Gad's Hall

Gad's Hall #1

by Norah Lofts

When the Spender family was able to buy a beautifully kept Tudor farmhouse for little more than a song, they considered themselves lucky.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Gothic, Fiction, Horror, Historical, British Literature, Mystery

318 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Norah Ethel Robinson Lofts Jorisch (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.

Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also published using the pseudonyms Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic Norah Lofts elements. Most of her historical novels fall into two general categories: biographical novels about queens, among them Anne Boleyn, Isabella of Castile, and Catherine of Aragon; and novels set in East Anglia centered around the fictitious town of Baildon (patterned largely on Bury St. Edmunds). Her creation of this fictitious area of England is reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's creation of "Wessex"; and her use of recurring characters such that the protagonist of one novel appears as a secondary character in others is even more reminiscent of William Faulkner's work set in "Yoknapatawpha County," Mississippi. Norah Lofts' work set in East Anglia in the 1930s and 1940s shows great concern with the very poor in society and their inability to change their conditions. Her approach suggests an interest in the social reformism that became a feature of British post-war society.

Several of her novels were turned into films. Jassy was filmed as Jassy (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. You're Best Alone was filmed as Guilt is My Shadow (1950). The Devil's Own (also known as The Little Wax Doll and Catch As Catch Can) was filmed as The Witches (1966). The film 7 Women was directed by John Ford and based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts.

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, is this a cross-over genre that combines deep description of core personality for 5 or 6 main characters, but also at the same time hums a hypnotic mood. The platform of the place being one of concrete strong structural base for contentment and "good intent" belief countered with a dichotomy of constant singular antithesis to all that is "normal" and of "natural" wholeness.

This is Norah Lofts near the end of her career. She is experimenting in somewhat a reversal of her normal chronological order of seating a house at its beginning and then proceeding through the centuries for its events and occupants. In this one we start in post war modern England with a family of now handicapped abilities and wholeness. And then after just a few chapters, we revert to the beginnings for their house which they have bought near Baildon (Bury St. Edmunds actually- England Suffolk)to start a new life in the countryside.

That house is Gad's Hall. It's the 1840's for the entire remaining sections of the book and this is only the first in a series.

How she completes this 5 women and 1 boy 1840's family (plus Jenny and Will which are the help)is so masterful, that I can only give it 5 stars. It's not perfect in the light of action level comparison for moderns but much deeper at core.

Poe has gotten literary acclaim for his moods. This one is just as good. Plus it combines immense minutia of trade, husbandry, cow auctions, corn markets, and dozens of patterns of manners and occupations of time for that period. All within economic class constraints and the processes of courting and marriage eventualities for 4 female offspring. How that is worked and more highly patterned by the females as much as the males, is pivotal.

But what gives it that extra star is the voids. Lofts doesn't need to be gross, pornographic, vile in chewy blood-letting scenes, or highly descriptive of the menace in play. Not at all. But IS IT THERE. Unsaid and known at the same time. Among them in their midst.

And in fact, the onus of what really has occurred is far more deeply scored upon the understanding of the reader for those peculiarities of the voids of admittance for the process.

Modern readers of horror, or romance, or sci-fi. or grit. madness/insanity might think this book is mild and slow. Some, I read in reviews, think that this pace of "eyes" can be tedious. Not I.

Can't wait for the next one in this series which is waiting for me to pick up today. The Haunting of Gad's Hall is HIGHLY anticipated.

[Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Lofts' favorite fictional setting, the environs of her imaginary Baildon, Suffolk, this novel is divided into two parts: Part I, set in the author's present, in which a modern family moves into the titular Gad's Hall only to find that there are certain strange manifestations there, connected to a locked attic room with no key; and Part II, set in the mid-19th century, in which we learn what exactly went on in that room and why it came to be locked permanently. The reason, as Lofts implies, involves something more than purely natural horror.

