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The Albatross and Other Stories
In the fishing village of Heype they disapprove of Dafty-Duncan Pike. He and his sour, crippled mother have lived here for eighteen years. And they still don't belong. Duncan is good for nothing. And he knows it. He's afraid of everyone. His mother. The sea. Ted Flint the fisherman is the only person he admires, and Ted sometimes has a word for him. Until the night the lifeboat is launched in a storm. After that, inside his slow mind, Duncan begins to hate them all.
In this distinguished collection of stories, Susan Hill writes about isolated people — the small boy facing the unspeakable terrors of a children's party; an old lady, longing for raffish excitement in a holiday resort.
In this distinguished collection of stories, Susan Hill writes about isolated people — the small boy facing the unspeakable terrors of a children's party; an old lady, longing for raffish excitement in a holiday resort.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
1 person is currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Susan Hill
180 books2,276 followersSusan Hill was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire in 1942. Her hometown was later referred to in her novel A Change for the Better (1969) and some short stories especially "Cockles and Mussels".
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
unfinished-or-abandoned
September 28, 2023I found this collection of short stories pretty boring. the writing was OK, and alot was well described.
I think the author had a kinda idea running thru the collection (or stories of a similar theme were pulled together later!), and maybe this tried to be abit clever/unique, but didn't really pull it off for me.
1. the first short story - Albatross - turned out to be a novella!
I wasn't sure how I felt about the depiction of disabled people in the main characters of this story - how much the author is just falling into using problematic stereotypes, and how much (if anything) she's using the characters and stories to challenge some of this.
the mother is a wheelchair user - her wheelchair used as menace, and 'the accident' referred to from time to time without detail - just seems to be suggesting that her being disabled and pretty mean are integral... and this strikes me as a lazy and problematic short cut stereotype on the part of the author.
Duncan, the son, is presented a little differently - he's externally perceived as 'simple' by many, tho not all. how he's treated is presented, and alongside we also see/hear his own perception of self and thoughts, including when they are at odds with external assumptions. his character was tho limited and stereotypical. I wondered as I was reading whether the author knew many/any adults with learning difficulties.
the atmosphere of a small isolated rural East Anglian village is fairly well created I think. I wasn't entirely sure what the time period setting was tho - it didn't seem contemporary. but TV exists, alongside florins and pence.
the location felt like Suffolk to me... tho I can't remember if it's explicitly mentioned.
nothing much happens, in a mostly well written (I think) way. I found the ending unsatisfying.
🌊
2. The Elephant Man
the title didn't bode well!!!
especially given the suspect disability representation of the previous! I'm really not sure what the author/editor/publisher was thinking there (if they were)!?!
the upper class setting didn't interest me... the family, the child, the nanny... the nanny's friend...
the story was told mostly from the perspective of the child... and that seems to be a kinda theme in the collection - the stories being told in most part by someone outside of the usual/typical narrator...
🐘
3. I didn't hold the name of the third story long enough... and it was pretty boring, tho maybe not as boring as the previous story!
a child living in a residential care home..
🌸
4. Cockles and Mussels
set around a seafront guest house for older people...
some of the different inhabitants and their circumstances and characters, their thoughts, desires..
🌊
I stopped there.
mid part 10 out of 11 sections of audiobook, a couple of hours before the end of the book.
the book is apparently 7 hours 15 minutes long, so if I've about two hours left, I've read 5 hours... so abandoned at around 71 percent read.
🥱 🥱
accessed as a library audiobook, very well read by Maggie Ollerenshaw 🙂
I think the author had a kinda idea running thru the collection (or stories of a similar theme were pulled together later!), and maybe this tried to be abit clever/unique, but didn't really pull it off for me.
1. the first short story - Albatross - turned out to be a novella!
I wasn't sure how I felt about the depiction of disabled people in the main characters of this story - how much the author is just falling into using problematic stereotypes, and how much (if anything) she's using the characters and stories to challenge some of this.
the mother is a wheelchair user - her wheelchair used as menace, and 'the accident' referred to from time to time without detail - just seems to be suggesting that her being disabled and pretty mean are integral... and this strikes me as a lazy and problematic short cut stereotype on the part of the author.
Duncan, the son, is presented a little differently - he's externally perceived as 'simple' by many, tho not all. how he's treated is presented, and alongside we also see/hear his own perception of self and thoughts, including when they are at odds with external assumptions. his character was tho limited and stereotypical. I wondered as I was reading whether the author knew many/any adults with learning difficulties.
the atmosphere of a small isolated rural East Anglian village is fairly well created I think. I wasn't entirely sure what the time period setting was tho - it didn't seem contemporary. but TV exists, alongside florins and pence.
the location felt like Suffolk to me... tho I can't remember if it's explicitly mentioned.
nothing much happens, in a mostly well written (I think) way. I found the ending unsatisfying.
