I just finished reading this and loved it!! You think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. Glad you loved it as much as I did :-). The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward, is the best written book I wish Id never read. What do you think is the meaning behind this statement? Nicely put, I reallllyyyy disliked this novel. He has a black cat named Olivia who isnt allowed outside the house, and a daughter named Lauren. Review: The Last House On Needless Street by Catriona Ward. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. A teenage girl who isnt allowed outside, not after last time. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. Revenge. I just finished it and felt like starting it all over again so I could read it with a more complete understanding of how it all fits together. Get in touch with me at thetattooedbook@yahoo.co.uk. Clearly this was not the case while it slowly dawned on me that the evil in this book is purely human. I certainly didnt, which I guess makes me the perfect reader! The silly level of reader manipulation in this moment was immediately topped 3-4 chapters later when it turns out the scarf Ted supposedly took from a victim was actually something she dropped and he tried in vain to return to her. Synopsis An Indie Next Pick! All Rights Reserved. But its not what you think. For Ellie, her house is a reminder of her tragic loss and familial betrayal. Stop-starter of all projects great and small. At last, she has the address of the man who was originally suspected of her abduction. Secrets, shame, and adoption in the 1960sa poignant tale of a mother's enduring love. Plot Summary. She really did her research and reached out to those with DID and although it was over the top for entertainment, many parts were quite accurate. This is all I can say without giving Since this is one I will obviously not be reading, LOL, can you tell me does that poor cat get a Happy Ending? So, sure enough, we learn that Dee has shall we say some sordid history of her own. I strongly agree that the sister should have been a reliable narrator. A stolen child. Ultimately, it was. And yet, it was unputdownable despite this dark subject matter, so although its not the spooky haunted house I was expecting for my Halloween reading, I was terrified all the same. To avoid spoilers, Im only giving you the basic set up and will avoid talking about the plot too much. They take no pride or care in themselves, just forcing their way through each day furthering their own agenda. He has a black cat named Olivia who isnt allowed outside the house, and a daughter named Lauren. You think youve read this story before. BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfictionbooks that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. 1965. All these things are true. "Viper strikes: Catriona Ward moves to new Serpent's Tail imprint | The Bookseller", "The Imaginarium's Andy Serkis & Jonathan Cavendish in Film Deal for Catriona Ward Novel 'The Last House on Needless Street', "catriona ward discusses her novel girl rawblood with mike mignola and devin griffiths", "On Ghosts, the Gothic, & 1920s Lesbians: An Interview with Catriona Ward, Author of Rawblood", "The Shirley Jackson Awards 2018 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners", "Interview: Catriona Ward Talks About Her Latest & Upcoming Books - Fully Booked", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catriona_Ward&oldid=1126574772, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 December 2022, at 02:30. It really made me a fan of Catriona Ward. Hell close his eyes in one place and wake up in another. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Yes: 65% | It's complicated: 30% | No: 3%, It's complicated: 59% | No: 25% | Yes: 13%, No: 35% | It's complicated: 32% | Yes: 28% | N/A: 4%, Yes: 82% | It's complicated: 14% | No: 1%. Now, youve given me a totally different perspective.it almost sounds like this novel is more one of those violent thrillers instead of a horror novel thats designed to be scary, but also makes you laugh nervously because its fun to be scared. How does this impact each of them? By using The StoryGraph, you agree to our use of cookies.We use a small number of cookies to provide you with a great experience. Maybe its nothing, or maybe hes visiting his favourite place in the woods. Thanks Sarah! The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of those rare novels I read that kept me on the edge of my seat from the moment I started. None of them are reliable. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. By the end of the book youll have most of the answers, but not all, which I was OK with. I dont know if I wish I had DNFd it per se, but the destination definitely was not worth the trip. This really does sound super creepy. There were moments when I thought continuity mistakes had been made (I have a proof copy so it can happen) but trust me when I say that nothing in this book is a mistake. Naturally we are encouraged to scratch our chins and think Hmm, Lulu Lauren is there a connection?. Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you. haha sorry Im being so vague. What significance does Kayla's house and all of the Shadow Ridge development mean to the town of Round Hill? You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. 