The Man in the Picture Hardcover – September 4, 2008

On a freezing January night Oliver visits his old tutor Theo in Cambridge. Seated near a briskly burning fire with drinks within reach, the old bachelor, who has lived there for over 50 years, prepares to tell Oliver the story of the late 18th-century painting that hangs almost invisible between two bookcases. Oliver walks over and is instantly enthralled.Young Theo was a keen buyer and seller of old drawings and paintings at auctions. This piece is a detailed crowd scene of carnival in Venice, à la Breughel or Hieronymus Bosch with lots of things going on at once. After the auction, Theo was accosted by an excited man commissioned to buy the work, who arrived late; he wants to buy it from Theo at any price. Theo had been mysteriously drawn to it during viewing hours and the incident fortified his resolve: he will not sell it, never, ever.Susan Hill (SH) describes the painting from the perspective of four main characters. Some report having detected whiffs of newly-dried paint, and/or have seen the terrified faces of recently, suddenly passed-away loved ones trapped in the painting. The four accounts are an incomplete history of how the painting may have blighted the lives of many generations of owners. The oldest reference is of its having been a wedding present from a young lady who hoped to be the bride herself...I am no expert of this genre. SH is a gifted plotter and good on atmosphere in Cambridge and North Yorkshire and Venice is described as dangerous. The novella is timeless, but a chance mention of a mobile phone reveals it occurred yesterday. There are other issues. One smart reader wrote that it reads like a first draft with many loose ends. He/she is right. Some scenes are Gothic page-fillers going nowhere. Oliver's future wife is introduced much too late in the book. And why does Theo, aware of the painting's evil past, bequeath it to Oliver? Neither Oliver nor Theo see the end of the story. Ideal for reading groups and to reread solo.

Susan Hill's "Woman in Black" represents the classic English ghost story; that inimitable tale that conjures up not campfires and guys with hooks for hands, but drafty rooms in country manors on cold nights, snifters of brandy around the dim light of a fireplace's dying embers. That the theatric version Of "WiB" has been running for nearly twenty years on London's Drury Lane is a testament to Susan's Hill's ability to create sheer terror through sparse prose and minimal trappings.Theo Parmitter is an ancient Cambridge professor and still the perennial favorite of generations of former students who still compete for a seat next to him at the table wen returning to visit. "Married" to the university and its cloistered life, Parmitter's passion is collecting art. Decades earlier he obtains an unremarkable but strangely alluring painting of a carnival scene in Venice, eventually learning that the painting has a sinister history that promises a dark future for those who come into ins possession. As Parmitter recounts the story of the painting to a former student, the malevolence of the painting and its violent history are slowly revealed.Unlike the period setting of "Woman in Black," "The Man in the Picture" is contemporary, but follows the same formula: a narrative recounting the seemingly routine events of an earlier time building gradually to horror. But unlike "Woman," "Man in the Picture" produces a lighter level of fear, more cerebral and less direct; a well-told and well-executed story, but not one that will reverberate in bad dreams or keep the lights on at night. This is a quick read - not much more than an ambitious short story - that starts strong but suffers from an ending that falls short of an intriguing set up. Notwithstanding, Susan Hill is a master at her craft, and any fan of old-school, pre-slasher horror fiction will want to keep this one on their short list.

Susan Hill's latest novella recalls the famous Edwardian ghost stories of M. R. James and the Benson brothers as much as her famous previous short novel THE WOMAN IN BLACK recalled the Victorian ghost stories of Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Henry James and John Meade Falkner. We have here many of the more familiar tropes of M. R. James's ghost stories--tales within tales, multiple narrators, bachelor antiquarians in rooms at Oxbridge, and a woman possessed by a burning revenge--and in terms of atmosphere Hill is pretty faultless. But the novella leaves too much unclear in its telling. Although you want a certain amount of mystery preserved at the end of a ghost story, there's just too much muddled at the end of this to really get the effects Hill strives for--so while most of the story is quite a page turner, the final narrative section leaves you a bit unsatisfied.

I am a huge fan of supernatural books like Hill's The Woman in Black. That actually may be my all time favorite. Because I enjoyed her style in that book, I thought that I would give this one a try. It is a very quick read but it is not the most exciting story. I would recommend it because it is a creepy tale, but it's flat. It is something that I would re-tell around a camp fire, in less than 15 minutes. I would recommend it as a one-time read that I don't regret buying, but unfortunately, I doubt I would read it again.

This story contained all the elements of a classic ghost story. The ancient circumstances, the old mansion, an old woman remembering the love of her youth, and the lost husband. It takes on the romance and mystery of Venice. At the end you feel you cAn imagine the terrible events, even if you can not explain what has happened

Bought this for Christmas, curled up after the family went home and finished it in a couple of hours. I do wish it had been longer, but it was a really good story.

It's a good ghost story and a nice short read, but if you've read "Woman in Black" or have seen the film, you can probably guess how this will end. Ms. Hill seems to have a fixation on doomed relationships and bitter, spurned women. Too formulaic for my tastes, but if you want a quick read that will give you a sense of unease and you don't mind seeing the end coming from a mile away, by all means have at it.

This is the second book by Susan hill I have read recently, the other being The Man in the Mist, sadly I have enjoyed neither. This lady has a way with words, she writes extensive descriptions which create an atmosphere of suspense which compels the reader to go on page turnings before they realise that what they are reading is merely a very formulaic story, set about with many pretty words. By the time I was half way through this book I had guessed the “twist” and turned to the last page. I won’t buy Susan hill again. Her style of writing could be compared to a beautifully wrapped empty box - nice outside but nothing within

Having previously read ( and thoroughly enjoyed) ' The Woman in Black' ( 5 stars) I was eager to find out if I would be pleased by this book .I wasn't disappointed !The two books share several of the same positive virtues . Both are easy to engage with from the off .Both are written in a style that creates both atmosphere and intrigue .This book is also a short novel (145 pages) and in common with 'The Woman in Black' it is thankfully devoid of any unnecessary salaciousness and swearing . Also the print size , spacing and layout make for a trouble free ( no eye strain required) reading experience. Initially I had felt slightly bewildered and a little confused right at the very end of the story on my first reading of the book . Did I miss something ? This concern , however, doesn't detract too much from the fact that I had so much pleasure reading the book prior to this point .I recently decided to re-read the novel for a second time and I actually enjoyed it more second time around .I also read more of Susan Hill's ghost stories between my two readings of 'The Man in the Picture'. Susan Hill has proven to be one of my favourite authors and as well as 'Dolly' and 'The Woman in Black' I can also recommend 'The Man in the Picture' for readers who appreciate atmospheric ghost stories written in a classic style . I am looking forward to reading more of her ghost themed novels and I have ordered 'The Small Hand' .Susan has shown herself to be a quality writer who we can confidently trust to deliver the goods !

This is an interesting story which is easily read and paints a lovely evocative portrait of Venice. I much enjoyed reading it, but I have got a couple of issues with it. (1) Susan Hill always writes the same types of ghost stories - it's as if a ghost story cannot function unless it is set in an olde worlde setting which harks back to Cambridge dons in their comfortable rooms surrounded by whiskey and in front of a warm fire with the fogs of the fens drifting around outside the latticed windows. I agree that this setting makes for a good ghost story, but surely there's something else that can add the chills? All of these ghost stories are starting to read as if they have the same narrative voice, despite being spoken by a diverse range of characters. (2) I agree with another Amazon reviewer - the revelation that Oliver has a fiancee he intends to marry feels "tacked on". The ending reads a little hurried as if we were making up word count at the end. (3) Probably nobody knows the Gothic genre like Hill, and this story really reminded me of Charlotte Dacre's early 19th Century gothic novel, Zofloya. The Venetian setting and the abandoned and vengeful haughty lover was really redolent of characters and settings within Zofloya. The story isn't exactly the same, but it is very reminiscent of it. These three points aside, and the last isn't even intended as a criticism as lots of novels owe a debt of inspiration to other earlier works, this is a very enjoyable story to read. At 77 pence on Kindle, it's definitely good value.

I am a Susan Hill reader, particularly the Simon S series where I await every new book.This was different, I bought and read it some time ago and it is now with a friend - but I DO want it back!HAVE NEVER BEEN TO VENICE AND WONT GO NOW! I found this quite creepy and could really imagine myself in this situation of panic.I have travelled to S American countries,(Voodoo) N.Orleans and Savannah (Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil) all has been logically resolved at the end; this leaves an unresolved situation (somewhat like the 1922 photograph in The Shining) making for an uncomfortable ending, probably more unsettling even than The Woman in Black (where I only enjoyed the stage version as I already had my own mental pictures from Susan's excellent descriptive writing of the book).

Like "The Women in Black", this story is written firmly in the Victorian tradition of ghost stories, both in content and style. The story is well told but I felt that it was very familiar and that there were no unexpected revelations as it unfolded. It seemed to me rather insubstantial for a novel length tale but quite enjoyable, nevertheless. Little Devil  : A book for young readers about mischief, temptation and personal responsibility. The Hidden Crown : A high fantasy complete with princesses and dragons for readers over 10 years. Labyrinth : An interactive fantasy for older children. (Can you find your way out?) Little DevilThe Hidden CrownLabyrinth