A House Divided [Mass Market Paperback]

Deborah LeBlanc (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2006

Keith Lafleur, Louisiana's largest and greediest building contractor, thinks he's cut the deal of a lifetime. The huge old, two-story, clapboard house is his for the taking as long as he can move it to a new location. It's too big to move as it is, but Lafleur's solution is simple: divide it in half. He has no idea, though, that by splitting the house he'll be dividing a family- a family long dead, a family that still exists in the house, including a mother who will destroy anyone who keeps her apart from her children.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A two-story clapboard house—split and turned into separate structures by greedy Louisiana contractor Keith Lafleur—stands at the center of this creepy Southern ghost story. One side houses Laura Toups, her sassy African-American friend Tawana Batiste, Tawana's mentally challenged cousin and their salon, the Beauty Box. Matt Daigle and his young son live on the other side, above the diner Matt runs. A series of haunting events—including bumps in the night, hundreds of dead birds on the lawn and a yard-spanning spider web—lead the residents to uncover the house's secret history and Lafleur to murderous insanity. LeBlanc (Grave Intent) uses the haunted house plot to underscore the virtues of the two nontraditional families, giving her campfire story depth, and rounds out the enterprise with convincing dialogue and cinematic snapshots of Southern life. Though she leaves some loose ends, opting out with a well-placed "[t]here was a lot no one would ever know for sure," her emphasis on characters and their relationships make this an affecting spook story. (June)
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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (June 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843957301
• ISBN-13: 978-0843957303
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,320,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Ghosts

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A House Divided - a reader united, June 15, 2006

By 

John Palisano (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A House Divided (Mass Market Paperback)

Deborah LeBlanc's latest novel tells a very different and unique story. We get two haunted house stories for the price of one. I'm sure you've read the synopsis if you've read this far, so I'll spare you the paraphrasing and get to dessert.

One of the most striking elements of Deborah LeBlanc's books is the way in which the people are drawn out realistically. These things are happening to very believable and very down to earth characters. They aren't super-humans who have super-powers - just their own instincts to guide them.

There's always something really interesting to uncover in her books. In this one, those of us not from the South get to learn how Mardis Gras is celebrated away from Bourbon Street. Very different and very interesting. The side-effect, though, is that you will often need to take a break to snack - the food is quite tempting to read about.

Another aspect I really enjoy about her books is that they have a sense of care and craftmanship to the writing not normal these days. Her closest comrades might be Tennessee Williams or Flanery O'Connor meets Agatha Christie. In fact, "A House Divided" ran through my mind like a play, which was wild.

Although there are many supernatural elements and some really upsetting characters, there's a hopeful spirituality that pops up just when you need it. That hope is refreshing and, for some reason, makes "A House Divided" come off as a very personal story from Deborah LeBlanc.

I was surprised at how different this story ended up being. I also think that this is her most widely accessable book yet - I read this in two quick days. It usually takes me much, much longer to read a book.

If you enjoy a good ghost story set within modern America, then read this.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Cajun Creepiness, July 6, 2006

By 

Jonathan Maberry "Multiple Bram Stoker Award-... (Bucks County, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A House Divided (Mass Market Paperback)

Having spent a fair amount of time in Louisiana over the years I've come to appreciate the moodiness and mystery that always seems to hang in the air. Few writers have been able to successfully capture that atmosphere, that feeling that the supernatural is just behind you ready to reach out with a bony finger and tap you on the shoulder. Then I discovered the novels of Deborah LaBlanc, who is a native of those parts and brings a rich and personal understanding to her writing. Her latest novel, A HOUSE DIVIDED, is a fascinating and layered ghost story that easily manages to chill the blood and at the same time compel the reader to turn the next page. This is a marvelous book and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see the haunted house paradigm redefined and reenergized.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Ghost Story, September 27, 2007

By 

L. Maynard (Dallas, Tx) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A House Divided (Mass Market Paperback)

This book had it all, humor, mystery, suspense, and plenty of creepy events to please everyone.

Matt Daigle buys a house and turns it into a cafe where the locals flock to eat home-cooked meals. He and his young son, Seth, live on the second floor of the cafe. Laura and Tawana purchase a house, 2 houses down from the cafe and turn it into a beauty shop. They both live on the second floor, along with Tawana's special-needs cousin, Angelica, whom they call Moweez. Moweez doesn't speak much and when she does, it's short simple words, but she has a special gift of "sight" and a talent for drawing what she "sees", and what she sees always comes true. When horrifying events start taking place in these two houses, Matt, Laura and Tawana discover that the two houses have a history together, a horrible, frightenly violent history. They will have to fight for their very lives and depend on Moweez to draw their future.

I can't say enough about this book. One page would have me laughing and the next put goose bumps on my arms and caused my heart to beat a little faster. If you love ghost stories that leave you on the edge of your seat, then this is the book for you.