The Good House

By: Tananarive Due

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 21 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Tananarive Due, author of The Living Blood won the American Book Award and is praised as Stephen King's equal by Publishers Weekly. In The Good House, Due sets a story of ancient powers and modern retribution in a small Pacific Northwest town. When a young woman returns to her grandmother's empty mansion, she is pitted against demonic forces that have poisoned her family for generations.

©2003 Tananarive Due (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Due handles the potentially unwieldy elements of her novel with confidence, cross-cutting smoothly from past to present, introducing revelatory facts that alter the interpretation of earlier scenes and interjecting powerfully orchestrated moments of supernatural horror that sustain the tale's momentum....[Due is] a writer who grows better with each book." (Publishers Weekly)

Very Enjoyable listen!

Best narrator so far! Looking forward to hearing Robin Miles again!!! Really took me in.

mispronunciations

I am not quite halfway through the book and am enjoying it very much. The narrator does a very good job with one exception. Local place names are consistently mispronounced. Longview happens to be my hometown so I am aware of the errors that others might not notice. Granted, Skamakowa is not the easiest name to figure out (ska-mock'-away) but I feel it is important for readers to do their research before reading. I have run across this same type of error in the past and find it distracts from the story. All that said, I will continue to listen and if the second half is as good as the first, I will also continue to enjoy this book.

Taut Supernatural Thriller

Would you listen to The Good House again? Why?

Not really. Once you know the resolution, it's hard to relive it.

Would you be willing to try another book from Tananarive Due? Why or why not?

Yes, she writes with elegance and weaves her many characters in with skill.

Which character – as performed by Robin Miles – was your favorite?

It's hard to choose, because she is so talented that she brought each character alive. It was difficult to believe that she was the same person - from Grandma Marie's island lilt to the streetwise attitude of Angela's son - Robin Miles has an amazing range. I would happily hear another book narrated by her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, as I said, it was somewhat uneven and didn't hold my attention all the time.

Any additional comments?

Tananarive Due is certainly the equal of Stephen King, writing with a discipline that he often lacks, especially at the end of the book.

Outstanding

Reading horror has never engaged my interest as reading material. I read Freedom in the Family by Tananarive and her mom and was impressed. She mentions writing and since I liked Freedom, I decided to read this.

The story builds slowly and engages you. I loved the character development. Before I knew it I could not put it down. I can't wait to see what she will write next!

Brilliant.. and then the ending!

from the start i knew i was going to give this one a 5 stars, but then the ending just ruined it for me. still a good read.

Intresting, very intresting

Not what I expected. Story of a land and a family, and curse that follows them through out generations. At some points its confusing because it jumps back and forth between times, but the narrator does a good job of changes the voices that tell you there is a change. The narrator does a good job through out the whole book of the different characters male and female. the author does a good job of stringing you along leaving you with hints and wanting to know more, all the way to the end... and then end... NOT AT ALL what I was expecting, its a game changer to the whole story.

Good story

A bit wordy and dragged towards the end but a worthwile read-enjoyed the narrator

It scared the sh*t out of me

I had no idea what I was buyin, but I soon found out. This book scared me so bad. I don't do demon possession, and had I known I would not have bought it. It was a good book, despite it scarin me. Angela and her family spend a summer in Sacajawea, Washington in her late grandmothers home, and a chain of events happen that changes many lives, forever.

Made me fall in love with horror again.

Don't let the length scare you away; there are better frights to be had. Everything has its place in the narrative, and Due carefully guides us back and forth through time and dimension. This story is captivating, chilling, and empowering.

very enjoyable, unlike anything else I have read

well written, engaging and memorable characters. I've not read anyyhing by this author and tried this as a recommendation after finishing peter straub's ghost story (great btw). the tone and style felt really fresh and I was hooked on the story early although the supernatural element was more slow burn than I expected. that said, the pace was perfect for building that sense of suspensful creepy paranoia that keeps me returning to this genre. highly recommended.