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Meany
Six year old Jenny Barnes wakes up from night terrors only to find out that ghosts are real and there’s no such thing as safe.
She lives in a two hundred year old farmhouse with her large family, but they’re not alone. There’s a malevolent presence up in the attic and the forest surrounding the farm is alive with folks who just won’t stay dead. Worse is the fact that the cattle have developed a taste for murder and are killing everything in sight. Well…that and the fact that her own father is trying to kill her.
All Jenny wants is a childhood--a few moments playing in the sunny yard with her sisters. All she'll have to do to get one is survive.
And as Eddie, the one farmhand who’s on her side notes, “this old place is going over.”
Will anyone get out of there alive?
She lives in a two hundred year old farmhouse with her large family, but they’re not alone. There’s a malevolent presence up in the attic and the forest surrounding the farm is alive with folks who just won’t stay dead. Worse is the fact that the cattle have developed a taste for murder and are killing everything in sight. Well…that and the fact that her own father is trying to kill her.
All Jenny wants is a childhood--a few moments playing in the sunny yard with her sisters. All she'll have to do to get one is survive.
And as Eddie, the one farmhand who’s on her side notes, “this old place is going over.”
Will anyone get out of there alive?
- GenresHorrorParanormalGhosts
450 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
11 people are currently reading
339 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 30, 2012
Review from Badelynge
I would echo another reader's opinion that Peazy Monellon's writing does bring to mind early Stephen King. Meany has that dark playfulness that King was so adept at. A young girl called Jenny and her cohort of brothers and sisters (mostly sisters)are growing up on a farm under the increasingly cruel rule of their dictatorial father. The place is also awash with spooks. For a first book this is pretty well written though at times I felt it did get a little tangled up in the different angles and ideas thrown up by the narrative. One of the farmhands provides confessional interludes that mainly injects frequent doses of foreshadowing into the read. The author doesn't pull any punches with the horror angle, throwing a fairly disturbing scene into the story in the first few chapters. I mostly enjoyed the sequences from the POV of the younger kids; Jenny's first encounter with benevolent spook Emma being one of the highlights. Other bits don't quite work as well; a surreal overly detailed game of Mouse Trap is a pretty audacious inclusion though it pretty much swamps the creepiness and tension with the nostalgia of children's games. It's not a long read, the generously spaced bold typeset makes the pages fly by. Basically a nicely written début.
Review copy from Goodreads giveaway.
I would echo another reader's opinion that Peazy Monellon's writing does bring to mind early Stephen King. Meany has that dark playfulness that King was so adept at. A young girl called Jenny and her cohort of brothers and sisters (mostly sisters)are growing up on a farm under the increasingly cruel rule of their dictatorial father. The place is also awash with spooks. For a first book this is pretty well written though at times I felt it did get a little tangled up in the different angles and ideas thrown up by the narrative. One of the farmhands provides confessional interludes that mainly injects frequent doses of foreshadowing into the read. The author doesn't pull any punches with the horror angle, throwing a fairly disturbing scene into the story in the first few chapters. I mostly enjoyed the sequences from the POV of the younger kids; Jenny's first encounter with benevolent spook Emma being one of the highlights. Other bits don't quite work as well; a surreal overly detailed game of Mouse Trap is a pretty audacious inclusion though it pretty much swamps the creepiness and tension with the nostalgia of children's games. It's not a long read, the generously spaced bold typeset makes the pages fly by. Basically a nicely written début.
Review copy from Goodreads giveaway.
December 1, 2011
This is my own baby, so of course I love it!
May 19, 2014
I wasn't overly impressed with Monellon's novella Nathanial's Window, but not enough so to not give the author another chance. And I'm glad I did. Monellon does much better with long form, Meany was a very solid effort, well written, excellent characterizations. It's possible there was actually too much going on on the Barnes farm, domestic abuse alone and dealing with it would have made for a compelling story, but author threw in ghosts of two different kinds and all their unique ghostly ways. It all worked though, made for a pretty entertaining and very quick read (3 hours only). If you're new to the author, definitely start with this one.
May 26, 2012
Another solid horror story recommended to me by Amazon.
April 2, 2012
This is the story of a family who you’ll come to care about as you are brought into their lives. It is the story of a spare-the-rod-and-spoil-the-child father, Charles Barnes, who is driven to madness by the water from a newly discovered spring on his property. The same water his cows and a prize bull are allowed to drink. They ultimately go mad as well (mad cow...yeah), which adds another layer to Charles’ own madness.
It is a story which is told to Father Murphy by Eddie Kingsley, a hired hand on the Barnes farm. He begins to see the color going out of his view of the place, a clever metaphor which Eddie figures out pretty quick.
That is a taste of the surreal quality inherent in this story. As things go bad on the farm, the color goes out of Eddie’s view.
But the surreal elements are delivered very believably. They complement the story and give it life and give the reader a reason to read on.
As I’ve said, the story is told by Eddie Kingsley. But along the way, Eddie’s voice passes the baton to third person omniscient. I didn’t pick up on it right away because it is either done very well and on purpose, or the story obscures that faux pas. It happens quite a few times where Eddie is obviously talking to the Father and then somewhere along the line we go back to omniscient view, or voice.
I’m not a strict adherent of sticking to a single voice, so I have no room to talk. I’m just mentioning it and stating, for the record, that it really didn’t detract from the tale and might even help certain aspects of the tale. But, you know, certain people...
Anyway, there are spirits who are awakened and play their role pushing that overbearing Charles to the brink. Again, the ghosts of the past are presented well and it is all very believable. I never thought, “oh come on.”
The ending was touching and heartfelt and just goes to show that the greatest monsters are right in front of us all the time. Sometimes we even call them mom or dad.
I’d like to thank Peazy (who signed it, thanks!) for telling me this story. I know I’ll think about it well after the cover is closed.
It is a story which is told to Father Murphy by Eddie Kingsley, a hired hand on the Barnes farm. He begins to see the color going out of his view of the place, a clever metaphor which Eddie figures out pretty quick.
That is a taste of the surreal quality inherent in this story. As things go bad on the farm, the color goes out of Eddie’s view.
But the surreal elements are delivered very believably. They complement the story and give it life and give the reader a reason to read on.
As I’ve said, the story is told by Eddie Kingsley. But along the way, Eddie’s voice passes the baton to third person omniscient. I didn’t pick up on it right away because it is either done very well and on purpose, or the story obscures that faux pas. It happens quite a few times where Eddie is obviously talking to the Father and then somewhere along the line we go back to omniscient view, or voice.
I’m not a strict adherent of sticking to a single voice, so I have no room to talk. I’m just mentioning it and stating, for the record, that it really didn’t detract from the tale and might even help certain aspects of the tale. But, you know, certain people...
Anyway, there are spirits who are awakened and play their role pushing that overbearing Charles to the brink. Again, the ghosts of the past are presented well and it is all very believable. I never thought, “oh come on.”
The ending was touching and heartfelt and just goes to show that the greatest monsters are right in front of us all the time. Sometimes we even call them mom or dad.
I’d like to thank Peazy (who signed it, thanks!) for telling me this story. I know I’ll think about it well after the cover is closed.
January 5, 2013
This is a book you do not read before going to bed! Unless you are okay with dreaming about Indian Ghosts and crazy fathers and sweet little girls you want to protect to the ends of the earth. Just don't drink the water on this farm! before saying good night and traveling down that path of weird and crazy. Sad thing is, I truly believe this is how it was (and may still be in some homes) for some children. I just so wanted to reach through the pages of this book and tear this dad a new one each time he even spoke to his children. And the horror the eldest took! Oh my goodness. It is a wonder she got out of this one alive. I just could never figure what the cover art meant who is that supposed to be? That does not depict the children. It does not depict the creep either that comes in and makes their lives miserable. BUT it got my attention and was creepy enough that I bought the book sooooo it worked. Anywho. This book is down right creepy and will give you the willy's good thing we don't have basements or cellars where I live. We do have Indian's though and plenty of old folk lore to go with it. So with the knowledge of the abuse I have seen and heard about and with the enough reading of Ghosts etc. This one was well written, the characters well described and drawn out. You never got lost and it made sense where this story took you. It was inventive and just creepy enough. I really liked it and highly recommend it! I will post the same on my goodreads account to spread the word! Great book!....
March 29, 2012
I won the book through good read's first reads giveaways.
I was a little hesitant at the very start of the book. Thought it was going to be preachy and relatively childish-like, but after continuing on through the book I simply couldn't put it down. Amazing, spooky, enjoyable, and slightly eerie throughout the entire book kept you lingering on the edge of questions and excitement to figure out what happens next. Peazy Menellon has done a very good job writing this book. Thank you for the awesome chance of reading this.