Norah Lofts, of course, was primarily a writer of descriptive fiction -- especially historical fiction; Part II showcases her mastery of that genre. Her work is typically characterized by concentration on family and social relationships; incident-filled plots; realistically drawn, very human characters who are compends of positive and negative qualities (in different degrees) and who cope with their problems in ways that we can understand, whether we see them as constructive or not; an attitude towards life that's neither bleakly despairing nor filled with Pollyanna- style optimism, but which recognizes its challenges, and above all its continuity as an ongoing process over lifetimes and generations. But she also, even in her descriptive fiction, at times exhibits an interest in the supernatural, the psychic, the paranormal dimension that may or may not touch the natural world here and there. All of these elements are present here, in both parts; we're introduced to two families and their web of relationships, and much of the storyline is very realistic fiction about people whose lives you get immersed in and come to care for. It's not a book that's all about bumps on the stairs in the night; it's also about coping with crippling injury, a romantic triangle, loveless marriages, alcohol addiction, the way that miscommunication and misunderstanding messes with our lives, the choices people make in their interactions with others, the rampant sexism and sexual double standard of Victorian society, etc. But while the supernatural element doesn't constantly make itself felt, and is low-key and usually subtle when it does (and so won't please some genre fans who prefer more overt and grisly-gory manifestations) it's more marked than it usually is in Lofts, and indeed casts a shadow over the entire book. For the secret of that attic room involves a story of Satanism, with lethal consequences --and the Satanism here was more than simply a misguided superstition.

Being a fan of Lofts, I found here the kind of qualities I enjoy in her writing elsewhere, and found it a deeply absorbing read (which had me very worried about the characters much of the time!). One caveat, though; the resolution here leaves room for some questions, which are presumably answered in the sequel, The Haunting of Gad's Hall. (That's on my to-read list!)

[Sarah Mac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, boring, BORING.

I don't expect every haunting novel to stand up against masterworks like Hill House or The Shining, but this was just plain dull. No personality to the characters (except perhaps the contemporary narrator, who only stands out because she's a prattling, yammering moo), no plot whatsoever (unless you count endless minutia re: prices of Victorian farming + nonstop blabbing about all the damn daughters & who they married), bland descriptions of purposeless details, brief spurts of droning conversation punctuated by eye-gouging monologues to show how Isobel & Jill are such Strong, Tenacious Women...yeah, it's that great.

But honestly, y'all. The single most important failure of Gad's is that it's NOT SCARY. Who gives a crap about these people? Why should *I* care about their so-called creepy house if nobody knows -- or even cares -- that it's fucking haunted?! Things finally started to happen in the last 75 pgs, but Lofts' writing is so choppy & piecemeal that I could hardly tell WTF was going on, let alone why I should bother to finish.

I won't be trying any more Lofts. Her prose is consistently bland & choppy with too much obvious effort at subtlety; even when/if the plots finally kick into gear, such an overt sense of self-importance kills any interest on my part.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the combined edition with both stories in one volume;
Gad's Hall and The Haunting of Gad's Hall.

This is the first novel (or novels) by Norah Lofts I've read and honestly I found it (them) somewhat disappointing. I thought that I was sure to find something spooky between the covers given the title. But sadly this story just didn't do much for me in the spooky department.

The story is about two families. There is a contemporary story and an historical one, both center around an old Tudor home in England. The contemporary family moves into the old house and the daughter and the grandmother are afraid of something there. The reader is taken back in time to learn what happened in the house that caused the evil feeling to linger.

I thought the story was rambling, the details somewhat tedious and the historical portion of the story lacking in period details. I thought Lofts gave endless details about the lives of these characters but at the same time they didn't feel fully developed to me. The story drags and there is plenty of filler that could have been trimmed out. The haunting portion was very predictable and basically uninteresting.

I wish Lofts had focused more on the events in the life of the youngest daughter in the family in the past as well as the relationships the contemporary mother had with the owner of the house. Those two stories were the most interesting to me and also seemed to be the most neglected.

I did like some of this but overall I was disappointed and didn't feel satisfied when I turned the last page.

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gad's hall was on the market for a very, very, reasonable price and the seller Mr Thorley was the most helpful man that Bob and Jill Spender could have hoped to meet. The old house was well maintained and was ideal for the Spender family to move directly in to. After they had moved into the house Jill started to have uneasy feelings and Ella, Bob's mother, having visited once, had such a bad feeling about the place that she made any excuse she could think of not to return. The Tudor house had been owned by the Thorley family since it was built and had passed down through the generations but the current Mr Thorley who had no children and had made the decision to sell, to the right buyer.

In part two of the novel which starts on page 71, we are taken back in time to summer 1841 when George Thorley widowed with two daughters remarries to a lady called Osborne who like him has two daughters who or a similar age to his own. The girls get on well together and the blended family is a happy one and to add to that Mrs Thorley gives her husband a much-wanted son and heir George known as Georgie. All four of the girls became simply known as the Thorley girls, they all doted upon little Georgie and he was somewhat precocious and spoilt. The only sibling that gave any cause for concern was Lavinia, she was artistic and withdrawn, was naturally pale a little too slim to be considered shapely, she never seemed to be aware of what was going on or at least she showed little interest and was always late and preoccupied with her own thoughts.
After Lavinia meets Mr Fremlin at a party and then her mother is invited to his family home to meet his mother, Lavinia becomes a frequent visitor to the Fremlin home and although we are told very little of what goes on there we later draw the conclusion that it was something unnatural.
The results of what happened at the Fremlin house is the turning point at Gad's Hall, it changes from a happy home to a place of secrets and sadness, a sadness that will linger and reverberate down through the centuries. Gad's is doomed to be marred by the presence of evil stamped into its very walls.

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten how good a storyteller this author was! This is another book that has been sitting on the shelf for quite awhile and turned out to be great entertainment! The Spender family can't believe their good fortune at finding this beautiful Tudor manor for an unbelievably reasonable price. Naturally, the house is haunted! The majority of the book tells the story of the Thorley family in the mid-1800s and how the strange fortunes of all those involved were affected by the evil of one person. A great story, if you like that sort of thing, which I do very much! This book leads right into the second book where the story continues.

[Katharine Edgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Norah Lofts being creepy and supernatural in a 19th century farming context. It wasn't as scary as I remembered it, the 'evil' is very slow-burning and it's interesting more because of the strong characters and very practical plot (how does the widow of a cattle farmer manage to run her late husband's farm in the face of prejudice against women?) than the Satanic bit of the storyline.
I think it didn't quite work for me because the Satanic stuff needed to be more fully developed - it was too slight for me to quite believe in it. It almost felt like the first half of a book that was going to get going later - so now I need to read the sequel to see if things speed up a bit.

It's still great, vintage Lofts though - rounded, interesting characters, lots of juicy historical detail and some bodies buried in the garden.

[Bonnie]

Ok, the cover of my book has "A Novel of the Supernatural. Gad's Hall." To anyone that has read this book: where was the supernatural?? There were 2 pages of eerie feelings at the beginning of the book and then nothing relating to the supernatural until page 200! Sooo disappointing....

Don't get me wrong,"Gad's Hall" was a very good read. The story essentially covers the history of a of two families living farm house in rural England. I won't go into any more detail than that because many other reviewers did such a good job. I just want to point out that if you are looking for a nice gothic horror novel, keep moving.

[Melissa Osburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the intertwining of stories, the present mixing with the past. I found myself admiring Jill's tenacity and resourcefulness. And I admired Mrs. Thorley for the same reason, both women were strong, even in the face of heartbreaking events, and both decided it was best to continue than to dwell on their misfortunes. Both women were portrayed as flawed and that only made them more human, more realistic. I enjoy reading and rereading this book, it calls to me every so often, inviting me back to Gad's Hall.

[Zora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a haunted house book, and this is on several goodreads lists under that topic, but it's not a haunted house book at all. It was well enough written, I suppose, but right on the cover it says "a novel of the supernatural," and unless you count two people having vague uneasiness about a new house, there's nothing of the sort in here.

[L B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to know more about the family that bought the hall, and less about the Victorian-era family.

