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The House at Midnight

3.12 of 5 stars 3.12 · rating details · 578 ratings · 116 reviews

'On an icy winter weekend, seven friends celebrate New Year's Eve at Stoneborough, a grand manor in the English countryside. They've been brought together by Lucas Heathfield, a young man who recently inherited the property after the tragic death of his uncle Patrick. Though still raw from the loss of his last family member, Lucas welcomes this tight-knit group of friends...more

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published June 3rd 2008 by Ballantine Books

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Sep 21, 2008 Jessica rated it 1 of 5 stars

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

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Oct 08, 2008 Holli rated it 4 of 5 stars

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!

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Feb 03, 2012 Ian Mapp rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Mar 15, 2011 Leonie rated it 1 of 5 stars

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.

I ha...more

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Jan 17, 2011 JackieB rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

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" element of the b...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Marguerite Kaye rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Mar 15, 2011 Esme rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

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 Karriere bei einer großen Tageszeitun...more 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 Karriere bei einer großen Tageszeitung. Lucas - der neue Besitzer von Stoneborough Manor und eines nicht unbeträchtlichen Vermögens - kämpft mit dem Verlust seiner Mutter und seines Onkels. Danny, Lucas' bester Freund seit Schulzeiten, ist ein Hedonist, dem das Ausüben von Macht wichtiger ist als eine gleichberechtigte Freundschaft. Martha arbeitet als Spendensammlerin für ein Frauenhaus und sieht für sich wenige Chancen, sich zu verlieben. Michael ist als Bankangestellter erfolgreich, hat aber mit seinem Coming-Out zu kämpfen. Die sechste im Bunde ist Rachel, die eine Boutique führt und mit dem "Außenseiter" Greg liiert ist.

Fast jede dieser Romanfiguren böte genug Stoff für ihren eigenen Roman. Leider werden die einzelnen Konflikte im besten Falle nur angerissen und einige Charaktere, besonders Michael und Rachel, bleiben blass und schemenhaft. Der Roman ist ein einziges Bäumchen-wechsle-dich, in dem die verschiedensten Beziehungskonstellationen ausprobiert und wieder verworfen werden.

Die Ich-Erzählerin ist keine Sympathieträgerin. Sie ist auf zwanghafte Weise mit sich selbst beschäftigt und in dieser Gruppe nur eine Beobachterin. Unfähig einem ihrer besten Freunde Trost oder Unterstützung in seiner Trauer anzubieten, wobei diese Unfähigkeit vorgeblich damit begründet wird, dass sie selbst noch keinen vergleichbaren Verlust erlitten habe. So sind alle Menschen in ihrem Umfeld zu bloßen Marionetten auf der Bühne ihres Lebens degradiert und haben ihre Auf- und Abtritte am Rande ihres auf sich selbst gerichteteten Fokus'. Joanna ist dermaßen passiv, dass ich ihr gern des öfteren beim Lesen in den Hintern getreten und gesagt hätte, dass sie denselbigen endlich einmal hochkriegen solle. Des weiteren geht ihr die Fähigkeit zur Selbstreflexion ab, so dass für alles, was bei ihr schief läuft, anderen die Schuld gegeben wird. Und auf dieselbe Weise wird auch dem Haus eine finstere, Unbehagen einflößende Macht zugeschrieben, die es nicht hat.

"Als hätten wir alle Zeit der Welt" ist ein Roman, in dem sich unangenehme Menschen wahllos in Beziehungen stürzen, unverständlich agieren und nicht einmal ansatzweise fähig sind, aufeinander zu zugehen und miteinander zu reden. Dialoge wie: "Du hast nie so hinter mir gestanden wie er." - „Das stimmt nicht." - "Doch. Und ob das stimmt" sind keine Ausnahme. Deshalb hat mir das Lesen keine Freude gemacht und selbst die gegen Ende ein Familiengeheimnis enthüllende Überraschung, ist keine, sondern schon viele Seite vorher absehbar und kann an diesem weit fortgeschrittenen Punkt im Buch, der Geschichte keine interessante Wendung mehr verleihen. Denn da ist es schon zu spät, dem Roman, der ausschließlich im seichten Beziehungsgewässer dahin dümpelte, noch einen Hauch von Spannung oder gar Interesse zu entlocken.(less)

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Mar 04, 2012 Lindsay Heller rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, mystery, we-really-want-to-be-secret-history