I was a little hesitant at the very start of the book. Thought it was going to be preachy and relatively childish-like, but after continuing on through the book I simply couldn't put it down. Amazing, spooky, enjoyable, and slightly eerie throughout the entire book kept you lingering on the edge of questions and excitement to figure out what happens next. Peazy Menellon has done a very good job writing this book. Thank you for the awesome chance of reading this.
October 28, 2013
I downloaded this as a kindle freebie, but the cover ( which is not the one shown above ),made me reluctant to read it, but I'm so glad that I decided to give it a go. I was hooked after a few pages and couldn't put it down until the end.
I would definitely recommend this reading this book.
4.5 stars.
I would definitely recommend this reading this book.
4.5 stars.
December 1, 2011
This is one of my own 'children', so yeah, I love it.
May 28, 2012
This book is rather frightening. At times its a bit hard to follow but it is a very very good book and I would recommend it. This was a free book off of Kindle.
August 31, 2012
A fantastic horror novel. It definitely kept me guessing right up until the end and was impossible to put down.
December 27, 2012
impossible to put down. this writer can tell a tale that will find you sitting up in the middle of the night to finish it.
August 30, 2018
This book gave me the creeps. I had to sleep with the light on after I was done reading.
July 12, 2013
Extremely basic synopsis for those not wanting to read my entire review: It feels like the author had several ideas for excellent horror books and tried to fit ALL those ideas into one novel, with some negative results.
If you are still reading, then here is the detailed review. This book does not quite live up to all of the hype in my opinion; however, I don't dislike it either. It is an average book that could have been great but fell short in places. There are some inconsistencies with some of the characters, some plot elements require the reader to suspend belief beyond a comfortable range, and at times, too many subplots are happening at once which muddles the story line.
The inconsistencies with some of the characters: the two little girls act and think as one would expect two little girls to act and think, but not consistently. At times, they showed a teenage to adult comprehension with both their thought processes and actions. Because of this, I was unable to form a clear picture in my mind of what these girls 'look' like. That's problematic for any reader when they are unable to really visualize a character. The author did do a good job with the development of the other major characters to her credit; however, as the story really revolves around the two little girls, it's these characters that the readers need to connect with the most.
As for suspension of belief beyond a comfortable range. Native American culture, regardless of tribe, is not vengeful, spiteful or evil in nature. For those not familiar with Native American culture and practices, a suspension of belief may not be required; however, readers that do have even a basic knowledge and understanding of Native American culture and their belief systems may find some portions of the plot difficult to process, regardless of the fact that this book is fiction. Even fiction books require some elements of non-fiction for the reader to connect to, and as this is the connecting thread throughout the novel, the consequences of this are unavoidable. There are other portions of the main plot that can be hard to swallow; specifically the issue with the water (pardon the pun). While this may have worked perfectly on it's own, there are too many other issues facing this family and their plot of land; therefore, the issue with the water seemed over the top and not all that relevant to the storyline, truth be told. It could be removed fairly easily.
To clarify my statement that too many subplots are going on at one time muddying the storyline, I would have to give specific examples and I am not looking to provide spoilers within this review. The most I can say to clarify this without giving too much away is that it appears, at times, like the author wasn't completely sure which subplot she wanted to focus on, which translates into her readers being unsure which subplot to focus on.
Yet despite this list of complaints, I did not dislike this book. Quite the contrary. I did enjoy reading it. It is, for the most part, quite well-edited (a pet peeve of mine) and there are many parts of the book that do flow smoothly. There were also periods within the book where I found myself sufficiently spooked. While I wouldn't rate this higher than an average read, I certainly wouldn't be too hasty in placing it in the 'dump' pile either. The book does have it's redeeming qualities.
While there are parts of the book that could use some fleshing out, and areas where various subplots could be narrowed down significantly to make the book flow more smoothly throughout, I have no qualms in recommending this book to other readers. It may not be extraordinary, but if you are looking for a decent, rather chilling read to pass the time, this book may well be for you; however, if you are the type of reader that wants and expects perfection, or close to it, you may want to give this book a pass.
With that said, I will read more of this author's works should she continue to publish. There are best-selling authors out there who have written some downright horrible books, much to the surprise of their fan base. Writing is an art form. And while not all of an artists creations are perfect gallery specimens, neither is every book an author writes. There is talent within these pages and I suspect that future books may improve upon some of the complaints that I, and some other readers share, and may very well exceed our expectations in her future works. So give Meany a try. And even if you end up not caring for Meany, I'm certain that readers will recognize that the author has talent. For lovers of the horror genre, this is an author to keep an eye on.
