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The House of Dead Maids

3.3 of 5 stars 3.30 · rating details · 473 ratings · 184 reviews

Young Tabby Aykroyd has been brought to the dusty mansion of Seldom House to be nursemaid to a foundling boy. He is a savage little creature, but the Yorkshire moors harbor far worse, as Tabby soon discovers. The ghost of the last maid will not leave Tabby in peace, yet this spirit is only one of many. Why do scores of dead maids and masters haunt Seldom House with a jealo...more

Hardcover, 146 pages

Published September 14th 2010 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

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Feb 12, 2012 karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: smotherings, why-yes-i-ya

no.

that should be the whole review right there, just "no."

this is supposed to be the story of heathcliff as a ten-year-old boy. so you have two central characters: the real-life housekeeper of the brontes and the-boy-who-would-be-heathcliff, who was fictional, correct?? and you have the housekeeper character ultimately telling this story to her charges, the four young bronte children, with dear emily listening raptly. how clumsy is that? you can't market this as being a "prelude" to wuthering h...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

2.5 stars. Just so you know...yes, I was screaming inside of my own head. The caps were indeed justified in this case.

Thoughts when I saw this book sitting on a thrift store shelf :

Oooohhhh...lookie...awesome cover girl with creepy black eyes. The title makes me want to know what's going on. IT'S A HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS - HOW AWESOME!

Thoughts when I read the back cover :

OH HECK YEAH. It's a Wuthering Heights prequel in YA form. WITH LOTS OF GHOST ACTION!!!

Me after reading the book :

Sigh. At least...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Sara McClung added it Recommends it for: anyone looking for a scare, lovers of Wuthering Heights

Shelves: read-in-2010, ya

Last night, I started and finished and ARC of The House of Dead Maids, by Clare Dunkle. And, um, WOW. The book releases on September 14th and is definitely something you want to read.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I read Wuthering Heights right before, to better acquaint myself with Heathcliff's story, and though I'm really glad I've finally read the book (Wuthering Heights is amazing and it shames me how long it took me to get around to reading it) it wasn't absolutely necessary to read beforeha...more Last night, I started and finished and ARC of The House of Dead Maids, by Clare Dunkle. And, um, WOW. The book releases on September 14th and is definitely something you want to read.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I read Wuthering Heights right before, to better acquaint myself with Heathcliff's story, and though I'm really glad I've finally read the book (Wuthering Heights is amazing and it shames me how long it took me to get around to reading it) it wasn't absolutely necessary to read beforehand.

Premise: So, basically, the book tells the story of Tabby, a girl brought to work as a maid at the mansion known as Seldom House. She's charged with taking care of a young boy (who grows up to become Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights) and discovers a world of ghosts and dark, dark superstitions.

My absolute favorite thing: This book is deliciously scary. Starting it late at night was a MISTAKE! I kid you not: I slept with the lights on last night. Dunkle's ghosts were described with such detail and so dark my skin crawled--there literally was one moment of description so vivid I had to put the book down and give in to a shiver.

Other thoughts: The cover is what drew me in to begin with. It's fantastically creepy--and it completely matches the scariness of the book.

It was interesting to read Heathcliff before he's officially Heathcliff, and I thought Dunkle did a really nice job of creating him to be believable with the character I know he grows into.

It's a short book, which made it a really quick read. (Though I'm pretty sure I still would have read it in one sitting even if it'd been twice as long.) And the illustrations (by Patrick Arrasmith) in the ARC--and I'm assuming in the hard cover--flow right with the tone of the book and give visual to the terror you feel while reading.

Even thought the protagonist is 11, I'm not sure I agree that this book is suitable for readers ages 12 and up. At least, had I read it at age 12 I'd have had nightmares for weeks. Heck, I still probably will! Maybe most 12-year-olds are tougher than I was at that age though, which is highly likely...

I absolutely recommend this book, especially if you're a fan of Wuthering Heights--and even if you aren't. Bravo to Clare Dunkle, it's been a while since I read anything quite this spooky!

♥ Sara(less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, horror-and-supernatural

I read this last night in one sitting. It's a young adult ghost story and I couldn't put it down. It is the story of Tabby (the Bronte's housekeeper) when she was a young girl and how she met Heathcliff prior to the story of Wuthering Heights. It's a pretty outrageous tale but I love ghost stories and I got drawn into it. It's fiction, of course, and likely to have never happened but it made for a good story. Not sure that I would have thought of this story if I wanted to explain Heathcliff's or...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

This book was way out of my comfort zone. I wouldn't classify it as scary but instead Dunkle has a knack with creepy. This book is very creepy.
I think the idea behind the book is creative. It seems that Dunkle has been exposed to everything Bronte from a young age. Honestly, Wuthering Heights isn't my favorite novel. However, I think that Dunkle, because of her mother's influence, really captured Heathcliff. What she did with the novel and the character Himself was amazing to me. I think she re...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Cornerofmadness rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I picked up this rather short book based on the cover. It was striking when I spotted it at the library (this is what a good cover does for you). A young girl’s face ‘holes where her eyes should be, great round sockets of shadow.’ I didn’t even notice until I got home that this was a ‘chilling prelude to Wuthering Heights.’ Ugh, I do not like, as a general rule literary tie-ins. And for that matter I find Wuthering Heights to be a great look at abusive relationships and not the gothic romance so...more I picked up this rather short book based on the cover. It was striking when I spotted it at the library (this is what a good cover does for you). A young girl’s face ‘holes where her eyes should be, great round sockets of shadow.’ I didn’t even notice until I got home that this was a ‘chilling prelude to Wuthering Heights.’ Ugh, I do not like, as a general rule literary tie-ins. And for that matter I find Wuthering Heights to be a great look at abusive relationships and not the gothic romance so many see it as.

However, that said, I won’t have know about the WH connection until the last paragraphs. Heck, I would have preferred not knowing that since it was then obvious who the little boy was meant to be. It opens in an orphan school teaching knitting and young Tabitha ‘Tabby’ Aykroyd has been selected by a once-pretty but hard and cold woman, Miss Winter. She is warned by other girls that this woman has been here before to get a maid. Assuming that the former maid ran off, Tabby doesn’t argue with being selected, even if it was on the basis of how plain she is.

She is taken to her new home, Seldom House, a remote and very ancient old pile of a house by Miss Winter, the Old Maid and Mr. Arnby, the groundskeeper. All Tabby knows is that she is to be maid to the young master who will be arriving soon. The village is just as remote as the house as they roll on by and she is stunned to find that outside of Miss Winter, who thinks life revolves around her, Mr. Arnby and Mrs. Sexton, the cook, she is the only other maid. The house is filthy and no attempt is made to clean in spite of the master’s impending arrival.

Tabby quickly learns that Seldom House is haunted but she once cared for a parson and his family before the fever took them and he told her that ghosts can’t harm the living so she isn’t that afraid, even when an obviously dead maid curls up in bed with her. Things go quickly downhill when the master turns out to be a young boy brought in by Jack Ketch who has some kind of relationship to Miss Winter. The boy is obviously either gypsy or from somewhere in Europe as English is a second language and he is a dark haired, dark eyed brat who is allowed to do whatever he wants. Jack merely calls him Heathen Git.

This appalls the religious Tabby but not nearly as much as the fact the boy is unbaptized and that there is no church at all in town and everyone works Sundays. As Tabby and Himself, as she calls the boy, explore their new home, they stumble on something very sinister and their lives may not be long ones.

This is a quick, easy read and I did like it. Tabby is an interesting girl and like I said, with the cover itself spoiling its own story, it’s obvious who the boy is meant to be. However, it’s not until, as I said earlier, the last chapter and the epilogue that the tie in is apparent and I’d rather not say more about that since there is some very interesting information about this. The author’s mother is a Bronte scholar whose PhD was on Wuthering Heights so there is a good touch of that atmosphere in this.
(less)

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Aug 02, 2012 Joella www.cinjoella.com rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-horror, young-adult, ghosts, audio

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 12, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS acts as a prelude to WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Though THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS may draw new readers to WUTHERING HEIGHTS, the audiences are somewhat different. The storyline is less complex and the language simpler. (I am truly thankful that Clare B. Dunkle used no dialect, even though the book is set in Yorkshire.)