[Pat Padden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this off the shelf the other day while a thunderstorm was brewing - what better way to enjoy that sort of weather than by dipping into "a novel of the supernatural" as this promised to be? It was a book that had been on the shelves since I was a child - one of my mother's book club selections, I think. Ms. Lofts was one of those authors, judging from the jacket photograph - who I imagine sounded very proper - like Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey. She's pictured sitting very erect before a charming floral arrangement which I imagine she put together herself with flowers grown in her own garden. She's wearing a string of pearls and a summer dress, and she appears the epitome of upper crusty British decorum.

Ha! Ms. Lofts isn't as buttoned-up as she looks! Gad's Hall is about a widow who remarries a country squire in a non-specified year of Victoria's reign. The new Mrs. Thorley and her husband George have what we'd call a blended family today - two daughters from his first marriage, two from hers, and a young son. They settle down in Squire Thorley's ancestral home, Gad's Hall, and shortly thereafter, the plot hits the fan.

There's an out of wedlock pregnancy, several unhappy marriages, a love affair, devil worship, and a family ghost, all of which make life difficult for the present-day (well present-day back in the 'sixties) owners. It's the sort of book that my mom would have called "racy", and which I found to be so dated as to be considered "historical fiction", if only for the look back that it gives on what was considered a potboiler by our parents and grandparents.

How did I like it? The supernatural element was missing until the last few chapters of the novel, which I thought was disappointing. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about cattle breeding. The mystery of the unwanted pregnancy - the whodunit here- is never solved. Ultimately, it was a fun look at a timeless way of life that the British are so good at preserving, and I enjoyed myself in the Norfolk countryside while the thunder muttered and the rain lashed at the windows here in New Jersey, USA.

If you enjoy a book that's the literary equivalent of a PBS Mystery series, then Norah's your girl.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gad's Hall and The Haunting of Gad's Hall were in one volume, hardcover.

The descriptions of the characters were fully formed, in this mostly old, historical-type novel. I really like English writers; unfortunately it left me somewhere in the ether. Ok. So there was an attic room that remained locked. So Lavinia was taken by some evil menace (or a simple neighbor) and impregnated, by an evil being(?) (or said neighbor) as a result of living in said attic. And ultimately she killed herself and the baby, without us finding out who or what did this to her. Improbable situations dispensed with quickly when no longer useful, throughout. The home itself was offered to this family at a ridiculously low price, for no reason, really. This is a foreshadowing of Ms. Lofts writing style in both books. Untoward things happened, but Ms. Lofts suddenly dispenses with them, and the survivors quickly move on. It reminded me of my 7th grade son's amateurish writing, killing off someone or a situation when he just doesn't want to deal with them anymore!

"Two Novels of the Supernatural". Nah! Too little little supernatural, very tedious novels. I read all of both of them, but . . . pass on these two books, unless you've got a broken bone and a LONG winter to to get thru.

[Gilda Felt · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s only a hint of the supernatural in the story; perhaps most was being left for the sequel. But there is that hint, mostly in the set-up of the story set in the present. A beautiful house is sold for a ridiculously low price (a sure hint of bad things to come,) and soon some in the family are picking up feelings of dread.

But then the story veers into the past, where the beginnings of that darkness, which is beginning to reach out in the present, has its start.

I did have trouble differentiating between the four sisters from Mr. Thorley’s family in the past. It took awhile for their four personalities to coalesce, as the story as a whole is a bit slow. The stronger character was their mother, Isobel, who inadvertently aids the horror that will follow the family into the present.

Good, but not one of Lofts’ best.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, but not earth-shattering. It's less creative than some of the Norah Lofts I've read, though it follows a similar pattern. I never really got into the characters and I found the plot a bit predictable. I love some of her other books about old houses and the psychic connections between past & present owners, but this one isn't her best.
A house is inhabited by a malevolent spirit and we go back in time to generations before to uncover the secret of the "haunting." There's another in the series that I may read as well: The Haunting of Gad's Hall.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of "two books in one" Gad's Hall's back story is set in the 1800's on an estate in England. Mrs. Thorley, a widow, who lives there with her four daughters and a son, breeds, raises, shows, and sells cattle on her own. The story tells of the courtship and marriage of three of the daughters and the tragedy of what happened in the attic room and why it is forever locked. Looking forward to part two called "The Haunting of Gad's Hall".

