What do you think?
The House of Dead Maids
Young Tabby Aykroyd has been brought to the dusty mansion of Seldom House to be nursemaid to a foundling boy. He is a savage little creature, but the Yorkshire moors harbor far worse, as Tabby soon discovers. Why do scores of dead maids and masters haunt Seldom House with a jealous devotion that extends beyond the grave?
As Tabby struggles to escape the evil forces rising out of the land, she watches her young charge choose a different path. Long before he reaches the old farmhouse of Wuthering Heights, the boy who will become Heathcliff has doomed himself and any who try to befriend him.
As Tabby struggles to escape the evil forces rising out of the land, she watches her young charge choose a different path. Long before he reaches the old farmhouse of Wuthering Heights, the boy who will become Heathcliff has doomed himself and any who try to befriend him.
146 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2010
About the author
Clare B. Dunkle
11 books390 followersI was born Clare Buckalew in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in Denton, Texas, a city north of Dallas. I earned my B.A. in Russian with a minor in Latin from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from Indiana University with a master's degree in library science, I came back to San Antonio to work when my husband, Joe, joined the engineering staff at Kelly Air Force Base. I earned tenure as the monographs cataloger at Trinity University's Coates Library from 1990 to 1999; then I left the library to homeschool my two daughters, Valerie and Elena. My family moved to Germany in 2000, and we lived for seven years in the Rheinland Pfalz region, not far from the old Roman city of Trier. We returned to San Antonio in the summer of 2007, when my younger daughter Elena began college. In 2012, now grandparents, Joe and I moved back to Germany, where we are once again enjoying the bike trails, wine fests, and amazing travel opportunities. We hope to live here at least through 2017.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews
March 6, 2011
no.
that should be the whole review right there, just "no."
this is supposed to be the story of heathcliff as a ten-year-old boy. so you have two central characters: the real-life housekeeper of the brontes and the-boy-who-would-be-heathcliff, who was fictional, correct?? and you have the housekeeper character ultimately telling this story to her charges, the four young bronte children, with dear emily listening raptly. how clumsy is that? you can't market this as being a "prelude" to wuthering heights and then cop out and try to make it seem like it might only have been the inspiration for wuthering heights. but you also can't have mary poppins taking tea with george orwell. this is baffling.
without the appeal of this being a preteen heathcliff, there is no real reason to read this. it is a lightweight ghost story that pretty much just rips off (the original, not the remake, please), and doesn't really contribute anything to the wuthering heights mythos.
it starts out fine - she does a really good job of describing the furniture and the birds and the kitchen area - it has all the trappings of a true bronte novel. but then it coarsens a little and slips with the introduction of the heathcliff character who is, of course, not called heathcliff at this point in his life. he is a bratty boy who has seen some horrifying things in his short life and is wild and unmoored (hahahhaha DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE???) from christian respectability, but he is just some obnoxious kid - he could be anyone. and unless he seriously regressed after making his transition to wuthering heights (as she strangely suggests by his eschewing his english language to speak his "gibberish" tongue in his final scene - but why, except to account for his initial "gypsy" appearance at the beginning of W.H., and therefore making her novel "legitimate"), there is no way this kid became heathcliff, despite her wanting really badly for him to be. that was clunky, but i am ranting.
and this takes away any possibility of heathcliff actually being the bastard child of mr. earnshaw, which is only subtext, sure, but it does have impact and further complicates the bond between heathcliff and catherine.
the spirit is missing in this book. there is no subtlety - this is not a jamesian ghost story, even though it has all the right furniture. as much as i love retelling and filling-in-the-gaps stories for wuthering heights, they "gang aft agley".
i love that the other reviews of this book are from teens saying "this makes me want to read wuthering heights!!! squee!!!" but i shudder to think what will happen with this character in their minds as they encounter the real deal.
HEATHCLIFF DOES NOT PLAY WITH DOLLS!!!
AND OH MY GOD
come to my blog!
that should be the whole review right there, just "no."
this is supposed to be the story of heathcliff as a ten-year-old boy. so you have two central characters: the real-life housekeeper of the brontes and the-boy-who-would-be-heathcliff, who was fictional, correct?? and you have the housekeeper character ultimately telling this story to her charges, the four young bronte children, with dear emily listening raptly. how clumsy is that? you can't market this as being a "prelude" to wuthering heights and then cop out and try to make it seem like it might only have been the inspiration for wuthering heights. but you also can't have mary poppins taking tea with george orwell. this is baffling.
without the appeal of this being a preteen heathcliff, there is no real reason to read this. it is a lightweight ghost story that pretty much just rips off (the original, not the remake, please), and doesn't really contribute anything to the wuthering heights mythos.
it starts out fine - she does a really good job of describing the furniture and the birds and the kitchen area - it has all the trappings of a true bronte novel. but then it coarsens a little and slips with the introduction of the heathcliff character who is, of course, not called heathcliff at this point in his life. he is a bratty boy who has seen some horrifying things in his short life and is wild and unmoored (hahahhaha DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE???) from christian respectability, but he is just some obnoxious kid - he could be anyone. and unless he seriously regressed after making his transition to wuthering heights (as she strangely suggests by his eschewing his english language to speak his "gibberish" tongue in his final scene - but why, except to account for his initial "gypsy" appearance at the beginning of W.H., and therefore making her novel "legitimate"), there is no way this kid became heathcliff, despite her wanting really badly for him to be. that was clunky, but i am ranting.
and this takes away any possibility of heathcliff actually being the bastard child of mr. earnshaw, which is only subtext, sure, but it does have impact and further complicates the bond between heathcliff and catherine.
the spirit is missing in this book. there is no subtlety - this is not a jamesian ghost story, even though it has all the right furniture. as much as i love retelling and filling-in-the-gaps stories for wuthering heights, they "gang aft agley".
i love that the other reviews of this book are from teens saying "this makes me want to read wuthering heights!!! squee!!!" but i shudder to think what will happen with this character in their minds as they encounter the real deal.
HEATHCLIFF DOES NOT PLAY WITH DOLLS!!!
AND OH MY GOD
come to my blog!
May 11, 2026
Here's the thing, I understand why THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS has a low average rating-- I just don't agree. This book serves as a sort of "prologue" to WUTHERING HEIGHTS, but it's also a gothic pastiche that melds fiction and nonfiction, resulting in a campy "historical fiction 🤡" meets Historical Fiction™ blend. What if the Bronte's real life maid was forced to work in a haunted house with a legacy of human sacrifice where she also had to entertain Heathcliff? What if she saw Cathy's ghost? What if the Brontes were indirectly inspired to write their books based on Tabby's experiences?
For what it's worth, I honestly found this book delightful. It skews more on the middle grade side of YA. The heroine and the hero are both preteens and the book is very short, clocking just under 150 words. Despite that, the story is actually very creepy, even for adults. There are some viscerally horrific visuals and Dunkle manages to convey a litany of gothic horrors, ranging from occult ritual to jilted psyschosexual lovers to spectral thrills and chills, and she does it in a way that feels age-appropriate and allows the readers to fill in the blanks.
How much you enjoy this book is going to depend on your tolerance for camp and suspending your disbelief. I am not a purist and I personally don't care how historically accurate something is as long as the errors aren't so glaringly obvious that they rip me out of the narrative. This felt like Wuthering Heights/Bronte fanfiction in the most charming way possible and that book cover is genuinely fucking scary.
4 stars
For what it's worth, I honestly found this book delightful. It skews more on the middle grade side of YA. The heroine and the hero are both preteens and the book is very short, clocking just under 150 words. Despite that, the story is actually very creepy, even for adults. There are some viscerally horrific visuals and Dunkle manages to convey a litany of gothic horrors, ranging from occult ritual to jilted psyschosexual lovers to spectral thrills and chills, and she does it in a way that feels age-appropriate and allows the readers to fill in the blanks.
How much you enjoy this book is going to depend on your tolerance for camp and suspending your disbelief. I am not a purist and I personally don't care how historically accurate something is as long as the errors aren't so glaringly obvious that they rip me out of the narrative. This felt like Wuthering Heights/Bronte fanfiction in the most charming way possible and that book cover is genuinely fucking scary.
4 stars
January 3, 2014
House of Dead Maids starts out as this wonderful, creepy, gothic ghost story, which is my absolute fav. But then it just gets a little disjointed. The young master with no name is sort of odd. The story behind the Dead Maids is a little too quick and bare bones, and the ending comes up so fast, it doesn’t feel like a fully fleshed out book or story. The tie in with Wuthering Heights was weak. I was disappointed. I wanted more suspense, more characterization, and a little bit more meat. I did enjoy it though, and the cover is awesome. I'm giving three stars.
July 15, 2012
2.5 stars. Just so you know...yes, I was screaming inside of my own head. The caps were indeed justified in this case.
Thoughts when I saw this book sitting on a thrift store shelf :
Oooohhhh...lookie...awesome cover girl with creepy black eyes. The title makes me want to know what's going on. IT'S A HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS - HOW AWESOME!
Thoughts when I read the back cover :
OH HECK YEAH. It's a Wuthering Heights prequel in YA form. WITH LOTS OF GHOST ACTION!!!
Me after reading the book :
Sigh. At least I paid less than a buck for it. Talk about just missing the mark...
In all fairness, I think House of Dead Maids was intended for the pre-teen crowd, which might be why it really didn't work for me. I probably would have enjoyed this book at around age 12, especially before I knew anything about who Heathcliff was. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were creepy in an extremely cool way. The ghosts were not scary to me at all as an adult, but the style of writing would have given me a little bit of a chill back when I was still trying to sneak Christopher Pike books under the covers.
Does the story feel like a possible prequel to Wuthering Heights? Honestly...I didn't think so. But again, this book will work for younger readers who aren't looking to compare the two. It's possible that this book would get them interested in trying out the classic inspiration in the future.
I (almost) feel guilty giving the book such a low rating when I know if I had done my homework and read some other reviews, I probably never would have picked up the book to begin with. Go, go cheapie impulse purchases! At least the book was extremely short (also in line with the length of a children's or middle grade read), so I was able to breeze through most of it fairly quickly, along with skimming some of the pages where the descriptiveness bordered on awkward.
I'd only recommend the book to pre-teens who are looking for a creepy little ghost story. Anyone much older than that probably won't be as impressed.
Thoughts when I saw this book sitting on a thrift store shelf :
Oooohhhh...lookie...awesome cover girl with creepy black eyes. The title makes me want to know what's going on. IT'S A HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS - HOW AWESOME!
Thoughts when I read the back cover :
OH HECK YEAH. It's a Wuthering Heights prequel in YA form. WITH LOTS OF GHOST ACTION!!!
Me after reading the book :
Sigh. At least I paid less than a buck for it. Talk about just missing the mark...
In all fairness, I think House of Dead Maids was intended for the pre-teen crowd, which might be why it really didn't work for me. I probably would have enjoyed this book at around age 12, especially before I knew anything about who Heathcliff was. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were creepy in an extremely cool way. The ghosts were not scary to me at all as an adult, but the style of writing would have given me a little bit of a chill back when I was still trying to sneak Christopher Pike books under the covers.
Does the story feel like a possible prequel to Wuthering Heights? Honestly...I didn't think so. But again, this book will work for younger readers who aren't looking to compare the two. It's possible that this book would get them interested in trying out the classic inspiration in the future.
I (almost) feel guilty giving the book such a low rating when I know if I had done my homework and read some other reviews, I probably never would have picked up the book to begin with. Go, go cheapie impulse purchases! At least the book was extremely short (also in line with the length of a children's or middle grade read), so I was able to breeze through most of it fairly quickly, along with skimming some of the pages where the descriptiveness bordered on awkward.
I'd only recommend the book to pre-teens who are looking for a creepy little ghost story. Anyone much older than that probably won't be as impressed.
November 9, 2009
What I told the editor: “DEAD MAIDS is dark and beautiful, literary and lovely. In it, Dunkle has crafted a tale worthy of sitting on a shelf next to Wuthering Heights—which is no minor feat.”
Read
August 9, 2010Last night, I started and finished and ARC of The House of Dead Maids, by Clare Dunkle. And, um, WOW. The book releases on September 14th and is definitely something you want to read.
I wasn't sure what to expect. I read Wuthering Heights right before, to better acquaint myself with Heathcliff's story, and though I'm really glad I've finally read the book (Wuthering Heights is amazing and it shames me how long it took me to get around to reading it) it wasn't absolutely necessary to read beforehand.
Premise: So, basically, the book tells the story of Tabby, a girl brought to work as a maid at the mansion known as Seldom House. She's charged with taking care of a young boy (who grows up to become Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights) and discovers a world of ghosts and dark, dark superstitions.
My absolute favorite thing: This book is deliciously scary. Starting it late at night was a MISTAKE! I kid you not: I slept with the lights on last night. Dunkle's ghosts were described with such detail and so dark my skin crawled--there literally was one moment of description so vivid I had to put the book down and give in to a shiver.
Other thoughts: The cover is what drew me in to begin with. It's fantastically creepy--and it completely matches the scariness of the book.
It was interesting to read Heathcliff before he's officially Heathcliff, and I thought Dunkle did a really nice job of creating him to be believable with the character I know he grows into.
It's a short book, which made it a really quick read. (Though I'm pretty sure I still would have read it in one sitting even if it'd been twice as long.) And the illustrations (by Patrick Arrasmith) in the ARC--and I'm assuming in the hard cover--flow right with the tone of the book and give visual to the terror you feel while reading.
Even thought the protagonist is 11, I'm not sure I agree that this book is suitable for readers ages 12 and up. At least, had I read it at age 12 I'd have had nightmares for weeks. Heck, I still probably will! Maybe most 12-year-olds are tougher than I was at that age though, which is highly likely...
I absolutely recommend this book, especially if you're a fan of Wuthering Heights--and even if you aren't. Bravo to Clare Dunkle, it's been a while since I read anything quite this spooky!
♥ Sara
I wasn't sure what to expect. I read Wuthering Heights right before, to better acquaint myself with Heathcliff's story, and though I'm really glad I've finally read the book (Wuthering Heights is amazing and it shames me how long it took me to get around to reading it) it wasn't absolutely necessary to read beforehand.
Premise: So, basically, the book tells the story of Tabby, a girl brought to work as a maid at the mansion known as Seldom House. She's charged with taking care of a young boy (who grows up to become Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights) and discovers a world of ghosts and dark, dark superstitions.
My absolute favorite thing: This book is deliciously scary. Starting it late at night was a MISTAKE! I kid you not: I slept with the lights on last night. Dunkle's ghosts were described with such detail and so dark my skin crawled--there literally was one moment of description so vivid I had to put the book down and give in to a shiver.
Other thoughts: The cover is what drew me in to begin with. It's fantastically creepy--and it completely matches the scariness of the book.
It was interesting to read Heathcliff before he's officially Heathcliff, and I thought Dunkle did a really nice job of creating him to be believable with the character I know he grows into.
It's a short book, which made it a really quick read. (Though I'm pretty sure I still would have read it in one sitting even if it'd been twice as long.) And the illustrations (by Patrick Arrasmith) in the ARC--and I'm assuming in the hard cover--flow right with the tone of the book and give visual to the terror you feel while reading.
Even thought the protagonist is 11, I'm not sure I agree that this book is suitable for readers ages 12 and up. At least, had I read it at age 12 I'd have had nightmares for weeks. Heck, I still probably will! Maybe most 12-year-olds are tougher than I was at that age though, which is highly likely...
I absolutely recommend this book, especially if you're a fan of Wuthering Heights--and even if you aren't. Bravo to Clare Dunkle, it's been a while since I read anything quite this spooky!
♥ Sara
November 10, 2012
"She stood very still in the dusky passage where the light was the poorest. Like me, she wore the black dress that proclaimed her a maid of the house, but where mine was new, hers was spoiled by mildew and smears of clay. Thin hair, dripping with muddy water, fell to her shoulders in limp, stringy ropes. This was my companion of the night before - and she was dead."
I was wondering what book to re-read next and this one was just perfect. It has been 7 and a half years since I last read it so I was bound not to remember most of the things. Plus, I could use some horror.
Meet Tabby, a sweet 11-year old girl who gets chosen to be a maid in a very big and important house. But getting there she notices that things are off. Not to mention the fact she is seeing dead people everywhere and one even comes to her bed every night (yup, that is just spooky). Strangely there are no live maids or other personnel other than the cook and the old maid in the whole home and that means that until the new master pops up... Tabby has free rein of the home. I loved seeing the girl explore, find new things, and look forward to her new master/boy she has to babysit.
I wasn't a big fan of Himself/the boy, he was just obnoxious and annoying. Eventually we do find out what happened in his past and why that may have totally corrupted and broken his mind. But yeah, he definitely annoyed me. Thankfully, there are also parts where I liked the little heathen git (as he was called). He really opened up at points to Tabby and I loved the bond they slowly formed. Plus, they helped each other when ghosts appeared. Whereas Tabby was haunted by a little maid girl (whose identity we later find out and what connection she has to Tabby), the boy is haunted by someone else. I am not sure which of the ghosts I found creepier.
I guess I will just go for all of the ghosts. I read this one before I went to sleep which was a big fat nope.
As the two kids explore the mansion they discover something dark and demonic.. something dangerous. Which leads to something excited and OMG. The later parts was exciting and I was hoping that the plan would work.
The ending was good, but I think I would have loved it if the whole boy part would have been done before finding out what happened to our girl. It just felt a bit jarring and I had to reread parts to make sure I didn't read it wrongly or missed something.
I found the Brönte connection a bit eh (though I only knew because of the last part of the book with the name of the boy + epilogue, otherwise I wouldn't even have found the connection), but that mostly has to do with that I have tried read a couple of the books by the Brönte sisters and it just wasn't for me. High school really destroyed the classics for me. Thanks.
All in all though I loved this book which was full of spooky ghosts, gorgeous descriptions of the house and what was in it, and I loved how strong the girl is both in her belief and her will. Also bonus points for the epic and spooky cover that will definitely haunt everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was wondering what book to re-read next and this one was just perfect. It has been 7 and a half years since I last read it so I was bound not to remember most of the things. Plus, I could use some horror.
Meet Tabby, a sweet 11-year old girl who gets chosen to be a maid in a very big and important house. But getting there she notices that things are off. Not to mention the fact she is seeing dead people everywhere and one even comes to her bed every night (yup, that is just spooky). Strangely there are no live maids or other personnel other than the cook and the old maid in the whole home and that means that until the new master pops up... Tabby has free rein of the home. I loved seeing the girl explore, find new things, and look forward to her new master/boy she has to babysit.
I wasn't a big fan of Himself/the boy, he was just obnoxious and annoying. Eventually we do find out what happened in his past and why that may have totally corrupted and broken his mind. But yeah, he definitely annoyed me. Thankfully, there are also parts where I liked the little heathen git (as he was called). He really opened up at points to Tabby and I loved the bond they slowly formed. Plus, they helped each other when ghosts appeared. Whereas Tabby was haunted by a little maid girl (whose identity we later find out and what connection she has to Tabby), the boy is haunted by someone else. I am not sure which of the ghosts I found creepier.
I guess I will just go for all of the ghosts. I read this one before I went to sleep which was a big fat nope.
As the two kids explore the mansion they discover something dark and demonic.. something dangerous. Which leads to something excited and OMG. The later parts was exciting and I was hoping that the plan would work.
The ending was good, but I think I would have loved it if the whole boy part would have been done before finding out what happened to our girl. It just felt a bit jarring and I had to reread parts to make sure I didn't read it wrongly or missed something.
I found the Brönte connection a bit eh (though I only knew because of the last part of the book with the name of the boy + epilogue, otherwise I wouldn't even have found the connection), but that mostly has to do with that I have tried read a couple of the books by the Brönte sisters and it just wasn't for me. High school really destroyed the classics for me. Thanks.
All in all though I loved this book which was full of spooky ghosts, gorgeous descriptions of the house and what was in it, and I loved how strong the girl is both in her belief and her will. Also bonus points for the epic and spooky cover that will definitely haunt everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Want to Read
February 24, 2015Nice CREEPY cover to pop up on the recommended books when I'm in a dark house, the only one awake, and past my bedtime...
Thanks, GR!
Thanks, GR!
June 14, 2010
When I first heard about THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS, the English major in me squealed with joy. Holy sweet baby Jesus! she said, I love WUTHERING HEIGHTS. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS is going to be awesome!
And awesome it was.
First of all, this story is not the sort of tale you should read at night. A wonderful woman named Barbara, who coordinated the tour I participated in, warned me not to do it. She said: "A word of advice: don't start reading it too late at night."
I wasn't sure what to make of her warning because I don't get spooked by books. I'll cry because of a book; I'll fling a book against a wall because something about it's agitated me; I'll even squeal with joy... but I don't get truly scared. Nevertheless, I listened to her advice. Kind of. The first time I sat down to read this novel, it was during the light of day.
The illustrations for each chapter made me wary enough to be gnawing on my bottom lip as I read on. I loved them, and I think they added an exciting aspect to the reading experience.
But then, stupid me decided that night to continue reading at about 1AM. Do you know how bad of an idea that was? It was an extremely bad idea. Why? Because the book--which I thought was not going to freak me out--freaked me out. I'm still not entirely sure which part got to me. It could have been the one little maid trying to sleep with Tabby. It could have been the gathering. I swear, when I was reading it, I thought I was seeing things from the corners of my eyes in my bedroom. So for the rest of the night, I locked myself in my bedroom and refused to go downstairs, even when I was dying of thirst. (Isn't it funny I'm recalling all of this at 3AM?)
My story aside, I truly enjoyed THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS. Heathcliff was not only the brat one comes to know and love, but he was also young enough to still retain some sort of child-like innocence. It was at these moments, when said innocence--which was really more of him not being annoying around Tabby--shone through, that I adored him. I felt miserable for his fate. But then he'd act like a heathen again and I would forget my regret.
One particular description of the house stuck with me, even now, a few weeks later. I felt like the house truly was another character in the story. It added more excitement, me thinking it was alive.
I never once thought that there were ghosts when I read WUTHERING HEIGHTS. After reading this novel, however, it will be interesting to see if I still feel that way.
THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS is short and definitely worthy of being labeled as the prequel to WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Heathcliff is such a rich and intriguing character in Bronte's novel... which I suggest you read if you still have yet to do so. To learn more about his possible origins in Clare's take of the book definitely broadened my understanding of the tale and of his position. I think that, whenever I decide to reread WUTHERING HEIGHTS, I will definitely read it with new, open mind.
A highly suggested, spooky read for the fall. Just make sure, if you want to get freaked out, you read it late (like 2AM) at night. But don't say I didn't warn you ;)
And awesome it was.
First of all, this story is not the sort of tale you should read at night. A wonderful woman named Barbara, who coordinated the tour I participated in, warned me not to do it. She said: "A word of advice: don't start reading it too late at night."
I wasn't sure what to make of her warning because I don't get spooked by books. I'll cry because of a book; I'll fling a book against a wall because something about it's agitated me; I'll even squeal with joy... but I don't get truly scared. Nevertheless, I listened to her advice. Kind of. The first time I sat down to read this novel, it was during the light of day.
The illustrations for each chapter made me wary enough to be gnawing on my bottom lip as I read on. I loved them, and I think they added an exciting aspect to the reading experience.
But then, stupid me decided that night to continue reading at about 1AM. Do you know how bad of an idea that was? It was an extremely bad idea. Why? Because the book--which I thought was not going to freak me out--freaked me out. I'm still not entirely sure which part got to me. It could have been the one little maid trying to sleep with Tabby. It could have been the gathering. I swear, when I was reading it, I thought I was seeing things from the corners of my eyes in my bedroom. So for the rest of the night, I locked myself in my bedroom and refused to go downstairs, even when I was dying of thirst. (Isn't it funny I'm recalling all of this at 3AM?)
My story aside, I truly enjoyed THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS. Heathcliff was not only the brat one comes to know and love, but he was also young enough to still retain some sort of child-like innocence. It was at these moments, when said innocence--which was really more of him not being annoying around Tabby--shone through, that I adored him. I felt miserable for his fate. But then he'd act like a heathen again and I would forget my regret.
One particular description of the house stuck with me, even now, a few weeks later. I felt like the house truly was another character in the story. It added more excitement, me thinking it was alive.
I never once thought that there were ghosts when I read WUTHERING HEIGHTS. After reading this novel, however, it will be interesting to see if I still feel that way.
THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS is short and definitely worthy of being labeled as the prequel to WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Heathcliff is such a rich and intriguing character in Bronte's novel... which I suggest you read if you still have yet to do so. To learn more about his possible origins in Clare's take of the book definitely broadened my understanding of the tale and of his position. I think that, whenever I decide to reread WUTHERING HEIGHTS, I will definitely read it with new, open mind.
A highly suggested, spooky read for the fall. Just make sure, if you want to get freaked out, you read it late (like 2AM) at night. But don't say I didn't warn you ;)
February 28, 2013
I read this last night in one sitting. It's a young adult ghost story and I couldn't put it down. It is the story of Tabby (the Bronte's housekeeper) when she was a young girl and how she met Heathcliff prior to the story of Wuthering Heights. It's a pretty outrageous tale but I love ghost stories and I got drawn into it. It's fiction, of course, and likely to have never happened but it made for a good story. Not sure that I would have thought of this story if I wanted to explain Heathcliff's origin, but it is an interesting, imaginative take on what might have happened.
In brief, Tabby, an orphan, and a young boy, also an orphan, are brought to a haunted mansion somewhere in England where creepy things happen in the house and in the local village. I was surprised to find out just how creepy things really were.
And this story is probably a lot better if you don't relate it to Wuthering Heights at all and just accept it as a creepy 19th century ghost story.