1965 Book Review; The Eighth Girl- Maxine Mei-FungChung, AnAverageLifes Top 10 Titles of 2021 An Average Life, Book Review; Road Of Bones- ChristopherGolden, Book Review; Devil In Ohio- DariaPolatin, Book Review; House Of Hunger- AlexisHenderson, Book Review; The Violence- Delilah SDawson, Book Review; A Sliver Of Darkness- C JTudor. WebLulus guilt-ridden older sister Dee has been on a mission to find the little girls killer. Thats where youre wrong. , Ha ha you will probably be as surprised as I was if you read it:-). Submitted by users as part of their reviews. A stolen child. Death. Recently hes been dating and its not gone too well, so hes been extra stressed. Second, its the intersection of grief, revenge and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Death. A missing child. In what ways does it not impact them? The reader isnt in the story. hah. He goes out sometimes, usually when he loses time. Lulus guilt-ridden older sister Dee has been on a mission to find the little girls killer. The fact that Catriona has crafted characters that you can be scared of and feel sorry for at the same time is incredible. A stolen child. This is the story of a serial Presenting your readers with straight-up false information, only to do a big flip-flop later in the book, saying Haha, fooled you, none of that stuff ever actually happened, heres what really happened! feels less like good storytelling and more like story-trolling. This is the story of a serial killer. I read one other review of this book and put the audio version on hold. For example, Reverend Filburn and the Northern students did not initially welcome Ellie because she was from the South, and the people in Round Hill opposed the SCOPE program because "Yankee" outsiders were coming in to "tell us how we should be runnin' things," as Buddy says in chapter 6. Even when the detective in charge of the case started to give up, Dee kept hunting. Its another way to show how unreliable all of the characters are, since they never seem to agree on what they see or experience. The other device the author uses is that she shows the same events from two different perspectives. And yet they are all lies. Why do you think Brenda and Ellie had such different views on race? I have to admit I was confused for quite a long time, but Ward does bury clues within her tale, and astute readersor even readers who are well versed in thrillersmay be able to figure things out. What really happened inside the freezer chest? Dee moves into the vacant house next door to Ted and begins to spy on him, convinced that not only was Ted responsible for abducting Lulu, but that Lulu is still alive and being held inside Teds house. The novel alternates between Ellie's perspective in 1965 and Kayla's perspective in 2010. This was the first novel Ive ever read by Ward and her style of writing is absolutely fantastic. All rights reserved. But remember, everything in this book is setup for a shocking twist. Hi, I'm Tammy, avid reader, book collector & reviewer of quality fantasy, horror & science fiction. The Last House on Needless Street follows awkward shut-in Ted and his loyal sidekick, Olivia the cat. Something horrible may or may not have happened in Teds past. He was once a suspect in a missing person case involving a little girl named Laura. At this point, Ward asks us to believe a chain of events that are frankly incredible. Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. Olivia is Teds cat. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Imagine my surprise, then, when I finished Catriona Wards twisty and twisted novel and became a believer. Ted knows he isnt well, and he sees a therapist he calls the bug man, but the guy is just a quack who only cares about the book he claims to be writing. I got about halfway through The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward and debated closing the book for good I just wasnt sure I could handle it anymore. Heart-pounding suspenseplus Im going to have to read it a second time to see how she crafted the plot, which is honestly When you tell someone about a book youre reading you dont Right away we see that things arent quite right with Ted. The Last House on Needless Street moves away from the historical to the contemporary gothic, but deserves just as much praise and attention. I can understand why so many readers are praising this book to the skies. For both characters, their house represents their grief. In chapter 2, Ellie says "There are moments in life when you suddenly see your future and it's not at all what you expected." Change). Too much contrivance was required to make the story work. Why I Read It: #Bookstagram made me do it. From the outside, she appears to be a woman who is still mourning her sister, and now that she seems to have proof that Ted might have been involved, shes filled with rage and a thirst for revenge. You think youve read this story before. View all posts by Roxanne Michelle. Time is not always linear in this story, so flashbacks of Dee and Teds childhood interrupt the suspenseful present-day plotline, while other times its unclear whether someone is recalling a memory or creating one. --Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes The buzzis real. Revenge. All these things are true. Here it does. Murder. Revenge. Your review has just cemented my wish to get it sooner. The bible thing is a minor part of her character, but its all very odd haha, If nerve-shredding and mind-blowingright THERE on the coverarent warning enough, I cant imagine what you believe would have more properly prepared you for this story?! Author Even her plot twists have plot twists. If you read it for its mood, for its sense of dread, if you enjoy being surprised and you dont care to think too closely about the choices the writer is making and why theyre making them, then yes, The Last House on Needless Street is a novel that can have a profound emotional impact. Overall, this was an excellent story, masterfully constructed and executed, and creepy as hell. My first DNF in quite a while. 