Quietus [Paperback]

Vivian Schilling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2003

quietus:
1. a finishing stroke
2. discharge or release from life
3. the moment of death

Regaining consciousness in a Boston hospital soon after her chartered flight crashes into the treacherous White Mountains of New Hampshire, Kylie O'Rourke finds the world around her irrevocably altered. She is haunted by memories of the crash: though she was trapped within the wreckage, she recalls wandering through the icy mountainside and speaking with the other passengers, including one who had died upon impact. Seized by a growing sense of guilt and paranoia, Kylie fights to hang onto her life despite increasing evidence that she is living on borrowed time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A plane crash in the White Mountains of New Hampshire sets in motion this ambitious though woefully overlong ghost story by screenwriter/novelist Schilling (Sacred Prey). Interior designer Kylie O'Rourke and her husband, Jack, are among the few survivors of the doomed flight. While still in the air, Kylie glimpses a raven on the wing of the plane, a sight that is followed by a series of ever stranger events. Though rescuers discover the survivors trapped in the wreckage, Kylie recalls wandering the icy mountainside along with other passengers including Jack and her best friend, Amelia after the crash, but they were not alone. Kylie is convinced her memories are real, yet neither Amelia nor Jack share them, and her psychologist attributes the frightening visions to post-traumatic stress and morphine-induced hallucinations. As Kylie tries to resume a normal life in Boston, the tragedy continues to plague her. She keeps seeing a raven with human eyes and she believes she's being followed by the awful presences that she first glimpsed on the mountain. An old murder case and some ancient mythology are thrown in for good measure. To top it off, her relationship with Jack starts faltering, and the people closest to her are dropping dead. Schilling has crafted a complex and creepy thriller, but it contains too many digressions medical, psychological, religious to make it a real page-turner. National print, radio and cable TV advertising; multicity author tour. (Jan. 22)Forecast: The publisher appears willing to put a lot of marketing muscle behind what is basically an Anne Rice novel with fewer goth trappings, so it could find a good-size audience despite its daunting length.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

A powerful new thriller. -- Arizona Daily Sun

An Anne Rice novel without the goth trappings. -- Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (July 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142003069
• ISBN-13: 978-0142003060
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,436,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, September 25, 2005

By 

N. Gargano "nokegchris" (Waynesville NC and Bradenton, Fl) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quietus (Paperback)

I could not put this book down, and I cannot stop thinking about it, and the characters, since I have finished it. I thought it was a wonderfully written book, exprssive, complete, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It is a suspenseful, gothic like, ghost story, with characters I fell in love with, and some that really scared me! It wasn't exactly new territory, the premise of the book, but it didn't matter, I was so caught up in it, I had to sit and read it until I was done. I look forward to more work from Ms. Schilling, as a matter of fact, I just ordered her previous book from Amazon. Can't wait until it comes!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and Intelligent, August 4, 2003

By 

Pat Rosenthal (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quietus (Hardcover)

After seeing this novel listed on ABC News as a "Recommended Summer Read", I picked up a copy at the airport. Once I started the first page, I couldn't stop reading! My only complaint is that it consumed my entire vacation. I was at first skeptical when I saw the reviews on the cover comparing Ms. Schilling to Iris Murdoch and Mary Shelley Wollenstencraft. Now I'm sold. Schilling's terrifying imagination is underscored with intelligence. My only advice -- don't take it on the plane. It starts off with a nightmarish crash!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thriller with substance!, April 29, 2002

By 

Carrie Fielding (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quietus (Hardcover)

I absolutely could not put this novel down. I found myself looking forward to my lunch breaks where I could steal a few more minutes of the characters, the plot, the suspense. Quietus is not your run-of-the-mill thriller, but a novel of substance. If you've ever been touched by death, this book will not only entertain you, but make you think. I also very much appreciated Schilling's research. As a Boston resident, I found her portrayal of the city not only extremely accurate, but insightful. A must read for not only lovers of suspense, but those who can appreciate quality literature.