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, mostly because I'd heard good things, and most of it was completely solid. I really enjoyed the basic premise; Lucas inherits an enormous country manor house from his uncle who's just committed suicide for reasons that no one seems to be able to fathom, and invites his group of tight knit friends out for continual weekends of idleness. But recent events seem to change almost everything as almost immediately Lucas confesses his love of his ten yea...more I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, mostly because I'd heard good things, and most of it was completely solid. I really enjoyed the basic premise; Lucas inherits an enormous country manor house from his uncle who's just committed suicide for reasons that no one seems to be able to fathom, and invites his group of tight knit friends out for continual weekends of idleness. But recent events seem to change almost everything as almost immediately Lucas confesses his love of his ten year best friend, and our protagonist, Joanna. They begin a tentative relationship, both seemingly to realize the dangers of dating someone who's been that important in their lives. This was a really interesting plot, to me. But the book seemed to lose that interest fairly quickly. It's difficult to talk about this book without giving away at least parts of the plot, but ultimately this seemed to be a book about the dissolving of a group and how that came to pass. But, quite like this review seems to be, it ended up muddied and confused. I didn't always like the protagonist, which is okay generally, but I often found her decisions and actions confusing and selfish. I didn't understand why she behaved the way she did, though I understood the difficulty of the situation surrounding her.

Then, there's a whole older generation that we're given glimpses of through memory, film, and the ever increasing presence of the uncle's old girlfriend. I'll just go ahead and say; there's a mystery here. It's not a particularly good mystery, but it exists and causes the plot to propel itself further, to a degree, with the older generation shedding light and anguish on the younger.

The ending was almost atrocious. I found myself eager to find out what it was, but as soon as the characters showed up to explain the dialogue devolved into some sort of film script out of the 1940s. I kept expecting to actually hear the words "That's right, I did it and I'd do it again!" In one sentence a character is protesting a perception and then three lines later, as if to make sure the reader understand the situation, she relents "No, it's true, that thing I just said wasn't. I always knew it was true." It felt sloppy. And it felt like these characters, who'd been so richly introduced and cultivated, deserved far more. (less)

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Jun 23, 2012 Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The House At Midnight is a dark and moody novel about a group of close friends and the tremors and turbulence that arise in their relationships when one of the gang, Lucas, inherits a grand mansion in the English countryside. It is told from the perspective of Lucas' closest friend Jo, who feels uneasy and unsettled by the imposing house from her first visit there.

There is no denying that Lucie Whitehouse's writing is excellent. From the very first page I felt a sense of foreboding and dread at...more The House At Midnight is a dark and moody novel about a group of close friends and the tremors and turbulence that arise in their relationships when one of the gang, Lucas, inherits a grand mansion in the English countryside. It is told from the perspective of Lucas' closest friend Jo, who feels uneasy and unsettled by the imposing house from her first visit there.

There is no denying that Lucie Whitehouse's writing is excellent. From the very first page I felt a sense of foreboding and dread at what was to come. She perfectly conveys the sinster claustrophobia that permeates the house and creates a wonderfully Gothic atmosphere. I was also really impressed at the way she gradually gives the reader a really thorough understanding of all the characters, illustrating their personalities impeccably. I personally found myself completely sympathising with Jo and almost relating to her even when she made some terrible decisions and behaved in a less than angelic manner. And the villain of the group - although I won't give away who that turns out to be! - is one of the creepiest, most devious characters I have come across in some time. There were times when I had shivers running down my spine at the way in which this person manipulated their friends without a single regard for their feelings.

Unfortunately, about halfway through, the book seemed to lose momentum slightly. There's an argument, there's a period of tense silence, there's an awkward reconciliation of sorts. And then the cycle repeats again. There was definitely a point where I was wondering if the tale was actually going anywhere. Things pick up a little towards the finale, which is undoubtedly chilling, but I found it a little rushed and some of the details were difficult to believe.

I really hate it when people give a book an overwhelmingly negative review because of minor plot points but certain details really grated here. Maybe they had more of an impact on me because they were mostly condensed into the last 50 pages or so? I found it impossible to believe Justin's explanation of what he had been doing for all those years missing in action. Alcohol consumption is quite strictly controlled in Morocco even today, never mind back in the day when he initially disappeared. If you want to go out to drink you have to go to one of the fancier hotel bars or upscale restaurants. So the idea that a hardened alcoholic with no income would choose Marrakech to run away to and spend his days drowning his sorrows just doesn't ring true. Greg and Jo's behaviour at the very end of the book is also a little strange. Why didn't he contact her to let her know he was on his way to the house instead of going to work? And would she really have left him alone and bleeding from a bullet wound for more than twenty minutes while she went to find the others?!

