I really enjoyed this story. I don't think it's one I'd ever read twice, but I did like it. I struggled through some characters' perspectives and found myself at constant internal conflict over my opinion of a few of them. I can't honestly say that I actually liked any of them completely. Personally, I just didn't know what to feel while I was reading, other than aggravation and distress. The reason that this book didn't get five stars is because this is a review from what I experienced and what I experienced was a struggle mixed with yearning for more story. Even at the end, my mind was telling me how awesome it would be for certain perspectives to be continued at some later book, all while being up set for reasons that I don't want to spoil for future readers.This book does deserve five stars. If I were far more fair and judged the book for it's writing, I would give it five stars. The writing is terrific - suspenseful yet detailed. There were scenes that made me uncomfortable to be in dark hallways and rooms for a while. Well, far more uncomfortable that I usually am. I just wanted to scream at the characters, all of the characters, but each of them has quite a bit of depth.I wasn't very keen on most of the names in the story, but I could see why they were chosen. They were nice choices, but I felt like some were very on-the-nose and others were very plain. The setting was lovely and easy to fall into. Everything was just detailed enough to paint a picture for me. It was also really fun to read to the point where certain themes really tie everything into a nice bow on top of a very pretty package. I couldn't manage to give this one five stars though because I can't see myself picking it up for a second read through. It was well worth the first read and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys psychological thrillers or horror novels. I just can't deal with the fact that reading it made me want more and made me grumpy about everything at the exact same time.
I have such mixed feelings about this book. At times, it felt like a true chore to read. It probably could have used some heavy editing to trim its somewhat considerable fat, and there were parts where the pace dragged to the point that slogging through it felt more like homework than leisure. Sometimes I find Ramsey Campbell's prose a little impenetrable or clunky. Occasionally, I have to read certain sentences more than once to make sure I understand what they were intended to communicate.That said, years later, this novel still haunts me. This book is terrifying at times. Images from it flashed in my mind literally every night when I'd turn out the lights, for god knows how long after I read it -- many, many months, at least, maybe even more than a year. Campbell expertly builds up suspense until the horror hits you with a sense of urgent intensity. When the characters are at their most frightened, you will be scared silly right there with them, heart in your throat. The ghosts that haunt his story are drawn almost too vividly, and are some of the scariest spooks I've ever encountered in any novel.What's more, this book concludes with a hell of an emotional punch. There's more than just ghosts to scare you. The depiction of the deteriorating relationship between the central father and daughter characters is wrenching to behold. The ending is unexpectedly powerful, and even... beautiful.So if you try to tackle this novel, be warned, it will be tedious at parts. It may also take up residence in your head for a long time afterward. I'm not sure I'll ever reread it, but I'm sure I'll never forget it.
What do You think about Nazareth Hill (1998)?
One of the best horrors Ive read in a long time,by oneo f my favorite horror authors( he's British, all the ones Ive read by British authors have been great) kind of a bizarre story of a teenage girl her father and their tense relationship. When they move into an old monastary that has been converted into apartments, and the strange occurrences that befall them as a result of their relationship. Creepy and frightful with an an ending that caused a great deal of melancholy, I had to read,and re-read it because it was so beautifully heartbreaking.
—Susan
I .can see why this book received so many poor reviews on Goodreads. It is terribly unweildy, taking forever to get to the point, and that is in nearly every paragraph. However, it was hard for me to hate it because the IDEA, the story was so compelling to me. I'm going to say, it was tedious to read at times. Okay, most times. It left me feeling some how less intelligent. As if me not connecting and diving in was my fault. But then I reminded myself of my book enjoyment rule. "If there is a good story and people would rather do anything but read, it is the story teller's fault. Bottom line;The idea snd the story is quite good. The execution leaves much to be desired.
—Grainne Rhuad
This one took a while for me to get into, I almost stopped at fifty pages where nothing had happened yet but a truly boring tenants meeting However, the setting of modern Northern England as written by a British writer had an inherent fascination for me. Nazareth Hill is where witches once danced and where an insane asylum once housed them after witch hunts went out of fashion--and there are strange happenings going on there--ones witnessed by several people, particularly a fifteen year old girl, Amy Priestly. She's a typical teenager, in ways I could imagine being maddening if I were her parent: body piercings, shaved head, plays loud music, smokes marijuana, pigsty of a room, sullen and uncommunicative; her father has good reason for concern. Yet the core of the horror of this book is how easily isolated and vulnerable Amy is, to his authority as a parent since she's not yet of age, as he becomes increasingly controlling and prey to a zealous religious mindset that may be influenced by the dark forces surrounding them. The tension between them and suspense becomes more and more unbearable to take as a reader, especially in those last hundred pages. Particularly hard for me to read, since I do find frustrating the kind of story where no one believes the protagonist. This was well-written, literate, with characters that felt all too real--although be warned, it's also brutal and heartbreaking.
—Lisa (Harmonybites)