Tabby Aykroyd has been brought to Seldom House as a maid and a young boy she calls Himself has been brought as the new master. They live there with the old maid, Mrs....more
THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS acts as a prelude to WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Though THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS may draw new readers to WUTHERING HEIGHTS, the audiences are somewhat different. The storyline is less complex and the language simpler. (I am truly thankful that Clare B. Dunkle used no dialect, even though the book is set in Yorkshire.)

Tabby Aykroyd has been brought to Seldom House as a maid and a young boy she calls Himself has been brought as the new master. They live there with the old maid, Mrs. Winter, and old master, Jack Ketch. Tabby is haunted by the former maid, a girl she new, and Himself is haunted by a former master, an old man with eyes like windows. As the ghosts close in, the devout Tabby knows that she must save herself and the boy.

Emily Brontë employed a clever framing device to tell the stories of WUTHERING HEIGHTS. While Dunkle does not imitate that feat, she does tie fantasy and reality together. Tabby Aykroyd was, after all, the maid who told the Brontë siblings stories. Though the reportage is mostly implied, it's still fun. (By the way, please read about the Brontës. They're terribly odd and fascinating. If you've ever seen the little books they wrote stories in . . . some are archived at the Harry Ransom Center.)

There are other connections in THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS that will excite fans of WUTHERING HEIGHTS. I loved the scene wherein Himself destroys a book, since my high school project on WUTHERING HEIGHTS was all about the importance of literacy in the novel. But considering the book also draws from renewal myths and such, readers unfamiliar with the classic novel will still enjoy the ghost story.

Of course, the ghosts aren't the creepiest thing in the novel. Heathcliff, as Himself, is still utterly insane and not healthy to be around. Dunkle encompasses his character quite well in this line: "There was a savage innocence in his gaze, an indifference to the vey notion of suffering."

I enjoyed THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS, although I feel like I was a little too old for the story. (Although I think young children who aren't given to nightmares will enjoy the novel, 'slut' and other sexually charged terms are, briefly, used as perjoratives spoken by one child to another.) I must give kudos to Henry Holt's design team. The cover and interior illustrations will haunt me as surely as the images Dunkle conjures with her prose. (less)

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Jan 18, 2011 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-fiction, teenbooks

Loosely based upon the character Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights, this book acts as a prequel to the Bronte novel.

Eleven-year-old Tabby Aykroyd, who would later serve as housekeeper for thirty years to the Brönte sisters, is taken from an orphanage to a ghost-filled house, where she and a wild young boy are needed for a pagan ritual.

This chilling ghost story has lots of atmosphere and echoes Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery" in the climactic scenes where Tabby and Heathcliff discover that they ha...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-100-book-challenge, books-i-own, mundie-moms-reviews

Have you ever wondered what Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff was like as a child? Pick up The House of Dead Maids and you'll find out. Clare B Dunkle does a great job at bringing an Emily Brontë like voice to The House of Dead Maids. It reads as though Clare came from the early Victorian/ Emily Brontë's time. The style and language is very similar to Emily's and can, in my opinion be read as a prequel to Wuthering Heights. You don't need to read Wuthering Heights to understand what's going on in th...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Chrystal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-book-challenge-2010, library-book, young-adult

To be honest I have never read Wuthering Heights nor had I any idea what it was about, but after reading The House of Dead Maids and doing a little research on it, I am now looking forward to reading it in the near future.

Ms. Dunkle has created a very creepy and chilling tale of Heathcliff and Tabby, his young nursemaid. I would say that it gave me shivers, but not nightmares. The idea of the ghosts of dead maids with "great round sockets of shadow" for eyes is what gave my the creeps. The cover...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Marisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-fiction, october, scary-books

Orphan Tabby is selected as a nursemaid for a young boy about to return with the Master of Seldom House. But as soon as Tabby enters the home she knows something is not right. The help is unusual and improper, the halls are winding and dark. And there are ghosts. Lots of them.

