Customer Reviews

Sweetheart,sweetheart

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first became interested in this writer because of this book. "Sweetheart, Sweetheart" is on several Best Horror Novel lists-and rightfully so. This author excels at building suspense slowly; he's not a thrill-a-minute writer. But you'll still be unable to put his books down. He's also very good at characterization, which modern horror writers (except for Steven King)tend to ignore; he really makes you care for his protagonists, which makes his books poignant as well as scary. This book has several interesting twists that I didn't see coming. His "Godsend" is also excellent and a must read if you're a fan (like me) of the "evil child" trope.

I had heard that SWEETHEART, SWEETHEART was one of the best ghost stories ever written, and I was expecting something like Richard Adams' THE GIRL IN A SWING. Mr. Taylor writes in a much simpler style, and I was a bit disappointed at first. But as soon as I got into the story I was grateful for this, because I really wanted to know what happened next and I raced to the end. It is a frightening story, hair-raising in places but hovering above all a sense of impending tragedy. The protagonist, David Warwick, returns to his native England from the US to visit his twin brother and his new wife, sensing that his sibling is in some kind of terrible trouble. When he arrives, he learns that they have both died violent deaths. The rest of the story details his unraveling of the supernatural mystery behind their deaths, and his desperate attempt to keep the evil from "claiming" him. The ending is very memorable----it will linger with you for days.

Bernard Taylor is one of the horror genre's greatest authors and has never received the accolades for his talent that he should have, especially outside of England. His second novel, Sweetheart, Sweetheart, first published way back in 1977 capitalised on the momentum from his debut novel The Godsend and proved he was no one hit wonder. Although he hasn't published as large a volume of work as say Stephen King you can rest assured that when you pick up one of his novels it will always be good. His most terrifying novels in my opinion are the ones that don't involve the supernatural at all and instead show the world the true evil of humans and I recommend you don't leave the library, bookstore, Amazon or wherever you get your books from without reading his masterpiece Mother's Boys! If you want something that will make it hard to sleep at night, then that's the novel for you.

In the classic and ageless Sweetheart, Sweetheart, David returns to England after living in the USA to visit his twin brother and wife and check out their countryside cottage they've been raving about. To his shock and heartbreak he learns from his estranged father that his brother actually died in a car crash, his funeral's been and gone and that he has actually inherited his brother's cottage. Puzzled as to why his brother didn't leave the cottage to his wife Helen instead of him, David decides to visit the cottage and find out why. At the cottage he meets Jean Timmins who reluctantly tells him where he can find Helen, which is the cemetery. His brother and his brother's wife both died violent deaths outside the cottage within a week of each other and Jean and others in the nearby village seem reluctant to give him any details. David decides to stay on until he finds out exactly what happened. It seems someone who regularly visits the cottage will kill to have him around permanently anyway.

The BEST ghost story I've ever read!

I first read this book in the summer of my 16th year, and I've read it twice since. This is probably one of the best horror fiction novels out there. The twists and turns in this book keep the reader riveted and hungry for the next page. If you like a good ghost story, one that gives you a chill down your spine and that will haunt you for days, this is your book.

I first read this book in the summer of 1978. From the start I found it intriguing, and was so hooked by the story I read it in one afternoon! I've read it several times since then, and always smile when I see the 'clues' I outlined throughout the book.
I enjoyed the story so much that I wrote a letter to Mr. Taylor, sharing my enthusiasm for his book. He was kind enough to reply! Cool!

I'm well-read in the horror genre. This book and Peter Straub's Ghost Story are the only two that genuinely scared me. That is, made me hesitant to go to sleep so that I would not be visited by evil dreams. Sweetheart, Sweetheart is a splendid mystery and can be read on that level as well. The ending yet lingers in my mind. I need to read a comic novel. Perhaps this will ease my state of mind.

I loved this slow-rolling story, but it got bogged down with
too many details about the previous owners of the haunted
house. The story needed an editor.
There also some other details that bothered me and, in my opinion, got in the way of the plot.
1. The American girl was named "Shelagh." Now there is nothing wrong with an unusual spelling of "Sheila," but it was distracting. Names used in novels should not cause the reader to pause everytime he reads them (that spelling may be fine for England, but the girl is an American).
2. In a story written in 1992, the main character was a chain smoker. This also distracted from the plot. The author didn't tell the readers he was trying to quit or some such thing.
3. The main character (a twin) had a deformed foot, presumably to identify him later as the other twin. He should have been identified some other way.

4. After an incident with razor blades and glass that I found too unbelievable, I had to give up the story. Sorry, I really wanted to continue reading.