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The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice Audiobook
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(3.04) - 885 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
When the Countess Narona meets Agnes Lockwood, the woman jilted by her fiancé, she feels a great sense of foreboding. After Countess Narona’s marriage, she moves with her husband, Lord Montbarry, to Venice. There, disowned by his family, the lord apparently becomes a recluse and falls fatally ill. As much as Agnes tries to forget the episode of her broken engagement, her fate and that of the countess seem to be inextricably woven. Both are relentlessly drawn to the Palace Hotel in Venice for a final and dramatic encounter in the room where more than past emotions resurface to haunt them.
Loosely based on a case from the annals of French crime, the scene, scenery, players, conflicts, and especially the horror of this mystery come through the invention of one of our classic novelists.
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"I'm on a Wilkie Collins jag. Not as grand as his Big Two, The Moonstone and The Woman in White, this shorter effort is notable as a combination mystery story, ghost story and psychological thriller. Beginning in London, the story shifts to the haunting streets and canals of Venice where the Countess Narona, who married a man betrothed to another, foresees meeting her punishment and doom for past evils when she comes face to face with the woman who was wronged."
— Sandra (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“In this story, as the chief character is internally melodramatic, the story itself ceases to be merely melodramatic and partakes of true drama.”
— T. S. Eliot -
“A pleasingly nasty affair.”
— Times (London) -
“It is is this formula of the exciting and at times a fanciful plot tinged with the supernatural but peopled by wholly credible and engaging characters that make The Haunted Hotel:A Mystery of Modern Venice such a fascinating read. In essence Collins’ ideas, themes, and motifs introduced in earlier works are streamlined and concentrated here into this tight novella.”
— David Stuart Davies, editor, writer, and playwright -
“One of the best ghost stories of the century.”
— Nuel Pharr Davis, author of The Life of Wilkie Collins
The Haunted Hotel Listener Reviews
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" Saw this in the 'Classics' section of my library so gave it a whirl. I quite enjoyed reading it, in a gothic horror sort of way, but it was nowhere near as good as The Moonstone or The Woman in White. Still, glad I tried it. "
— Linda, 2/19/2014 -
" This book was really disappointing. It could have been so much better if just rearranged a bit, or written in first person by Henry or Agatha. Still a fan of The Moonstone and The Woman in White, so I will keep trying other Collins, they have to be better than this! "
— Jen, 2/17/2014 -
" Is there no explanation of the mystery of The Haunted Hotel? Is The Haunted Hotel the tale of a haunting -- or the tale of a crime? The ghost of Lord Montberry haunts the Palace Hotel in Venice --- or does it? Montberry's beautiful-yet-terrifying wife, the Countess Narona, and her erstwhile brother are the center of the terror that fills the Palace Hotel. Are their malefactions at the root of the haunting -- or is there something darker, something much more unknowable at work? "
— Eddy, 2/9/2014 -
" I had expected more from this book. The plot is very interesting, intricate, complex and farfetched; good for a gothic novel. Style of writing is... not that great. Add to that, that I've the feeling the narrator is a sexist bastard (as well towards men as women). Do not want. "
— Aingheal, 2/8/2014 -
" Typical Collins. Great characters. Great story. A very good time. "
— Pamela, 2/7/2014 -
" I never made it past the first 30 pages and it pained me to get even that far. This is one of only a few books I ever gave up on. "
— Keith, 2/6/2014 -
" The old-fashioned text was a bit tedious, and the plot slow. Written in the late 1800s. "
— Susan, 1/29/2014 -
" Beautifully written and very creepy. The Victorian ghost stories are still the best and always will be. As with a lot of Victorian era writing, the female characters are either very wicked or weak and watery but Collins' women have a little more to them than usual. "
— Heather, 1/23/2014 -
" I read this book long time ago. I don't remember much, except THAT fireplace scene. Yessssss! I love it to the last blood cell! "
— Potjy, 1/20/2014 -
" This is my first Wilkie Collins book I have read, and I enjoyed every second of the tale of the haunted hotel. This is an essential read. I was gripped from beginning to end. I hope other Wilkie Collins books are just as entrancing as this one! "
— Tino, 1/17/2014 -
" I downloaded this book and started reading it with the expectation that it will soon join my ever-lengthening list of "currently-reading". I should have known better than to doubt Wilkie Collins. True to form, he engrosses with his narrative and makes it impossible to lay down. Loved it! "
— Sherene, 1/15/2014
About Wilkie Collins
Wilkie Collins (1824–1889) was an English novelist. He studied law and was admitted to the bar but never practiced. Instead, he devoted his time to writing and is best known for his novels The Woman in White, No Name, Armadale, and The Moonstone, which has been called the finest detective story ever written. A number of his works were collaborations with his close friend, Charles Dickens. The Woman in White so gripped the imagination of the world that Wilkie Collins had his own tombstone inscribed: “Author of The Woman in White.”
About Traci Svendsgaard
Traci Svendsgaard is a veteran of a twenty-five year voice-over career. In addition, she and her husband, Lars, host The Retro Lounge on Jefferson Public Radio. They live a simple life in Southern Oregon.