Mrs. Amworth

by E.F. Benson

MRS AMWORTH is the third volume in the Ash-Tree Press series collecting all of E. F. Benson's known supernatural tales. This collection covers the period between April 1922 and November 1923; a period which, in weird fiction terms, was one of the most feverishly productive in Benson's entire career, and which saw publication of such classics as 'The Horror-Horn', 'Negotium Perambulans . . .', and the title story, one of the most famous of all vampire tales.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Vampires, Fiction, Audiobook, Classics, Gothic

228 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1923

About the author

Edward Frederic "E. F." Benson was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, archaeologist and short story writer.

E. F. Benson was the younger brother of A.C. Benson, who wrote the words to "Land of Hope and Glory", Robert Hugh Benson, author of several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson, an author and amateur Egyptologist.

Benson died during 1940 of throat cancer at the University College Hospital, London. He is buried in the cemetery at Rye, East Sussex.

Last paragraph from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Oziel Bispo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Típica história de vampiros , mas contada com maestria. À noite tive até pesadelos. Mrs Amworth é sútil e assustadora.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always found EF Benson's stories to be quite chilling and/or gruesome, and this anthology is no exception. 'The Outcast' was just plainly weird. 'Mrs. Amworth' is very well known - it's a great story but not nearly as disturbing as some others. 'The Top Landing' is a short and grim ghost story, and 'The Horror Horn' is quite a departure from the norm in this series. Where did Benson get his ideas from, I wonder. 'And the Dead Spake' - wow, that was a nasty one. Good grief, these were mostly written in 1922 and have just as much of an impact today. No genteel spectres here - forget MR James.
By the time I had got through 'Negotium Perambulans . . .' I was totally creeped out. It will be quite a while before I'm up to re-reading this collection !

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

ইংরেজিতে এই গল্পটা পড়তে যথেষ্ট ভালো লেগেছিল। কিন্তু পরে অনেক ভেবেচিন্তে দেখেছি, গল্পটা হেমেন্দ্রকুমার রায়ের অনন্য বঙ্গীকরণে 'মিসেস কুমুদিনী চৌধুরী' আকারে আরও ভয়োৎপাদক লেগেছিল!
না পড়ে থাকলে অতি অবশ্যই পড়ুন।

[Stermaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually like this variation on the "female" vampire: Mrs Amworth is not a temptress, but posing as a sturdy and dependable middle aged woman. Everyone in the neighbourhood loves her after all...

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful vampire tale. Amazingly descriptive yet concise language. Originally published in Benson's short story collection, "Visible and Invisible" in 1923 (1924 in America).

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern vampire tale of a woman who moves into a tranquil and idyllic rural community (Maxley in Sussex) and begins to feast on the inhabitants. She is uncovered by the friend of the narrator, Francis Urcombe who has resigned from his position of Physiological Professorship at Cambridge University, and who is fascinated by the occult and supernatural phenomena. After accidentally being killed by a car, she returns to continue wreaking havoc by sucking the life from villagers.

The doctor visits her grave to pierce her breast with a pick. This finally ends her small reign of terror in a fountain of blood and an ear piercing scream. The village returns to its slumbers.

[Canavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

✭✭✭

“The Outcast” (1922) ✭✭✭
“Number 12” (1922) ✭✭✭½
“Mrs. Amworth” (1922) ✭✭✭✭
“The Top Landing” (1922) ✭✭✭½
“The Gardener” (1922) ✭✭✭
“The Horror-Horn” (1922) ✭✭✭½
“‘And the Dead Spake...’” (1922) ✭½
“Negotium Perambulins...” (variant title: “Visible and Invisible”) (1922) ✭✭✭
“In the Tube” (1922) ✭½
“Machaon” (1923) ✭✭
“Mr. Tilly’s Séance” (1923) ✭½
“At the Farmhouse” (1923) ✭✭✭
“Inscrutable Decrees” (1923) ✭✭✭½
“Roderick’s Story” (1923) ✭✭✭
“Expiation” (1923) ✭✭✭½
“Boxing Night” (1923) ✭✭✭½

[Fahad Ahammed · Rating 3 out of 5]

ম্যাক্সলে নামের একটি ছোট টাউনে নতুন বাসিন্দা হয়ে আসেন।
এক মহীয়সী বিধবা মহিলা। রূপ, গুন কিংবা ব্যাক্তিত্ব কোনো কিছুরই কমতি নেই তার। এদিকে কয়েকদিনের মধ্যেই এক।
অজানা রোগের প্রাদুর্ভাব দেখা গেল গ্রামে। ঘাড়ের কাছে দুটো
ফুটো করে রক্ত শুষে খেয়ে নিচ্ছে যেন কেউ...

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully spooky - kept me on the edge of my seat.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The young narrator loves the small English village he resides in, Maxley in Sussex. Except for the new fangled motor cars that race down their roads on the weekends, it is remarkably peaceful. He is particularly fond of two of his neighbours, Francis Urcombe, an ex Professor of the Physiologic and lover of the knowledge on the borders of science, and Mrs Amworth the widow of an Indian civil servant. She is always up for a game of piquet and loves working in her garden.

But a tension arises between the two of them, and the Prof warns him that she is hiding things.

The summer is very warm and the whole area suffers from an infestation of gnats; many complain of bites around the neck area. When the gardener's 17 year old son sickens, the doctor is called, and he is confused and unable to help him. He asks Prof Urcombe for some advice and he insists the boy is moved into his house.

dun dun dun...

You know where this is going, right?

Again, genuinely creepy. And that the vampire is a lovely chatty widow, is such a twist. [Benson has written another story where a young man has nightmares of an older woman. Write what you know???]

I also have to say this is the first time I have seen the antagonist get hit by a car. I mean this was 1912, Regina George eat your heart out!

4 stars

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far, this is one of my favorite stories of all time! I have read and listened to this one several times - and it never gets old! Perfect for those who love a good vampire story - written by a master of horror!

[Satja · Rating 3 out of 5]

After having read quite a considerable collection of vampire stories this one stood out with nothing of note. The story telling is competent and easy to follow and the world building coming into play into the plot was very well executed however it ends up following a predictable formula that has been well established and ends up not adding anything new to it. Solid read, but nothing outstanding.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It is not human: it is an incarnate fiend.”?! Huh? Aren’t they cinnamons? I mean; Human: an incarnate fiend; would be the definitive definition… Night birds with rare bees bights necks = vampier! Duh! A bit conventional as it mixes vampirism with superstition, but great writing and quotations push it up a star.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. 1920s vampire story. Felt more like pulp fiction than a classic. Full of macabre elements. Interesting and worth reading if you're into vampire stories, but for me is was a bit short of okay.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mrs. Amworth is an engaging short story, but it doesn't really bring anything special to the table. A vampire moves into the neighborhood, people start getting sick, and we get the ending we expect. Saved by Benson's power of description.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my favorites! I can re-read it again and again - and I find something new each time.
When a vampire hits a small village, two friends pull together to figure out how to stop her.

[Laurence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good prose and the summer heat and the passing vampiric outbreak is OK, ultimately it is too simplistic and really needs a better ending.

Spoilers
Yes our heroes literally go to the grave and dispatch our vampire in the predictable manner. The end.

[Samantha Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and spooky tale

Wonderful vampire story. Beautifully written from a master of the supernatural, taut, deliciously creepy and very satisfying. A great read

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun short story based on the vampire mythos! Would recommend for anyone looking for a quick spooky read.

[DtD01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted a slightly different ending but it was good all in all.

[Pokotilo · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[rottenrosette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing was kind of rushed towards the end but I found the first half to be rather engaging; if only we could have learned more about Mrs. Amworth and her past. I thought her getting run over by a car towards the end of the story was really bizarre and kind of random? The image of her nodding and smiling in the dark, just outside the narrator's window, was effective and chilling though, and reminded me a bit of "The Vampire of Croglin Grange.”