While The House of Dead Maids tells the story Heathcliff prior to his arrival at Wuthering Heights -- it says so right on the cover! -- it's an understatement to say that plays a minor roll in the plot. There's not even a h...more

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Oct 26, 2010 Lawral added it

Shelves: arc, ya

This cover grabbed me. I walked past the girl with no eyes probably a dozen times before I decided I just had to have a copy of this book. That girl on the cover is so enthralling. And a little disturbing. And she doesn't disappoint. This book is enthralling. And a more than a little disturbing. Tabby's life at Seldom House is odd, creepy, and plagued by ghosts, some seemingly kind and some openly menacing.

The House of Dead Maids has a wonderfully creepy and complicated set-up. It is hard to gue...more This cover grabbed me. I walked past the girl with no eyes probably a dozen times before I decided I just had to have a copy of this book. That girl on the cover is so enthralling. And a little disturbing. And she doesn't disappoint. This book is enthralling. And a more than a little disturbing. Tabby's life at Seldom House is odd, creepy, and plagued by ghosts, some seemingly kind and some openly menacing.

The House of Dead Maids has a wonderfully creepy and complicated set-up. It is hard to guess what is really going on at Seldom House with its old maid and young maid, neither of whom are actually maids, and its old master and young master, neither of whom act like the wealthy landowners they're supposed to be. Everything is a bit...off, from the way the house is run to the way the townspeople react to those in it. In the beginning, it's not so weird that it alarms Tabby, every town and house has its quirks, but it does make her feel vulnerable and a little off-kilter. It's in this state that she starts to encounter the ghosts, one in particular that she might have know in their lives before Seldom House. The mood ranges from a little dark to pretty darn scary. When we finally see what is really going on at Seldom House, there are a few holes left in the story, but they do not detract from the rapidly increasing creepy factor that just keeps getting higher the more things are explained.

Much has been made of The Heathcliff Connection in this book. Himself, or Heathen Git, is supposed to grow up to be Brontë's Heathcliff, and Tabby, a real historical person, grows up to be the Brontës' maid and teller of late night ghost stories. While this is kind of cool, I do think that The Heathcliff Connection is being emphasized a bit too much. It didn't seem to have too much to do with the stories, The House of Dead Maids or Wuthering Heights. Tabby's real life connection to the Brontës, on the other hand, was pretty interesting, especially when an explanation involving the hauntings at Seldom House is given for why the real life sisters cared for this maid so devotedly for her entire life. The epilogue offers more information about the historical Tabby, which I found very interesting and much more related to the story in this book than the (I felt) forced Heathcliff Connection. The epilogue also contains a plug for the author's website where there is more information about the historical Brontës, Wuthering Heights, and Tabby Ackroyd.

This is a very spooky, scary story that is a perfect Halloween read, and with the extra awesome cover it will be perfect for Halloween displays as well. For Brontë fans, The Heathcliff Connection will be an added bonus to a book that is a great keep-the-lights-on story for the rest of us as well.

Book source: Arc picked up at ALA.

PS - And there are illustrations! Little ones at the beginning of each chapter. Some of which make that cover art look as harmless as a tea party. (less)

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Sep 21, 2010 Robert Beveridge rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, finished, owned-and-still-own

Clare B. Dunkle, The House of Dead Maids (Holt, 2010)

The current craze for revising and updating classic works of literature rolls on with Clare Dunkle's The House of Dead Maids, a prequel to Wuthering Heights with an intriguing twist. In this one, Tabby (the real-life maid of the Bronte family, mentioned by biographers as the source of Emily's gothic leanings), formerly an orphan at a knitting school, is chosen by an old biddy named Miss Winter to be the new governess at a secluded mansion. She...more Clare B. Dunkle, The House of Dead Maids (Holt, 2010)

The current craze for revising and updating classic works of literature rolls on with Clare Dunkle's The House of Dead Maids, a prequel to Wuthering Heights with an intriguing twist. In this one, Tabby (the real-life maid of the Bronte family, mentioned by biographers as the source of Emily's gothic leanings), formerly an orphan at a knitting school, is chosen by an old biddy named Miss Winter to be the new governess at a secluded mansion. She finds the driver, Arnby, far more companionable than Miss Winter. When they all get back, she's told she has the run of the place until the young master gets there. (A pause to mention that with all the moaning about how she felt useless in the same breath as how dusty everything was, you'd have thought she'd clean something.) Then cometh the young master, the savage lout who will grow up to become Heathcliff. (While this bit of information is not revealed until the Epilogue in the actual text, one can't really call it a spoiler; it's in the first sentence of the jacket copy.) There is something very odd afoot at Seldom House, and it falls to Tabby and Himself, as she calls Heathcliff, to figure out what's going on, and why the ghost of Izzy, Tabby's predecessor at the house, keeps appearing to her.