If you are still reading, then here is the detailed review. This book does not quite live up to all of the hype in my opinion; however, I don't dislike it either. It is an average book that could have been great but fell short in places. There are some inconsistencies with some of the characters, some plot elements require the reader to suspend belief beyond a comfortable range, and at times, too many subplots are happening at once which muddles the story line.
The inconsistencies with some of the characters: the two little girls act and think as one would expect two little girls to act and think, but not consistently. At times, they showed a teenage to adult comprehension with both their thought processes and actions. Because of this, I was unable to form a clear picture in my mind of what these girls 'look' like. That's problematic for any reader when they are unable to really visualize a character. The author did do a good job with the development of the other major characters to her credit; however, as the story really revolves around the two little girls, it's these characters that the readers need to connect with the most.
As for suspension of belief beyond a comfortable range. Native American culture, regardless of tribe, is not vengeful, spiteful or evil in nature. For those not familiar with Native American culture and practices, a suspension of belief may not be required; however, readers that do have even a basic knowledge and understanding of Native American culture and their belief systems may find some portions of the plot difficult to process, regardless of the fact that this book is fiction. Even fiction books require some elements of non-fiction for the reader to connect to, and as this is the connecting thread throughout the novel, the consequences of this are unavoidable. There are other portions of the main plot that can be hard to swallow; specifically the issue with the water (pardon the pun). While this may have worked perfectly on it's own, there are too many other issues facing this family and their plot of land; therefore, the issue with the water seemed over the top and not all that relevant to the storyline, truth be told. It could be removed fairly easily.
To clarify my statement that too many subplots are going on at one time muddying the storyline, I would have to give specific examples and I am not looking to provide spoilers within this review. The most I can say to clarify this without giving too much away is that it appears, at times, like the author wasn't completely sure which subplot she wanted to focus on, which translates into her readers being unsure which subplot to focus on.
Yet despite this list of complaints, I did not dislike this book. Quite the contrary. I did enjoy reading it. It is, for the most part, quite well-edited (a pet peeve of mine) and there are many parts of the book that do flow smoothly. There were also periods within the book where I found myself sufficiently spooked. While I wouldn't rate this higher than an average read, I certainly wouldn't be too hasty in placing it in the 'dump' pile either. The book does have it's redeeming qualities.
While there are parts of the book that could use some fleshing out, and areas where various subplots could be narrowed down significantly to make the book flow more smoothly throughout, I have no qualms in recommending this book to other readers. It may not be extraordinary, but if you are looking for a decent, rather chilling read to pass the time, this book may well be for you; however, if you are the type of reader that wants and expects perfection, or close to it, you may want to give this book a pass.
With that said, I will read more of this author's works should she continue to publish. There are best-selling authors out there who have written some downright horrible books, much to the surprise of their fan base. Writing is an art form. And while not all of an artists creations are perfect gallery specimens, neither is every book an author writes. There is talent within these pages and I suspect that future books may improve upon some of the complaints that I, and some other readers share, and may very well exceed our expectations in her future works. So give Meany a try. And even if you end up not caring for Meany, I'm certain that readers will recognize that the author has talent. For lovers of the horror genre, this is an author to keep an eye on.
January 3, 2013
I found this book on Kindle Buffet as a free download. The plot summary intrigued me, but looking back on it now, it's a little misleading. The entire story wasn't really a horror/thriller, although it was a bit creepy, so I guess it works. As for the story overall, it was interesting but a bit contrived, and the whole Native American element seemed out of place, but I do give the author credit for creativity/imagination. As another reviewer has commented, the abundance of animal and child cruelty was rather off-putting and downright disturbing (although I know, sadly, acts like those described in the book do happen in the world), so that is just a fair warning to anyone sensitive to those topics.
The one thing that really bothered me and was distracting throughout the ENTIRE book was the overall lack of editing and overuse/abuse of commas in inappropriate places. My inner editor cringed.
To sum it up, it was a quick, engaging read, but I found myself wishing there were more to it and more focus on the ghosts/demons/whatever they were supposed to be who lurked in the attic. I would have liked to know more about them (like how they got there, why they are trapped in the house, who Randall was, etc.) instead of reading about how the father abused his children, wife, and animals.
The one thing that really bothered me and was distracting throughout the ENTIRE book was the overall lack of editing and overuse/abuse of commas in inappropriate places. My inner editor cringed.