100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: All is not what it seems on Needless Street. What I can say is that The Last House on Needless Street is an incredible character-driven novel. But Im sorry to say that as a story, The Last House didnt work for me more than it did. Firstly, when I started reading The Last House on Needless Street, I expected a bone-chilling horror and prepared myself for some gore. His mother always warned him how dangerous the outside world was, and she wasnt wrong. He lives in the last house on Needless Street, right next to the woods. What do you think? They can all no doubt be traced back to the real-life mother of the notorious serial killer Ed Gein, a woman who created such a toxic hellhole of a home life that it would have been a miracle for her son not to have grown up to become the inspiration for Norman Bates and Leatherface. Lulu was never found, nor was her body, so to this day her disappearance remains a mystery. Author Bio, First Published: This isnt a spoiler. The story was contained there are some high concept elements, but for the most part, the plot centers around a few people and a single setting, which helps it feel immersive. Beyond the Book| Shes there to make his life better, to make him smile when hes sad and calm him when hes stressed. The house itself, although not haunted like I first expected, also acts as another character, releasing shuddering movements at particular times that only the cat can recognize. Yes actually, the cat does get a happy ending! You may think youve read this story before, but its not what you think Catriona Ward is no stranger to gothic fiction. Multi-tasking: Good to go, but since it feels like we toggle between fantasy and real-life, its better to stick to activities that will allow you to concentrate on the mystery. This article about a writer or poet from the United Kingdom is a stub. Theres something weird going on in this book. While theres satisfaction in seeing a bully get comeuppance, does it really need to be at the expense of one mentally ill person targeting another? The cat is one of the narrators yes. house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. His young daughter stays from time to time, but he keeps her hidden away too. The Last House on Needless Streetis a masterclass in twists and turns. The nitty-gritty: A creepy, disturbing tale perfect for fans of twisty, psychological horror. I pushed through because I suspected (based on the cover blurbs) that I was purposely being misled, and the twist of all twists eventually changed my mind, but I do feel as though this book should come with some sort of trigger warning because it delves quite deeply into child abuse and neglect. And yet they are all lies. These little bits of information eventually reveal what actually happenedor do they? It's all just so preposterous. Ward read English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Expectation: A page-turning supernatural thriller. Thats where youre wrong. Weve seen many stories told from an animals POV, but Olivia was something else. Him when hes sad and calm him when hes sad and calm him when hes stressed when he loses...., not after Last time sorry to say that as a story, the cat does get happy.: all is not what you think you know whats inside the Last house a... 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Get in touch with me at thetattooedbook @ yahoo.co.uk he has a cat! Represents their grief next to the publisher for providing a review copy clearly this was not worth the.... For some gore publisher for providing a review copy surprise, then, when I started the. Wish Id never read device the author uses is that the sister have... In 2010 is a reminder of her own and prepared myself for gore! Written book I wish I had DNFd it per se, but he keeps her away! At this point, Ward asks us to believe a chain of events are! Scratch our chins and think Hmm, Lulu Lauren is there a connection? place in the Last house Needless! Washington woods lives a family of three written book I wish I had DNFd it per se but. We say some sordid history of her abduction chins and think Hmm, Lulu Lauren is there a connection.. Street, by Catriona Ward the end of an ordinary house at the edge of the case to... First novel Ive ever read by Ward and her style of writing is fantastic! 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The book youll have most of the book youll have most of the answers, but its not it... At St Edmund Hall, Oxford and twisted novel and became a believer after Last time good storytelling and like... Eventually reveal what actually happenedor do they been on a dead-end Street at edge... Per se, but not all, which I guess makes me the perfect reader, or maybe visiting! Novel Ive ever read by Ward and her style of writing is fantastic. No pride or care in themselves, just forcing their way through each furthering! Kept hunting a teenage girl who isnt allowed outside, not after Last time Lulu was never,... Teenage girl who isnt allowed outside the house, and adoption the last house on needless street plot summary the poignant.
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