In brief, Tabby, an orphan, and a young boy, also an orphan, are brought to a haunted mansion somewhere in England where creepy things happen in the house and in the local village. I was surprised to find out just how creepy things really were.
And this story is probably a lot better if you don't relate it to Wuthering Heights at all and just accept it as a creepy 19th century ghost story.
May 19, 2010
Short and spooky and thoroughly satisfying. The pagan rituals and how they play in a Christian world was really interesting-- almost more for what wasn't said; the book is firmly in Tabby's voice, but bigger themes shine right through. The fact that this is ultimately a prequel or backstory for Wuthering Heights-- and that it might just answer where Heathcliff went during those three years-- gives an extra little oomph, especially for us old English majors.
October 28, 2010
Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer: Jordan B. Nielsen
Recommended for: Adult Bronte fans, and your strange niece who’s pretty advanced for her age and has read Wuthering Heights twelve times.
One Word Summary: Peripheral.
In a bizarre coincidence, my response to The House of Dead Maids is quite similar to what I expressed in my review of ‘The Book of the Maidservant’ (Is it something about Maids?). Dead Maids has strengths in its appropriation of the Victorian Gothic style and some affectingly frightening imagery, but how this dreary, violent imaging of a prequel to Wuthering Heights was ever green-lit as a children’s book is beyond my comprehension.
Dead Maids is the harrowing, fireside-like tale of Tabby, a fourteen-year-old girl whose narrative, much like that of Heights’s Heathcliff, just sort of materializes from the blackness with seemingly no specific past or relations to speak of. An orphan, who we’re told has served in the kitchens of numerous stately homes, Tabby is plucked one night from her present lodgings at a school for seamstresses by the dour Miss Winter and her genial companion, Arnby. Given no clue as to who these people are or where she’s going, only that she’s been bought as a servant, Tabby is whisked away to the foreboding manor, Seldom House. No one will quite explain to Tabby what her responsibilities are. Filled only with a handful of bovine, cheerless housekeepers, there is no Master to give Tabby her orders, and she wanders the dim and dusty corridors of Seldom House, just trying to get her bearings. Then one rainy night, a smiling gentleman named Jack Ketch arrives, but no, this man is not the Master either, that title goes to the sallow, dark haired, rude little boy he has in tow. The nameless child, who is referred to only as ‘Heathen Git’ (say it a few times fast and you’ll guess who this lad grows up to be) seems also to have come from nowhere, and is related neither to Mr. Ketch, nor to whomever the previous Master of Seldom House might have been. Yet everyone defers to the child, and though Tabby balks at this curious set up, she quickly discovers that she’s been brought to the Manor to serve as the child’s nanny.
If all of that weren’t alarming enough to poor Tabby, she then begins to encounter the ghosts of all the Manor’s previous maids and masters who crowd the hallways and are suspiciously many in number.
This book will likely amuse devout readers of the Bronte sisters. One can envision the hip professors of Victorian Lit classes across the country assigning this book right before Thanksgiving break as a kind of winking treat to their students. But for kids? Kids who aren’t going to understand the insider references of dropping the names Emily and Charlotte, or suspect, let alone have any frame of reference for who this crabby little boy in Tabby’s care might be? The hope for this book might have been that the story and the characters were strong enough to stand on their own without a prior reading of Wuthering Heights but, sadly, the story is quite thin indeed without that great work of English Literature to lean upon. It lacks the campy fun of the ‘monster mashups’ like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies that might have given it charm, and Tabby’s character isn’t developed enough to carry the reader on her back as we slog across the moors.
It’s an interesting exercise, and not without merit. Just as ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ by Jean Rehys truly lent something new to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Erye by giving a context and history for Rochester’s crazy wife locked in the attic, Dead Maids had the potential to unlock some of the secrets of Heights’ more mysterious characters. But this goal would have been so much better served if Dead Maids had just been written as the adult book it so clearly longs to be. Dunkle would have had the freedom to stretch her wings and make this book as sinister and as literary as she might wish without raising a reader’s eyebrow or watering it down for younger readers.
On her website Dunkle says she wrote this book in the hopes that it might inspire teens to try to “tackle” Wuthering Heights. And surely it must have been the wishful thinking of a number of adults with masters degrees in English Literature that got this story from manuscript to Barnes and Noble, but as it stands now, this work for alleged teens contains graphic depictions of disturbing violence, adult language and the suggestion of darkly sexual relationships between some of the adult characters. The only thing that might make this book truly appealing to kids is the font size.
For more reviews from The Rusty Key, visit us at www.therustykey.com
Recommended for: Adult Bronte fans, and your strange niece who’s pretty advanced for her age and has read Wuthering Heights twelve times.
One Word Summary: Peripheral.
In a bizarre coincidence, my response to The House of Dead Maids is quite similar to what I expressed in my review of ‘The Book of the Maidservant’ (Is it something about Maids?). Dead Maids has strengths in its appropriation of the Victorian Gothic style and some affectingly frightening imagery, but how this dreary, violent imaging of a prequel to Wuthering Heights was ever green-lit as a children’s book is beyond my comprehension.
Dead Maids is the harrowing, fireside-like tale of Tabby, a fourteen-year-old girl whose narrative, much like that of Heights’s Heathcliff, just sort of materializes from the blackness with seemingly no specific past or relations to speak of. An orphan, who we’re told has served in the kitchens of numerous stately homes, Tabby is plucked one night from her present lodgings at a school for seamstresses by the dour Miss Winter and her genial companion, Arnby. Given no clue as to who these people are or where she’s going, only that she’s been bought as a servant, Tabby is whisked away to the foreboding manor, Seldom House. No one will quite explain to Tabby what her responsibilities are. Filled only with a handful of bovine, cheerless housekeepers, there is no Master to give Tabby her orders, and she wanders the dim and dusty corridors of Seldom House, just trying to get her bearings. Then one rainy night, a smiling gentleman named Jack Ketch arrives, but no, this man is not the Master either, that title goes to the sallow, dark haired, rude little boy he has in tow. The nameless child, who is referred to only as ‘Heathen Git’ (say it a few times fast and you’ll guess who this lad grows up to be) seems also to have come from nowhere, and is related neither to Mr. Ketch, nor to whomever the previous Master of Seldom House might have been. Yet everyone defers to the child, and though Tabby balks at this curious set up, she quickly discovers that she’s been brought to the Manor to serve as the child’s nanny.
If all of that weren’t alarming enough to poor Tabby, she then begins to encounter the ghosts of all the Manor’s previous maids and masters who crowd the hallways and are suspiciously many in number.
This book will likely amuse devout readers of the Bronte sisters. One can envision the hip professors of Victorian Lit classes across the country assigning this book right before Thanksgiving break as a kind of winking treat to their students. But for kids? Kids who aren’t going to understand the insider references of dropping the names Emily and Charlotte, or suspect, let alone have any frame of reference for who this crabby little boy in Tabby’s care might be? The hope for this book might have been that the story and the characters were strong enough to stand on their own without a prior reading of Wuthering Heights but, sadly, the story is quite thin indeed without that great work of English Literature to lean upon. It lacks the campy fun of the ‘monster mashups’ like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies that might have given it charm, and Tabby’s character isn’t developed enough to carry the reader on her back as we slog across the moors.
It’s an interesting exercise, and not without merit. Just as ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ by Jean Rehys truly lent something new to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Erye by giving a context and history for Rochester’s crazy wife locked in the attic, Dead Maids had the potential to unlock some of the secrets of Heights’ more mysterious characters. But this goal would have been so much better served if Dead Maids had just been written as the adult book it so clearly longs to be. Dunkle would have had the freedom to stretch her wings and make this book as sinister and as literary as she might wish without raising a reader’s eyebrow or watering it down for younger readers.
On her website Dunkle says she wrote this book in the hopes that it might inspire teens to try to “tackle” Wuthering Heights. And surely it must have been the wishful thinking of a number of adults with masters degrees in English Literature that got this story from manuscript to Barnes and Noble, but as it stands now, this work for alleged teens contains graphic depictions of disturbing violence, adult language and the suggestion of darkly sexual relationships between some of the adult characters. The only thing that might make this book truly appealing to kids is the font size.
For more reviews from The Rusty Key, visit us at www.therustykey.com
September 21, 2010
Clare B. Dunkle, The House of Dead Maids (Holt, 2010)
The current craze for revising and updating classic works of literature rolls on with Clare Dunkle's The House of Dead Maids, a prequel to Wuthering Heights with an intriguing twist. In this one, Tabby (the real-life maid of the Bronte family, mentioned by biographers as the source of Emily's gothic leanings), formerly an orphan at a knitting school, is chosen by an old biddy named Miss Winter to be the new governess at a secluded mansion. She finds the driver, Arnby, far more companionable than Miss Winter. When they all get back, she's told she has the run of the place until the young master gets there. (A pause to mention that with all the moaning about how she felt useless in the same breath as how dusty everything was, you'd have thought she'd clean something.) Then cometh the young master, the savage lout who will grow up to become Heathcliff. (While this bit of information is not revealed until the Epilogue in the actual text, one can't really call it a spoiler; it's in the first sentence of the jacket copy.) There is something very odd afoot at Seldom House, and it falls to Tabby and Himself, as she calls Heathcliff, to figure out what's going on, and why the ghost of Izzy, Tabby's predecessor at the house, keeps appearing to her.
Running at just one hundred forty-eight pages, this is a tract that an adult lover of Wuthering Heights would be able to take down in an afternoon, and I'd think even reluctant YA readers would get through it in a scant weekend. It's got more than enough in the way of mystery, suspense, and the occasional gore to capture the imagination of male readers in a way that the Bronte sisters never quite managed to, but Bronte fans will likely be charmed by Dunkle's cleverness with language; she's quite obviously influenced by Emily Bronte without ever sacrificing her own voice to that of her spiritual predecessor. Me, I've never been a Bronte fan myself, but I liked this all right. Definitely worth picking up for the scary-story lover in your house. ***
The current craze for revising and updating classic works of literature rolls on with Clare Dunkle's The House of Dead Maids, a prequel to Wuthering Heights with an intriguing twist. In this one, Tabby (the real-life maid of the Bronte family, mentioned by biographers as the source of Emily's gothic leanings), formerly an orphan at a knitting school, is chosen by an old biddy named Miss Winter to be the new governess at a secluded mansion. She finds the driver, Arnby, far more companionable than Miss Winter. When they all get back, she's told she has the run of the place until the young master gets there. (A pause to mention that with all the moaning about how she felt useless in the same breath as how dusty everything was, you'd have thought she'd clean something.) Then cometh the young master, the savage lout who will grow up to become Heathcliff. (While this bit of information is not revealed until the Epilogue in the actual text, one can't really call it a spoiler; it's in the first sentence of the jacket copy.) There is something very odd afoot at Seldom House, and it falls to Tabby and Himself, as she calls Heathcliff, to figure out what's going on, and why the ghost of Izzy, Tabby's predecessor at the house, keeps appearing to her.
Running at just one hundred forty-eight pages, this is a tract that an adult lover of Wuthering Heights would be able to take down in an afternoon, and I'd think even reluctant YA readers would get through it in a scant weekend. It's got more than enough in the way of mystery, suspense, and the occasional gore to capture the imagination of male readers in a way that the Bronte sisters never quite managed to, but Bronte fans will likely be charmed by Dunkle's cleverness with language; she's quite obviously influenced by Emily Bronte without ever sacrificing her own voice to that of her spiritual predecessor. Me, I've never been a Bronte fan myself, but I liked this all right. Definitely worth picking up for the scary-story lover in your house. ***
June 16, 2014
18/6 - Let's start off with "I've never read Wuthering Heights." I've seen the Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche movie and thought it was worth four 'very good' stars. The movie made me want to get started immediately on reading the book (obviously I haven't, as other books had precedence), The House of Dead Maids didn't really have the same impact on me. When I put this on my 'to read' list I had no idea it was the 'prelude' for Wuthering Heights. It wasn't until after I started reading that I noticed the half covered by a library barcode note at the bottom of the front cover, saying that it's "A Chilling prelude to WUTHERING HEIGHTS".
SPOILERS AHEAD
The idea that this is the story of the early life of the Bronte's 'domestic servant' Tabitha 'Tabby' Aykroyd is interesting, but the execution was flawed. I wanted a lot more explanation and exploration of the previous 'young maids' and 'young masters' and how their sacrifices continued the luck of Seldom House. Not that Seldom seemed particularly 'lucky', in my opinion. The 'old maid' and 'old master' were forced to live in that house for the rest of their lives, only going out to pick up new 'young maids' or 'young masters', never free, never happy, never doing anything. The people of the town didn't seem particularly 'lucky' either. No one was prospering on the back of the sacrifices, they were pointless sacrifices as far as I could see. This was such a short book, even shorter than it appeared in my copy because the one I read had over 10 pages of book club discussion topics and interviews with the author - it was a bit of shock when I got to the end of the story and there was still a chunk of pages in my right hand. This could have been done so much better. I probably wouldn't recommend it to lovers of Wuthering Heights, I don't think it would add to their reading experience.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The idea that this is the story of the early life of the Bronte's 'domestic servant' Tabitha 'Tabby' Aykroyd is interesting, but the execution was flawed. I wanted a lot more explanation and exploration of the previous 'young maids' and 'young masters' and how their sacrifices continued the luck of Seldom House. Not that Seldom seemed particularly 'lucky', in my opinion. The 'old maid' and 'old master' were forced to live in that house for the rest of their lives, only going out to pick up new 'young maids' or 'young masters', never free, never happy, never doing anything. The people of the town didn't seem particularly 'lucky' either. No one was prospering on the back of the sacrifices, they were pointless sacrifices as far as I could see. This was such a short book, even shorter than it appeared in my copy because the one I read had over 10 pages of book club discussion topics and interviews with the author - it was a bit of shock when I got to the end of the story and there was still a chunk of pages in my right hand. This could have been done so much better. I probably wouldn't recommend it to lovers of Wuthering Heights, I don't think it would add to their reading experience.
October 18, 2014
The House of Dead Maids was a cover buy. I thought it would be a spooky ghost story. I didn't find out until half way through the book that it is a "prelude" to Wuthering Heights.
Clare skillfully writes about a maid and her misfortune, when selected to be a new maid at the Seldom House. Being 11 and a skillful knitter Tabitha or Tabby was delighted to be placed in a new home. She later finds out she will be in charge of a young "master". The children are close in age. I want to say, the boy, who Tabby calls "Himself" is about 7 or 8.
Where do the ghosts come into play you ask? Well Seldom House is haunted.
The Epilogue shares that Tabitha Aykroyd was the real housekeeper to the Bronte sisters and that the sisters looked after her like family. Tabby is even buried among them in Hawthorn cemetary.
So this book is not necessarily a re-telling but a ghost story similar to the one told to Emily Bronte by the real Tabitha. I think that is what the Epilogue was getting at. Whatever the case may be, I thought the story was beautifully written. I loved the creepy atmosphere and now I want to read Wuthering Heights. I own the book so maybe I'll get to it soon ;)
P.S. Goodreads says this is a YA book, but the main characters like I said are middle-grade. I think middle-graders could read this. It's not really that scary.
Clare skillfully writes about a maid and her misfortune, when selected to be a new maid at the Seldom House. Being 11 and a skillful knitter Tabitha or Tabby was delighted to be placed in a new home. She later finds out she will be in charge of a young "master". The children are close in age. I want to say, the boy, who Tabby calls "Himself" is about 7 or 8.
Where do the ghosts come into play you ask? Well Seldom House is haunted.
The Epilogue shares that Tabitha Aykroyd was the real housekeeper to the Bronte sisters and that the sisters looked after her like family. Tabby is even buried among them in Hawthorn cemetary.
So this book is not necessarily a re-telling but a ghost story similar to the one told to Emily Bronte by the real Tabitha. I think that is what the Epilogue was getting at. Whatever the case may be, I thought the story was beautifully written. I loved the creepy atmosphere and now I want to read Wuthering Heights. I own the book so maybe I'll get to it soon ;)
P.S. Goodreads says this is a YA book, but the main characters like I said are middle-grade. I think middle-graders could read this. It's not really that scary.
August 5, 2010
Gothic and gruesome, THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS is not exactly my usual type of book, but is an excellent example of what “creepy Gothic literature” should be like.
Dunkle certainly knows her Victorian—or more particularly, Brontean—language. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS reads like it was written by someone who lived during that time and wanted to tell children a scary bedtime story. The historical fiction aspect is authentic and believable.
Accordingly, there is little character development—Victorian lit was never that big on character growth—but in keeping with the tone of the book, that’s okay. The ghost element is creepy enough if you like the gothic. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are indispensable to the creep factor.
THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS ends on a slightly far-fetched note that segues interestingly into the book that it is a mini-prequel for, Wuthering Heights. That being said, one does not need to know Emily Bronte’s romance in order to enjoy this book. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS stands on its own as a creepy, albeit a bit slow, portrayal of the Victorian gothic. Don’t read this on a dark night with the wind rattling tree branches right outside your window.
Dunkle certainly knows her Victorian—or more particularly, Brontean—language. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS reads like it was written by someone who lived during that time and wanted to tell children a scary bedtime story. The historical fiction aspect is authentic and believable.
Accordingly, there is little character development—Victorian lit was never that big on character growth—but in keeping with the tone of the book, that’s okay. The ghost element is creepy enough if you like the gothic. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are indispensable to the creep factor.
THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS ends on a slightly far-fetched note that segues interestingly into the book that it is a mini-prequel for, Wuthering Heights. That being said, one does not need to know Emily Bronte’s romance in order to enjoy this book. THE HOUSE OF DEAD MAIDS stands on its own as a creepy, albeit a bit slow, portrayal of the Victorian gothic. Don’t read this on a dark night with the wind rattling tree branches right outside your window.
July 7, 2020
Quick middle grade horror story that reimagines the tale of the maid that lived with the Bronte family. It gives her a very spooky back story, which allowed her to have plenty of tales to fill the imaginations of the Bronte sisters with.
October 8, 2010
How I coveted The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle once I saw its ghoulish cover (It reminds me of one of my favorite childhood series - Scary Stories with Stephen Gammell's nightmarish illustrations). And upon finding out that it was a prequel of sorts to Wuthering Heights - well it was just all over for me. Had to read it.
At 146 pages, The House of Dead Maids is a slim volume that's full of gothic creepiness. Not a word is wasted. You don't need to have read Wuthering Heights; this novel can stand on its own. But if you have read Wuthering Heights, in this book you'll find faintly similar themes of unholy, jealous love that transcends death and ghostly apparitions. Dunkle has given us a tale with echoes of Wuthering Heights but added so much more by weaving in it fantastically weird folklore about masters and maids and their sinister connection with the Yorkshire Moors.
Heathcliff, here a very young, feral six-year-old, is one of the main characters and already exhibits the traits of the classic hero - misunderstood, willful, proud, and godless. He is the "master" of Seldom Place and young Tabby Akroyd has come to be his "maid." We see Heathcliff or "Himself" because he refuses to give his name, through Tabby's eyes. She's been told that she's to care for "the master" but ominous Seldom House and its other occupants, the cold Ms. Winter, the untrustworthy Jack, dour Mrs. Sexton, and the oddly jovial Arnby, make her suspicious of her and "Himself"'s true purpose. Why have they been brought to Seldom House and who is the dead maid that keeps haunting her?
"A black dress next to my black dress. Gray hands reaching for mine.
"The old looking glass in the beaded frame returned only a suggestion of features. I longed to see my new clothes, and as I stepped into the passage, I was just turning over in my mind where I might have seen a better mirror. When first I caught sight of the small figure in black, I thought it was my reflection.
"She stood very still in the dusky passage where the light was poorest. Like me, she wore the black dress that proclaimed her a maid of the house, but whereas mine was new, hers was spoiled by mildew and smears of clay. Thin hair, dripping with muddy water, fell to her shoulders in limp, stringy ropes. This was my companion of the night before--and she was dead."
The House of Dead Maids cannot get any more perfect in terms of the best kind of my type Halloween scary story. It starts out disturbing, turns alarming, and before you know it the full, dreadful truth is exposed like an open grave. Loved it from beginning to end - superbly crafted, dark and shuddersome (that's a real word - look it up!).
Oh, and I almost forgot, this is probably guilding a lily but there are also amazingly macabre illustrations by Patrick Arrasmith. Go to Clare Dunkle's website to view a slideshow of them and all sorts of goodies like her inspiration for The House of Dead Maids, photos of the Yorkshire Moors, and tidbits about the Brontes. Apparently the character of Tabby Akroyd was based on the Brontes' own housekeeper.
At 146 pages, The House of Dead Maids is a slim volume that's full of gothic creepiness. Not a word is wasted. You don't need to have read Wuthering Heights; this novel can stand on its own. But if you have read Wuthering Heights, in this book you'll find faintly similar themes of unholy, jealous love that transcends death and ghostly apparitions. Dunkle has given us a tale with echoes of Wuthering Heights but added so much more by weaving in it fantastically weird folklore about masters and maids and their sinister connection with the Yorkshire Moors.
Heathcliff, here a very young, feral six-year-old, is one of the main characters and already exhibits the traits of the classic hero - misunderstood, willful, proud, and godless. He is the "master" of Seldom Place and young Tabby Akroyd has come to be his "maid." We see Heathcliff or "Himself" because he refuses to give his name, through Tabby's eyes. She's been told that she's to care for "the master" but ominous Seldom House and its other occupants, the cold Ms. Winter, the untrustworthy Jack, dour Mrs. Sexton, and the oddly jovial Arnby, make her suspicious of her and "Himself"'s true purpose. Why have they been brought to Seldom House and who is the dead maid that keeps haunting her?
"A black dress next to my black dress. Gray hands reaching for mine.
"The old looking glass in the beaded frame returned only a suggestion of features. I longed to see my new clothes, and as I stepped into the passage, I was just turning over in my mind where I might have seen a better mirror. When first I caught sight of the small figure in black, I thought it was my reflection.
"She stood very still in the dusky passage where the light was poorest. Like me, she wore the black dress that proclaimed her a maid of the house, but whereas mine was new, hers was spoiled by mildew and smears of clay. Thin hair, dripping with muddy water, fell to her shoulders in limp, stringy ropes. This was my companion of the night before--and she was dead."
The House of Dead Maids cannot get any more perfect in terms of the best kind of my type Halloween scary story. It starts out disturbing, turns alarming, and before you know it the full, dreadful truth is exposed like an open grave. Loved it from beginning to end - superbly crafted, dark and shuddersome (that's a real word - look it up!).
Oh, and I almost forgot, this is probably guilding a lily but there are also amazingly macabre illustrations by Patrick Arrasmith. Go to Clare Dunkle's website to view a slideshow of them and all sorts of goodies like her inspiration for The House of Dead Maids, photos of the Yorkshire Moors, and tidbits about the Brontes. Apparently the character of Tabby Akroyd was based on the Brontes' own housekeeper.
read-but-unowned
October 26, 2010This cover grabbed me. I walked past the girl with no eyes probably a dozen times before I decided I just had to have a copy of this book. That girl on the cover is so enthralling. And a little disturbing. And she doesn't disappoint. This book is enthralling. And a more than a little disturbing. Tabby's life at Seldom House is odd, creepy, and plagued by ghosts, some seemingly kind and some openly menacing.
The House of Dead Maids has a wonderfully creepy and complicated set-up. It is hard to guess what is really going on at Seldom House with its old maid and young maid, neither of whom are actually maids, and its old master and young master, neither of whom act like the wealthy landowners they're supposed to be. Everything is a bit...off, from the way the house is run to the way the townspeople react to those in it. In the beginning, it's not so weird that it alarms Tabby, every town and house has its quirks, but it does make her feel vulnerable and a little off-kilter. It's in this state that she starts to encounter the ghosts, one in particular that she might have know in their lives before Seldom House. The mood ranges from a little dark to pretty darn scary. When we finally see what is really going on at Seldom House, there are a few holes left in the story, but they do not detract from the rapidly increasing creepy factor that just keeps getting higher the more things are explained.
Much has been made of The Heathcliff Connection in this book. Himself, or Heathen Git, is supposed to grow up to be Brontë's Heathcliff, and Tabby, a real historical person, grows up to be the Brontës' maid and teller of late night ghost stories. While this is kind of cool, I do think that The Heathcliff Connection is being emphasized a bit too much. It didn't seem to have too much to do with the stories, The House of Dead Maids or Wuthering Heights. Tabby's real life connection to the Brontës, on the other hand, was pretty interesting, especially when an explanation involving the hauntings at Seldom House is given for why the real life sisters cared for this maid so devotedly for her entire life. The epilogue offers more information about the historical Tabby, which I found very interesting and much more related to the story in this book than the (I felt) forced Heathcliff Connection. The epilogue also contains a plug for the author's website where there is more information about the historical Brontës, Wuthering Heights, and Tabby Ackroyd.
This is a very spooky, scary story that is a perfect Halloween read, and with the extra awesome cover it will be perfect for Halloween displays as well. For Brontë fans, The Heathcliff Connection will be an added bonus to a book that is a great keep-the-lights-on story for the rest of us as well.
Book source: Arc picked up at ALA.
PS - And there are illustrations! Little ones at the beginning of each chapter. Some of which make that cover art look as harmless as a tea party.
The House of Dead Maids has a wonderfully creepy and complicated set-up. It is hard to guess what is really going on at Seldom House with its old maid and young maid, neither of whom are actually maids, and its old master and young master, neither of whom act like the wealthy landowners they're supposed to be. Everything is a bit...off, from the way the house is run to the way the townspeople react to those in it. In the beginning, it's not so weird that it alarms Tabby, every town and house has its quirks, but it does make her feel vulnerable and a little off-kilter. It's in this state that she starts to encounter the ghosts, one in particular that she might have know in their lives before Seldom House. The mood ranges from a little dark to pretty darn scary. When we finally see what is really going on at Seldom House, there are a few holes left in the story, but they do not detract from the rapidly increasing creepy factor that just keeps getting higher the more things are explained.
Much has been made of The Heathcliff Connection in this book. Himself, or Heathen Git, is supposed to grow up to be Brontë's Heathcliff, and Tabby, a real historical person, grows up to be the Brontës' maid and teller of late night ghost stories. While this is kind of cool, I do think that The Heathcliff Connection is being emphasized a bit too much. It didn't seem to have too much to do with the stories, The House of Dead Maids or Wuthering Heights. Tabby's real life connection to the Brontës, on the other hand, was pretty interesting, especially when an explanation involving the hauntings at Seldom House is given for why the real life sisters cared for this maid so devotedly for her entire life. The epilogue offers more information about the historical Tabby, which I found very interesting and much more related to the story in this book than the (I felt) forced Heathcliff Connection. The epilogue also contains a plug for the author's website where there is more information about the historical Brontës, Wuthering Heights, and Tabby Ackroyd.
This is a very spooky, scary story that is a perfect Halloween read, and with the extra awesome cover it will be perfect for Halloween displays as well. For Brontë fans, The Heathcliff Connection will be an added bonus to a book that is a great keep-the-lights-on story for the rest of us as well.
Book source: Arc picked up at ALA.
PS - And there are illustrations! Little ones at the beginning of each chapter. Some of which make that cover art look as harmless as a tea party.
October 19, 2011
Original review posted on The Book Smugglers
Warning: this review contains spoilers.
The House of the Dead Maids is described as a prelude to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. I was curious about this connection to one of my favourite novels and since I have enjoyed other books by Clare B. Dunkle (The Hollow Kingdom and By These Ten Bones), I decided to give this one a go.
It tells the story of orphaned Tabby Aykroyd as she is taken to the old mansion called Seldom House to be the nursemaid of an unnamed, unruly young boy referred to as the “heathen git”. As soon as she arrives at the House, the “young maid” Tabby is haunted by the ghosts of previous maids inasmuch as her charge, the “young master” is haunted by the ghosts of previous masters of the House. These supernatural encounters prove to be the least of their worries as they realise that each of them seems to have a role to play in a long-lasting and terrible tradition.
At merely 146 pages The House of the Dead Maids is an extremely quick read but ultimately, I found it to be an ok yet unremarkable read.
The story has its scary moments especially the first scenes when Tabby arrives at the house and the illustrations that open each chapter are super ultra creepy.
It is also appropriately Gothic given its connection with Wuthering Heights with the presence of ghosts, the haunted mansion, the lurking evil, the Yorkshire setting.
All is indeed very… adequate and you can see my predicament here: I find myself without a lot more to say than the above and I guess that says a lot in itself? Although there were interesting moments especially concerning Tabby’s religious faith (in comparison to the lack of faith of the House’s inhabitants) and her attempts to connect with her charge and his adamant need to be the “young master”, the story itself is very, very familiar with its theme of “villagers-turned-to-evil-sacrifice” a la The Wicker Man. Bear in mind though this is the second Horror book I’ve read this week with this theme so perhaps my reaction has been somewhat influenced by the ghost of Popular Plots.
As for the connection to Wuthering Heights: this point is not made clear till the very end of the novel when everything comes full circle, when real and fictional come together. You see, Tabby went on to work as a housekeeper to the Brontë Family and in Real Life, the Brontës did have a housekeeper named Tabby who liked to tell ghost stories like this one and who seems to have influenced Emily Brontë a great deal. It is perhaps too meta for me but might work for others.
Warning: this review contains spoilers.
The House of the Dead Maids is described as a prelude to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. I was curious about this connection to one of my favourite novels and since I have enjoyed other books by Clare B. Dunkle (The Hollow Kingdom and By These Ten Bones), I decided to give this one a go.
It tells the story of orphaned Tabby Aykroyd as she is taken to the old mansion called Seldom House to be the nursemaid of an unnamed, unruly young boy referred to as the “heathen git”. As soon as she arrives at the House, the “young maid” Tabby is haunted by the ghosts of previous maids inasmuch as her charge, the “young master” is haunted by the ghosts of previous masters of the House. These supernatural encounters prove to be the least of their worries as they realise that each of them seems to have a role to play in a long-lasting and terrible tradition.
At merely 146 pages The House of the Dead Maids is an extremely quick read but ultimately, I found it to be an ok yet unremarkable read.
The story has its scary moments especially the first scenes when Tabby arrives at the house and the illustrations that open each chapter are super ultra creepy.
It is also appropriately Gothic given its connection with Wuthering Heights with the presence of ghosts, the haunted mansion, the lurking evil, the Yorkshire setting.
All is indeed very… adequate and you can see my predicament here: I find myself without a lot more to say than the above and I guess that says a lot in itself? Although there were interesting moments especially concerning Tabby’s religious faith (in comparison to the lack of faith of the House’s inhabitants) and her attempts to connect with her charge and his adamant need to be the “young master”, the story itself is very, very familiar with its theme of “villagers-turned-to-evil-sacrifice” a la The Wicker Man. Bear in mind though this is the second Horror book I’ve read this week with this theme so perhaps my reaction has been somewhat influenced by the ghost of Popular Plots.
As for the connection to Wuthering Heights: this point is not made clear till the very end of the novel when everything comes full circle, when real and fictional come together. You see, Tabby went on to work as a housekeeper to the Brontë Family and in Real Life, the Brontës did have a housekeeper named Tabby who liked to tell ghost stories like this one and who seems to have influenced Emily Brontë a great deal. It is perhaps too meta for me but might work for others.
April 2, 2016
This is a very small book, based on some folklore surrounding Yorkshire, introducing a young girl who would go on to be a maid in the house of the Brontes. It's really meta-fiction, using "secret histories" as a way to gather interest in the story Wuthering Heights by Emily Jane Bronte.
I thought it was done quite well. I'm about to enter a Bronte gloaming period, and I thought this would be a great edition to it.
I'll be reading through it again as I read more Bronte-related books, making updates.
One of the questions asked here is, "Who was Heathcliff?" Dunkle has a whole section on her website devoted to more thoughts on this book and Wuthering Heights. What the books have in common is that link to the land and to the dead who roam the land, somehow connected to a place they cannot escape.The idea of heaven as hell and hell as heaven and so forth. Metaphysical stuff. Much of the story is suggestive, for very young readers, an entry into the Gothic with a tease to go read Wuthering Heights, which is one of the most curious and fascinating novels written in the 19th century. Dunkle matches some of the themes of that book, while not addressing them deeply, but just enough that a reader can come back to her story later with renewed interest, to pick and parcel some folklore and similarities.
I read the book in one short sitting, marking things of interest.
This is really a creepy little book. Creepy in ways I didn't expect. DARKLY creepy. It's one that will linger in the mind. The horror of the ghosts is one thing, but the horror of the living is quite another. There's a little Shirley Jackson going on here, with a village of dark characters carrying on a ritual in order to gleam the luck of the land and Mother Nature. You could almost believe this could happen in early 19th century Yorkshire. I really enjoyed it. And highly recommend it if: if you like the Brontes, the Gothic, or need a good read for your young readers at Halloween. It's going to be a perennial Halloween read for me.
I thought it was done quite well. I'm about to enter a Bronte gloaming period, and I thought this would be a great edition to it.
I'll be reading through it again as I read more Bronte-related books, making updates.
One of the questions asked here is, "Who was Heathcliff?" Dunkle has a whole section on her website devoted to more thoughts on this book and Wuthering Heights. What the books have in common is that link to the land and to the dead who roam the land, somehow connected to a place they cannot escape.The idea of heaven as hell and hell as heaven and so forth. Metaphysical stuff. Much of the story is suggestive, for very young readers, an entry into the Gothic with a tease to go read Wuthering Heights, which is one of the most curious and fascinating novels written in the 19th century. Dunkle matches some of the themes of that book, while not addressing them deeply, but just enough that a reader can come back to her story later with renewed interest, to pick and parcel some folklore and similarities.
I read the book in one short sitting, marking things of interest.
This is really a creepy little book. Creepy in ways I didn't expect. DARKLY creepy. It's one that will linger in the mind. The horror of the ghosts is one thing, but the horror of the living is quite another. There's a little Shirley Jackson going on here, with a village of dark characters carrying on a ritual in order to gleam the luck of the land and Mother Nature. You could almost believe this could happen in early 19th century Yorkshire. I really enjoyed it. And highly recommend it if: if you like the Brontes, the Gothic, or need a good read for your young readers at Halloween. It's going to be a perennial Halloween read for me.
June 17, 2010
Why I read this: If you look at that cover, you may get seriously spooked out. I haven't read a spooky book in so long and couldn't resist another novel by the lovely Clare B. Dunkle.
Plot: Wow. Let's just say that this book will definitely keep you up at night and I highly suggest to read it in daylight. Dunkle mixes a meld of classic writing with such horror and suspense, that you will jump if anyone interrupts you while reading (I certainly did). I actually have not read Wuthering Heights (bad me) but I'm definitely intrigued to learn just what the little boy in the book becomes as the character Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. I think the author did a fantastic job of staying true to the classic voice in the novel while still chilling you to your bones. Definitely a novel to pick up when you need a good, intriguing scare.
Characters: Tabby is a god-stricken young girl who tries her best to make the most of her situation. She cares for her young charge even if he sometimes is rather impossible and terribly cruel for a child his age. She is more clever than some of the characters I have been reading lately and it was quite a nice break to see someone so in depth and so classically written.
Relatability: I think those in love with classic novels or spooky stories will really enjoy this novel. Also, those who have read Wuthering Heights will definitely be making connections I couldn't and I really do want to find a copy of that book now.. pronto. :)
Cover Commentary: Gives me goosebumps and I really can't look at it for too long or I get a wee bit freaked out.
Read more: http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentur...
Plot: Wow. Let's just say that this book will definitely keep you up at night and I highly suggest to read it in daylight. Dunkle mixes a meld of classic writing with such horror and suspense, that you will jump if anyone interrupts you while reading (I certainly did). I actually have not read Wuthering Heights (bad me) but I'm definitely intrigued to learn just what the little boy in the book becomes as the character Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. I think the author did a fantastic job of staying true to the classic voice in the novel while still chilling you to your bones. Definitely a novel to pick up when you need a good, intriguing scare.
Characters: Tabby is a god-stricken young girl who tries her best to make the most of her situation. She cares for her young charge even if he sometimes is rather impossible and terribly cruel for a child his age. She is more clever than some of the characters I have been reading lately and it was quite a nice break to see someone so in depth and so classically written.
Relatability: I think those in love with classic novels or spooky stories will really enjoy this novel. Also, those who have read Wuthering Heights will definitely be making connections I couldn't and I really do want to find a copy of that book now.. pronto. :)
Cover Commentary: Gives me goosebumps and I really can't look at it for too long or I get a wee bit freaked out.
Read more: http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentur...
April 4, 2014
The House of Dead Maids is a creepy story to be sure. For some reason I was definitely able to put it down though, it wasn't one of those I HAD to keep reading, not until a certain part came and then I was flipping the pages furiously to see what happened. But after that it was back to being interesting but not unputdownable.
I liked the story, I thought it was well done and the main characters were drawn in enough for them to be mysterious - we never learn too much about them, which was fitting since it's a ghost story/creepy tale.
I thought the main characters - the young maid and the young master were drawn in fairly good so we got a good sense of them.
I felt even though we start seeing ghostly phenomena right away - The young maid and the young master both see ghosts right from the start pretty much, the real drama didn't start until pretty far into the story. That was disappointing to me.
I haven't read Wuthering Heights or any of the Bronte sister's books, but I think someone who has read Wuthering Heights especially would probably enjoy this more than I did - since it's Heathcliff's backstory (from this author's perspective of course.) It DID pique my interest to perhaps TRY and read Wuthering Heights because I'm not very good with classics and knowing how "the heathen git" was when he was a child, makes me curious to know how he was once he grew up.
I liked the story, I thought it was well done and the main characters were drawn in enough for them to be mysterious - we never learn too much about them, which was fitting since it's a ghost story/creepy tale.
I thought the main characters - the young maid and the young master were drawn in fairly good so we got a good sense of them.
I felt even though we start seeing ghostly phenomena right away - The young maid and the young master both see ghosts right from the start pretty much, the real drama didn't start until pretty far into the story. That was disappointing to me.
I haven't read Wuthering Heights or any of the Bronte sister's books, but I think someone who has read Wuthering Heights especially would probably enjoy this more than I did - since it's Heathcliff's backstory (from this author's perspective of course.) It DID pique my interest to perhaps TRY and read Wuthering Heights because I'm not very good with classics and knowing how "the heathen git" was when he was a child, makes me curious to know how he was once he grew up.
September 2, 2010
This book was way out of my comfort zone. I wouldn't classify it as scary but instead Dunkle has a knack with creepy. This book is very creepy.
I think the idea behind the book is creative. It seems that Dunkle has been exposed to everything Bronte from a young age. Honestly, Wuthering Heights isn't my favorite novel. However, I think that Dunkle, because of her mother's influence, really captured Heathcliff. What she did with the novel and the character Himself was amazing to me. I think she really captured and created a great per-curser to Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.
The child, Himself, had problems ranging from oppositional defiant disorder, depression, and neglect, among others. I felt that in such a short amount of time, Dunkle really gave the reader an excellent idea of what and why Heathcliff grew up to become.
Also, I liked the ending. I felt like, again, becuase Dunkle has so much Bronte knowledge it really helped bring the ending together.
Overall, although this book is nothing that I would ever read again or would normally have read in the first place if not for Halloween, I think Dunkle did a great job.
I think the idea behind the book is creative. It seems that Dunkle has been exposed to everything Bronte from a young age. Honestly, Wuthering Heights isn't my favorite novel. However, I think that Dunkle, because of her mother's influence, really captured Heathcliff. What she did with the novel and the character Himself was amazing to me. I think she really captured and created a great per-curser to Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.
The child, Himself, had problems ranging from oppositional defiant disorder, depression, and neglect, among others. I felt that in such a short amount of time, Dunkle really gave the reader an excellent idea of what and why Heathcliff grew up to become.
Also, I liked the ending. I felt like, again, becuase Dunkle has so much Bronte knowledge it really helped bring the ending together.
Overall, although this book is nothing that I would ever read again or would normally have read in the first place if not for Halloween, I think Dunkle did a great job.
August 12, 2010
The House of Dead Maids is a spine-tingling masterpiece. Told as a prequel to Bronte's Wuthering Heights, the reader is introduced to a young Heathcliff through the eyes of the Tabby. While Tabby is a great character, seeing a young Heathcliff was in itself quite a treat.
The House of Dead Maids is quite a unique novel. Part classic novel continuation and part delicious Gothic novel with the hint of paranormal. The tale is told beautifully. Now, readers, I must forewarn you. This novel is definitely not for the faint of heart. With sweeping moors and things that go bump in the night, Dunkle's writing gave me the chills. Literally.
The only issue I have with the novel is I am not sure who the intended audience is. Dunkle's writing is beautiful, but often times overly complex. Which would not be so bad if the characters were not so young. Due to this, it is hard to recommend this novel to readers of all ages. However, for those of you who loved Wuthering Heights or are interested in Gothic Victorian novels will surely find The House of Dead Maids to be a pure treat.
The House of Dead Maids is quite a unique novel. Part classic novel continuation and part delicious Gothic novel with the hint of paranormal. The tale is told beautifully. Now, readers, I must forewarn you. This novel is definitely not for the faint of heart. With sweeping moors and things that go bump in the night, Dunkle's writing gave me the chills. Literally.
The only issue I have with the novel is I am not sure who the intended audience is. Dunkle's writing is beautiful, but often times overly complex. Which would not be so bad if the characters were not so young. Due to this, it is hard to recommend this novel to readers of all ages. However, for those of you who loved Wuthering Heights or are interested in Gothic Victorian novels will surely find The House of Dead Maids to be a pure treat.
July 29, 2013
A spooky little horror story, quite chilling in parts. The publisher quite annoyingly chose to subtitle/advertise the book on its cover as "A chilling prelude to Wuthering Heights." I found that completely unfair/inaccurate, as it raises expectations that I don't believe the author was shooting for, and ruins a clever little twist at the end. This does not in any way read as a Bronte imitation; Clare Dunkle is simply continuing her habit of taking other's stories as a jumping off point for her own ideas. She is delightfully skilled at just that and has produced here another winner.
March 29, 2011
Keep in mind that I'm NOT a Bronte kinda girl but I just loved this "prelude" to Wuthering Heights. (Heathcliff fans-please don't send hate mail if you disagree with my opinion!) With just 146 pages, it's a quick read but I was on the edge of my seat for most of them. If someone had snuck up behind me, I would have jumped a foot in the air!
I'll be looking for more Dunkle titles before I leave work today! Do I really need to say any more?
I'll be looking for more Dunkle titles before I leave work today! Do I really need to say any more?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews