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The Evening Spider
A gripping blend of psychological suspense and historical true crime, this riveting novel—inspired by a sensational real-life murder from the 1800s—by critically acclaimed author Emily Arsenault delivers a heart-stopping mystery linking two young mothers from different centuries.
Frances Barnett and Abby Bernacki are two haunted young mothers living in the same house in two different centuries.
1885: Frances Barnett is in the Northampton Lunatic Hospital, telling her story to a visitor. She has come to distrust her own memories, and believes that her pregnancy, birth, and early days of motherhood may have impaired her sanity.
During the earliest months of her baby’s life, Frances eagerly followed the famous murder trial of Mary Stannard—that captivated New Englanders with its salacious details and expert forensic testimony. Following—and even attending—this trial, Frances found an escape from the monotony of new motherhood. But as her story unfolds, Frances must admit that her obsession with the details of the murder were not entirely innocent.
Present Abby has been adjusting to motherhood smoothly—until recently, when odd sensations and dreams have begun to unsettle her while home alone with her baby. When she starts to question the house’s history, she is given the diary of Frances Barnett, who lived in the house 125 years earlier. Abby finds the diary disturbing, and researches the Barnett family’s history. The more Abby learns, the more she wonders about a negative—possibly supernatural—influence in her house. She becomes convinced that when she sleeps, she leaves her daughter vulnerable—and then vows not to sleep until she can determine the cause of her eerie experiences.
Frances Barnett might not be the only new mother to lose her mind in this house. And like Frances, Abby discovers that by trying to uncover another’s secrets, she risks awakening some of her own.
Frances Barnett and Abby Bernacki are two haunted young mothers living in the same house in two different centuries.
1885: Frances Barnett is in the Northampton Lunatic Hospital, telling her story to a visitor. She has come to distrust her own memories, and believes that her pregnancy, birth, and early days of motherhood may have impaired her sanity.
During the earliest months of her baby’s life, Frances eagerly followed the famous murder trial of Mary Stannard—that captivated New Englanders with its salacious details and expert forensic testimony. Following—and even attending—this trial, Frances found an escape from the monotony of new motherhood. But as her story unfolds, Frances must admit that her obsession with the details of the murder were not entirely innocent.
Present Abby has been adjusting to motherhood smoothly—until recently, when odd sensations and dreams have begun to unsettle her while home alone with her baby. When she starts to question the house’s history, she is given the diary of Frances Barnett, who lived in the house 125 years earlier. Abby finds the diary disturbing, and researches the Barnett family’s history. The more Abby learns, the more she wonders about a negative—possibly supernatural—influence in her house. She becomes convinced that when she sleeps, she leaves her daughter vulnerable—and then vows not to sleep until she can determine the cause of her eerie experiences.
Frances Barnett might not be the only new mother to lose her mind in this house. And like Frances, Abby discovers that by trying to uncover another’s secrets, she risks awakening some of her own.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2016
164 people are currently reading
2544 people want to read
About the author
Emily Arsenault
12 books403 followersI haven’t had a terribly interesting life, so I won’t share too many details. But the highlights include:
• When I was a preschooler and a kindergartner, I had a lazy eye and I was Connecticut’s “Miss Prevent Blindness,” appearing on pamphlets and television urging parents to get their kids’ eyes checked. I wore an eye patch and clutched a blonde doll wearing a similar patch. I imagine it was all rather maudlin, but at the time I wouldn’t have known that word.
• I wrote my first novel when I was in fifth grade. It was over a hundred pages and took me the whole school year to write. (It was about five girls at a summer camp. I’d never been to a summer camp, but had always wanted to attend one.) When I was all finished, I turned back to the first page, eager to read it all from the beginning. I was horrified at how bad it was.
• At age thirteen, I got to go to a real sleepaway camp. It was nothing like the book I had written.
• I studied philosophy in college. So did my husband. We met in a Hegel class, which is awfully romantic.
• I worked as an editorial assistant at Merriam-Webster from 1998-2002, and got to help write definitions for their dictionaries.
• My husband and I served in the Peace Corps together, working in rural South Africa. I miss Losasaneng, miss many of the people we met there, and dream about it often.
• I am now working on my third novel. It is tentatively titled Just Someone I Used to Know, named after and old song Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton used to sing together.
• When I was a preschooler and a kindergartner, I had a lazy eye and I was Connecticut’s “Miss Prevent Blindness,” appearing on pamphlets and television urging parents to get their kids’ eyes checked. I wore an eye patch and clutched a blonde doll wearing a similar patch. I imagine it was all rather maudlin, but at the time I wouldn’t have known that word.
• I wrote my first novel when I was in fifth grade. It was over a hundred pages and took me the whole school year to write. (It was about five girls at a summer camp. I’d never been to a summer camp, but had always wanted to attend one.) When I was all finished, I turned back to the first page, eager to read it all from the beginning. I was horrified at how bad it was.