Running at just one hundred forty-eight pages, this is a tract that an adult lover of Wuthering Heights would be able to take down in an afternoon, and I'd think even reluctant YA readers would get through it in a scant weekend. It's got more than enough in the way of mystery, suspense, and the occasional gore to capture the imagination of male readers in a way that the Bronte sisters never quite managed to, but Bronte fans will likely be charmed by Dunkle's cleverness with language; she's quite obviously influenced by Emily Bronte without ever sacrificing her own voice to that of her spiritual predecessor. Me, I've never been a Bronte fan myself, but I liked this all right. Definitely worth picking up for the scary-story lover in your house. ***(less)

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Jul 14, 2012 Mrs. ReaderPants rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: texas-authors, read-in-2012

More reviews at Mrs. ReaderPants.

REVIEW: I went through this "read the classics" phase in 10th grade. Wuthering Heights was one of the books I read then, and I remember not really understanding it. I got the gist, but I'd probably enjoy reading it much more (and understand it better) as an adult. Though I wasn't a huge fan of WH at the time, The House of Dead Maids makes me want to try it again.

As far as reaching readers, Dead Maids has some challenges. It's not that I disliked it, but I think i...more

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Oct 27, 2010 Sarah Maddaford rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, can-be-read-alone, fantasy, historical, mystery, mythology-biblical, mythology-misc, prequel, spirits, supernatural

This book was weird. I'm uncertain as to whether this book is appropriate for juvenile fiction collection or young adult ones. The characters are clearly children, but children of the 19th century before children were cared for and treated as they are today. Also the gruesome and horrific qualities of the story are pretty hard to take. So, it may be too mature for readers the age of the characters, but older readers may hesitate to read a book about younger characters. The pacing is extremely sl...more

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Oct 27, 2010 Amy L. Campbell rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, blogged, reviewed

This book gets two stars and a waffle. I just can't convince myself to give it a full extra star.

Strangely I found this to be somewhat reminiscent of both The Wicker Man movies and The Scarlet Letter. Himself/Heathen Git/Heathcliff have the same mischeveious spark and fey nature that Pearl had, whereas some of the more spoiler plot points are similar to Wicker Man. Add in some general ghost story/scary movie points and you have The House of Dead Maids. It was by no means a terrible read, but Tab...more

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Dec 09, 2010 Small Review rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gothic, published-2010, retelling

Summary:

Young Tabby Aykroyd has just been employed as a maid in the spooky Seldom House. The house is empty, understaffed, and lacking a proper employer. Soon after her arrival, however, the master of the house returns with a boy for Tabby to care for. This boy, known to Tabby only as “Himself” is an immoral imp ruled by his own selfish whims. As Tabby and Himself form a shaky relationship, both children begin to notice ghostly occurrences in the forms of young maids and masters whose urgency s...more Summary:

Young Tabby Aykroyd has just been employed as a maid in the spooky Seldom House. The house is empty, understaffed, and lacking a proper employer. Soon after her arrival, however, the master of the house returns with a boy for Tabby to care for. This boy, known to Tabby only as “Himself” is an immoral imp ruled by his own selfish whims. As Tabby and Himself form a shaky relationship, both children begin to notice ghostly occurrences in the forms of young maids and masters whose urgency seems to increase with each encounter. What are the ghosts trying to tell them? Why have so many maids and masters died? Most importantly, can Tabby unravel the truth before she becomes the next dead maid?

Review:

The House of Dead Maids is written as a prequel to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, which is no small task. Equally haunting and atmospheric, THoDM is more than worthy to stand up against Bronte’s classic. I loved Wuthering Heights, but I’ve always had two nagging questions: Where did Heathcliff originally come from, and where did he go when Catherine first spurned him? Dunkle’s THoDM not only answers both of those questions, but it does so in a way that is completely and totally satisfying. I really can believe that Himself would grow up to become the horrible Heathcliff and I can completely believe Heathcliff would be the type of person to partake in the awful secret of Seldom House (if you couldn’t tell, I’m NOT one of the people who finds Heathcliff dreamy. I thought he was a raving, though entertaining, lunatic).

THoDM works beautifully as a prequel, but it also manages to stand out as an engrossing story in its own right. I don’t know how frightening the story would be to a horror aficionado, but I am a wimp and I was totally scared. Even the cover creeped me out and I had to turn the book over so the cover was facing down when I went to sleep at night (sad, yes, I know, but there’s also a really creepy scene with a ghost at night in a bed). These ghosts aren’t benevolent ghosts the main character will counsel and possibly fall in love with. Oh no, these ghosts are more like zombie wraiths (and not the kind of zombie the main character will counsel and possibly fall in love with).

The ghosts weren’t the only scary part of the book. The living people were just as scary as the ghosts (maybe even scarier) and behaved just as crazily as Bronte’s nutty characters (minus the overwrought speeches and love). As Tabby begins to uncover the mystery of the dead maids, she discovers the real reason she was brought to Seldom House. For such a slim novel, Dunkle did a truly excellent job of dropping hints in a way that kept me reading rapidly to discover more clues but didn’t feel like she just dumped it all on me all at once.

The final clever twist of this story was the way Dunkle wove in actual fact. Not only did she tie her story in with Wuthering Heights, but she also made references to Bronte’s own servant: A woman named Tabby who is said to have told the Bronte children dark and scary stories, much to young Emily’s delight.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this short prequel and I’m very, very happy I decided to pick it up. If you haven’t read Wuthering Heights, don’t worry. It’s not necessary to have read the original to understand this story, and this story doesn’t give away any spoilers for the original. Fans of Gothic fiction, Wuthering Heights, and The Woman in Black by Susan Hill should be sure to check out this most excellent book.(less)

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Mar 13, 2011 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: washyarg, young-adult, ghosts

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 13, 2010 Leanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

In Clare B. Dunkle’s young adult novel The House of Dead Maids, orphaned Tabby Aykroyd arrives at Seldom House to be a caretaker and playmate to the young “master.” She is immediately haunted by ghosts of her predecessors and tries to save herself and her young charge from a similar fate.

Dunkle’s novel is a fast, enjoyable read and maintains a consistently unsettling atmosphere throughout. The book cover is one of the creepiest I’ve seen, but it also claims the novel is “A Chilling Prelude to Wu...more

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Nov 01, 2011 TheBookSmugglers rated it 2 of 5 stars

Original review posted on The Book Smugglers

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

The House of the Dead Maids is described as a prelude to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. I was curious about this connection to one of my favourite novels and since I have enjoyed other books by Clare B. Dunkle (The Hollow Kingdom and By These Ten Bones), I decided to give this one a go.

It tells the story of orphaned Tabby Aykroyd as she is taken to the old mansion called Seldom House to be the nursemaid of an u...more Original review posted on The Book Smugglers

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

The House of the Dead Maids is described as a prelude to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. I was curious about this connection to one of my favourite novels and since I have enjoyed other books by Clare B. Dunkle (The Hollow Kingdom and By These Ten Bones), I decided to give this one a go.

It tells the story of orphaned Tabby Aykroyd as she is taken to the old mansion called Seldom House to be the nursemaid of an unnamed, unruly young boy referred to as the “heathen git”. As soon as she arrives at the House, the “young maid” Tabby is haunted by the ghosts of previous maids inasmuch as her charge, the “young master” is haunted by the ghosts of previous masters of the House. These supernatural encounters prove to be the least of their worries as they realise that each of them seems to have a role to play in a long-lasting and terrible tradition.

At merely 146 pages The House of the Dead Maids is an extremely quick read but ultimately, I found it to be an ok yet unremarkable read.

The story has its scary moments especially the first scenes when Tabby arrives at the house and the illustrations that open each chapter are super ultra creepy.

It is also appropriately Gothic given its connection with Wuthering Heights with the presence of ghosts, the haunted mansion, the lurking evil, the Yorkshire setting.

All is indeed very… adequate and you can see my predicament here: I find myself without a lot more to say than the above and I guess that says a lot in itself? Although there were interesting moments especially concerning Tabby’s religious faith (in comparison to the lack of faith of the House’s inhabitants) and her attempts to connect with her charge and his adamant need to be the “young master”, the story itself is very, very familiar with its theme of “villagers-turned-to-evil-sacrifice” a la The Wicker Man. Bear in mind though this is the second Horror book I’ve read this week with this theme so perhaps my reaction has been somewhat influenced by the ghost of Popular Plots.

As for the connection to Wuthering Heights: this point is not made clear till the very end of the novel when everything comes full circle, when real and fictional come together. You see, Tabby went on to work as a housekeeper to the Brontë Family and in Real Life, the Brontës did have a housekeeper named Tabby who liked to tell ghost stories like this one and who seems to have influenced Emily Brontë a great deal. It is perhaps too meta for me but might work for others. (less)

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Oct 22, 2010 Stephanie D. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

How I coveted The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle once I saw its ghoulish cover (It reminds me of one of my favorite childhood series - Scary Stories with Stephen Gammell's nightmarish illustrations). And upon finding out that it was a prequel of sorts to Wuthering Heights - well it was just all over for me. Had to read it.

At 146 pages, The House of Dead Maids is a slim volume that's full of gothic creepiness. Not a word is wasted. You don't need to have read Wuthering Heights; this nove...more How I coveted The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle once I saw its ghoulish cover (It reminds me of one of my favorite childhood series - Scary Stories with Stephen Gammell's nightmarish illustrations). And upon finding out that it was a prequel of sorts to Wuthering Heights - well it was just all over for me. Had to read it.

At 146 pages, The House of Dead Maids is a slim volume that's full of gothic creepiness. Not a word is wasted. You don't need to have read Wuthering Heights; this novel can stand on its own. But if you have read Wuthering Heights, in this book you'll find faintly similar themes of unholy, jealous love that transcends death and ghostly apparitions. Dunkle has given us a tale with echoes of Wuthering Heights but added so much more by weaving in it fantastically weird folklore about masters and maids and their sinister connection with the Yorkshire Moors.

Heathcliff, here a very young, feral six-year-old, is one of the main characters and already exhibits the traits of the classic hero - misunderstood, willful, proud, and godless. He is the "master" of Seldom Place and young Tabby Akroyd has come to be his "maid." We see Heathcliff or "Himself" because he refuses to give his name, through Tabby's eyes. She's been told that she's to care for "the master" but ominous Seldom House and its other occupants, the cold Ms. Winter, the untrustworthy Jack, dour Mrs. Sexton, and the oddly jovial Arnby, make her suspicious of her and "Himself"'s true purpose. Why have they been brought to Seldom House and who is the dead maid that keeps haunting her?

"A black dress next to my black dress. Gray hands reaching for mine.

"The old looking glass in the beaded frame returned only a suggestion of features. I longed to see my new clothes, and as I stepped into the passage, I was just turning over in my mind where I might have seen a better mirror. When first I caught sight of the small figure in black, I thought it was my reflection.

"She stood very still in the dusky passage where the light was poorest. Like me, she wore the black dress that proclaimed her a maid of the house, but whereas mine was new, hers was spoiled by mildew and smears of clay. Thin hair, dripping with muddy water, fell to her shoulders in limp, stringy ropes. This was my companion of the night before--and she was dead."

The House of Dead Maids cannot get any more perfect in terms of the best kind of my type Halloween scary story. It starts out disturbing, turns alarming, and before you know it the full, dreadful truth is exposed like an open grave. Loved it from beginning to end - superbly crafted, dark and shuddersome (that's a real word - look it up!).

