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The Little Men
In 1950s Hollywood, an actress is haunted by a bookseller’s death: A novella from the Edgar Award-winning author of Give Me Your Hand.
In 1953, Penny is just another washed-up, wannabe Hollywood actress who is past her prime. She has settled in to a quiet lifestyle, and when she finds a low-rent bungalow in Canyon Arms, it’s a dream come true; Penny takes to the place instantly.
But the dream cottage with its French doors and tiled courtyard may not be as perfect as it seems. Penny’s new neighbors start filling her head with stories about past tenants, whispering voices, and a suicide that may not have been a suicide at all. Soon enough, Penny starts hearing strange noises and she can’t help but wonder about the true fate of the bookseller who died in her home a dozen years earlier. Her suspicions are only fueled by the ominous inscription that she discovers in a book that’s closely guarded by her landlord . . .
From the national bestselling author of Dare Me and other thrillers, this is a spooky mystery set on the dark fringes of glamorous Los Angeles.
The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors.
In 1953, Penny is just another washed-up, wannabe Hollywood actress who is past her prime. She has settled in to a quiet lifestyle, and when she finds a low-rent bungalow in Canyon Arms, it’s a dream come true; Penny takes to the place instantly.
But the dream cottage with its French doors and tiled courtyard may not be as perfect as it seems. Penny’s new neighbors start filling her head with stories about past tenants, whispering voices, and a suicide that may not have been a suicide at all. Soon enough, Penny starts hearing strange noises and she can’t help but wonder about the true fate of the bookseller who died in her home a dozen years earlier. Her suspicions are only fueled by the ominous inscription that she discovers in a book that’s closely guarded by her landlord . . .
From the national bestselling author of Dare Me and other thrillers, this is a spooky mystery set on the dark fringes of glamorous Los Angeles.
The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors.
44 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2015
61 people are currently reading
863 people want to read
About the author
Megan Abbott
62 books6,337 followersMegan Abbott is the Edgar®-winning author of the novels Die a Little, Queenpin, The Song Is You, Bury Me Deep, The End of Everything, Dare Me, The Fever, You Will Know Me and Give Me Your Hand.
Abbott is co-showrunner, writer and executive producer of DARE ME, the TV show adapated from her novel. She was also a staff writer on HBO's THE DEUCE. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Believer and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Born in the Detroit area, she graduated from the University of Michigan and received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University. She has taught at NYU, SUNY and the New School University and has served as the John Grisham Writer in Residence at The University of Mississippi.
She is also the author of a nonfiction book, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir, and the editor of A Hell of a Woman, an anthology of female crime fiction. She is currently developing two of her novels, Dare Me and The Fever, for television.
Abbott is co-showrunner, writer and executive producer of DARE ME, the TV show adapated from her novel. She was also a staff writer on HBO's THE DEUCE. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Believer and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Born in the Detroit area, she graduated from the University of Michigan and received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University. She has taught at NYU, SUNY and the New School University and has served as the John Grisham Writer in Residence at The University of Mississippi.
She is also the author of a nonfiction book, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir, and the editor of A Hell of a Woman, an anthology of female crime fiction. She is currently developing two of her novels, Dare Me and The Fever, for television.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
April 14, 2022
(B+) 79% | Good
Notes: Though a bit too-skewed as it concludes, it keeps you glued, imbues a mood with blues accrued and tension brewed.
Notes: Though a bit too-skewed as it concludes, it keeps you glued, imbues a mood with blues accrued and tension brewed.
June 24, 2018
"Just behave yourself, okay? Like a good girl."
hahahahah ohhhh, sir, i feel i must warn you - megan abbott doesn't do good girls.
this is just a little wisp of a story - part of mysterious press' bibliomystery series; where well-known authors write "short tales about deadly books."
abbott's story is only tangentially about books, and here, it ain't the books that are gonna get you. this is abbott returning to her historical-noir comfort zone, and it's a tingly little tale taking the conventional noir trappings, giving them her usual gender-spin, and incorporating unexpected elements of horror, psychological suspense and paranoia, against the backdrop of 1950's hollywood.
the basics - failed actress turned makeup artist penny moves into a too-good-to-be-true bungalow with a haunted past and an enigmatic landlady named mrs. stahl (who is NOT greg's mom). recently dropped by her studio exec lover "mr. d" in the most grotesque way: You were a luscious piece of candy, he said, but now I gotta spit you out, penny understands the cruelty of hollywood in its sexual steamrolling of young ingenues - the revolving door of power and desperation.
It was a rough town for pretty girls. The only place it was. Penny knew she had lost her shine long ago. Many men had rubbed it off, shimmy by shimmy.
and as she well knows - "This town can make a whore out of anyone."
penny has survived the indignities and iniquities thus far, but in her new home at night, alone and vulnerable, she begins to hear strange tapping sounds and see things she can't explain. with the help of two neighbors, confirmed bachelors who know all the gossip, she begins to investigate the source of the noises, the mysterious death of the former tenant and mrs. stahl's possible involvement.
the mystery itself is good, with a kickass last-line reveal, but where abbot always shines is in her descriptions. she does such a fantastic job setting her scenes, with the authenticity of her décor
Number Four, like all the bungalows, was already furnished: sun-bleached zebra print sofa and key lime walls, the brightwhite kitchen with its cherry-sprigged wallpaper. The first place she'd ever lived that didn't have rust stains in the tub or the smell of moth balls everywhere.
and her libations
…pink gin conjured from grapefruit peel and an old bottle of Gilbey's she found in the cupboard.
and most importantly - in her descriptions of other women
In the past, she'd had those greasy-skinned roommates to drown out thinking. They all had rashes from cheap studio makeup and the clap from cheaper studio men and beautiful figures like Penny's own. And they never stopped talking, twirling their hair in curlers and licking their fingers to turn the magazine pages. But their chatter-chatter-chatter muffled all Penny's thoughts. And the whole atmosphere - the thick muzz of Woolworth's face powder and nylon nighties when they even shared a bed - made everything seem cheap and lively and dumb and easy and light.
it was a great little taste of megan abbott, to tide me over until her next book, and to remind me that i still have a couple of her girl-noir novels here to read. hooray!
come to my blog!
hahahahah ohhhh, sir, i feel i must warn you - megan abbott doesn't do good girls.
this is just a little wisp of a story - part of mysterious press' bibliomystery series; where well-known authors write "short tales about deadly books."
abbott's story is only tangentially about books, and here, it ain't the books that are gonna get you. this is abbott returning to her historical-noir comfort zone, and it's a tingly little tale taking the conventional noir trappings, giving them her usual gender-spin, and incorporating unexpected elements of horror, psychological suspense and paranoia, against the backdrop of 1950's hollywood.
the basics - failed actress turned makeup artist penny moves into a too-good-to-be-true bungalow with a haunted past and an enigmatic landlady named mrs. stahl (who is NOT greg's mom). recently dropped by her studio exec lover "mr. d" in the most grotesque way: You were a luscious piece of candy, he said, but now I gotta spit you out, penny understands the cruelty of hollywood in its sexual steamrolling of young ingenues - the revolving door of power and desperation.
It was a rough town for pretty girls. The only place it was. Penny knew she had lost her shine long ago. Many men had rubbed it off, shimmy by shimmy.
and as she well knows - "This town can make a whore out of anyone."
penny has survived the indignities and iniquities thus far, but in her new home at night, alone and vulnerable, she begins to hear strange tapping sounds and see things she can't explain. with the help of two neighbors, confirmed bachelors who know all the gossip, she begins to investigate the source of the noises, the mysterious death of the former tenant and mrs. stahl's possible involvement.
the mystery itself is good, with a kickass last-line reveal, but where abbot always shines is in her descriptions. she does such a fantastic job setting her scenes, with the authenticity of her décor
Number Four, like all the bungalows, was already furnished: sun-bleached zebra print sofa and key lime walls, the brightwhite kitchen with its cherry-sprigged wallpaper. The first place she'd ever lived that didn't have rust stains in the tub or the smell of moth balls everywhere.
and her libations
…pink gin conjured from grapefruit peel and an old bottle of Gilbey's she found in the cupboard.
and most importantly - in her descriptions of other women
In the past, she'd had those greasy-skinned roommates to drown out thinking. They all had rashes from cheap studio makeup and the clap from cheaper studio men and beautiful figures like Penny's own. And they never stopped talking, twirling their hair in curlers and licking their fingers to turn the magazine pages. But their chatter-chatter-chatter muffled all Penny's thoughts. And the whole atmosphere - the thick muzz of Woolworth's face powder and nylon nighties when they even shared a bed - made everything seem cheap and lively and dumb and easy and light.
it was a great little taste of megan abbott, to tide me over until her next book, and to remind me that i still have a couple of her girl-noir novels here to read. hooray!
come to my blog!
August 14, 2015
This is my first experience with Bibliomysteries...and after enjoying this one quite a bit- it probably won't be my last.
Hollywood- 1953
Penny- is an ex- actress turned make up artist. She has had her fill with the Hollywood life- and just wants a quiet, comfortable, stable- existence...for the time being anyways. She thinks she has found the place to do that when she stumbles across the perfect apartment by accident- at The Canyon Arms- bungalow #4.
...but after signing the lease- she learns from her neighbors in #3 that her new home has a history- a dark history. The tenant before her- took his own life...so it seems.
Adding to her troubles- Penny has a history of her own. She was a mistress- a mistress with benefits. Her ex- lover got her her job- and padded her income...but that is over now. He wants to quietly shuffle off and settle back into married life- with no repercussions. Penny has other ideas. She wants what was coming to her. A check that he cancelled after their break-up, for one- and she will NOT be ignored- or set aside easily.
Soon Penny's problems are piling up quicker than she can deal with them. The backlash from her affair- and issues with her apartment become more than she can handle...she is hearing noises...smelling something not quite right...and seeing things that she can't be seeing...
Can she?
LITTLE MEN...
A great short story by one of my favorite authors- Megan Abbott..especially when she heads back to her noir roots, where I think she does her best work! IMHO.
August 4, 2015
When Penny, a Hollywood makeup artist, moves into a low priced bungalow, she gets more than she bargained for. Will she find out what happened to the former tenant before the same thing happens to her?
I got this from Netgalley.
This short story from Megan Abbott is a tale of madness and suicide. Since it's really short, I'm going to skip over the nuts and bolts of the plot. Suffice to say, the Megster ran wild on me yet again, serving up misdirection and possibilities, before kicking me in the groin with the ending. My appetite for more Megan Abbott has been whetted so I really hope she's got another novel simmering.
In this short tale, Megan Abbott proves that she can pack a lot of noir into a short story. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I got this from Netgalley.
This short story from Megan Abbott is a tale of madness and suicide. Since it's really short, I'm going to skip over the nuts and bolts of the plot. Suffice to say, the Megster ran wild on me yet again, serving up misdirection and possibilities, before kicking me in the groin with the ending. My appetite for more Megan Abbott has been whetted so I really hope she's got another novel simmering.
In this short tale, Megan Abbott proves that she can pack a lot of noir into a short story. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
August 11, 2015
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“This town can make a whore out of anyone.”
Penny had dreams of being a queen of the big screen. Instead, once she did her time on the old casting couch . . . .
she found herself relegated to the make-up department. But Penny is a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” type of gal and decided to take the high road – all the way to a little bungalow inMelrose Place Canyon Arms . . .
It’s there she finds not only low rent, but charming décor, a fully-stocked library, and even some new friends. She also finds some strange noises and visions of dancing little men at approximately 2:00 a.m. each night . . .
When Penny’s new neighbors inform her of a tragedy that occurred in her apartment, Penny decides to figure out exactly what happened to the former tenant . . .
I’m the odd gal out on this one and I’m telling you, Megan Abbot . . . .
I’m blaming this totally on me not being a fan of short stories. Like all of Abbott’s stuff, the pace was perfect, the writing flowed, the ending unexpected – I just wanted more. This one did remind me, however, that I’ve owned Queenpin for about a hundred years and probably need to get off my butt and read the dang thing. I have a feeling that story will have all I want and more from an Abbott noir.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
“This town can make a whore out of anyone.”
Penny had dreams of being a queen of the big screen. Instead, once she did her time on the old casting couch . . . .
she found herself relegated to the make-up department. But Penny is a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” type of gal and decided to take the high road – all the way to a little bungalow in
It’s there she finds not only low rent, but charming décor, a fully-stocked library, and even some new friends. She also finds some strange noises and visions of dancing little men at approximately 2:00 a.m. each night . . .
When Penny’s new neighbors inform her of a tragedy that occurred in her apartment, Penny decides to figure out exactly what happened to the former tenant . . .
I’m the odd gal out on this one and I’m telling you, Megan Abbot . . . .
I’m blaming this totally on me not being a fan of short stories. Like all of Abbott’s stuff, the pace was perfect, the writing flowed, the ending unexpected – I just wanted more. This one did remind me, however, that I’ve owned Queenpin for about a hundred years and probably need to get off my butt and read the dang thing. I have a feeling that story will have all I want and more from an Abbott noir.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
August 4, 2015
I received a free advance copy of this from NetGalley.
Megan Abbott’s recent books have been focused on the terrifying inner lives of modern teenage girls, but she returned to her old school noir roots for this short story that’s part of a series of bibliomysteries done by Mysterious Press.
Penny is a former actress turned make-up artist in Hollywood during the early ‘50s who thinks she caught a great break by finding a comfortable bungalow to rent, and as a bonus the place is filled with books from a former tenant. Unfortunately, the previous resident committed suicide in the place and Penny begins hearing strange noises and fears that her creepy landlady is spying on her.
The plot of this is perfect for a nasty little jab to the nose of a short story, but what’s amazing is how well Penny is developed as a character and surrounded by a cast of vivid supporting characters in so few pages. It also does a fantastic job of feeling like a by-gone era of Hollyood as well as having the atmosphere of a film noir.
The only bad thing is that it made me crave a longer story by Mighty Megan.
Megan Abbott’s recent books have been focused on the terrifying inner lives of modern teenage girls, but she returned to her old school noir roots for this short story that’s part of a series of bibliomysteries done by Mysterious Press.
Penny is a former actress turned make-up artist in Hollywood during the early ‘50s who thinks she caught a great break by finding a comfortable bungalow to rent, and as a bonus the place is filled with books from a former tenant. Unfortunately, the previous resident committed suicide in the place and Penny begins hearing strange noises and fears that her creepy landlady is spying on her.
The plot of this is perfect for a nasty little jab to the nose of a short story, but what’s amazing is how well Penny is developed as a character and surrounded by a cast of vivid supporting characters in so few pages. It also does a fantastic job of feeling like a by-gone era of Hollyood as well as having the atmosphere of a film noir.
The only bad thing is that it made me crave a longer story by Mighty Megan.
August 5, 2015
So this is how this one begins -- and let me tell you, the opening passage gave me the shivers, the little hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. If Ms. Megan Abbott should ever wish to venture into horror, I have no doubt she could make that genre her bitch. Read this:
At night, the sounds from the canyon shifted and changed. The bungalow seemed to lift itself with every echo and the walls were breathing. Panting. Just after two, she'd wake, her eyes stinging, as if someone had waved a flashlight across them. And then she'd hear the noise. Every night. The tapping noise, like a small animal trapped behind the wall.Eeeek! Like seriously, if that doesn't creep you out check your pulse because you might be dead.
So this gripping short story isn't Megan Abbott doing horror, but nevertheless does this lady have a flair for the dark and ... unhinged. She loves to troll the deep end of those viscous psychological waters, where things with teeth swim, and bite. On the surface this story is a period piece -- circa 1950's Hollywood. Abbott is comfortable here in her noir sandbox.
The Little Men features Penny, an aging actress who has given up the fight and has decided to move on and do something else with her life. A fresh start if you will. She thinks she finds it in a new place to live, a place that will be all hers that she won't have to share with anyone. Her landlady seems kind and generous (at first), her neighbors friendly and warm. But there's something not right about this new low-rent bungalow, filled as it is with a dead man's things.
As Penny begins to uncover more and more about the life of the man who lived in the bungalow before her, she also begins to see and hear things. Disturbing things. What's real and what isn't? Is Penny losing her mind or is there something more sinister afoot?
Reading this I could not help be reminded of the classic short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Both women in these stories are coming unhinged, but there's a gravity and justification to their decline that lends empathy to their plight. Both women are trapped in their lives with few to no options, and are suffocating from the stranglehold their current realities have put them in.
In Penny's case, 1950's Hollywood is a cruel and capricious mistress. Women are (ab)used until they are no longer wanted: "You were a luscious piece of candy, he said, but now I gotta spit you out." In the land of casting couches, you sleep with the devil and wake up in Hell.
This is a gripping read with layers and subtext and all the more remarkable for its short length. This is Megan Abbott at her most teasing and it is excruciatingly delicious. This woman will always leave you wanting more, always more.
A free advanced copy was provided through NetGalley.
November 10, 2021
Well, it’s like I said a couple of times: I love the writing of Megan Abbott.
This was a big surprise in a mini-format. A Novella.
Cost you seven bucks from Mysterious Press via Penzler’s Bibliomysteries series of short stories/novella.
You?
Don’t be a simp.
You pay the postage, ok?
This is one of Megan’s classics.. set in Hollywood post WWII.
Young woman from the Midwest goes to H’wood to be a star. She’s an actress who starts banging various assholes associated with the studios.
Winds up with syphilis a couple of times during an “affair” with a “Mister D”. He pays for her favors. And penicillin doses.
You were a luscious piece of candy”, he said,
So she becomes a makeup artist working at Republic and Allied Artist studios.
Rents a cottage overlooking the old Hollywood sign.
Really real stuff ensues.
Sorry. I hate loving every card I play.
This novella is a solid 87 stars.
God but I love Megan Abbott’s storytelling.
September 16, 2015
I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
This was fun. Right from the start I could tell I had something worthwhile in my hands, as Abbott lays out the 1950s Hollywood neighborhood that is the setting for this novella. In a few short paragraphs, she conveyed the imagery so well that I wanted to visit there, or maybe stop and have a beer.
This story actually felt like an episode of The Twilight Zone. Perhaps the time period that the story was in added to that feel, but the while way it unfolded would have fit perfectly into one of their half hour segments. There's a mystery here, and several chills as Abbott weaves her chilling little tale.
Megan Abbott is certainly on my list of authors to watch.
This was fun. Right from the start I could tell I had something worthwhile in my hands, as Abbott lays out the 1950s Hollywood neighborhood that is the setting for this novella. In a few short paragraphs, she conveyed the imagery so well that I wanted to visit there, or maybe stop and have a beer.
This story actually felt like an episode of The Twilight Zone. Perhaps the time period that the story was in added to that feel, but the while way it unfolded would have fit perfectly into one of their half hour segments. There's a mystery here, and several chills as Abbott weaves her chilling little tale.
Megan Abbott is certainly on my list of authors to watch.
August 10, 2015
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
Set in 1953, The Little Men is less of a mystery and more of a “holy $#” that was good read. The nicely woven tale concerns a young woman who the reader always borders on disliking and who may has her problems. Penny arrived in Hollywood with dreams of making it big, and while she did make something, one wonders if it was big. It sure doesn’t sound that way.
It is to Abbott’s credit that while Penny is not someone we would want to be friends with, there is a level of sympathy for her. This is important for trouble follows Penny or she keeps stumbling on it. Penny finds herself a nice place to live, and then as in every Hollywood Horror movie ever written, the weird things start to happen. The mysteries start to occur. She is helped by her two neighbors.
The conceit behind the Bibliomysteries is to have books as a center or main sub-point in the short stories. While the books here haves less impact than the other Bibliomysteries that I have read, they are still important. This hasn’t the charm that was in Elizabeth George’s installment of the series. Abbott’s story is another kettle of fish all together.
It’s really impossible to discuss more of the plot without giving anything away. The atmosphere and writing are very good, and the story has made me want to read more work by Abbott. If you have ever read one of the Year’s Best Collections, this short story is an equal to any stories that have appeared in such books.
While some might find the price of just under two dollars (1.99) a bit steep for a short story, it is worth it. This isn’t a self published, badly edited book. It is a wonderful and spooky read.
Set in 1953, The Little Men is less of a mystery and more of a “holy $#” that was good read. The nicely woven tale concerns a young woman who the reader always borders on disliking and who may has her problems. Penny arrived in Hollywood with dreams of making it big, and while she did make something, one wonders if it was big. It sure doesn’t sound that way.
It is to Abbott’s credit that while Penny is not someone we would want to be friends with, there is a level of sympathy for her. This is important for trouble follows Penny or she keeps stumbling on it. Penny finds herself a nice place to live, and then as in every Hollywood Horror movie ever written, the weird things start to happen. The mysteries start to occur. She is helped by her two neighbors.
The conceit behind the Bibliomysteries is to have books as a center or main sub-point in the short stories. While the books here haves less impact than the other Bibliomysteries that I have read, they are still important. This hasn’t the charm that was in Elizabeth George’s installment of the series. Abbott’s story is another kettle of fish all together.
It’s really impossible to discuss more of the plot without giving anything away. The atmosphere and writing are very good, and the story has made me want to read more work by Abbott. If you have ever read one of the Year’s Best Collections, this short story is an equal to any stories that have appeared in such books.
While some might find the price of just under two dollars (1.99) a bit steep for a short story, it is worth it. This isn’t a self published, badly edited book. It is a wonderful and spooky read.
February 18, 2019
Quirky and neatly done short story. Really 3.5 stars
August 8, 2015
This short novella is part of the Bibliomysteries series – “Short Tales about Deadly Books…” It is 1953 and Penny is a young woman living within sight of the Hollywood sign. She arrived in Hollywood six years earlier, but her acting career has floundered and she has recently been dumped by her married lover. However, she is hopeful of a fresh start, enjoys her new job as a make-up artist and has recently moved into a bungalow, set around a courtyard.
Penny’s neighbours are Mr Flant and Benny and they soon begin telling her about the man who used to live in bungalow number 4. Lawrence, the talented bookseller, adored by landlady Mrs Stahl, killed himself in Penny’s new home. As Penny’s life begins to spiral out of control, she becomes obsessed with noises she hears at night, has bad dreams and suspects Mrs Stahl of watching her. This story cleverly weaves Penny’s fears around the books that inhabit her home and is one of the best in this series I have read. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Penny’s neighbours are Mr Flant and Benny and they soon begin telling her about the man who used to live in bungalow number 4. Lawrence, the talented bookseller, adored by landlady Mrs Stahl, killed himself in Penny’s new home. As Penny’s life begins to spiral out of control, she becomes obsessed with noises she hears at night, has bad dreams and suspects Mrs Stahl of watching her. This story cleverly weaves Penny’s fears around the books that inhabit her home and is one of the best in this series I have read. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
August 6, 2015
Girl Noir. I can't say I've ever read any before now, but who cares? I loved it. Megan Abbott's prose is so damn sharp that I can hear the hunting knife scratch on the inside of my kitchen wall from here.
What can I say? I love Penny. I feel empathy for her. I got sucked right in to the mystery and sucked right into her empathy for poor Larry. This was damn fine suspense, worthy of any of the best horror writing I've ever had the pleasure to read. You might say I rolled in it like a dog to shit on a grassy knoll.
Okay. Raise your hand if you're one of those crazy fans of Mulholland Drive. It's okay to admit it. I am one of those people. You remember that scene with the little people? The 'OMGWTH am I seeing, and why am I so fascinated with something I can't understand' kind of feeling?
Well, yeah. I got that here. I loved it. Almost magical realism. It skirts the edge without quite making the cut, and that's the whole point. The whole story is sharp.
I think I've found a new guilty pleasure. Moaar girl noir. ;)
What can I say? I love Penny. I feel empathy for her. I got sucked right in to the mystery and sucked right into her empathy for poor Larry. This was damn fine suspense, worthy of any of the best horror writing I've ever had the pleasure to read. You might say I rolled in it like a dog to shit on a grassy knoll.
Okay. Raise your hand if you're one of those crazy fans of Mulholland Drive. It's okay to admit it. I am one of those people. You remember that scene with the little people? The 'OMGWTH am I seeing, and why am I so fascinated with something I can't understand' kind of feeling?
Well, yeah. I got that here. I loved it. Almost magical realism. It skirts the edge without quite making the cut, and that's the whole point. The whole story is sharp.
I think I've found a new guilty pleasure. Moaar girl noir. ;)
February 16, 2024
Lovely, creepy, novella. Like much of the best horror nothing is too obvious.
December 3, 2018
At night, the sounds from the canyon shifted and changed. The bungalow seemed to lift itself with every echo and the walls were breathing. Panting.
After finishing a 1300-page behemoth, I haven't been too keen starting anything new that is past 200 pages, so it was a nice coincidence to stumble upon Abbott's short story. She's someone who's been in my mind for quite a while now, and dipping my toes into her writing through a mystery story set in 1950s L.A. felt appropriate.
Now, let me tell you: the setting and premise alone would have been enough to draw me in, Abbott or no Abbott, but she really is a good writer, isn't she? There's everything I love and could possibly love about noir, but somehow The Little Men feels fresh. It occasionally veers into a creepy territory, moving away from a conventional mystery story and becoming more like a suspense story about a woman's obsession. There's this foreboding atmosphere seeping through everything, whether it's the imperfect actresses that Penny tries to transform into perfect ethereal beings with makeup or the eerie rustling of palm trees and the scent of apricot in the bungalows.
I want more. Next year will be the year when I will finally read Megan Abbott novels.
June 4, 2020
It’s surprising that I have never read one single book by Megan Abbott when her books have always been in my radar, popping up on recommendation lists all the time. Hopefully will be rectifying this mistake soon and without fail if the Little Men, a short story as part of the Bibliomysteries, is anything to go by. It was clearly an appetizer that had me craving for more of her writing.
Little Men has a failed actress turned make-up artist Penny moving to a charming bungalow called Canyon Arms. It is the 1950’s in Hollywood and women has it tough. Let go as the candy floss by Mr. D, she’s however trying her best to move on but still fight for what she believe she deserves.
The beginning of the story makes you believe in horror coz it was one hell of a writing that chilled me to the bone. As Penny uncovers the dark and turbulent past of the house from her neighbors and doubts the landlady’s activities, one can’t help but be caught in the vortex of Penny’s terror.
Extremely well-written for such a short tale, the ending leaves the reader guessing about Penny’s state of mind.
Little Men has a failed actress turned make-up artist Penny moving to a charming bungalow called Canyon Arms. It is the 1950’s in Hollywood and women has it tough. Let go as the candy floss by Mr. D, she’s however trying her best to move on but still fight for what she believe she deserves.
The beginning of the story makes you believe in horror coz it was one hell of a writing that chilled me to the bone. As Penny uncovers the dark and turbulent past of the house from her neighbors and doubts the landlady’s activities, one can’t help but be caught in the vortex of Penny’s terror.
Extremely well-written for such a short tale, the ending leaves the reader guessing about Penny’s state of mind.
March 15, 2018
Une novella nébuleuse et anxiogène qui m'a rappelé l'ambiance de Mulholland Drive.
August 10, 2015
Penny's life reads like the classic Hollywood cliche. Like so many hopeful actresses before her she came to LA young, beautiful and innocent but age has creeped up on her, the wrinkles are showing and innocence went out the window a long time ago. It's time to face facts, and move on and Penny is determined to do just that. She's got a decent job behind the camera doing makeup, has rid herself of the married man she'd been seeing and found the perfect little bungalow with surprisingly low rent. It's not until her new neighbours inform her that the previous tenant suffered from delusions and died inside of an apparent suicide does the cost make sense. Still, Penny isn't going to allow the past to keep her from settling in. But when strange shadows and tapping from what sounds like inside the walls begin to keep her up at night Penny suspects the past may still be present.
I loved this creepy little psychological noir and was so upset it wasn't a full length novel. Megan Abbott has definitely got a knack for the language of noir and this little morsel has certainly wet my appetite. I'll be checking out her other work for sure! Highly recommend this Bibliomystery, my favourite so far of the five I've reviewed previous.
*Thank you Open Road Media and Netgalley for this review copy!*
I loved this creepy little psychological noir and was so upset it wasn't a full length novel. Megan Abbott has definitely got a knack for the language of noir and this little morsel has certainly wet my appetite. I'll be checking out her other work for sure! Highly recommend this Bibliomystery, my favourite so far of the five I've reviewed previous.
*Thank you Open Road Media and Netgalley for this review copy!*
August 26, 2015
4 stars!
This was like a little mini Twilight Zone. I read it and I'm still like shaking my head like WTF? This girl gets this room cheap and its not far from work and she's real excited until she talks to her neighbor and finds out how she has got the room for so cheap. It was a nice short little story, only 71 pages long, and it told a story. I'm not much on short stories, so my review is pretty biased. However, I know there are people who don't have a lot of time to read and who would love this book.
I'm pretty sure that sitting back with a bowl and reading this would definitely enhance your reading experience because this one is kind of out there. I enjoyed it, wish it was longer, and would definitely recommend it.
Huge thanks to Open Road Media and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
This was like a little mini Twilight Zone. I read it and I'm still like shaking my head like WTF? This girl gets this room cheap and its not far from work and she's real excited until she talks to her neighbor and finds out how she has got the room for so cheap. It was a nice short little story, only 71 pages long, and it told a story. I'm not much on short stories, so my review is pretty biased. However, I know there are people who don't have a lot of time to read and who would love this book.
I'm pretty sure that sitting back with a bowl and reading this would definitely enhance your reading experience because this one is kind of out there. I enjoyed it, wish it was longer, and would definitely recommend it.
Huge thanks to Open Road Media and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
September 17, 2015
This is a tightly-paced, well-written novella. I dug the setting, the period and the way Abbott establishes the atmosphere with concise bits of prose. It's not easy to describe madness without cliché or giving away the farm through telling, and Abbott avoids both pitfalls and makes it all read so easy. I can't imagine the work that went into this wicked little tale.
The fact that Abbott can tell a damn-good story across either an entire novel a la "Dare Me" or within a single novella, as she does here, is impressive. I will admit that the price for 45 pages was a bit steep, but now that I've digested the story, I am mighty satisfied. I hope the majority of that dough goes to Abbott, because she deserves serious payola for her work.
The fact that Abbott can tell a damn-good story across either an entire novel a la "Dare Me" or within a single novella, as she does here, is impressive. I will admit that the price for 45 pages was a bit steep, but now that I've digested the story, I am mighty satisfied. I hope the majority of that dough goes to Abbott, because she deserves serious payola for her work.
April 23, 2019
RATING: 3.5 STARS
Series: BIBLIOMYSTERIES: #21
2015; MysteriousPress/Open Road
A very creepy tale! I usually read BiblioMysteries of authors I have already read but the synopsis of Abbott's story sounded really fun. I am not sure what mystery genre she writes in, but I will definitely have to read more by her. My only downside to this story was that it wasn't longer. I did feel like the shortness of the story left out the juicy bits.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
Series: BIBLIOMYSTERIES: #21
2015; MysteriousPress/Open Road
A very creepy tale! I usually read BiblioMysteries of authors I have already read but the synopsis of Abbott's story sounded really fun. I am not sure what mystery genre she writes in, but I will definitely have to read more by her. My only downside to this story was that it wasn't longer. I did feel like the shortness of the story left out the juicy bits.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
July 6, 2017
A deftly-told Old Hollywood mystery disguised as a ghost story. A failed starlet rents a bungalow where the previous tenant killed himself. It all goes downhill from there.
December 8, 2022
I really enjoyed this short story right until the end, which just sort of made me groan.
February 20, 2023
Noir noir noir!
February 13, 2022
A long short story that I didn't enjoy much, sort of a horror thing that didn't make much sense to me.
December 5, 2022
I really liked the retro Hollywood vibe from this story!
February 18, 2017
The Little Men is short. Very short. So short that it's probably better considered a short story than a novella. As such, this will probably be a very short review to match. The Mysterious Bookshop has published a series of short fiction from popular mystery authors that they're calling "Bibliomysteries". I'm definitely going to check a few more out, though I'll probably skip Anne Perry's because I may like murder in fiction but I'm not a fan of real-life murderers.
This story takes place in 1953 Hollywood, where failed actress Penny now works as a make-up artist on set. She's just been ditched by a Hollywood bigwig that uses and discards beautiful young women hoping that sleeping with him will grant them their big break on the silver screen. She rents a quaint little bungalow in Canyon Arms and befriends the elderly gay men living next door. They inform her of the bungalow's previous tenants, particularly a bookseller named Larry who committed suicide twelve years before, using the gas stove.
The furniture is still the same as it was when Larry lived and died there twelve years earlier, including all his books, and Mrs. Stahl, the landlord, admonishes Penny when she moves the bed a small distance from the wall. That's when things start to get weird. Penny is awakened every night at 2am by lights and noises. She begins to unravel, and we, the readers, become increasingly unsure of what is real and what is not, are she becomes sure that she is being tortured by little men. The books and their former owner seem to awaken something in Penny, influencing her increasingly bizarre dreams and filtering into her everyday life, increasing her paranoia regarding the landlord.
Megan Abbott is great at creating a setting, her use of language and grimy descriptions of Hollywood transporting you there. It's easy to imagine. She deftly manages Penny's confusion and paranoia, cleverly weaving a possible murder mystery with a ghost story. The Little Men is fast and incredibly absorbing, a fun mesh of genres that you can read in a very short amount of time.
This story takes place in 1953 Hollywood, where failed actress Penny now works as a make-up artist on set. She's just been ditched by a Hollywood bigwig that uses and discards beautiful young women hoping that sleeping with him will grant them their big break on the silver screen. She rents a quaint little bungalow in Canyon Arms and befriends the elderly gay men living next door. They inform her of the bungalow's previous tenants, particularly a bookseller named Larry who committed suicide twelve years before, using the gas stove.
The furniture is still the same as it was when Larry lived and died there twelve years earlier, including all his books, and Mrs. Stahl, the landlord, admonishes Penny when she moves the bed a small distance from the wall. That's when things start to get weird. Penny is awakened every night at 2am by lights and noises. She begins to unravel, and we, the readers, become increasingly unsure of what is real and what is not, are she becomes sure that she is being tortured by little men. The books and their former owner seem to awaken something in Penny, influencing her increasingly bizarre dreams and filtering into her everyday life, increasing her paranoia regarding the landlord.
Megan Abbott is great at creating a setting, her use of language and grimy descriptions of Hollywood transporting you there. It's easy to imagine. She deftly manages Penny's confusion and paranoia, cleverly weaving a possible murder mystery with a ghost story. The Little Men is fast and incredibly absorbing, a fun mesh of genres that you can read in a very short amount of time.
September 29, 2015
This one, unfortunately, was not for me - sometimes a short story/novella can be the perfect length, sometimes it's just not enough space for the writer to more fully engage with the piece. This one felt hemmed in by the restrictions of this series, and not in a good way, as there were a lot of portents and mysteries doings, but nothing really made sense in the end. But, I'll try something else from Ms. Abbott.
I received an E-ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received an E-ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2015
This might be the weakest of the Bibliomysteries series – is Penny just crazy? Or can everything be easily explained? And the setting – bookstores!! – so enriching for many of the others in this series – is missing – yes, there is a book, but it almost was added to another story that sat too long in this writer’s files and its importance here is hardly earth shattering.
August 14, 2016
my first taste of Megan Abbott, and it wasn't bad. The prose and atmosphere are great, I read it in one go and thought that the depictions of how Hollywood used to treat women at that time were poignant and well done. I liked the ghostly side of things a little less, but am still looking forward to reading more by this author.
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