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Na Cailleacha Underbury (New Island Open Door)
An bhliain 1915 atá ann agus tá an cogadh ar siúl san Eoraip. I sráidbhaile beag Underbury tá fear ina luí marbh stróicthe as a chéile ag marfóir nach fáidir a aimsiú. Tá beirt bhleachtairí curtha ó Scotland Yard chun an cás a fhiosrú. Ach ní fada go bhfaigheann said amach nach gnáthdhúnmharú é seo. In áit ina bhfuil an chuid is mó dá cuid fear caillte ag an gcogadh, tá seanoic tar éis teach tar ais. In Underbury tá na cailleacha tar éis éirí...
88 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2006
About the author
John Connolly
219 books8,045 followersJohn Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which he continues to contribute.
He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States.
This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States.
This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 14, 2018
2 1/2 stars.
A horror mystery that is neither horrific or mysterious. Still, it had a charm of its own and I am a big sucker for evil witches.
A horror mystery that is neither horrific or mysterious. Still, it had a charm of its own and I am a big sucker for evil witches.
October 22, 2018
A Connolly quickie.
August 8, 2016
I'm torn between 1,5 and 2,5 stars, so 2 seems to be the logical medium.
This is a very short story (68 pages, or 1h 5min) about two policemen trying to solve the murder of a man in a small village where a century ago some women were burnt as witches.
The mystery has an easy going pace and even though 15 minutes into the book you have guessed the culprit you still want to see how it will turn out. It's an entertaining story, much like a tv movie you don't plan on watching that turns out not to be completely rubbish.
The occult begins with interesting facts and creepy imagery, but somewhere along the way falls flat on it's ass.
The creepiness was ranging from intense to nonexistent. There were a couple of intense scenes with beautifully creepy images but unfortunately the story didn't even register as scary in my mind.
The prose is very simple. I wouldn't call it bad and it certainly doesn't get on your nerves but I don't think I'd describe it as "good". The narrator of this book reads in a slow pace, I found myself desperately wanting to fast forward some points, but in all other aspects is a very good one.
Generally this book reeks of mediocrity...until the moment you actually think of the story.
First of all, let me say three things:
1. I have an obsession with witches and witchcraft and I find such stories interesting by default.
2. I care about gender issues and am put off by misogyny and sexism.
3. From here on there are spoilers.
In the beginning of the story we are given some facts about the murdered witches in a light that emphasizes on the patriarchal oppression that women were under during that time. Naturally I was pleasantly surprised by this. Of course my surprise turned 180 degrees when the ending showed us what we had thought to be beautiful empowered and strong women were actually bitter frantic and almost man-hating """witches""" (not enough quotation marks can cover the irony), who while trying to cover their tracks end up taking pleasure in attacking the "innocent male".
Someone please give me a big cup of WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!
The funny part is that I really don't think Mr.Connolly had any malevolent intent on being anti-woman, anti-witch or misogynistic. I truly believe that he chose this theme because he though witches were a fun and scary subject that frequents many of the Irish fairytales, myths and stories he grew up with.
While this is true,-witches have a very primordial feel and have been portrayed in such a way so as to instantly tap onto our primal instincts (and I'm gracefully leaving out the fact that this, also, was created by myths societies of men constructed)-, you simply CANNOT ignore the parallels you are creating, you SHOULD give a crap about how you portray the opposite sex, and for crying out loud, you most definitely SHOULD think twice before reconstructing the sisterhood-and-empowerment-through-witchcraft theme into something so decadently patriarchal. You should AT LEAST have a good enough reason to do this and not just to provide an expected ending to your overall tenuous novel.
This is a very short story (68 pages, or 1h 5min) about two policemen trying to solve the murder of a man in a small village where a century ago some women were burnt as witches.
The mystery has an easy going pace and even though 15 minutes into the book you have guessed the culprit you still want to see how it will turn out. It's an entertaining story, much like a tv movie you don't plan on watching that turns out not to be completely rubbish.
The occult begins with interesting facts and creepy imagery, but somewhere along the way falls flat on it's ass.
The creepiness was ranging from intense to nonexistent. There were a couple of intense scenes with beautifully creepy images but unfortunately the story didn't even register as scary in my mind.
The prose is very simple. I wouldn't call it bad and it certainly doesn't get on your nerves but I don't think I'd describe it as "good". The narrator of this book reads in a slow pace, I found myself desperately wanting to fast forward some points, but in all other aspects is a very good one.
Generally this book reeks of mediocrity...until the moment you actually think of the story.
First of all, let me say three things:
1. I have an obsession with witches and witchcraft and I find such stories interesting by default.
2. I care about gender issues and am put off by misogyny and sexism.
3. From here on there are spoilers.
In the beginning of the story we are given some facts about the murdered witches in a light that emphasizes on the patriarchal oppression that women were under during that time. Naturally I was pleasantly surprised by this. Of course my surprise turned 180 degrees when the ending showed us what we had thought to be beautiful empowered and strong women were actually bitter frantic and almost man-hating """witches""" (not enough quotation marks can cover the irony), who while trying to cover their tracks end up taking pleasure in attacking the "innocent male".
Someone please give me a big cup of WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!
The funny part is that I really don't think Mr.Connolly had any malevolent intent on being anti-woman, anti-witch or misogynistic. I truly believe that he chose this theme because he though witches were a fun and scary subject that frequents many of the Irish fairytales, myths and stories he grew up with.
While this is true,-witches have a very primordial feel and have been portrayed in such a way so as to instantly tap onto our primal instincts (and I'm gracefully leaving out the fact that this, also, was created by myths societies of men constructed)-, you simply CANNOT ignore the parallels you are creating, you SHOULD give a crap about how you portray the opposite sex, and for crying out loud, you most definitely SHOULD think twice before reconstructing the sisterhood-and-empowerment-through-witchcraft theme into something so decadently patriarchal. You should AT LEAST have a good enough reason to do this and not just to provide an expected ending to your overall tenuous novel.
July 27, 2009
Connolly's dark tales will raise your hackles without the nightmares that Stephen King provokes. His stories are just beyond the edge of reason - like a waking nightmare. His writing is descriptive and evocative, sucking you in to the story as a participant.
August 30, 2012
This is one nasty little book. I like John Connelly, but I don't like this book. It's a very quick read, thank goodness. It's very anti-woman and very anti-witch. Nasty and leaves a very bad taste in your soul.
September 10, 2007
A well written short story about a sleepy English town with a disturbing past and horrific present. And there are really witches in the story!
July 10, 2020
3.5 stars
Short, quick story with small glimpses into the history of the place made it an interesting read. People expecting horror would be slightly disappointed but for people like me with a selective threshold for horror, it works well since there is hardly any element of horror or surprise.
Would love to read it in a long novel format. The story has good potential.
Short, quick story with small glimpses into the history of the place made it an interesting read. People expecting horror would be slightly disappointed but for people like me with a selective threshold for horror, it works well since there is hardly any element of horror or surprise.
Would love to read it in a long novel format. The story has good potential.
December 4, 2022
It is 1915, and war is raging in Europe. In the small English village of Underbury, a man lies dead, torn apart by an unseen killer. Two detectives from Scotland Yard are sent to look into the death. But they soon find this is no ordinary murder.
I started reading this and was intrigued from the start as always had an interest surrounding the history surrounding witchcraft and the witch trials. I also love reading books based around the first or second world wars. So, these two coupled together meant I was really into this read.
I could not put this book down and loved reading it. Well written for such a short read, good development and left me wanting to read more titles from Connolly.
I started reading this and was intrigued from the start as always had an interest surrounding the history surrounding witchcraft and the witch trials. I also love reading books based around the first or second world wars. So, these two coupled together meant I was really into this read.
I could not put this book down and loved reading it. Well written for such a short read, good development and left me wanting to read more titles from Connolly.
July 30, 2012
A delightful short read. Fill your coffee mug or tea cup and settle into a comfy chair for a few minutes. Preferably at night.
October 19, 2021
The characters were so cliche and wildly underdeveloped. I wanted more than a mildly gorier Hocus Pocus.
December 26, 2023
(Read this in Irish). A folk horror short from John Connolly. The plot is not hard to guess but it is nicely creepy. A good read for anyone wanting to practice their Irish as the story will encourage you to keep reading.
November 2, 2020
Nice and intense short story, wish it was a bit longer and the central character wasn't a man.
April 1, 2023
Am I supposed to feel sorry for a man that was known to be a creep and who was murdered by some women? Good for them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2024
Is leabhar iontach é seo d'fhoghlaimeoirí cosúil liomsa. Tá an scéal suimiúil agus fuair mé neart focal nua ann. Molaim é go mór d'aon duine atá ag foghlaim Gaeilge.
February 10, 2025
An mhaith. Scéal deas tapadh.
April 17, 2025
Scéal gearr.. éasca le léamh ach smaointe casta
May 2, 2025
A deliciously creepy tale.
November 4, 2016
A quick read but nevertheless a good one - but then from John Connolly what else would it be? ;o)
April 21, 2014
Good story for s short story, lengthened it would make a great television series. I am a fan of John Connolly and wanted to read this short story as I love anything surrounding the paranormal and especially witch craft. I think the author did the story justice but would love to see this story expanded/made into a full length novel, it had lost of potential but alas as a short story the ending felt rushed for me.
July 24, 2013
Re-read this on kindle today, in John Connolly's collection of short stories, "Nocturnes". This is one of my favorite stories in the collection. Connolly weaves a dark tale of witchcraft that remains with you long after you have moved on to the remaining stories.
Want to Read
December 27, 20072006
January 13, 2010
I picked this quick read up at the library along with others and read it in half hour. I like John Connolly and he didn't disapoint even on this short story!
Read
August 5, 2011Scéal réasúnta simplí agus suimiúil go leor.
September 16, 2012
Very interesting indeed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2013
Read it before in Nocturnes.
February 21, 2016
I really enjoyed this book it had a great twist throughout and I would like to read more of this authors work .
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews