Customer Reviews

Down a Dark Hall

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Here's the deal: I read a spooky book when I was twelve. I couldn't remember the title or the author; all I knew is that the memory of long, dark hallways, doors locked from the inside and four lonely girls trapped in an institution haunted my nightmares for ten years. My concrete memories consisted of the thread of a plot: Four young girls, gifted with ESP, are brought to a private school so the headmasters can channel dead artists through their minds and sell the art as originals.

About a month ago, I mentioned the elusive book to a friend, who immediately named the title and the author, admitting his fear, as well. Pretending to buy for a younger sister who doesn't exist, I bought the book again -- with a new cover no longer featuring the young heroine with a candle -- and was overcome once more by Lois Duncan's ability to surround the simple narrative with swirling mists, dark corners and flickering candlelight.

DOWN A DARK HALL introduced me to the glorious world of wondering what's behind the door, a passion that extended into Stephen King, Clive Barker and even dark comic books. But even the "adult" writers can't capture atmosphere the way Duncan can. Like King's Carrie, Duncan illustrates the pain and chaos of adolescent girlhood, and the impossibility of escaping a world that doesn't understand. The difference is that your little sister can read Duncan while she's still young enough to feel the character's confusion... and the impact is strong enough to last a decade.

I remember years ago when I first picked up this book I really didn't expect much from it. I must say I was blown away with because it had elements that I loved. Ever since I read this book, I've been a Lois Duncan fan. The book is about a a fourteen-year old girl named Kit going to a special boarding school named Blackwood while her mother and her new stepfather take a long Honeymoon. But Kit soon finds out some thing strange: they are only four girls in the boarding school. What follows is a supernatural mystery. Kit and her new friend Sandy soon find out the reasons why they were selected to attend Blackwood. Soon their lives are at stake and it's up to Kit to find a way out.

Great read. I highly recommend it.

Have you ever read a book and you were on the edge of your seat the whole time? Down a Dark Hall, by Lois Duncan is a suspenseful and engrossing book.

A fourteen year old girl named Kit Gordy is sent away to an all girls' school called Blackwood. Madame Duret is the head of the school and the other teachers are her son Jules and Professor Farley. Kit and the other girls that applied had to take a "special test" that determined if they had "special powers" in order to be accepted. Kit has a bad feeling about the place from the minute she arrives. She then realizes there are only three other girls that will be attending the school Sandy, Ruth, and Linda. A few months after they arrive, famous dead people started taking over their bodies. The famous piano player Franz Schubert took over Kit, the poet Emily Bronte took over Linda, and the two other girls were taken over by more than one person. Do they escape the dangerous Blackwood school?

I never wanted to put this book down. It had a plot that was twisted and the details through out the book were incredible. It is the kind of book that makes a person scared to walk through his own house after he reads it. Lois Duncan made it feel like I was actually there, in the story. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read suspenseful books.

Down A Dark Hall was the best Lois Duncan book I have ever read. I can say with assurance that Lois Duncan has achieved her goal as a mystery/horror author.
It is about a 14-yearold girl named Kit Gordy who is sent to an all girls' school called Blackwood. When she arrives, she has the fear in her heart and the reluctance in her mind that this is and evil place, and she doesn't want to attend.
What mostly digs up the strange feelings in her mind is that only 4 girls are accepted, and for only one mysterious quality, ESP.
Famous artist's, musicians, and writer's dead souls possess the lives of these four teenage girls. And when it is time for them to escape the sinister clutches of Blackwood School For Girls, the evil in everyone begins to corrupt.

I say with a firm assurance, that this is defiantly one of the best Lois Duncan books EVER! And I would recommend it to everyone.

This book is really good. I was really scared when I read it because Lois Duncan is such a good author you never know what is going to happen next. She can really write books that give you the chills. This is a book about Kit who goes to a boarding school and she immediately feels something is wrong with it. She does make friends because there are only 4 students there. They all are discovering special talents they never knew they had before they arrived at Blackwood. Read for yourself and find out how this strange events are occuring.

This book above all is Lois's greatest book! She makes the scenes and characters come alive. Not to mention this book is really creepy and scary. I started to read it and couldn't put it down. I finished it in less than 2 hours. Warning: Don't read it at night, like I did. It spooked me out!

If you're looking for something thrilling to read in bed at night while everyone's gone to sleep...this is just the book you should pick up (but be prepared to stay up all night coz you won't be able to put it down before you've read till the very last page!!) Kit is a fourteen-year-old who goes to a boarding school that looked chilling at the very first sight. And then slowly the frightening mystery of Blackwood unfolds. Apparently the entire school and it's regular lessons are a mere act. A show-off. Because neither the so-called headmistress nor the teachers are at all interested to teach anything to the students. What they want from them is something very different. Something evil...

If you ever liked anything by Lois Duncan previously don't miss reading this. You'll love every part of it.

I'll start off by saying I am a huge Lois Duncan fan. I read Summer of Fear and I Know What You Did Last Summer. I loved both of them. This novel blew me away; I could not put the book down at all. When Kit Gordy, a teenage girl, gets accepted to an exclusive, private, all-girls school little does she know what she's getting into. Her parents signed her up because they are honey-mooning all around Europe. Kit gets there and immediately suspects something is "evil". When Kit arrives she finds that she has only three roommates. This confuses her greatly. Throughout the course of the book Lois Duncan foreshadows dark happenings. Sooner or later it happens. All four students begin having abnormal dreams. Not dreams with little bunnies and rainbows, dreams of terror. I'll let you read the book to find out the mystery of Blackwood School For Girls. If you get the chance read this book and I promise you will like it. Lois Duncan is a literary genius in my point of view. She brings everything into a teen's perspective...except I'm not a girl, not that it matters. I enjoyed it greatly and I hope you do to.

Down a Dark Hall was an EXCELLENT book!:) I thought that is was the best book I have ever read because I like cliff hangers. The story was about a girl named Kit Gordy who was fourteen years of age. Her mom was getting remarried and getting ready to go on her honeymoon. Kit was sent away to an all girls school called Blackwood. But not anyone one in particular could go to the school. Each girl would have to take a "special" test. Whoever had what Madame Duret wanted... went to the school. Well, when the time came, the four girls that passed the test made it. Their names were Kit, Sandy, Ruth, and Linda. Each one of the girls had a special power called ESP. While attending the school, a famous person each took over their bodies. Franz Schubert took over Kit and Emily Bronte took over Linda. The rest of the girls were took over by more then one person. Down a Dark Hall was an excellent book. I am not going to tell you anymore so you are just goping to have to read it for yourself!:)( I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND IT!!)

Down a Dark Hall is my favorite Lois Duncan book. Even from the first, the book drew me into the intricate plot. From start to finish, you could have never guessed the ending. It's a story about this girl, Kit, who attended this exclusive school, Blackwood. She's only one of the four "special" students. Along the way, Kit learns about the dangerously eery history about Blackwood, solving mysteries after mysteries and unlocking hidden secrets that could have cost her life and the other students if they had stayed hidden. Down a Dark Hall is truly a gem and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good suspenseful mystery. I couldn't put the book down until I had finished. The ending left me breathless.