🌊
2. The Elephant Man
the title didn't bode well!!!
especially given the suspect disability representation of the previous! I'm really not sure what the author/editor/publisher was thinking there (if they were)!?!
the upper class setting didn't interest me... the family, the child, the nanny... the nanny's friend...
the story was told mostly from the perspective of the child... and that seems to be a kinda theme in the collection - the stories being told in most part by someone outside of the usual/typical narrator...
🐘
3. I didn't hold the name of the third story long enough... and it was pretty boring, tho maybe not as boring as the previous story!
a child living in a residential care home..
🌸
4. Cockles and Mussels
set around a seafront guest house for older people...
some of the different inhabitants and their circumstances and characters, their thoughts, desires..
🌊
I stopped there.
mid part 10 out of 11 sections of audiobook, a couple of hours before the end of the book.
the book is apparently 7 hours 15 minutes long, so if I've about two hours left, I've read 5 hours... so abandoned at around 71 percent read.
🥱 🥱
accessed as a library audiobook, very well read by Maggie Ollerenshaw 🙂
June 1, 2017
Stories about young and old who are isolated in some way. Melancholy but with cruel irony and dark edges. 'Somerville' sticks out as my favourite from the bunch. Hill writes with such clarity and exactness.
April 8, 2015
Generally speaking Susan Hill doesn't deal in the lighter side of life and these stories (written over 40 years ago) don't break that pattern. Each deals with isolated or lonely people, from the young man living with his overbearing mother in a fishing village to a retired civil servant seeking solitude but unwillingly befriended by a pregnant 17 year old. In every case the result is tragedy, with the conclusion of the latter story particularly shocking. Few writers are as good at combining the mundane and the horrific and this collection, though of it's time, is a fine example of her craft.
November 1, 2021
Książka w pewnie sposób podobna do czytanego przeze mnie nie tak dawno “Tańca szalonych cieni” Munro, bo też traktująca o ludziach wykluczonych i nieprzystosowanych do życia w społeczeństwie. Problemy poruszane przez dwie autorki są bardzo zbliżone, a jednak same książki są diametralnie różne. Opowiadania Hill są dużo mroczniejsze niż te Munro - ujawnia się w nich ta specyficzna ponura, przygnębiająca atmosfera charakterystyczna dla brytyjskich autorów. Najtrafniej opowieści zawarte w “Albatrosie” określiłabym jako literackie odpowiedniki filmowych kitchen sink dramas.
Zbiór zawiera 5 w miarę krótkich opowiadań, wyjątkiem jest tytułowe - nieco dłuższe. Hill doskonale odnajduje się w krótkiej formie. Historie mimo, że krótkie to niosą ze sobą monstrualny ładunek emocjonalny. Te kilkadziesiąt stron spokojnie wystarczyło abym zdążyła mocno zżyć się z bohaterami. A postacie u Hill są nakreślone doskonale! Realistyczne, pełne lęku, samotne i wyszydzane, niezrozumiane przez innych i wypchnięte na margines społeczeństwa. Jednocześnie mają w sobie pewną klasę, delikatność, kruchość, melancholię.
Muszę przyznać, że nie od razu do “Albatrosa” zapałałam wielką miłością. Wprawdzie pierwsze opowiadanie o autystycznym chłopcu mieszkającym z niepełnosprawną , despotyczną matką od pierwszych stron mnie wciągnęło i poruszyło - tak czytając kolejne historie odczuwałam pewien niedosyt i miałam wrażenie, że wypadają dosyć blado w porównaniu z pierwszym opowiadaniem. Dopiero kiedy po paru godzinach od zakończenia historii zdałam sobie sprawę, że wciąż myślę o nich intensywnie, że cały czas tkwią w mojej głowie, uwierają i nie dają o sobie zapomnieć - zdałam sobie sprawę w jakim byłam błędzie i jak w rzeczywistości każde z opowiadań w “Albatrosie” jest znakomite. Przygnębiające, wzruszające, z dogłębną analizą psychologiczną, a przy tym napisane przepięknym lirycznym pełnym subtelności językiem. Proza z najwyższej półki! Niepozorna Hill okazała się moim największym odkryciem zeszłego roku!
