The Ghostly Rental

By: Henry James

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

Length: 1 hr and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

A young theology student discovers an old house while on his daily walks. There appears to be no one living there but something about the house strikes the young man as strange. After observing an old man entering the house, the student eventually befriends the man in order to discover what he can about the old house besides the gossip in the town. The old man once owned the house but now only visits it briefly four times per year. He claims to have killed his daughter with harsh words and now she haunts the house but agrees to meet him four times per year so that she may pay him rent. In return, he is not to inhabit the house. This tale is as much a story of the psychology of people as it is of ghosts. How much do grief, ego, spite, and revenge play into our ideas of ghosts and being 'haunted'? This was an early Henry James story before he wrote "Turn of the Screw."

Public Domain (P)2014 Lee Ann Howlett

Compelling Ghost Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would. The saying goes that guilt cannot change the past only clutter up the future, and this is certainly true in this story. Also, remorse is a very powerful emotion!
This is a fairly short story, written by the young Henry James before he wrote his famous "Turn of the Screw."

Wandering down a disused road, a young man, new to the area, spots an old house which has a certain air about it. With his interest sparked, he asks around locally for information, and what he hears leads him to want to know more about its owner Captain Diamond
He introduces himself, a friendship develops, and then he learns more about the things which have happened in the past, why the old man visits four times a year, and why he is sure that ghosts do really exist.

Have you listened to any of Lee Ann Howlett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first narration I have heard from the talented Lee Ann Howlett. Through her wonderful storytelling, the characters come to life and we step back in time to an era long past, and discover that things are not always what they seem…

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No I did not have an extreme reaction but it was very good.

2 people found this helpful

A pleasant listen

This lesser known Henry James ghost story is told by a young theology student. The female reader does an adequate job. I recommend it to James fans.