I am a definite fan of Lucie Whitehouse's writing style and will certainly look for more of her work. The House At Midnight certainly demonstrates a great talent. It's a shame that the plot fell a little short for me.(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Barry Hammond rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lucie Whitehouse has written a pretty decent psychological thriller as her first novel. Joanna is a former Oxford student, now a low-level journalist, who's among a group of school friends as a guest at the first weekend they spend at the recently-inherited house of their friend, Lucas. Lucas has had a rough time of it. His father disappeared years ago, his mother has recently died, and now his uncle, a famous art dealer, has committed suicide. The upside is his uncle left his money, his art col...more

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Feb 18, 2009 Erica rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Mar 09, 2010 Sofia Oscarson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

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 18, 2012 Kerstin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller, borrowed-from-library, read-in-2012

I was disappointed in this book. The cover promised it to be a gothic masterpiece, but that aspect of the story fell flat. The main character mentioned a strange atmosphere she could feel in the old mansion, but that was about it. The house never became its own character and the haunted, mysterious atmosphere I had hoped for was pretty much absent.
Other reviews led me to believe that this story was influenced by books like 'The Secret History', which could have saved this novel for me. Unfortuna...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Ali rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was bought this book for Christmas by my Auntie, she bought this because Lucie went to school with my cousin, Lucie also used to live in the house that my Great Grand Father did.
I was intrigued - a fellow writer from Warwickshire (my home county) - I just haven't taken my work further yet.
I found the start slow and almost put the book down - the description was too much and was stopping me from getting into the story and the characters.
But I carried on - refusing to give up and wanting to like...more

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Oct 26, 2010 Bee rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Sep 11, 2009 karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-claiming-to-be-just-like-secr, littry-fiction, sshh-family-secrets

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 if you...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Margo Brooks rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 lik...more

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Jan 01, 2009 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

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.

There are good...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Michaela rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: not-my-cup-of-tea

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 pity because I really wan...more

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Apr 21, 2009 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: someone who can only choose this or the Kite Runner

Recommended to Susan by: no one--saw it on the new fiction shelf

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May 29, 2009 Philippa rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 Tartt,...more

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May 05, 2008 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Jun 25, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

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 back as well as the r...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Jacqueline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, past-present, smirking-revenge, english-tea, gothic-mansions

What a great book. From the first few pages I was hooked. A great cast of characters, their lives interwoven and connected by the mysterious mansion of Stoneborough. There were characters I adored and characters I loathed, and though I had a pretty good idea where the story was heading, small twists and turns kept me guessing and changing my ideas. Despite her actions, I enjoyed Jo, the main protagonist, and wanted more of her. Lucas's slow decent into madness was engrossing and Danny was vile b...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Barb rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, most-disappointing, read-in-2011, suspense, secrets

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 sitting or two. But ho...more

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Jun 15, 2009 Cynthia Flores rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 parts...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, suspenseful, brit-lit

Despite its billing, this is not a true mystery, nor a gothic tale. (If you want a mystery involving a too-tightly knit group of friends, try The Likeness. If you want to read an actual, extremely well-written modern gothic tale, try The Thirteenth Tale.)

This book is a lengthy, meandering tale of a group of narcissistic college friends now in their late 20s, clinging to their hedonistic youth, regardless of the consequences. The narrator, Joanna, is the epitome of this, refusing to take responsi...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

I bought this cheaply from Amazon as a treat to cheer myself up because, quite simply, several people on here whose taste I like had enjoyed it. I was sadly disappointed. I wanted this to be excellent but, although I found it quick and easy to read, I didn't enjoy it very much at all. I think the characters were a peculiar bunch whose motivation to do the odd things they do escaped me. It didn't drag but I kept thinking it would pick up the pace and thrill me a little. It never did.

I think this...more

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Aug 23, 2012 a rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: original-language, in-english, mystery, no-longer-own

Next time you find anything that is marketed as a brilliant debut? Think twice, or you might end up with – something akin to The House at Midnight.

The House at Midnight is simultaneously too light (think chick-lit-y romance and career worries) and too melodramatic (think soap opera twists: romantic entanglements; a back from the dead-storyline; the several blackmailers, killers and would-be-killers in the cast). Sadly, the decadent group that spends its weekends at the House, drinking, having se...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Susanne Pichler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: england

Ich bin von Lucie Whitehouse hellauf begeistert! Leider gibt es von dieser Autorin bisher nur 2 Bücher; ich habe nun beide gelesen und kann mich nicht entscheiden welches besser ist. Sie gehört auf jeden Fall ab sofort zu meinen Lieblingsautoren.
In "Als hätten wir alle Zeit der Welt" steht eine Gruppe von Freunden im Mittelpunkt, die sich seit den gemeinsamen Studientagen in Oxford kennt. Im Mittelpunkt der Geschichte steht Joanna, aus ihrer Perspektive wird auch die Geschichte erzählt. Joannas...more

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