, Text-to-Speech The 4 narrators were each individually interesting- the red haired fat alcoholic man whose house is all boarded up with just peep holes cut into the plywood; his young daughter that cant leave the house and is prone to fits of anger; his religious cat that reads the Bible; and the older sister of a missing young girl. We have 3 intriguing and compelling main narrators and each one has such an important part to play in the story. A World Fantasy and August Derleth Award Finalist! Its fun to talk about books because it leads you into talking about ideas and reflections. The Last House on Needless Street keeps the reader on the knifes edge of the fantastic for most of the book, which contributes to building the suspense and tension that propels the story forward. Especially the cover artwork. It's the tragic and often heart-wrenching story of a man living with a profound mental illness, and how this illness forces him to navigate his life. They live among the trees, behind a skin so thin you could scratch it open with a fingernail. This engaged me in the narrative to such an extent that I found it hard to put the book down; when I did, I was still trying to untangle the narrative threads in my mind. The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. This is extraordinary, high-wire-act horror, audacious as hell. Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Red Hands"Dark and creepy, sad and wonderfully strange. It is utterly compelling, and it deserves all the praise that it has been getting. The book failed to grab my attention , and after reading the first 50 or so pages I have put it aside. This is a book that you can only see clearly at the very end which means its the kind of book that must be read twice. As the novel begins, it seems that the mystery is about the disappearance of a little girl. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. I've read it and was blown away. I stayed up late to finish it and then I didnt want to go to sleep. Scary to say the least. An unspeakable secret binds them t Read allThe Last House on Needless Street follows Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2023. The deepest parts of this book are heart wrenching and captivating. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Twists and turns. It kept me glued and guessing right up to the endI loved every inch of it." It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end. "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward is one of those rare books you'll read in 2021 that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the moment you start. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Can you tell us something about your next book, Sundial? Said Ward: From the very first, I was bowled over by the Imaginarium team their passion, their dedication and thoughtful approach to this book. Her debut Rawblood (W&N, 2015) won Best Horror Novel at the 2016 British Fantasy Awards, was shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award and a WHSmith Fresh Talent title. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. Book Review: The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward Just when you think youve figured out what is really going on, youll probably realize you were wrong." No ghost walks under the spreading trees. Weight: 340 g. Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 34 mm. by Grady Hendrix Hardcover. Ward is the internationally bestselling author of, is real. I thought of how cold and alone she would be, here in the dark, how the rain would wet her and rot her, how squirrels would chew her beautiful head.It is practice, Mommy said. It makes you feel smart, the way a good detective puts together the clues at the end of a story. I don't doubt that this has or still happens unfortunately. Dee only ever reads this one book. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2021. The New York TimesCatriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.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.An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.The new face of literary dark fiction. Sarah Pinborough, A World Fantasy and August Derleth Award Finalist!An Indie Next Pick! Each plot thread was integral yet interconnected to a hundred others, and each change affected and reverberated through the whole. Both novels are critical darlings & both are horror-adjacent . Of walking away from something you love. Its terrifyingly real and physically upsetting, yet, like the best of the genre, it leaves space for hope to ultimately shine through." Library Journal, starred reviewFull of twists and turns, this high-concept gothic horror is going to be huge. GuardianThe buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2023. This is such a twisted story. She read English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford and is a graduate of the Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia. Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group. The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward, is the best written book I wish Id never read. : Well-written, captivating, you think you know what is about to happen and then the blue, or is it orange, rug odd pulled out from under you! I may try to pick it up again in a few weeks time, but for the time being I feel there are better books to grab my attention and don't want to spend my reading time on this. . What really brought the book together for me was reading the very last ( spoiler). CATRIONA WARD was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. I want you to feel the power of it, she said. 5. I enjoyed learning Teds story bit by bit. I know this genre can have a reputation for vilifying mental illness, especially DID, so I was wary of mental illness coexisting so closely with horror in this novel. The Last House on Needless Street | Bookreporter.com The book is complex in both character motivations and the underlying truth of the matter, and neither is really apparent until the end (although Ward provides numerous tantalising clues throughout). To me it is a tightly woven tale, full of tension and intrigue, with the truth just dangled tantalisingly out of reach. Please try again. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end. Interesting perspective. Fear in the dark is what powered her 2015 gothic horror debut, Rawblood, the follow-up Little Eve, and now her breakout third book, The Last House on Needless Street, published on 18 March. The Last House on Needless Street is a hard read at times. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. , Print length : King said of the gothic tale: "The buzz building. A good decision, I now think! Burning questions keep you plunging forward: Where does Teds daughter go when she goes away? What, exactly, is wrong with Ted? It was like spinning a vast spiderweb. A man recalls a small village and the strange experience he had in a small village that led to the end of his relationship. When you tell someone about a book you're reading you don't recount the plot; you tell them how the book makes you feel, something it makes you think about, or how it causes you to reflect on shared experiences. , Sticky notes After the first quarter of the book I wasnt quite sure why it was considered a horror or modern gothic mystery, but it was obvious that it was building to something more intense, and then about 2/3 through it becomes more and more disturbing and rather sad with a few twists that I didnt see coming. Ive loved Wuthering Heights, even on rereading, but the cruelty in this book is so much more explicit and detailed. the last house on needless street explained Do you believe that this item violates a copyright? Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Once Id read the book, I returned to several sections and appreciated them even more in the light of my new understanding. I recommend giving yourself the time to read the last hundred pages in one go. I've read it and was blown away. I loved Rawblood. As every other reviewer here will say: it's hard to review this book without spoilers. Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger"A risky, gleeful descent into a house without windows or doors. She lives in London and Devon. , Tor Nightfire; 1st edition (September 28, 2021), Publication date 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 isn't allowed outside, not after last time. The characters were amazing and creepy. The book answers all these questions and eventually lets you know that you were asking the wrong questions all along. Please try again. There's a lake at the end of Needless Street, a place families have enjoyed for generations. Haven't read anything this exciting since Gone Girl. Stephen KingSensational.I cant recall another novel in recent years that dares so much and succeeds so wildly. A. I've read it and was blown away. The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward, is the best written book I wish I'd never read. Haven't read anything this exciting since. Unable to add item to List. "The buzzis real. : Everything in life is a rehearsal for loss. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. After the first quarter of the book I wasnt quite sure why it was considered a horror or modern gothic mystery, but it was obvious that it was building to something more intense, and then about 2/3 through it becomes more and more disturbing and rather sad with a few twists that I didnt see coming. Somehow the ending is peaceful and happy, which isnt cheesy in this case because everyone in the novel has endured such hardship that a peaceful ending is the least they all deserve. Ward writes, What was Dee feeds the earth. Of walking away from something you love. Revenge. Is she a complete creation, or is she based on a real cat? It is a genre that allows for exploration of the awful, terrible, horrible parts of humanity in order to find something that is strangely beautiful. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the WindowA chilling and beautiful masterpiece of suspense, cunningly plotted and written with the elegant imagination of a Shirley Jackson or a Sarah Waters. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. Synopsis It looks like we don't have a Synopsis for this title yet. The real villain of the story, though not revealed in her entirety until the end, is Teds mother. And yet they are all lies You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. An unspeakable secret binds them together, and when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees behind their house will come back to haunt them all. The house is a prison and a sanctuary, a reliquary of agony and torment. Just when you think youve figured out what is really going on, youll probably realize you were wrong." This book really got under my skin, made me feel uncomfortable and freaked me out. As I was planning the book she strolled in from nowhere, as cats tend to do. Just that little excerpt, holy sh*t! By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Stephen KingWinner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel!A World Fantasy Award Finalist! I read it in one sitting because its so compelling, but the more I got drawn into the mystery of what was happening and the more I found out, the worse I felt. I was completely enthralled. Joe Hill, New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman"A breathtakingly ambitious book, gorgeously written, and never once shies away from showing you its fangs and its beautiful blood-filled heart. In this way, Ward does not use mental illness as a thing to be afraid of and, instead, treats it as a fact of the characters realities as something horror curls itself around just like any other element in the novel. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. Ward expertly weaves together plot points and metaphoric images to create something that I, quite frankly, am in awe of. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. All these things are true. An early reference to Wuthering Heights (Emily Bront, 1847) reflects the extent to which Dee is haunted by Lulu, just as Heathcliff is haunted by Catherine. Unlike many books there is little to no superfluous parts included as filler to make the book longer. What happened to Teds parents? This is an honest and voluntary review. Catriona Ward was born in Washington, DC and grew up in the US, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. Mommy told him that these were the most dangerous kinds of wounds. STARRED reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly!Named one of the "50 Best Horror Books of All Time" by Esquire! I knew where the book had to end up, so I wrote my way furiously towards that. The Last House on Needless Street follows Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. The Last House on Needless Street Audible Audiobook - amazon.com "A terrifying exploration of human consciousness that excavates character like an ice pick chipping through an ancient glacier: The deeper one goes, the chillier it gets." Can you help explain The Last House on Needless Street? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. : They live among the trees, behind a skin so thin you could scratch it open with a fingernail. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. (LogOut/ Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Anyway the trick to life is, if you dont like what is happening, go back to sleep until it stops. I always leave her work enriched. I was not disappointed. Immersive, gripping, and delivering twist after twist: this is the must-read gothic thriller of 2021. I really liked Little Eve. Winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel! SFF World"This is a true page-turner. Do you love the cat more than you want her to get better?No, I said. I highly recommend this book. Certainly, Dee (Lulus older sister) holds him responsible, and when the reader hears the story from her perspective, it appears likely. It exposes our deepest feelings like a raw nerve, like cold air on minty teeth. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is insanely good. Absolutely creep-inducing, skin-crawling, even agonising; and also so beautiful, both in writing and heart. Whats done is done. She executes the existentialism in this passage in a sad yet satisfying way, like releasing a deep breath. : It sounds trite but this is story-telling at it's finest. : I was utterly confused from the beginning. An Indie Next Pick! It is horror that is about fear and love and death and survival. Sounds like something I would read when Im in a different frame of mind. , is real. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2021. Overall it was entertaining, Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2023. Expectation: A page-turning supernatural thriller. To see our price, add these items to your cart. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Her sister, Dee, is still looking for her, years after everyone else has given up. SFF180 : The Last House on Needless Street / Catriona Ward , Enhanced typesetting Descriptions of his love of nature reveal his complex character: he takes joy in feeding birds, and the nearby forest is a source of comfort to him; at times he feels he is in its heart. ", is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of, FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. I highly recommend this book. Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2022. The Last House on Needless Street? It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. Book Review; The Last House On Needless Street- Catriona Ward There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. DID, in this case, is a way for someone being abused to cope with that abuse. Terrifying. The person with mental illness is not vilified, and neither is the condition itself; as a careful reader, I was left with no negative feelings about DID or the character who has it in the novel. Kelly Link makes the magical seem everyday, and vice versa. A mother takes her teenage daughter on a bonding trip to her abandoned childhood home, Sundial, which sits in the great expanses of the Mojave desert in Southern California. I did not find the character at the heart of the mystery in the first few chapters interesting and as a result nor was I interested in the mystery. His writing was a huge influence and still lives in my imagination today. The story is initially told by Ted, who lives on Needless Street near the lake where Lulu disappeared. I stayed up way past my bedtime. T. Ward also innovates the tropes of medical and body horror, which are routinely explored in detail in the visual form but are more challenging to accomplish in the literary form. An unspeakable secret binds them together, and when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees behind their house will come back to haunt them all. The Last House on Needless Street is more accurately comparable to 2016's surprise hit I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid. , Hardcover Like most horror, Wards book takes its emotional undercurrents from unavoidable mortality; like great horror, it utilizes fear to force readers to contemplate that mortality. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward | Goodreads After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Each element finds its way back to each other, and they complete each other in unbelievably satisfying ways. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. Shirley Jackson understands that sometimes its the mundane that terrifies, rather than the monstrous. Stephen KingWinner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel!A World Fantasy Award Finalist! Interesting perspective. Also, I hate Wuthering Heights, ha ha! The Last House on Needless Street follows Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Daily Arts Writer Emilia Ferrante can be reached by emiliajf@umich.edu. Speaking in younger Teds narrative voice, Ward writes, Some of the cuts were the invisible kind, he couldnt see or feel them at all. Ward wrote in her afterword that she did a lot of research on DID and had long conversations with people who live with trauma-induced DID. She opened these cuts again, cleaned them and sewed them back up.. BooklistWhat did I just read?! : A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick! The Chihuahua lady and the mom seemed to be close, and the mom told her later on that she would be going out of town as a way to lead false tracks away from her if the police came snooping because of what happened at the hospital . The deepest parts of this book are heart wrenching and captivating. Read on to get the scoop. Some twists I liked better than others. The Last House on Needless Street follows Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. I'm So Mad About "The Last House on Needless Street" - Medium However, the villain is not the person with mental illness; its the abuser who is actually evil. The book has a twist that will change you world and open yourself to a new way of thinking. This is extraordinary, high-wire-act horror, audacious as hell. Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Red Hands"Dark and creepy, sad and wonderfully strange.