Customer Reviews

The House Next Door (Paragon Large Print)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have to be honest...I never even imagined myself reading an Anne Rivers Siddons book. Never. And that's not to say that I don't think she's a great writer; I just tend to stick with horror or at least with stories that have a darker side. I picked this one up on the recommendation of several fellow horror fans with this thought: "yeah, right, this will be a waste of my time." I suppose if I were truly capable of eating my words, I'd be reaching for a fork.
This novel introduces us to quite a different time in America. It's the 70's, and it's the South, AND the story is set in an upper-class neighborhood where everyone follows an unwritten code of social conduct. Colquitt and Walter Kennedy (never in my life have I met someone named Colquitt) live a quiet, genteel life. Purposefully childless, they enjoy life's luxuries and spend their time hob-nobbing with their equally successful neighbors. Again, this is the 70's--these characters smoke a lot, eat a lot and drink even more; even the most minor of social get togethers is accompanied by a pitcher of martinis, and everyone seems to have the time (and money) to battle hangovers and to throw lavish parties. The Kennedys love their home overlooking a lovely, peaceful empty lot. But then the lot is sold, and a young, spoiled couple build their dream home utilizing the talents of the brilliant up-and-coming architect, Kim Dougherty. The Kennedys befriend Kim and then watch as terror after terror occurs in the beautiful new home. Tenants come and go, and the Kennedys have to choose between their social standing and their perceived duty to stop the suffering by speaking out about the horrible house.
The writing here is wonderful. I could close my eyes and picture every scene. The horror is so subtle that I was surprised to find myself looking over my shoulder throughout this reading. I enjoyed this book, and I've gone on to recommend it to several people. Contrary to some, I liked the ending (and I'll say no more about it). This is one of the best haunted house novels I've ever read, and I plan on holding on to my tattered paperback copy. I never thought I would add a Siddons novel to my horror collection, and I am so happy that I was 100% wrong!

This a wonderful "house gone bad," haunted house story. Takes place in the south, as many of Anne Rivers Siddons' books do, in an affluent neighborhood in an unnamed city. The story centers around a wealthy, thirty-something couple, who live next door to an empty lot. The lot soon sells, and a newlywed couple hire an architect to build a house for them. The house is modern, amazing, and captures the imagination of the entire neighborhood. What no one knows, however, is just what the house has in store for this neighborhood. Not a story to read before bedtime, it will send you down twists and turns, never quite revealing exactly what is happening, and who is really under the house's spell.

This book is so different from the usual haunted house fare. There really isn't much that serves as a tangible reason for the house being so evil, it just apparently is. And it's a vicious house for certain, preying on psychological fear rather than manifesting itself as a poltergiest or apparition. Things just "happen" in or around the house, disturbing things. Lives are ruined and that is the only motiff that emerges. It's not a singular entity with just murder in mind. It wants to cause pain to its victims on an inner level and that is extremely frightening in concept. The novel is like a constant mind rape of the characters involved and it is so very delicious in its malice. One of the top 10 horror novels I have ever read and way more intense than Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House or Richard Matheson's Hell House. A must read for any fan of the horror genre or any new home owner.

I read this book in the late 70's, when it was still new. I was 16 or so, with a summer babysitting job, and picked it up one afternoon at my employer's house while the children were out playing. It was a hot July afternoon, kids playing in the yard in front of me, and I was as frightened reading this book as I have been by any book or movie since then. 28 years later, it is still at the top of the list of "the scariest books I've read." and that includes every one of Stephen King's books. (which make up the rest of my list, I think!)
Many of the other reviewers have given the plot of the book, so I won't do that, but it is set in an ordinary (if tony) neighborhood, like many in my present city, and countless others. The neighbors are like anyone's neighbors, some you could easily be friends with, some you could barely tolerate. And that is what makes this book so riveting and so frightening, everyone and everything is so ordinary and so easy to identify with, and yet evil permeates it all. At least one reviewer made the excellent suggestion that the house was just the place where the darkest impulses of its residents' lives manifested itself, and the house and its designer were just scapegoats. This could be true, or it could also be true that lurking in the architect's unknown DNA was an unspeakable malevolence that spilled over into the lives of those he touched. Either answer is pretty frightening, in my opinion. If you're looking for a page turner that will haunt you after you read the last page, I recommend this book. I wish Siddons had written others like this, after this book I have tried to read her many other books, and haven't been able to warm to any of them. She has proven to me she's an excellent writer, I guess I just don't have a taste for her other writings. On the other hand, my mother loves her other books and was horrified and offended by "The House Next Door." (but she can write her own review!) This has endured in my mind as a terrifying read.

In this story houses don't have to have previous owners to be haunted. Anne Rivers Siddons suggests, like Shirley Jackson, that some houses are intrinsically evil and able to prey upon the weaknesses of unsuspecting humans. No motive is necessary, only the opportunity.

The story is a little dated in its setting (Atlanta in the last third of the 20th Century) but story of the house along with the author's discussion of the worth of a small, graceful life, merits reading. The story is well-paced and the suspense tightens inexorably. This is not a story of gore but treachery, human weakness and how difficult bravery can be.

I would never have picked up The House Next Door because I do not read books about the supernatural but when I heard of few remarks about how good the story was I figured I would take a chance.
The title pretty well explains what the story is about ... The House Next Door. Walter and Colquitt lived a pretty quiet life. They had good jobs, a nice house, and friends. That all changed one day when the empty lot next to their house was sold and a young couple was going to move in right after the new house was built. Right from the start strange unexplained things were happening and Colquitt and Walter start to believe that the house is "haunted". Of course, all their friends thought they were crazy and they were suddenly the outcast of the neighborhood. The House Next Door is a page turner with just the right amount of suspense so you wont get too freaked out.

I've read them all and loved them. Siddons is a fine tale-teller (just as you'd expect from a Southerner) and she has a talent for creating real and believable characters. I'm not a fan of horror and picked this up thinking it was suspense. I was right -- horror suspense!

When strange things begin happening at the new house next door to the Kennedys, this book just takes over. I couldn't get away from it until I finished it.

Siddons was a long time reporter for Atlanta magazine, honing her craft under one of the best editors of the 50s and 60s. That's why her prose is so magical -- descriptions of people and places are vivid and never dull.

This is Siddons at her very best. I hope she writes another suspense novel someday. I'd like to have that to look forward to.

I had never read any of Siddons' other novels, though my wife is a great admirer of hers. After hearing that Stephen King was a great fan of this book, I sought it out. It IS a very well-written, entertaining tale of a REALLY haunted house in an upscale neighborhood. Siddons gets beneath the veneer of suburban living, and shows how the unknown can unravel even the most solid realtionships. This book is atmospheric, spooky and unsettling. While others have called the ending a let-down, I think it works well within the context of the story.

Get this one! You won't regret it.

When I started this book, I was expecting some cheesy haunted house tale...but it was actually a pretty creepy story. Not downright scary, but spooky enough. There were only a couple things that annoyed me slightly about this book.

The first (as another reviewer already mentioned) was the main characters name, Colquitt. Doesn't really glide off the tongue too well, it was a distraction every time I came to it. Also, in the beginning of the book, Colquitt makes her and her husband Walter out to be upper middle class, saying they're just ordinary people who live ordinary lives. Well, as the story goes, you see pretty early on that they are in fact pretty darn wealthy, and live in a very rich neighborhood, attending lavish parties, spending weekends at the club, and vacationing frequently on the shore, Jamaica, and New York. The initial misrepresentation threw me a little.

But overall the story was a good one, it kept me turning the pages to find out what the final horror of the house would be. Basically, a young new architect builds a house for a young newlywed couple. The house is amazing, but before it's even fully completed bad thing start happening. It covers the first year of the houses life, the three different family's that live in it, and the terrifying things that happen to them. Colquitt Kennedy (the next door neighbor) tells the story.

In the end, I'd recommend this book to my friends. I'm not an avid suspense reader, but it was a nice distraction from my normal reading. As I said, not super scary stuff, but just enough to be entertaining.

This book is an odd mix of novel and horror story. Picture an idyllic street with upper class residents whose biggest problem is a neighbor who seems to breed annoying children yearly. Suddenly, a vacant lot, seemingly too small and oddly shaped to build on, is sold and a house goes up. Once in progress, bad luck begins to befall the builders and their architect. At the housewarming party, a shocking event leads to tragedy, causing the owners to move and sell the home. Fast forward through two more similar, yet still interesting, scenarios and towards an ending that is a bit less than satisfying and you've got "The House Next Door."

The strength of this book lies in the fact that the story keeps your attention long enough to get you from one shocking revelation to the next. The weaknesses (note the plural) don't ruin the book, but do make it less enjoyable than it might be otherwise.

First, the writing is adjective and metaphor rich, often to the detriment of the storyline. I'd occasionally find myself needing to re-read a sentence or paragraph in order to wade through the language to get to the actual point.

Second, the characters are a little "too" highbrow to be sympathetic. They belong to the ballet guild and the Junior League, lunch at the club, and describe friends and colleagues as being from "substantial" families. Their biggest problem seems to be having one martini too many at the semi-formal neighborhood party to make tomorrow's 8:00am tennis date. At times, I found myself wishing something terrible would befall them just to bring them down a notch.

As for the ending, it left me wanting. It wrapped up the bigger story, but left some of the lesser details without resolution. I actually flipped the last page back and forth a couple of times to make sure I didn't miss something!

All in all, I'm glad I read the book. It was enjoyable, different, and surprising at times. I recommend it to anyone wanting a casual, not-too-involved read.