Der Roman von Lucie Whitehouse "The House at Midnight" ("Als hätten wir alle Zeit der Welt") handelt von sechs Freunden Ende Zwanzig, die sich seit dem Studium kennen. Ihre Treffen auf einem geerbten Landsitz in den Cotswolds werden in einem Jahr zu einem Wendepunkt in ihrer aller Leben, an dem sich ihre Beziehungen verändern und sie neue Lebenswege begehen.

Joanna, die Ich-Erzählerin, ist Journalistin bei der Putney Gazette und träumt von einer erfolgreichen Karrie More...

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Feb 18, 2009

Erica rated it:

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Mar 09, 2010

Sofia rated it:

I suppose the title and some of the reviews here made me think this was a ghost story. Although the house has a ghostly atmosphere and the main character sometimes has the impression that the house itself influences what goes on, it's really just a setting. Unlike a lot of goodreads' other reviewers i found the first part less interesting, and I considered not finishing it, but then I got stuck after all. In the first part it's just like watching other people partying without taking part yoursel More...

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Sep 09, 2008

Amy-Christine rated it:

For pulling it off the shelf at random, I was suprised at how intriguing it was in the beginning and was mesmerized by all the potential turns it could take about three quarters in! However, the closing chapters fell completely flat....A great book, if you don't have your hopes up!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 26, 2010

Bee rated it:

This book is ideal for a train or plane journey. You pick it up and become almost instantly absorbed, and intrigued, and it kepts my attention to the point where I missed my stop for work because my nose was so firmly in it (always a good sign!). The down side was it's the first book I've read for ages when I didn't actually LIKE the protaganist! She made a lot of comments and decisions that made me frown and pout and not really think much of her. This was entertaining though, although not sure More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 11, 2009

karen rated it:

okay, i understand this ones comparison to donna tartt. and i accept it. i really enjoyed this, even though it is about shitty people being shitty to each other in the name of friendship: sexual betrayal, emotional blackmail, financial expectations and passive-aggressive behavior galore! i thought the story was interesting and relatable - to a point.. but the point where it gets novel-y rather than true life-y was at least interesting and fun. not fun like meadows and hopscotch, more "fun i More...

0 comments like (22 people liked it)

Nov 02, 2011

Margo rated it:

Audiobook. An interesting book about a group of young men and women on the cusp of thirty reevaluating their lives and choices in the face of an unexpected inheritance of an English country house by one of the group. The house and its secrets threaten to unravel the group's cohesion. There were several places in this book when I thought that the end had come--but it hadn't. There were several disks left, so the story had to continue. When it finally did end, however, I wasn't expecting it. I li More...

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Jan 01, 2009

Christine rated it:

There is part of me that really enjoyed this book and wanted to know how it would end. I think part of that was due to the story taking place in the area of Oxfordshire where I was first introduced to England in my very first trip there. It is definitely a light read - felt like the darker side of chick-lit. I was expecting more of gothic-style haunting but I feel that it did not quite live up to that expectation. Although I liked several of the main characters, others rang hollow.

Ther More...

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Jul 04, 2011

Michaela rated it:

When Lucas inherits Stoneborough Manor from his uncle Patrick, he invites all his friends to treat it like their own. But Stoneborough has secrets that will tear the friends apart and change their lives forever.

This book disappointed me. I thought it would be right up my alley and whilst it gave off very brief sparks of potential, it failed to take off.
The suspense built up to nothing, the gothic wasn't all that gothic and I found the main character Joanna boring.
It's a p More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Apr 21, 2009

Susan rated it:

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May 29, 2009

Philippa rated it:

Some parts of this novel were really well written, and I guess that was what kept me reading, because I kept hoping it would redeem itself. I think the biggest flaw is in the characters - they weren't particularly likeable or well developed. I found myself not really caring what happened to them! The final few chapters really fell short of the tension and drama that had been created prior and didn't really resolve the way I thought it would. If you haven't read The Secret History by Donna Ta More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 05, 2008

Ann rated it:

It was an interesting story, but I never connected with any of the characters.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 25, 2009

Sarah rated it:

Lucas's uncle has just killed himself and left his fortune and his mansion in the English countryside to Lucas. Joanna wants to comfort him and share the house, as Lucas wishes her to, but something about the house unsettles her. Then, she and Lucas embark on a relationship. It's great but....

I expected something much different from what this novel actually was. I expected a straight out ghost story, something in the vein of "Hell House" by Matheson - the description on the More...

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Sep 04, 2011

Barb rated it:

I was looking forward to this, hoping it was going to be the "stunning piece of modern gothic" that John Connolly claimed it was on the book jacket. In my view it did not come close to living up to that description.

There is nothing of reality in this story, this is purely escapists fiction, there is an element of suspense that kept me reading but the climax, as well as much of the story, was not realistic. It was an easy read, with a lot of dialog and can be finished in a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 15, 2009

Cynthia rated it:

I was originally on the lines of 3 stars because I was expecting other things to happen along the lines of the title which was kind of misleading, at least, to me. I was expecting it to be closer to a horror/supernatural type of storyline. But I still picked it up every chance I got because it easily pulled me in. It is an excellent read with what I would describe as a second coming of age (post college, late 20's) and figuring out whether or not it's time to move on and away. A couple of pa More...

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Oct 12, 2011

Bree rated it:

Lucas inherits the palatial country pile Stoneborough Manor from his uncle Patrick, who was like a father to him. He thinks that it would be a great place for he and his college friends to spend the weekends and summers, drinking wine, listening to music and generally relaxing away from their city jobs. At first the weekends are fun, everyone gets along and enjoys themselves… but gradually it all starts to unravel.

Firstly Lucas and Joanna finally get together after what is close to 1 More...

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Jan 10, 2011

H. Anne rated it:

I don't read a great deal of mystery. At least, I don't browse the shelves for it when I'm on a hunt for a new read. A lot of what I do read has mystery in it, though that seems like it should be. If questions weren't raised, why read on.

I really enjoyed Lucie Whitehouse's novel. I'm not familiar with any of the authors she's been compared with and on the back of my copy the only author I've read who wrote a blurb was John Connolly. I recognized Lee Child, but the work is unfami More...

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Aug 31, 2010

Misha rated it:

I have a love for all things gothic. This book was the perfect recipe for my addiction to gothic novels.

The actual reason why I loved it so much was that it reminded me so much of The Secret History. I don't know whether that's a bad thing or a good thing. But I really enjoyed The House At Midnight.

The House at Midnight is very atmospheric and gripping. It is an edge of the seat novel and the psychological suspense is intriguing. Throughout the book, there is feeling of More...

1 comment like

May 29, 2011

Kasia rated it:

I had a hard time trying to express my adoration for this book; it was good for so many reasons that it's difficult to quiet the buzzing in my head long enough to write a perfect description of why it rocks. From the first page there is an aura of enigmatic charm to it, something is going on, something deep and heavy but the reader isn't sure if it's paranormal or plain old spooky, the tone and way of drawing the story seems to touch on something sensitive. The tale revolves around a group of fr More...

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Jun 27, 2010

Blair rated it:

Absolutely excellent! I was instantly gripped and devoured the whole book within a day. The intrigue is subtle rather than overtly dramatic, but I found myself fascinated by the characters and their relationships, and desperate to know more about them. I loved the way their histories unfolded slowly as the story progressed, turning each into a wholly believable personality - after finishing the book I realised I had come to picture them so vividly that I found it shocking to think of them as fic More...

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Jan 05, 2009

Lorraine rated it:

Lucas has just inherited a beautiful old house from his uncle, and he invites his close college friends to join him every weekend for good times, college-style. They all love being there, but Joanna (the main character/narrator) notices the house has a presence all of its own. In fact, the house almost becomes one of the characters in the novel. Joanna realizes they're not in college anymore, and it's time to start living like adults. In a sense, the novel is an adult coming-of-age story.
More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 30, 2011

Rachel added it

Gripping, a great holiday read.

I liked the references to places I know well.

Unlike some readers I didn't find the characters difficult to place or get to grips with at all. I did think that some of the relationship stuff was rather obvious. The twist was good and though I'd wondered about it happening early on in the book, by the end I'd forgotten so it came as a surprise.I preferred this, her debut novel, to the second which I read this summer

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Jul 30, 2010

Mary rated it:

I went back and forth on what to give this book, a 2, a 3, a 4. Sometimes I think I liked it, sometimes I think it annoyed me - so I went with the average!

A group of friends start spending weekends at a house that one of the friends inherited from his recently deceased uncle. There's a whole lot of lying, deception, betrayal, and drinking.

I found the ending more unsatisfying than many endings because it was so open-ended. At least give me a concrete conclusion.

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Jul 27, 2011

Margot added it

A group of ex-classics students gather at a country estate where secrets are unearthed, friendships betrayed and murder plots unravel, as what begins as the group's Arcadian bliss morphs into a decadent bacchanal...um, Donna Tartt would like her plot back.

Actually a really good read, if not wholly original. It's got everything, murder, romance and a killer twist infused with a dark, Gothic flavour.

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