Oh, and I almost forgot, this is probably guilding a lily but there are also amazingly macabre illustrations by Patrick Arrasmith. Go to Clare Dunkle's website to view a slideshow of them and all sorts of goodies like her inspiration for The House of Dead Maids, photos of the Yorkshire Moors, and tidbits about the Brontes. Apparently the character of Tabby Akroyd was based on the Brontes' own housekeeper. (less)

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Dec 05, 2011 Erin Forson rated it 1 of 5 stars

The House of Dead Maids
by Clare B. Dunkle
Sadly, the best part of this book is the cover—which is disappointing, because I really liked Dunkle's book The Sky Inside. The book is about a maid who is hired to work as a nanny in a haunted house. The boy she is brought to watch is supposedly the young version of a character named Heathcliff (a character who appeared in a classic novel, Wuthering Heights by Emile Bronte, which was published in 1847). After the two face numerous ghosts and possible dea...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

House of Dead Maids / 978-0-805-09116-8

I picked this book up without realizing that it's meant to be a precursor to "Wuthering Heights", and I would like to review it as such. I enjoyed this short novel very much as a "period piece" slash horror story, and recommend it highly to people interested in the genre.

When Tabby is pulled from her orphanage to serve as a maid in a distant house, she is initially confused by the disrepair of the house and almost complete lack of inhabitants - outside of a...more

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Nov 17, 2010 The Rusty Key rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer: Jordan B. Nielsen

Recommended for: Adult Bronte fans, and your strange niece who’s pretty advanced for her age and has read Wuthering Heights twelve times.

One Word Summary: Peripheral.

In a bizarre coincidence, my response to The House of Dead Maids is quite similar to what I expressed in my review of ‘The Book of the Maidservant’ (Is it something about Maids?). Dead Maids has strengths in its appropriation of the Victorian Gothic style and some affectingly frighteni...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Ilsa Bick rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you ever wondered what happened before Wuthering Heights, Dunkle proposes to answer that in this prequel to Emily Brontë's masterpiece. The Brontës' real-life servant, who supposedly told many a ghost story to her young charges, serves as the model for Tabby Akroyd, an 11-year-old girl hired out to the mysterious, brooding manor, Seldom House. There, she is nursemaid to a young and imperious charge--a savage little boy she calls "Himself"--and discovers an unsettling truth about Seldom House:...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. Rather than open it at once when it arrived, I decided to set aside a time when I would be alone at night and could read it straight through. The book is intended for young readers and can be read in a couple of hours. Even so, the story is sure to be enjoyed by us older folks, too. House of Dead Maids is meant to be a prequel to Wuthering Heights, but holds its own as a stand alone chiller.

Tabitha Aykroyd is an eleven year old orphan who finds herse...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Abbie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, ghost-story, children-s, youngadult, mystery

Tabby is a young orphan who is taken from the girl's home where she resides to live in Seldom House to work as a maid, but when she arrives, nothing is like it shoud be. She seems to have no responsibilities until the young master, another orphan, arrives. The only other inhabitants are the Old Master, the Old Maid, a cook, and a groudskeeper. The house is filled with dark and tristing passageways, and Tabby recieves ghostly visitations from the rotting corpses of other young maids. The young ma...more

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Nov 23, 2010 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 04, 2010 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

ARC free giveaway through Goodreads First Reads~
I have longed mourned the absence of good gothic ghost stories. Vampires and the like have served their time, and if the trends shift back, all the better.
House of Dead Maids is the story of Tabby Ackroyd, an 11 year-old orphan who arrives at Seldom House as a nursemaid. But there is something not right about Seldom House. Almost from the beginning, there are odd occurrences. And Tabby's young charge is odder still. Tabby tries to figure out what...more

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About Clare B. Dunkle

I was born Clare Buckalew in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in Denton, Texas, a city north of Dallas. I earned my B.A. in Russian with a minor in Latin from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from Indiana University with a master's degree in library science, I came back to San Antonio to work when my husband, Joe, joined the engineering staff at Kelly Air Force Base. I earn...more

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Books by Clare B. Dunkle

The Hollow Kingdom (The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy, #1)

Close Kin (The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy, #2)

In the Coils of the Snake (The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy, #3)

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“I had no fear of the stream's perils, and I listened with the greatest contentment to the quiet slap of water on rocks, the running whisper of the current, and the taps and creaks and croaks that rose with the mist around me. Overhead swing the glittering stars, and the bright moon shone down and lit the curling ripples of the water. At no time in my life had I been in greater danger from the elements, and yet if I learned that heaven is such as that night was, I should deem it a joy worth the dying.” — 5 people liked it

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