Night Film

A Novel

By: Marisha Pessl

Narrated by: Jake Weber

Length: 23 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Brilliant, haunting, breathtakingly suspenseful, Night Film is a superb literary thriller by the New York Times best-selling author of the "blockbuster debut" (People) Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive, cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova - a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than 30 years.

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world.

The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more.

Night Film, the gorgeously written, spellbinding new novel by the dazzlingly inventive Marisha Pessl, will hold you in suspense to the final minute.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2013 Marisha Pessl (P)2013 Random House Audio

A fantastic book that is absolutely ruined in the last 20 mins

I loved this book. Very gripping and with a great mystery. The horror aspects were ok, but because the novel has many visuals that we can’t see with this version. I’m not sure how scary it actually is, but this audio version is still great. The thriller and mystery aspect is still wonderful, and I was so satisfied with the ending, even tho it was kinda spoon-fed. Loved how every character ended. And then it kept going. And going. And absolutely ruined the whole arc of the main character. This book is like eating at a 5 star restaurant only to get violent food poisoning at desert. Not even desert, but the after dinner mint. An unnecessary addition of an otherwise great meal that taints the good parts. I don’t even know how to rate it. Everything before the last 20 or so minutes is 9.5/10. Some characters are a bit bland, and the main character can be a bit dramatic in his monologue, but I can totally justify that as us seeing the world through his eyes. Everyone is boring and sad until he finishes his development and sees the world in a new light. His flare for being dramatic is a flaw. I justified this and loved the book. The ending is 0/10 for me. Taints the whole story. The other is obviously very talented, I don’t know how those last 20 mins made it too print

Good but fluffy

I liked the characters and thought the story line was pretty good. It was well written but drawn out at parts, upped the speed of narration to get through some of the fluff.

Too long

Too long for what was delivered. The twists in the story turned out to be nothing. This was a tedious book.

Not My Cup of Tea

As a fan of mystery thrillers and some supernatural fare, I decided to give this listen a go. While I found the delivery by Jake Weber to be excellent, I found the overall story way to long and the ending just did not satisfy me. Not to give too much away for those who find such fare entertaining, the story centers around the suicide of the young daughter of a reclusive film director. The story centers on an investigative writer digging for the reason of the young girls death. Following a long, and sometimes draggy storyline, we reach a possible conclusion that turns sideways at the end, leaving the listener attempting to guess or filling in their own version of what is real or unreal with the plot. It just did not feel very satisfying to me considering the time invested in listening.

Do I Dare...

Scott, Hopper, and Nora, family till the end. May they all find their way home.

A little long but keeps you on the edge

It was easy to listen to it love the narrators voice. Some of the notes and things were boring but I enjoyed the story. I was disappointed with the ending. the book was so long and there was so much information that the ending came up short and you never learn the truth.

Good Story but not at all Scary

I am amazed at the number of reviewers who said this book would make you grab your pillow, have sleepless nights, get goosebumps. Not at all. Is it interesting? Yes. Are there many moments when I am not sure what is real and what isn't? Yes. But not scary.

(If you want to be scared, read "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King, or read "Relic" and "Reliquary" by Preston & Child.)

I enjoyed it, I recommend it, and I will miss the main characters, especially Nora.

P.S. If you like narratives that tie up all loose threads by the final pages, do not read this book.

Excellent thriller!

I loved so much about this, from the atmosphere to the way all the extra media helps flesh out the world. Even the movies made by the mysterious director sound amazing and like movies I’d really want to see in real life. I like where the book ultimately went, although there were some strange late-book twists and turns I’m not sure I loved, but it is an overall awesome read/listen.

A M A Z I N G!!!!!

I raved and raved about this book as I was listening to it. the author has such a way with words and does an AMAZING job with each characters different voice, the words they use, how they speak, it all just fits them perfectly. it's a perfect mix of all things, mystery, thriller, action, love. the added media that goes along with the book is such a cool feature but not necessarily something you HAVE to look at if you're listening while driving or working. everything about this is perfect.

What's Real?

Night Film was easily one of the best books I've read; not just for 2013, but ever. It has easily made it's way into my top 10 list of all time great books.

While I read Night Film at the end of August, I find it still haunting me as I write this review. This, for me, is one of the true tests of a great book. I can't quite get it out of my head.

Night Film is narrated by the gifted Jake Weber; currently best know for his role on "The Medium", but also credited with countless other movie and television performances. Mr. Weber plays the role of Scott McGrath flawlessly; and as the story is told in first person narrative, it takes on an especially personal tone as he tells the story. He allows the tale to shine through as it slowly, hauntingly, and sometimes terrifyingly weaves it's way through the mystery that is the apparent suicide of Ashley Cordova (the daughter of the legendary, reclusive, cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova) and the rebirth of McGrath's investigation into the director himself; an investigation that years prior ruined both his career and reputation.

Nothing is as it seems - or is everything exactly the way it seems? Does the truth, perhaps, lie somewhere in the middle? Your view may shift, as mine did, back and forth as I repeatedly had to question every assumption and belief I had formed, over and over again, as new information - sometimes truth, sometimes a lie - is layered into the disturbing file of interviews, experiences, and information we gather with McGrath.

The story makes you feel part of this haunting decent into uncertainty you spiral through. By the end, I was uncomfortable, disturbed, fascinated... and satisfied.

The book comes with countless old photographs, magazine articles, and other clippings from the past that make both the investigation and our belief in the mythology of the background all the more real. If you choose to experience the book via the audio version, please note that when you download the book from your library on Audible.com there is also a supplemental PDF Download link offered directly under the title of the book. This will be especially important for your enjoyment of the first small section of the story as it steps you through a New York Times article regarding Ashley's death, and a Time Magazine Photo Spread of historical photos of the Cordova family.

I hope that if you choose to read this book in any form, you enjoy it even a fraction as much as I did. I can tell you that I gave 4 copies as gifts, and all 4 people loved the book as much as I did. Again, I encourage you to experience the story as only Jake Weber can tell it - but no matter what format you choose, prepare to have the experience stay with you for the foreseeable future.