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely classic Norah Lofts, Gad's Hall has it all: history, politics, family drama, shifting protagonists and all the little details of socio-economic realities for each of them. I love that she puts one of them to work writing, pretty much, Norah Lofts novels!

The hardcover I have includes The Haunting of Gad's Hall as well-- not my favorite Lofts, as I feel she's painted herself into a corner a bit by the end, but still worth a read as a follow up to the original Gad's.

[Kate N. Ewing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Norah Lofts has always been a favorite of mine when it comes to historical fiction. Her deft hand at characterization kept me reading this through to the end, but as a "ghost" story, it fell quite short. Still, I will read the sequel, if for no other reason to at least find out what happens to the characters.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beginning of Gad's has the makings of an unspectacular "couple-moves-into-house-with-spooky-secrets" airport paperback-- but that plotline completely disappears halfway as we step back 100 years and meet a gutsy widow and her tedious family.

Thanks to Goodreads, I now know that there is a Gad's Hall #2 and maybe that's where everything starts to make sense. But I don't care.

[Myriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Norah Lofts' writing is like nothing I've ever experienced. I read this book as a very young teen and it stuck with me for years and years, couldn't get it out of my thoughts. A quarter century later and it's just as good as I remember. Her writing pulls you in and you don't want to do anything else. One of my favorite authors, and this book and its sequel are riveting.

[Teresa Thompson Arcangel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read, and enjoyed, several books by Norah Lofts. I listened to the audio edition of this one. It was so slow and boring that I found it hard to focus enough to remember who was who. Did not finish.

[KC · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this author quite hard to read and, after 100-ish pages, just gave up. She kind of meanders all over the place—often within a single sentence. I kept having to go back and re-read passages to follow the thought. Decided not to waste the time…

[Megan Hex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story and characters, but I really wanted a more satisfying ending.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found my list of reading from high school!

[Jan Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another good read! Great characters and engaging story, thrilling and can't helpbut get involved!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an OK read. Not really very Gothic, IMO. And it left me with questions. I am going to get the next book in the series.
It is a Light Read.. enjoyable.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another holiday read. I've been meaning to read this book for over 20 years. It has been on the bookshelves at my parent's house since before i was born. I was always 'about to read it'. I think I was a little wary due to the spooky cover. Keeping myself awake because of a book happened too often!

This is the tale of how a couple come to own the titular Gad's Hall. Partway into the book it steps back in time to an earlier part of the history of Gad's Hall. It tells the tale of the family that lived there at the time. I enjoyed both stories very much. My only point is that it is not actually that scary. The cover is misleading. It is the first of two books, the second being The Haunting of Gad's Hall. This book is the set up for that. It's great that the set up is so deep. You really get to know both families. There are sparks of what is to come in this book but I'm guessing that the sequel will spook me much more. I'm very much looking forward to reading it. I feel I can't properly judge this, knowing there's a sequel. A sequel which seems it will fulfil the spookiness of the cover of this book.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars is actually half a star too much. Can't help but wonder if Lofts intended the two novels to actually be one long one - I'm reading the edition that pairs the two, which makes it quite easy to go from one right into the other, especially as the first novel (GAD'S HALL) simply peters-out as though Lofts had lost interest. Anyone who read it before the sequel was published must surely have thought Lofts very much off-form.

That said, I have to say that in both novels I've had a great problem keeping several of the characters straight, particularly the sisters and their husbands.

[F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norah Lofts, the author, developed the main female character, Isabel Thorley, with a brick-strong will. Ms. Thorley raised two daughters and two step-daughters, making no difference with the girls, ironically calling upon one of the stepdaughters in time of dire need. Ms. Thorley managed the Victorian Age farm as a widow. Ms. Thorley went to all extremes to hide one of her daughter's mental illness.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be a typical haunted house story and instead, the haunting is more of a frame for the backstory. It was oddly delightful and the backstory was well written and made me wish it was a miniseries. I could easily see it on screen. It's not at all scary, but still manages to be compelling and the characters were all interesting. Really well done.