To sum it up, it was a quick, engaging read, but I found myself wishing there were more to it and more focus on the ghosts/demons/whatever they were supposed to be who lurked in the attic. I would have liked to know more about them (like how they got there, why they are trapped in the house, who Randall was, etc.) instead of reading about how the father abused his children, wife, and animals.
February 17, 2012
I won "Meany" through the goodreads giveaway. Thank you.
An interesting book which uses different fonts to give meaning to certain passages.
The character Charles and his growing madness was well portrayed, however I would have liked to see less cruelty to animals used to show that kind of mental breakdown. Although it did make it easier to "take sides" from the start it almost put me off reading on.
Sections of the book that dealt mainly with the children were written in a child-like voice which felt inconsistent as the whole story is told by an old adult close to his death.
Edward's concern about Charles at the end was interesting and I thought the game Randall played with Ruthy showed great imagination by the author.
I found myself wondering how it was possible for Edward to recount to the priest things that only Jenny and Dawny or the girls as a group had experienced.
Confusing was that Edward is referred to as Edward on page 345, as Eddie on page 346 and as Eddy on page 347. Consisteny is important.
I would have liked to give it 2.5 stars, but that's not possible at goodreads.
An interesting book which uses different fonts to give meaning to certain passages.
The character Charles and his growing madness was well portrayed, however I would have liked to see less cruelty to animals used to show that kind of mental breakdown. Although it did make it easier to "take sides" from the start it almost put me off reading on.
Sections of the book that dealt mainly with the children were written in a child-like voice which felt inconsistent as the whole story is told by an old adult close to his death.
Edward's concern about Charles at the end was interesting and I thought the game Randall played with Ruthy showed great imagination by the author.
I found myself wondering how it was possible for Edward to recount to the priest things that only Jenny and Dawny or the girls as a group had experienced.
Confusing was that Edward is referred to as Edward on page 345, as Eddie on page 346 and as Eddy on page 347. Consisteny is important.
I would have liked to give it 2.5 stars, but that's not possible at goodreads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2015
Too Much Going On While I enjoyed this quite a bit more than I enjoyed Nathanial's Window, I found the children's POV parts irritatingly childish and rather inconsistent. The parts detailing Charles' descent further into madness were well done, and suitably creepy.
All in all, there seemed to be just too much going on to fully get a good grip on it: domestic abuse, animal cruelty, crazy ghosts, not-so-crazy ghosts, and a long-gone Indian tribal council thing (didn't see the point of that, the story was doing just fine without it) bog down the story until there's just too much activity. Also, Eddie (or Eddy or Edward) seemed to be relating parts of the story that there would be no way for him to know what happened. Still, the confessional part was a nice, excellently done part of the story.
All in all, there seemed to be just too much going on to fully get a good grip on it: domestic abuse, animal cruelty, crazy ghosts, not-so-crazy ghosts, and a long-gone Indian tribal council thing (didn't see the point of that, the story was doing just fine without it) bog down the story until there's just too much activity. Also, Eddie (or Eddy or Edward) seemed to be relating parts of the story that there would be no way for him to know what happened. Still, the confessional part was a nice, excellently done part of the story.
August 31, 2016
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads, and even if I didn't I would have bought it. This was a pretty frightening story. The children and wife you feel bad for, the father is someone you wish to never cross. He's horrible to his family. At one time I wanted to have a 200 year old farm house, not any more. You never know what or who is hiding in the attic or the basement.
The book will keep a reader intersted and wanting to know what is next, there are some times I wanted to read it thru my hand over my eyes. I didn't want to see or read what was happening, but couldn't not read it.
I can't wait to read more from Peazy Monellon this was a great book. Reminded me of early Stephen King with the suspense.
The book will keep a reader intersted and wanting to know what is next, there are some times I wanted to read it thru my hand over my eyes. I didn't want to see or read what was happening, but couldn't not read it.
I can't wait to read more from Peazy Monellon this was a great book. Reminded me of early Stephen King with the suspense.
September 28, 2011
Shivers...
August 1, 2015
Definitely a creepy book in its own weird way.
April 18, 2016
Excellent book.
Good old fashioned scary read. Just what I was hoping for. It moves quickly, and keeps your interest. I really enjoyed this book.
Good old fashioned scary read. Just what I was hoping for. It moves quickly, and keeps your interest. I really enjoyed this book.
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