#1 New York Times bestselling author Peter Straub’s classic tale of horror, secrets, and the dangerous ghosts of the past… What was the worst thing you’ve ever done? In the sleepy town of Milburn, New York, four old men gather to tell each other stories—some true, some made-up, all of them frightening. A simple pastime to divert themselves from their quiet lives. But one story is coming … themselves from their quiet lives.
But one story is coming back to haunt them and their small town. A tale of something they did long ago. A wicked mistake. A horrifying accident. And they are about to learn that no one can bury the past forever…
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The terror just mounts and mounts.
This book scared the crap out of me when I first read it. I was only eleven though, but still. A creepy book that made it hard to fall asleep at night.
was in Vermont at the time(where story takes place and,although summer,when I was there and it took place in a “ghostly”snow storm it scared the heck out of me.
I am SO glad that I finally re-read this book! I was afraid that it wouldn’t hold up to my memory of it. I worried about that for decades. Silly me-I needn’t have worried-it was even better than I remembered!
This beautifully written story of evil in a small town has a lot in common with Stephen King’s IT as far as the small town portion goes. Derry and Milburn are similar in a lot of ways. Despite the title, this book isn’t really a ghost story. Just like in IT, IT isn’t really a clown.
Ghost Story is about a small group of men who made a mistake in their youth and rather than face up to it, they went about hiding it instead. This leads to consequences none of them could have possibly foreseen. But WE can see those consequences, and unfortunately, they are often deadly.
GHOST STORY was my favorite novel for many years-mostly because of the intricacy of it. The stories of these men, the stories about the relatives of these men, and the stories about the town itself, wind around and through each other-to me it’s like a beautifully woven tapestry of art. I have to think that the author had it all planned out from the very beginning, otherwise how could it have been so wonderfully done?
This book isn’t for everyone, and I get that. (It wasn’t even for me at one time, it took me three tries to get into it back in the day.) For those people that it DOES work for? They will sit back when they’re done, just like I did, and marvel at the skill on display here.
My highest recommendation!
*I’ve purchased this book 3 times so far, (my original copy was lost), then I bought a paperback copy, but the print was too small, so I purchased a Kindle copy. I’d buy it again, if I had to!*
I almost didn’t make it past the beginning, but it is NOT WHAT IT SEEMS. And when you learn what’s really going on, it’s bone-chilling. Ghost Story is a fascinating tale about a group of friends trying to forget a spooky past until it comes back to haunt them. It’s a perfect chilly winter read.
For the aging members of the Chowder Society, the gatherings to tell ghost stories is a cherished event, until the deaths and nightmares start to occur. A guarded secret from the past slowly emerges. Are the gruesome ends and haunted dreams a result of a wronged spirit’s wrath?
Author Straub takes us on an unnerving journey between the past and present as we learn more about the lives of the friends and the deeds that have taken them to the edge of darkness. Will they be able to rectify the sins of the past, or pay the ultimate price?
Ghost Story is a chilling tale of spiritual revenge, with many gripping moments. A complex, supernatural read, perfect for those dark and stormy nights!
The elderly members of The Chowder Society meet regularly to tell each other stories, but after one of their number dies, the stories become more ghoulish in nature. More disturbingly, each of the remaining members begins to experience similar, nightmarish, dreams. Contacting the nephew of their dead friend, they find he also has something to contribute to their shared nocturnal visions, forcing them to explore people and events from their collective past—a past they’d much rather forget.
The book begins with a tale that at first appears to have no relation to the rest of the novel—a man who has apparently kidnapped a young girl, sets off across the country for reasons we aren’t told. This is the author’s way of hooking us in with a puzzle, while he takes his time revealing the rest of this spooky tale.
‘Ghost Story’ isn’t the easiest book to read, not least because of its tendency to go off at a tangent. Many of the episodes that make up the plot seem, at first, to be unconnected with what’s going on in the town of Millburn, but as the main characters get pulled into the events and the strange deaths occurring in the town, the tension begins to mount. While the book isn’t scary in the same way as other classic horror novels are, there’s a creepiness to it that is undeniably disturbing. As the narrative proceeds, the author gradually draws the many strands of the plot together, and at the same time, ups the eeriness stakes to such a degree that I reached a point where I couldn’t allow myself to put the book down until I reached the end.
Written in the late seventies, this is an epic of creeping horror that has influenced many other writers (Stephen King included) and is a must for fans of all things scary. Though occasionally confusing and complex, the storytelling is superb and left me feeling like I’d experienced something special.
Currently re-reading Ghost Story by Peter Straub. I like to spice things up in the summer by reading ghost stories – but only during the daylight!
I loved this book 25 years ago, I remember being scared. I am planing to reread very soon
One of the best ghost stories ever written in my opinion.
This story has a really good ending with lots of twists and turns.
It was very scary but I couldn’t stop reading the book. I had to find out how it ended. I have read this book twice now and finally bought it.
An old-school ghost story that plays a long game, which I mean both literally and figuratively!
I have read and re-read this so many times and satisfyingly each time. Good scary times!
Unpopular opinion:
Much like a corpse dragged out of a car submersed in water, this story was bloated and it stank.
Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps I’m annoyed that I actually bought the book. I almost gave up on it but figured it would get better.
It really didn’t.
Not very scary…too many irrelevant characters…and endless prose that made me question if he got paid by the word.
And the ending? Really?
I read this book years ago, and still haven’t forgotten it. It was so scary I didn’t want to be alone. My husband told me to stop reading, to just throw it away; but it was so good I couldn’t stop reading . Then I gave it to my sister-in-law. My husband asked her what she thought of it. Her eyes got big, and she said “That book messes with your mind”.
One of his best.
This story changes (characters I mean) on every page. Which is fine, but one page says Edward is dead and then he’s alive. I understand he and all the dead people come back, but this book is very uneasy to read. It never reached a peak, and the end was just as mixed-up as the beginning. I tried to use my imagination, just to come to a happy ending, however there is no happy ending.
Thanks
Exceptional writing.
Beautifully written.