The Small Hand

By: Susan Hill

Narrated by: Cameron Stewart

Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Late one summer evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow is returning from a client visit when he takes a wrong turn. He stumbles across a derelict Edwardian house, and compelled by curiosity, approaches the door. Standing before the entrance, he feels the unmistakable sensation of a small cold hand creeping into his own, ‘as if a child had taken hold of it’.

At first he is merely puzzled by the odd incident but then begins to suffer attacks of fear and panic, and is visited by nightmares. He is determined to learn more about the house. But when he does, he receives further, increasingly sinister, visits from the small hand.

©2010 Susan Hill (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Why?!

Fairly good story- I didn't guess the end, so that counts a lot for me. But I needed just a sentance or two at the end of explanation to make it a more satisfying tale. Alas, I'll just have to go forward with the assumption that some kids are just jerks? Better than Dolly at least!

Left some questions

I wish it had been more lengthy, and more detailed in some parts. I loved the narrator, and overall I enjoyed the story.

Loved it!!

Really liked this story. The narrator was fantastic and the story was a bit spooky with a great twist! No unnecessary sex or gore, just brilliant writing to create a great story.

Not Bad

I saw the title and had a long car ride. I wanted a ghost story to listen to and it started out strong. Unfortunately it didn't stay that way. It's not a bad listen if your looking for something to kill time, but the ending is more than a bit disappointing and I was really hoping it'd go somewhere less obvious. But don't take my word for it, like I said if you have time to kill and want to hear a little ghost story give it a shot.

Vivid Descriptions

This was my first listen by Susan Hill. I look forward to listening to more of her books. What I like most is her vivid descriptions. When Adam Snow was first approaching the White House area, not only could I see the sky, foliage, and gate, but I could feel the breeze and smell the wet of the surrounding woods. Cameron Stewart's narration is perfect.

Excellent story, exemplary narration!

Beautiful, timeless ghost story that held my attention throughout. The settings were important to the storyline, well-known gardens, a seculded monastery which provides refuge, dark and twisting country roads with frightening apparitions. This story is based in reality, the ghostly events are confusing and upsetting to participants. Tense, atmospheric, classic. I found the length perfect and resulted in a satisfying and logical ending. The narration added a lot to this story!

A Good Yarn

Typical but interesting Ghost story. Excellent narration. Held my attention but not exactly what I would call spooky. Mostly a literary work punctuated by ghostly events. Worth a read/listen. I do enjoy this author.

Well told tale

Any additional comments?

Like The Woman in Black by the same author, this is a ghost story that is told efficiently and believably, with credible characters. Makes you wonder what you would do if faced with the same spooky circumstances. It's not a long book - under 4 hours, which is makes it enjoyable to get through in a reasonable amount of time. A nice interlude between longer reads. Very well read by the narrator.

The small hand that creeped me out.

What made the experience of listening to The Small Hand the most enjoyable?

The narrator's voice was the most enjoyable part. He told the story so well ,and you could almost feel the emotions he was feeling.

What did you like best about this story?

The ending. I finally learned what the entire story was about and why it happened. I did not guess ahead of time what the ending would be so I really enjoyed that. Susan Hill can build tension in a story very well.

Which character – as performed by Cameron Stewart – was your favorite?

The main character was my favourite. He was easy going and easy to relate to. He is a very straight forward man . It was very refreshing hearing this story from his perspective

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, when he was left the country and went to visit the monastery in the hope of buying the book he was going to view. The eerie moments he had when he was there and the spiritual moments he spent talking to the monks,esp when he told one of them what was happening with him, how he felt he was being haunted.

Any additional comments?

This was a very good book to listen to. I do prefer The Woman In Black but this was very very good too.

Great descriptions of emotions.

Good story. Ending was a surprise. I would have enjoyed a “five years later chapter”.