Here I Stay [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 1998

The Haunting

Turning a decrepit old mansion into a beautiful country inn isn't easy, but for Andrea Torgesen, the hard work is exactly what her young brother, Jim, needs after a serious car accident. Or, so she thinks--until Jim is haunted by unearthly voices and eerie visions, and becomes obsessed with a long-neglected graveyard. Suddenly, the impossible becomes terrifyingly possible and Andrea must battle an evil force that threatens to destroy their lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An absolutely first-rate job of summoning up the spooky... a very good ghost story." -- Publishers Weekly

"I loved it. Extra fine." -- Phyllis A. Whitney

"Scary, interesting. A winner." -- Pittsburgh Press

About the Author

Elizabeth Peters (writing as Barbara Michaels) was born and brought up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's famed Oriental Institute. Peters was named Grandmaster at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986, Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar® Awards in 1998, and given The Lifetime Achievement Award at Malice Domestic in 2003. She lives in an historic farmhouse in western Maryland.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (December 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061044709
• ISBN-13: 978-0061044700
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,396,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great anti-cliché, October 26, 2003

By 

ex nihilo "creatio" (Urbs et orbis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here I Stay (Mass Market Paperback)

Since I don't like romantic novels -that is, novels that are centered on the romance between the characters- I began to read this with extra caution and a pinch of prejudice. I also bore in mind that it is extremely difficult to find a "gothic" novel that is not full of the usual "blood-curdling" clichés. But I knew this author already as Elizabeth Peters and thought that she narrated wonderfully well with a great sense of humour, and I had heard such good things of her as Barbara Michaels that I decided to give it a try .... Boy, was I wrong! This writer is particularly good at character building (more so than in the Amelia Peabody series, where the characters are funnier but more like charicatures), so much so that we feel we are getting to know real people. This is especially the case with the main character, Andrea, who is bound to learn a great lesson and evolve throughout the story, and from whose point of view the events are told.The romance comes really as a natural consequence of the evolution of these characters, and it is never forced or far-fetched -and, of course, thank heavens!, it is not a romance between physically perfect, young and extraordinary people, but quite a realistic affair between two common middle-aged persons. The "gothic" atmosphere is never cliché and it is very intelligently contrived, so that rational, intelligent readers don't have to laugh or feel indignation...It is, well, there and not there (I can't say more without revealing). But the most important thing is that this novel centers on the evolution of well-built, round characters and the lessons they learn about life. The romance is part of this evolution, and never the most important element, and the "gothic" is part of the setting and never full of clichés or the justification of the events. I expect to read more from this author soon.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've loved this novel for years ..., September 16, 2002

By 

Melody Scheiner (Grandview, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Here I Stay (Mass Market Paperback)

I read it at least once a year. I love the story, the atmosphere, and the characters--including Andrea, the main character. Many reviewers here have found her off-putting, and she certainly is at first. She's selfish, opinionated and abrasive, not to put too fine a point on it. But she evolves. The sharp tongue doesn't completely go away, but she softens--love for Martin softens her, and although she doesn't submit to it willingly, it happens all the same. There's a haunting incident at the end in which she recognizes and repudiates the way she's tried to control Jim (her brother), has tried to clip his wings, metaphorically speaking. It sickens her, and she draws back from it. Her personal growth is one of the reasons I like this book so much.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like ghost stories this one is for you, June 5, 2000

By 

April - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here I Stay (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read this book three or four times, and each time I read it I enjoy it even more, this is one of those novels where the world that Ms. Micheals creates is one that you don't want to leave. It made me wish she had written another novel with these characters.