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Zbiór zawiera 5 w miarę krótkich opowiadań, wyjątkiem jest tytułowe - nieco dłuższe. Hill doskonale odnajduje się w krótkiej formie. Historie mimo, że krótkie to niosą ze sobą monstrualny ładunek emocjonalny. Te kilkadziesiąt stron spokojnie wystarczyło abym zdążyła mocno zżyć się z bohaterami. A postacie u Hill są nakreślone doskonale! Realistyczne, pełne lęku, samotne i wyszydzane, niezrozumiane przez innych i wypchnięte na margines społeczeństwa. Jednocześnie mają w sobie pewną klasę, delikatność, kruchość, melancholię.
Muszę przyznać, że nie od razu do “Albatrosa” zapałałam wielką miłością. Wprawdzie pierwsze opowiadanie o autystycznym chłopcu mieszkającym z niepełnosprawną , despotyczną matką od pierwszych stron mnie wciągnęło i poruszyło - tak czytając kolejne historie odczuwałam pewien niedosyt i miałam wrażenie, że wypadają dosyć blado w porównaniu z pierwszym opowiadaniem. Dopiero kiedy po paru godzinach od zakończenia historii zdałam sobie sprawę, że wciąż myślę o nich intensywnie, że cały czas tkwią w mojej głowie, uwierają i nie dają o sobie zapomnieć - zdałam sobie sprawę w jakim byłam błędzie i jak w rzeczywistości każde z opowiadań w “Albatrosie” jest znakomite. Przygnębiające, wzruszające, z dogłębną analizą psychologiczną, a przy tym napisane przepięknym lirycznym pełnym subtelności językiem. Proza z najwyższej półki! Niepozorna Hill okazała się moim największym odkryciem zeszłego roku!
instagram | blog | facebook
February 6, 2021
Książka w pewnie sposób podobna do czytanego przeze mnie nie tak dawno “Tańca szalonych cieni” Munro, bo też traktująca o ludziach wykluczonych i nieprzystosowanych do życia w społeczeństwie. Problemy poruszane przez dwie autorki są bardzo zbliżone, a jednak same książki są diametralnie różne. Opowiadania Hill są dużo mroczniejsze niż te Munro - ujawnia się w nich ta specyficzna ponura, przygnębiająca atmosfera charakterystyczna dla brytyjskich autorów. Najtrafniej opowieści zawarte w “Albatrosie” określiłabym jako literackie odpowiedniki filmowych kitchen sink dramas.
Zbiór zawiera 5 w miarę krótkich opowiadań, wyjątkiem jest tytułowe - nieco dłuższe. Hill doskonale odnajduje się w krótkiej formie. Historie mimo, że krótkie to niosą ze sobą monstrualny ładunek emocjonalny. Te kilkadziesiąt stron spokojnie wystarczyło abym zdążyła mocno zżyć się z bohaterami. A postacie u Hill są nakreślone doskonale! Realistyczne, pełne lęku, samotne i wyszydzane, niezrozumiane przez innych i wypchnięte na margines społeczeństwa. Jednocześnie mają w sobie pewną klasę, delikatność, kruchość, melancholię.
Muszę przyznać, że nie od razu do “Albatrosa” zapałałam wielką miłością. Wprawdzie pierwsze opowiadanie o autystycznym chłopcu mieszkającym z niepełnosprawną , despotyczną matką od pierwszych stron mnie wciągnęło i poruszyło - tak czytając kolejne historie odczuwałam pewien niedosyt i miałam wrażenie, że wypadają dosyć blado w porównaniu z pierwszym opowiadaniem. Dopiero kiedy po paru godzinach od zakończenia historii zdałam sobie sprawę, że wciąż myślę o nich intensywnie, że cały czas tkwią w mojej głowie, uwierają i nie dają o sobie zapomnieć - zdałam sobie sprawę w jakim byłam błędzie i jak w rzeczywistości każde z opowiadań w “Albatrosie” jest znakomite. Przygnębiające, wzruszające, z dogłębną analizą psychologiczną, a przy tym napisane przepięknym lirycznym pełnym subtelności językiem. Proza z najwyższej półki! Niepozorna Hill okazała się moim największym odkryciem zeszłego roku!
instagram | blog | facebook
Zbiór zawiera 5 w miarę krótkich opowiadań, wyjątkiem jest tytułowe - nieco dłuższe. Hill doskonale odnajduje się w krótkiej formie. Historie mimo, że krótkie to niosą ze sobą monstrualny ładunek emocjonalny. Te kilkadziesiąt stron spokojnie wystarczyło abym zdążyła mocno zżyć się z bohaterami. A postacie u Hill są nakreślone doskonale! Realistyczne, pełne lęku, samotne i wyszydzane, niezrozumiane przez innych i wypchnięte na margines społeczeństwa. Jednocześnie mają w sobie pewną klasę, delikatność, kruchość, melancholię.
