Lost Hearts

by M R James

Paperback

Published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Ellie Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given ‘The Complete Ghost Stories of M R James’ for Christmas this year and have been working my way through them. I imagine that when this short story was published for the first time, anyone who read it would have been thoroughly shocked and spooked, even outraged. In 2025, our society is so different from the world M.R. James was writing in, and it would make sense that something which would terrify a reader in the early 1900s could perhaps have a marginally different effect on the modern reader when there is an abundance of media of a truly gruesome, scary, thrilling or horrifying nature for those who enjoy that sort of thing today. However, the writing of M.R. James is timeless, and very effective at chilling you to the bone. Lost Hearts in particular has central themes that would be disturbing to anyone, and the way James gradually increases the horror and dread is masterful. I wouldn’t recommend reading this before bed!

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love his writing and short stories

[Richie Kercenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

predictable but still enjoyable little tale about ghosts and dark arts