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Jackie Nussbaum jaclynnussbaum — ** spoiler alert ** I am a sucker for the dark, gothic novels that take place at a majestic, English estate, where a dark mystery lurks. I loved Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Rebecca, and wihle The Little Stranger is a noble contribution to the genre, it doesn't bring anything new to the table. The book takes place in post-war England in a social climate that affords opportunities to an expanding middle class. The narrator, Dr. Faraday, is called out to Hundreds Hall to see a patient, and in doing so he becomes close friends with the Ayres family, who have run the estate for nearly two hundred years. The estate is in serious decline. The Ayres are losing pieces of the land to development, and between the three of them, they do the work that a fleet of servants once did. Others in their class are experiencing the same sea change as well in which the landed gentry are losing their significance in society. On the other side of this is Dr. Faraday, who's mother once worked in the household. Although being a doctor is a step up for him, Faraday keenly remembers the feeling of being a part of the lower class. Unlike some of their peers who are adapting to the change, the Ayres hold on to the old way of life in a such a way that almost seems ridiculous. They are only able to afford one full-time servant, who lives on the premises, Betty, a young country girl. Betty is too young to understand or have experienced what servant life was once like at Hundreds Hall and wishes she could work in a factory like most other girls her age. Betty is made to wear a servants uniform that looks ludicrous on her, and at first, simply out of formality, she is made to sleep in the servants quarters all by her lonesome self. Betty is but one example of how the Ayres cling to their traditions. Still, I couldn't help but feel for them. These decorums had once been a part of their daily lives, and they faithfully preserve them, because that is the world they know. **SPOILER BELOW** And what about the ghost story? To my disappointment it was very understated. I will say as little as I can about it, so as not to ruin the pleasure of reading these scenes. It is not until over a hundred pages in that the first creepy thing happens, but when it does, it is really creepy. About two hundred pages later, something infinitely more creepy happens, and then at the end, something mysterious and inexplicable. And that's about it. We never find out what caused these phenomena, but any curious reader will consider the possibilities. Is it the long-deceased Colonel, who was once master of the estate? Is it the first born daughter, who died of a childhood illness? Is it the "wicked servant" to which Betty refers? We never find out, but it is not the open-ended ending that bothered me. It is that none of these possibilities were explored. Dr. Faraday is stubbornly skeptical throughout the book and refuses to consider even for a moment that the creepy occurrences are the result of something supernatural. It is not until the very end when he fleetingly entertains the notion. Perhaps if he had been more curious, we might have learned something. Waters is an excellent writer. She writes with precision and exquisite detail, and for that the book is worth five stars. But I felt pulled in two different directions with the story. It was more about the decreasing influence of the upper class and an estate in decline than it was about a mysterious force that haunts this majestic house. The two could very well be connected. Perhaps the house is agitated by its impending ruin, or maybe it's the dead little girl. Maybe its the old way of life sounding a death knell, or maybe it's the Ayres themselves breaking under the enormous stress they're under to preserve it. Again, not only do we never find out, but the possibilities aren't even explored. Waters had a prime opportunity to reconcile these two story lines, and it left me wanting more.

Tanya Mittal tanyab — Good mystery, a little predictable at the end. It is apparently part of a series so the ending was pretty open ended, which sort of annoyed me.