Muszę przyznać, że nie od razu do “Albatrosa” zapałałam wielką miłością. Wprawdzie pierwsze opowiadanie o autystycznym chłopcu mieszkającym z niepełnosprawną , despotyczną matką od pierwszych stron mnie wciągnęło i poruszyło - tak czytając kolejne historie odczuwałam pewien niedosyt i miałam wrażenie, że wypadają dosyć blado w porównaniu z pierwszym opowiadaniem. Dopiero kiedy po paru godzinach od zakończenia historii zdałam sobie sprawę, że wciąż myślę o nich intensywnie, że cały czas tkwią w mojej głowie, uwierają i nie dają o sobie zapomnieć - zdałam sobie sprawę w jakim byłam błędzie i jak w rzeczywistości każde z opowiadań w “Albatrosie” jest znakomite. Przygnębiające, wzruszające, z dogłębną analizą psychologiczną, a przy tym napisane przepięknym lirycznym pełnym subtelności językiem. Proza z najwyższej półki! Niepozorna Hill okazała się moim największym odkryciem zeszłego roku!
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May 10, 2022
Equal parts haunting and familiar, The Albatross and Other Stories provides a nostalgic collection of tales; nostalgic in a way that an English person, or anyone well versed with the charm, customs and character of English people and places, would find comforting yet strange. Susan Hills writing always gives me this sense of warmth and wonder when I have completed reading a story, and that story usually lingers with me for days. In this book, there are five tales. Each story has its own endearing characters, twisted plot, and unusual conclusion or cautionary ending - those key elements combined with Susan Hill's rich writing style, make for an experience similar to eating a scone with the best blob of clotted cream ever on the side.
I cannot wait to come across my next Susan Hill book.
I cannot wait to come across my next Susan Hill book.
January 6, 2022
Ugh! I read somewhere that this story was social realism or something like that. Perhaps that explains why it was so tedious. It was, I take it, meant to build in tension; all I felt was building and multiplying frustration. At least eventually something did happen, unlike some books I've read in recent times, but this was not the Susan Hill I have enjoyed in books like The Woman in Black and Mrs de Winter.
Want to read
January 24, 2021#5
He thought, I have everything, I am altogether alone, there are no letters, no one calls, I have everything, and perhaps I will not be able to bear it, such an absence of anxiety and striving, perhaps this will make me mad.
He thought, I have everything, I am altogether alone, there are no letters, no one calls, I have everything, and perhaps I will not be able to bear it, such an absence of anxiety and striving, perhaps this will make me mad.
September 19, 2022
Susan Hill is one of my favourite authors, but sometimes her stories can be very sad & somber, as these short stories were. From a son who came to hate his mother, to a young boy brought up in a nursing home.
November 12, 2024
I am a fan of Susan Hill's work. I was not quite as keen on this collection of short stories - I have a feeling they may have been written when she was younger and less experienced. Not quite up to her usual excellent standard.
December 5, 2021
These stories were ok but I prefer her detective novels.
June 29, 2024
A beautiful story about those who are vulnerable and innocent.
August 14, 2024
I need to talk to someone about Somerville, Susan Hill dm me hun x
December 13, 2025
This book wasn't as I expected it to be. I found it a little disappointing. The main story is The Albatross which follows Duncan who is quite reclusive, he must take care of his mother and she puts him down every chance she gets. He admires Ted Flint who he went to school with. He is a fisherman like many of the men in the village. One night there is a storm and the lifeboat goes out, Duncan feels useless as he is one of the only men left behind to watch helpless, this sows the seed that something must be done and he takes control of his life.
It is quite a haunting tale, however, I found it quite dated and a little cringey. I think the story is meant to be set near where I grew up on the North Suffolk Coast as it mentions Lowestoft a few times. I don't really remember the other stories in the book.
It is quite a haunting tale, however, I found it quite dated and a little cringey. I think the story is meant to be set near where I grew up on the North Suffolk Coast as it mentions Lowestoft a few times. I don't really remember the other stories in the book.
November 30, 2014
Bleak, bleak, bleak. I wish I could get back the time I wasted reading this collection. Still trying to cheer myself up!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews