Green Willows

by V.J. Banis, Jan Alexander

"I see two women struggling together by the lake. I see them fall into the water... The wind rustles the branches of the willows and it is the sound of gentle sobbing in the night... Someone screams..." Something dark and mysterious haunts the halls of stately Green Willows. Village gossip says it's the ghost of Jonathon Tremayne's wife, the beautiful and saintly Angela, who was treacherously murdered here. Pretty Mary Kirkpatrick, hired as governess to Jonathon's only child, Elizabeth, quickly finds herself falling in love with the handsome master of Green Willows, and discounts the gossip--until the night she finds herself confronted with a ghostly apparition! An absolutely riveting horror novel with a nineteenth-century gothic setting.

Genres: Gothic, Fiction

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

pen name of author Victor J. Banis

Reviews

[Mermarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exceptionally good read. I enjoyed it immensely, and gave me a sensation from Stephen King's IT, "They all float down here". Very above average gothic in writing quality & surprise factor, in my opinion. Recommended for creepshowyness. Even in the end, I felt as if there were unanswered questions, or perhaps more questions derived from the final conclusion.

[Sarah Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellently bizarre pulp from one of my favorite vintage authors. This one features the usual Young Governess trope, complete with brooding master of the house, gossipy town, & strange child; it also includes a strange family history & matched dichotomy of ghosts. The duality & symbolism is strong -- no paltry explained supernatural, but rather a Hill House/Poe confrontation with evil that has infused the walls encasing an already unhappy scenario.

Jan Alexander (aka Victor Banis) is fond of the bittersweet closure. He doesn't coddle the reader, & this particular story is no exception; it's one of the things I love about his books, particularly the gothics (though his lesser-known bodice rippers & historical fic are also great -- just FYI ;)).

4.5 stars, rounded up...because I feel like it.


NB: This one is something of a Banis rarity in that it's a historical-set pulp, whereas most of the others are contemporary.

[Andrew Pender-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic but rather conventional ghost story: an isolated, haunted mansion; shadowy figures that come and go; unexplained sounds and smells. The author’s style is highly readable and the story proved enjoyable, but the period in which the story is set could have been more clearly delineated. If this had been done, a far greater sense of time and place would have been evoked. The story unravels in rural England in a time when riding on horseback or in a horse and carriage, were the main modes of transport. Description of food, clothing and architecture were rather lacking. It is a pity as greater attention to bringing to life a particular period would have amplified an otherwise entertaining novel. I would be happy to read more books by this author.

[Em-nat · Rating 2.25 out of 5]

I’ve read several novels by Victor Banis, the gay-pulp icon behind Jan Alexander, Lynn Benedict, and several other female pseudonyms. I was pretty happy with my last two endeavors, so I picked up "Green Willows" after seeing it touted as one of his best Gothic Suspense novels. It’s a pretty straightforward ghost story with a checklist of Brontë‑inspired tropes, but Banis is skilled enough that even his most phoned-in writing manages to hold your attention. Though, in the case of "Green Willows", the deadline pressure and the publisher’s lack of care really show.

There are numerous typos scattered throughout the book. Our main character's love interest is a stock Byronic hero whose name is spelled three different ways throughout the short novel (Jonathan? Jonathon? Or is it Johnathon??), and Banis occasionally reuses descriptors or echoes phrases within the same paragraph. The novel does manage to generate a haunting atmosphere, perfect for October reading, but it never feels like it actually belongs in its supposed setting. Yes, Brighton and London are mentioned, and Banis tries his best to convince us this is a "classic English gothic", but it reads like it takes place in a little seaside town in Maine, and I genuinely don’t understand why it couldn’t have been set in New England instead. Perhaps it was a publisher mandate.

In the end, though, I was pleasantly surprised by the eerie climax and appreciated Jan Alexander’s (read: Banis’s) willingness to lean into an uncomfortable, ghost‑story ending. Rather than settling for a trite happy ending, Banis goes the distance and delivers a genuinely unsettling, horror‑movie finale. Still, since this book had been hyped to me as one of his “best” gothics, I was a little disappointed. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it definitely felt rushed and not nearly as bizarre or risk‑taking as the other Jan Alexander/Lynn Benedict novels I’ve read.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fairly okay read. I am not a huge fan of mid 20th century romance, but this one had a heavy helping of Jane Eyre vibes to it that warmed me to it. That being said, I liked the book up until the inevitable Jane Eyre TWIST~! It's the reason I really don't care for Jane Eyre itself.

If you like cheesy historical romance (that's barely there) and are a lover of 19th century suspense, you'll like this book a lot more than I did.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the first half, maybe more, I was amazed by how good this was & wondering how something this good could be so unknown. But somewhere along the way things got way too crazy. I enjoy a good ghost story as much as the next person but this became too contrived, too unbelievable. The romance element was rushed, no real development. The supernatural element was just a bit too phony. By the time I reached the end, I really didn't care how it ended, as long as it did. Great classical gothic mystery type plot and a great start but it just didn't pan out.