• At age thirteen, I got to go to a real sleepaway camp. It was nothing like the book I had written.
• I studied philosophy in college. So did my husband. We met in a Hegel class, which is awfully romantic.
• I worked as an editorial assistant at Merriam-Webster from 1998-2002, and got to help write definitions for their dictionaries.
• My husband and I served in the Peace Corps together, working in rural South Africa. I miss Losasaneng, miss many of the people we met there, and dream about it often.
• I am now working on my third novel. It is tentatively titled Just Someone I Used to Know, named after and old song Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton used to sing together.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
September 22, 2015
Fascinating (true!) historical mystery told in diary/epistolary format, interspersed with contemporary 1st person narration, both about newly married women with infants living in the same house. Sounds complicated, but it wasn’t once I got into it - then it ended up keeping me turning pages late into the night! Loved, loved, loved how it all turned out.
April 8, 2016
1885, Northampton Lunatic Hospital. Frances Bernett is retelling her story to a visitor. Frances is a young wife and a mother who started to question her memories and her sanity after her child was born. Could her pregnancy have hurt her sanity? And, her obsession with the (true) murder trial of Mary Stannard seems a bit odd.
Present day. Abby is a new mother and she has adjusted to motherhood just fine, but then she starts to have odd experiences in her house. It feels like there is something, someone in her daughter's room and she sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night hearing through the baby monitor “shh”, like there is someone in there comforting her baby. Through research, she finds out that Frances Barnett lived in the house 125 years before. Could Frances be haunting the house, and if so why?
The cover and the interesting blurb caught my attention and I was eagerly approaching the day I could start to read this book. I love reading books with a parallel story line. And, this one appealed to me quite much because I love haunted house stories. The blurb I read said that it was a psychological suspense and I can understand that the book has been labeled that, unfortunately, I never felt any suspense while reading this book. But, I can understand that there are readers that this book will appeal to very much. I'm just a very hard reader to impress sometimes. I think my main problem was that the story set in 1885 never really got interesting enough for me, the diary notes about the trial and another case that France's husband was representing just never fully worked for me. I did wonder about Frances growing interest for arsenic, especially when she apparently had done something awful to be put in a lunatic asylum. But, I just never really found myself that deeply interested in Frances and her life.
I did, however, like Abby and reading about her struggle with coming to term if the house was haunted or not. And, through Abby's struggle, we get to know more about her and a very painful memory that she is carrying with her. I think Abby slowly learning more about the house, revealing some info here and there about her past is what makes the book truly interesting.
The ending was good, especially when the truth about Frances being in a lunatic asylum was revealed.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, just because I didn't feel that this was a thrilling psychological novel doesn't mean that other would not find it so. As I wrote before; I'm very hard to impress sometimes. However, it was interesting to read, and I think if you like reading about women in the last 1900-century and their role in society will you like this book.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review.
Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede
Present day. Abby is a new mother and she has adjusted to motherhood just fine, but then she starts to have odd experiences in her house. It feels like there is something, someone in her daughter's room and she sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night hearing through the baby monitor “shh”, like there is someone in there comforting her baby. Through research, she finds out that Frances Barnett lived in the house 125 years before. Could Frances be haunting the house, and if so why?
The cover and the interesting blurb caught my attention and I was eagerly approaching the day I could start to read this book. I love reading books with a parallel story line. And, this one appealed to me quite much because I love haunted house stories. The blurb I read said that it was a psychological suspense and I can understand that the book has been labeled that, unfortunately, I never felt any suspense while reading this book. But, I can understand that there are readers that this book will appeal to very much. I'm just a very hard reader to impress sometimes. I think my main problem was that the story set in 1885 never really got interesting enough for me, the diary notes about the trial and another case that France's husband was representing just never fully worked for me. I did wonder about Frances growing interest for arsenic, especially when she apparently had done something awful to be put in a lunatic asylum. But, I just never really found myself that deeply interested in Frances and her life.
I did, however, like Abby and reading about her struggle with coming to term if the house was haunted or not. And, through Abby's struggle, we get to know more about her and a very painful memory that she is carrying with her. I think Abby slowly learning more about the house, revealing some info here and there about her past is what makes the book truly interesting.
The ending was good, especially when the truth about Frances being in a lunatic asylum was revealed.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, just because I didn't feel that this was a thrilling psychological novel doesn't mean that other would not find it so. As I wrote before; I'm very hard to impress sometimes. However, it was interesting to read, and I think if you like reading about women in the last 1900-century and their role in society will you like this book.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review.
Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede
May 2, 2016
I won't add a book to my to-read list unless it has an average rating of 3.9 stars or higher. The exceptions are a)if it's the start of a series and the ratings get better for consecutive books or b) the book just sounds so interesting I just HAVE TO add it (this is rare). Obviously, this book fell under B. It just sounded so good, I just had to give it a chance. And it had a great cover! Great cover, great premise, it has to be good, right?
Sadly, no. This book was NOT a thriller, it was not suspenseful, and it wasn't really about ghosts, either. It was kinda mysterious, but not in an exciting way, more in a "lets talk about the history of our small town every waking moment" (which is what the MC did) kinda way.
The story was scattered, with lots of past storylines being introduced, which I guess was supposed to give the story depth, or something. It didn't work for me, it just made the story harder to follow and too convoluted.
The book ended abruptly and left me wondering what the point was. Disappointing all around.
Sadly, no. This book was NOT a thriller, it was not suspenseful, and it wasn't really about ghosts, either. It was kinda mysterious, but not in an exciting way, more in a "lets talk about the history of our small town every waking moment" (which is what the MC did) kinda way.
The story was scattered, with lots of past storylines being introduced, which I guess was supposed to give the story depth, or something. It didn't work for me, it just made the story harder to follow and too convoluted.
The book ended abruptly and left me wondering what the point was. Disappointing all around.
December 31, 2015
Three stars: An interesting read that falters with an abrupt ending and unconnected story lines.
Abby is a new mother, living in an old house. She fell in love with the quaint old home that had been in the same family for 125 years, but now, she isn't so sure about her house. Abby has been hearing strange sounds on her daughter's baby monitor, and she has the unsettling feeling that she isn't alone in her home. When she starts digging, Abby comes into possession of a journal, written by Frances Barnett, another young mother who occupied the house in the 1800s. Can Frances' journal help Abby unlock the secrets of her house?
What I Liked:
*The Evening Spider is a book that drew me in with its haunted house and history. This book incorporates two view points from two young mothers living in the same home 125 years apart. I also liked that it utilized a real life murder case and trial from the late 1800s. If you want an interesting mystery with a ghostly twist, this is a book to try.
*Abby's narration takes place in the current time, and it drives the story, however, I found I was drawn to France's story that takes place in the past. France's voice comes through via her journal entries and letters to her brother. Frances is locked in a mental asylum, and the reader isn't sure if she is a crazy, unreliable narrator. I liked not knowing if Frances was mentally ill, and I was most curious to find out what she did to land in the asylum. As her story unwound, I fascinated and shocked.
*The story incorporates a real life murder case that took place during the late 1800s. Frances becomes infatuated with the trial, and the reader is treated to forensics and detective work from this era. I was intrigued by the scientific presentation on arsenic.
*I liked the ghost story that takes place in the present, and I was curious to see how Abby's and Frances story would tie together. The combination of the ghost story and the historical murder case kept me invested.
And The Not So Much:
*I enjoyed the story right up until the ending. The book ends very abruptly, leaving too many story lines unexplained, and I was disappointed that the author didn't do a better job connecting the story lines. It didn't make sense, especially regarding the whole haunting thing. It wasn't completely clear as to who was haunting the house. I felt like there were too many things that weren't explored in depth. The book could have been so much better if the author had taken a bit more time to flesh out and connect the story lines. As it stands, everything felt thrown together, and it didn't make sense, nor did it work.
*I was very much invested in Frances' story, and I was extremely frustrated with the way it ended. There was a big revelation, and then the book ends with a cursory explanation of what happened to Frances. I wanted much more. I wanted a better understanding of what happened between Frances and her husband, what happened to her in her later years and so on.
*At first, I liked Abby, but as the book wore on, I liked her less and less. She is a young mother, feeling a bit trapped by the burden of motherhood. I thought that she was unfriendly and often times rude to the people trying to help her, and I didn't like that way she treated her husband. By the end of the story, I didn't like her at all.
*The author goes into lengthy descriptions regarding the infant, Lucy. At first, it was fine, but this is another thing that got annoying by the end of the book. I could have done without the pages and pages of Lucy's baby behavior. Instead of focusing so much on what the baby was doing, the author should have been working on connecting the story lines.
The Evening Spider is a book that I really wanted to love. I was drawn into the story and enjoying the book, but I ended up disappointed in the end. The finale was abrupt and it left too many questions, and it failed to connect the story lines. This read that ended up having several story lines that didn't come together, and it didn't work. I was hoping for so much more.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
Abby is a new mother, living in an old house. She fell in love with the quaint old home that had been in the same family for 125 years, but now, she isn't so sure about her house. Abby has been hearing strange sounds on her daughter's baby monitor, and she has the unsettling feeling that she isn't alone in her home. When she starts digging, Abby comes into possession of a journal, written by Frances Barnett, another young mother who occupied the house in the 1800s. Can Frances' journal help Abby unlock the secrets of her house?
What I Liked:
*The Evening Spider is a book that drew me in with its haunted house and history. This book incorporates two view points from two young mothers living in the same home 125 years apart. I also liked that it utilized a real life murder case and trial from the late 1800s. If you want an interesting mystery with a ghostly twist, this is a book to try.
*Abby's narration takes place in the current time, and it drives the story, however, I found I was drawn to France's story that takes place in the past. France's voice comes through via her journal entries and letters to her brother. Frances is locked in a mental asylum, and the reader isn't sure if she is a crazy, unreliable narrator. I liked not knowing if Frances was mentally ill, and I was most curious to find out what she did to land in the asylum. As her story unwound, I fascinated and shocked.
*The story incorporates a real life murder case that took place during the late 1800s. Frances becomes infatuated with the trial, and the reader is treated to forensics and detective work from this era. I was intrigued by the scientific presentation on arsenic.
*I liked the ghost story that takes place in the present, and I was curious to see how Abby's and Frances story would tie together. The combination of the ghost story and the historical murder case kept me invested.
And The Not So Much:
*I enjoyed the story right up until the ending. The book ends very abruptly, leaving too many story lines unexplained, and I was disappointed that the author didn't do a better job connecting the story lines. It didn't make sense, especially regarding the whole haunting thing. It wasn't completely clear as to who was haunting the house. I felt like there were too many things that weren't explored in depth. The book could have been so much better if the author had taken a bit more time to flesh out and connect the story lines. As it stands, everything felt thrown together, and it didn't make sense, nor did it work.
*I was very much invested in Frances' story, and I was extremely frustrated with the way it ended. There was a big revelation, and then the book ends with a cursory explanation of what happened to Frances. I wanted much more. I wanted a better understanding of what happened between Frances and her husband, what happened to her in her later years and so on.
*At first, I liked Abby, but as the book wore on, I liked her less and less. She is a young mother, feeling a bit trapped by the burden of motherhood. I thought that she was unfriendly and often times rude to the people trying to help her, and I didn't like that way she treated her husband. By the end of the story, I didn't like her at all.
*The author goes into lengthy descriptions regarding the infant, Lucy. At first, it was fine, but this is another thing that got annoying by the end of the book. I could have done without the pages and pages of Lucy's baby behavior. Instead of focusing so much on what the baby was doing, the author should have been working on connecting the story lines.
The Evening Spider is a book that I really wanted to love. I was drawn into the story and enjoying the book, but I ended up disappointed in the end. The finale was abrupt and it left too many questions, and it failed to connect the story lines. This read that ended up having several story lines that didn't come together, and it didn't work. I was hoping for so much more.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
September 4, 2021
מותחן פסיכולוגי מורט עצבים שהיה לי קשה להוריד מהיד.
אבי ברנקי, מורה צעירה להיסטוריה בחופשת לידה, עוברת עם בעלה והתינוקת החדשה לבית ישן והיסטורי בקונטיקט.
לילה אחד היא מתעוררת ושומעת לחישה מסתורית דרך המוניטור של התינוקת. בעלה לא שומע דבר ואיש לא נמצא בחדר התינוקת, אבל בבוקר היא מוצאת על פני התינוקת חבורה לא מוסברת. גם בהמשך אבי נתקלת באירועים מוזרים ומפחידים בבית, וכשהיא מתחילה לחקור את עברו של הבית, היא מגלה שלפני 135 שנה, התגוררה בו אם צעירה לתינוקת, בשם פרנסס ברנט, אשר ככל הנראה ביצעה פשע כה מחריד, שגרם לכך שיכלאו אותה במוסד לחולי נפש. אבי מגלה פיסות ורמזים על חייה של פרנסס, אך גם הרבה סודות ושקרים.
תוך שהיא מנסה להגן על בתה מפני רוחה של פרנסס הרודפת את הבית, היא מנסה לגלות מה פרנסס מנסה להגיד לה, לפני שיהיה מאוחר מדי.
מומלץ רק לחובבי סיפורי בתים רדופים, רוחות רפאים וכלבם של בני בסקרוויל.
אנקדוטה: קראתי את הספר "עכביש הערב" והספר: "גאות ליל ירח מלא" בהפרש של יום. להפתעתי גיליתי שתמונת הכריכה באנגלית של "עכביש הערב" המופיעה בעמוד זה, נלקחה על ידי ההוצאה בישראל על מנת לשמש כתמונת הכריכה של "גאות ליל ירח מלא".
ל"גאות ליל ירח מלא" באנגלית יש תמונת כריכה שונה לגמרי, כמובן.
אבי ברנקי, מורה צעירה להיסטוריה בחופשת לידה, עוברת עם בעלה והתינוקת החדשה לבית ישן והיסטורי בקונטיקט.
לילה אחד היא מתעוררת ושומעת לחישה מסתורית דרך המוניטור של התינוקת. בעלה לא שומע דבר ואיש לא נמצא בחדר התינוקת, אבל בבוקר היא מוצאת על פני התינוקת חבורה לא מוסברת. גם בהמשך אבי נתקלת באירועים מוזרים ומפחידים בבית, וכשהיא מתחילה לחקור את עברו של הבית, היא מגלה שלפני 135 שנה, התגוררה בו אם צעירה לתינוקת, בשם פרנסס ברנט, אשר ככל הנראה ביצעה פשע כה מחריד, שגרם לכך שיכלאו אותה במוסד לחולי נפש. אבי מגלה פיסות ורמזים על חייה של פרנסס, אך גם הרבה סודות ושקרים.
תוך שהיא מנסה להגן על בתה מפני רוחה של פרנסס הרודפת את הבית, היא מנסה לגלות מה פרנסס מנסה להגיד לה, לפני שיהיה מאוחר מדי.
מומלץ רק לחובבי סיפורי בתים רדופים, רוחות רפאים וכלבם של בני בסקרוויל.
אנקדוטה: קראתי את הספר "עכביש הערב" והספר: "גאות ליל ירח מלא" בהפרש של יום. להפתעתי גיליתי שתמונת הכריכה באנגלית של "עכביש הערב" המופיעה בעמוד זה, נלקחה על ידי ההוצאה בישראל על מנת לשמש כתמונת הכריכה של "גאות ליל ירח מלא".
ל"גאות ליל ירח מלא" באנגלית יש תמונת כריכה שונה לגמרי, כמובן.
didn-t-finish
January 16, 2019This started out really creepy and then quickly became really dull.
Read
January 26, 2016Do you like spooky houses and historical murders and mysteries? Then this is the book for you! Abby is a new mother in a big home, and she thinks things are going well, until she starts to develop strange sensations that seem to be tied the house. In investigating the house's history, she reads the diary of one of its former occupants, Frances Barnett, who was later an inmate at a mental institution. Is the ghost of Frances behind the strange happenings? Told from the perspective of both women, The Evening Spider is a delightful mystery.
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January 1, 2016
I had been researching my family history in 16th century connecticut and then picked up this galley that had been on my nightstand waiting for the perfect time to be read. It was the perfect time! Based on an actual murder trial this book consisted of many things I love. .. a haunted house, an unreliable narrator, diary entries, newspaper clippings, meetings at a library! A perfect package!
November 9, 2015
Somewhat disappointing...an unresolved sort-of-ghost-story and what felt like a very abrupt ending.
November 9, 2020
3.5 Stars
Enjoyable mystery with a bit of paranormal added in. I enjoyed the back and forth between Frances' life in 1885 and Abby's life in the present day. It was kind of interesting to learn that this was based off real cases.
I would read more by this author if I came across them.
Enjoyable mystery with a bit of paranormal added in. I enjoyed the back and forth between Frances' life in 1885 and Abby's life in the present day. It was kind of interesting to learn that this was based off real cases.
I would read more by this author if I came across them.
January 12, 2016
The Evening Spider is an engaging read. I loved a lot of its parts: the mystery pertaining to several old court cases; Frances' psychotic break; Abby's pending breakdown; a haunting; a dead woman's journal; actual court documents; the novel told from two different perspectives from two different lifetimes. This is fascinating read for sure.
But the sum of all its parts left me frowning. Frances seems to be a huge catalyst to Abby's own issues. But that became more evident towards the end. So there are actually three storylines here and it didn't intersect well IMO. Not to mention the lack of closure on Abby's part. The mystery regarding Frances was concluded well, but what of Abby? Her ghosts wasn't laid to rest and there's a lot of things implied that didn't have much clarity for me to at least imagine a good resolution for.
But the sum of all its parts left me frowning. Frances seems to be a huge catalyst to Abby's own issues. But that became more evident towards the end. So there are actually three storylines here and it didn't intersect well IMO. Not to mention the lack of closure on Abby's part. The mystery regarding Frances was concluded well, but what of Abby? Her ghosts wasn't laid to rest and there's a lot of things implied that didn't have much clarity for me to at least imagine a good resolution for.
April 3, 2016
I enjoyed this book very much. I’ve read a couple of Emily Arsenault’s books, and her characters are always complex and relatable, especially the two women in THE EVENING SPIDER. It combines true crime from the 1800s with a modern day ghost story. There are two young mothers living in the same house more than a century apart, a secret diary, a grizzly murder, and troubled ghosts trying to make contact. I loved the spooky Gothic atmosphere, and trying to figure out who was doing the haunting, and what became of the characters who originally lived in the house. I liked the ending. The author doesn’t come right out and say who the restless spirits are, but she gives enough clues to where I was satisfied. Makes you think. Great book! (4.5 stars)
February 14, 2016
Find my full review at http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com.
When I read the synopsis for The Evening Spider I immediately reached out to the wonderful ladies at TLC Book Tours and asked to please be a part of this tour. It had so many elements I love in one package: historical setting and true crime; psychological suspense; possibly ghosts with nefarious plans creeping around a creaky old house, terrifying a new mom. Jackpot! Now having finished I'm a little torn about how I feel about the story overall. Did I enjoy it? Very much! Did it live up to what I was expecting in my head or give me the gasping shock I wanted as my mind was blown by unexpected revelations? Not exactly.
The set up of the chapters was a little odd to me at first, but as I kept reading I really began to enjoy it. The story is broken up in short, alternating chapters between Frances in a Lunatic Asylum in 1885 as she relays to her brother the actions that brought her there five years before and Abby in 2014 trying to figure out what spirits might be haunting her house and possibly injuring her baby daughter. Once I got used to this pattern I found that it definitely kept the pages turning as little, unsettling bits of information are continuously dropped for the reader just before it switches back to the other storyline. And there are some legitimately creepy aspects about both storylines that I found just delicious.
I think my favorite creepy aspect would have to be Abby trying to figure out whether her house is truly haunted or whether she might be starting to lose her mind. She hears shushing on her baby monitor, doors are hard to open as though someone is pushing against it, she starts having these disturbing nightmares with someone else's baby in it as well as dreams that hint at something horrible having happened in Abby's past....it all adds up to just a general feeling of foreboding and I kept waiting to see exactly which way her somewhat tenuous hold on sanity was going to fall.
This isn't to say that Frances's story didn't have a lot to offer. From the get-go the way she was having such a seemingly innocuous conversation with her brother while sitting in a Lunatic Asylum made me think she was off her rocker and was going to really shock me with what we were going to learn. She was a very odd character and the way she presented her story made me think I wasn't quite getting the full picture. Towards the end of the novel I kept feverously turning pages to see what would happen and then....
Unfortunately I found the ending for both storylines odd and mostly unsatisfying. For the life of me I cannot figure out why the author chose to end both the way she did. We only learn bits and pieces of what really happened in Frances's story while never getting much reasoning or follow up and, in Abby's case, I still don't fully know what was happening. Abby makes a decision in her past that, no matter which way I try to reason it, I cannot fathom why she did it and there is no real resolution to her story. I was left feeling sort of like....is that all?
Unsatisfying ending aside The Evening Spider did hold my attention and give me hours of entertainment. Others might like the ending better than I did, so if the synopsis sounds like something you would generally enjoy I would recommend giving it a try. Just don't expect to be blown away when you turn the last page.
When I read the synopsis for The Evening Spider I immediately reached out to the wonderful ladies at TLC Book Tours and asked to please be a part of this tour. It had so many elements I love in one package: historical setting and true crime; psychological suspense; possibly ghosts with nefarious plans creeping around a creaky old house, terrifying a new mom. Jackpot! Now having finished I'm a little torn about how I feel about the story overall. Did I enjoy it? Very much! Did it live up to what I was expecting in my head or give me the gasping shock I wanted as my mind was blown by unexpected revelations? Not exactly.
The set up of the chapters was a little odd to me at first, but as I kept reading I really began to enjoy it. The story is broken up in short, alternating chapters between Frances in a Lunatic Asylum in 1885 as she relays to her brother the actions that brought her there five years before and Abby in 2014 trying to figure out what spirits might be haunting her house and possibly injuring her baby daughter. Once I got used to this pattern I found that it definitely kept the pages turning as little, unsettling bits of information are continuously dropped for the reader just before it switches back to the other storyline. And there are some legitimately creepy aspects about both storylines that I found just delicious.
I think my favorite creepy aspect would have to be Abby trying to figure out whether her house is truly haunted or whether she might be starting to lose her mind. She hears shushing on her baby monitor, doors are hard to open as though someone is pushing against it, she starts having these disturbing nightmares with someone else's baby in it as well as dreams that hint at something horrible having happened in Abby's past....it all adds up to just a general feeling of foreboding and I kept waiting to see exactly which way her somewhat tenuous hold on sanity was going to fall.
This isn't to say that Frances's story didn't have a lot to offer. From the get-go the way she was having such a seemingly innocuous conversation with her brother while sitting in a Lunatic Asylum made me think she was off her rocker and was going to really shock me with what we were going to learn. She was a very odd character and the way she presented her story made me think I wasn't quite getting the full picture. Towards the end of the novel I kept feverously turning pages to see what would happen and then....
Unfortunately I found the ending for both storylines odd and mostly unsatisfying. For the life of me I cannot figure out why the author chose to end both the way she did. We only learn bits and pieces of what really happened in Frances's story while never getting much reasoning or follow up and, in Abby's case, I still don't fully know what was happening. Abby makes a decision in her past that, no matter which way I try to reason it, I cannot fathom why she did it and there is no real resolution to her story. I was left feeling sort of like....is that all?
Unsatisfying ending aside The Evening Spider did hold my attention and give me hours of entertainment. Others might like the ending better than I did, so if the synopsis sounds like something you would generally enjoy I would recommend giving it a try. Just don't expect to be blown away when you turn the last page.
January 4, 2016
3.5 stars
I love Emily Arsenault's books. They're incredibly creepy and also incredibly smart. This one is sort of a ghost story, and it's actually chilling.
There's so much going on in The Evening Spider that it's actually hard to discuss in any detail without the risk of spoiling things. So here's what I can say: I very much like Abby and empathized with what was going on with her.
Because of the way this is written, I had some very real questions about what was really happening and what was in Abby's head. This made the book even creepier than it may otherwise have been, because is there anything scarier than the idea that you may be more of a harm to your child than whatever it is you think is potentially a harm to your child? (SO CREEPY.)
There's such an insane feeling of dread going throughout the book, too. Everything about it is just intense. This book may not be for everyone, but if you like spooky stories, it's absolutely for you.
Recommended.
I love Emily Arsenault's books. They're incredibly creepy and also incredibly smart. This one is sort of a ghost story, and it's actually chilling.
There's so much going on in The Evening Spider that it's actually hard to discuss in any detail without the risk of spoiling things. So here's what I can say: I very much like Abby and empathized with what was going on with her.
Because of the way this is written, I had some very real questions about what was really happening and what was in Abby's head. This made the book even creepier than it may otherwise have been, because is there anything scarier than the idea that you may be more of a harm to your child than whatever it is you think is potentially a harm to your child? (SO CREEPY.)
There's such an insane feeling of dread going throughout the book, too. Everything about it is just intense. This book may not be for everyone, but if you like spooky stories, it's absolutely for you.
Recommended.
August 24, 2016
I will admit that when I began this novel, I had high hopes for it. The buildup was slow yet enticing and I was eager to see how the story would unfold. Unfortunately, this novel let me down big time. The more I read, the more I felt like Abby was simply delusional. Most of the time, nothing was even happening to her and she created the "eerie" situation through her own actions. Just as the novel begins to pick up the pace, it starts to go in a weird direction that just seems rushed and abruptly ends. While everything makes sense, it wasn't written out very well and just left me feeling startled. The ending had absolutely nothing to do with the premise and it seemed quite pointless by the end of it. All in all, not a good attempt and I will definitely not be recommending this book to anyone!
November 12, 2017
I’ve added this to my fav shelf. I know this is suppose to be a ghost story but I’m not sure if it’s a literal ghost story or a figurative one. I feel that Abby was dealing with grief over the loss of Wendy and her grief in a sense turned Into a “ghost”. The bruise on Lucy , the phrase she kept hearing all seem to be grief. Francis on the other hand was “haunted” by the secret she found on her husband which ultimately found her in the asylum. The fact the Abby and her family live in the same house worked to Abby’s favor . I think the investigation into Francis life helped Abby to deal with hers. This is just my interpretation, I’m interested in hearing what others think about this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2019
Audiobook. The story is told in alternating perspectives, Abby from 2014 and Francis from 1885. Abby lives in the house where Francis lived in 1885. A few strange noises and Abby starts digging into the history of the home's past residents. She is able to purchase Francis' diary, and as we follow along, it appears the woman is slowly going mad or is she?
It's a haunting mystery and the farther along I got the less sure I was of anything. Twist and turns and second guessing made this a fun listen.
It's a haunting mystery and the farther along I got the less sure I was of anything. Twist and turns and second guessing made this a fun listen.
July 9, 2017
Emily Arsenault is a new to me author and the cover of this book caught my eye and when I read that it had an element of the paranormal, specifically ghosts, I wanted to read it. Despite all of the pretty negative reviews, I actually liked the book. I didn't have trouble following the two different narrators and time frames, Frances in the 1880's and Abby in the present BUT reading the journal written by Frances in the 1880's. Maybe that is where readers became confused? I admit that at first when Abby was reading Frances's journal I had to re-read to make sure who was actually the narrator of the chapter I was reading at the time. However, as soon as I figured out the author's writing style I had no problem following the story.
I liked Abby's part better than Frances's because, without giving too much away, it was just plain creepy. As a mother myself and remembering what it was like when the babies were newborns I understood "Mommybrain", the stress, and exhaustion. I was reading late last night and actually got scared at one point and was pretty frozen on the sofa until the feeling passed. The author was very subtle in the way she brought up the issue of sanity and what caused it...motherhood, genetics, or something outside of yourself. The story was written in a way that as it went on it built up a feeling of frenzy and tension in Abby that Lucy, her baby, definitely picked up on. There was so much going on in Abby's head and the author did a great job making the reader feel that frenzy. I liked how Abby's story wrapped up but wanted just a tad more information.
France's chapters added knowledge and insight but sometimes got bogged down in too much detail if the murder trial. I also wished that there weren't so many loose ends with Frances by the end of the book.
This may seem scattered but if you read the book the review will make sense. I don't want to spoil anything because then the creepy factor will be thrown out the window. I would recommend this book with the note that this is not horror nor hard core paranormal. It is a good story with a real creep factor and did give me goosebumps. Get it from the library if you can. 4 stars!
I liked Abby's part better than Frances's because, without giving too much away, it was just plain creepy. As a mother myself and remembering what it was like when the babies were newborns I understood "Mommybrain", the stress, and exhaustion. I was reading late last night and actually got scared at one point and was pretty frozen on the sofa until the feeling passed. The author was very subtle in the way she brought up the issue of sanity and what caused it...motherhood, genetics, or something outside of yourself. The story was written in a way that as it went on it built up a feeling of frenzy and tension in Abby that Lucy, her baby, definitely picked up on. There was so much going on in Abby's head and the author did a great job making the reader feel that frenzy. I liked how Abby's story wrapped up but wanted just a tad more information.
France's chapters added knowledge and insight but sometimes got bogged down in too much detail if the murder trial. I also wished that there weren't so many loose ends with Frances by the end of the book.
This may seem scattered but if you read the book the review will make sense. I don't want to spoil anything because then the creepy factor will be thrown out the window. I would recommend this book with the note that this is not horror nor hard core paranormal. It is a good story with a real creep factor and did give me goosebumps. Get it from the library if you can. 4 stars!
June 13, 2017
Most of this story baffled me. What was the need for the ghost/ specter? And, that odd woman named Fonda? There are layers of historic murders in this tale, some with too much gruesome detail i.e. the victim being dissected to use as evidence in the trial! Later we learn that the woman who's husband placed her in an asylum had witnessed her husband cutting himself to collect blood apparently used to frame a neighbor for a murder where he was one of the prosecuting attorneys...what a scumbag. But, why on earth did she never told a single person about this? An innocent man hanged. The whole element of arsenic early in this story was sort of pointless from my perspective.
The modern version of the haunted woman, Abby, seems ditzy to me....poor decisions! Not telling her husband what she's doing, going out to the car to check for keys without checking to see that the house door was unlocked in a blizzard no less! and hanging out with people who share her obsession for knowing the history of some poor woman who once lived in her house. All of this craziness when the real issue was having her college roommate's suicide not which she never shared with her family.
This was far from being a favorite book/ author.
The modern version of the haunted woman, Abby, seems ditzy to me....poor decisions! Not telling her husband what she's doing, going out to the car to check for keys without checking to see that the house door was unlocked in a blizzard no less! and hanging out with people who share her obsession for knowing the history of some poor woman who once lived in her house. All of this craziness when the real issue was having her college roommate's suicide not which she never shared with her family.
This was far from being a favorite book/ author.
June 8, 2016
Started off well, but didn't wrap everything up to my liking. I had a hard time following the multiple story lines, especially since the Frances story line bounced between the journal and her telling her story to her brother. The timeline was confusing at times. I felt like the Abby story line just ended without a proper conclusion. Disappointing read overall.
April 6, 2016
2.5 stars? This book is a combo of a historical novel and ghost story--it should be everything I love (a found journal! Suspense! A historical crime!). However, it lacked any good resolution and had too many plot points that were never explained. Disappointed, despite the great subject matter.
February 6, 2017
I'm a sucker for descriptions like the one for this book: "A gripping blend of psychological suspense and historical true crime...". This book is not gripping. Nor is it suspenseful in any way. It's pretty much drivel. Abandoned about halfway through.
February 15, 2016
Creepy at times, a tiny ghost story with a tad conflicting story line but overall a fun read.
June 5, 2019
I love Emily Arsenault’s other books - this one not as much. I think I might just be kind of over gothic heroines - at least, the ones that are a little helpless and whiny and so ridiculous nonsensical dramatic things because they’re scared. It was just a bit over the top - so exactly what you probably want in this kind of book, but not what I wanted to read. I liked the side characters a lot, though - they felt very real and detailed and interesting (though the husband, oddly, was less defined).
May 27, 2018
(1-1.5)
I thought this was an interesting setup and the fact that it is inspired by a real event was a bonus, but the execution did not work for me. The alternating timelines (which is something I usually like) disrupted the flow of the story, I did not like any of the characters, and the heavy use of diary entires, letters, newspaper articles, and emails did not help at all (I have a strong dislike for epistolary novels), and the ending felt very unresolved.
I thought this was an interesting setup and the fact that it is inspired by a real event was a bonus, but the execution did not work for me. The alternating timelines (which is something I usually like) disrupted the flow of the story, I did not like any of the characters, and the heavy use of diary entires, letters, newspaper articles, and emails did not help at all (I have a strong dislike for epistolary novels), and the ending felt very unresolved.
July 2, 2023
That was an odd book. It was quite readable and overall enjoyable, a mashup of historical fiction, true crime, ghost story, psychological thriller. It maybe tried to do one too many things and I am not sure they all fit - or maybe there were just a few intentional red herrings. I can see why other reviewers were bothered by that but for me it was just a darkly pleasant read for a rainy weekend.
November 20, 2018
I really enjoyed the story and the layout. I felt engaged and just a tad spooked (I picked it for an October read) and was so excited for the end to wrap everything up and have the big finale and then the last couple chapters just were a phenomenal disappointment. The ending I was hoping for (not for a specific ending, just one that was satisfying and made sense to the rest of the meat of the story), didn’t really happen. I was disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone but I wouldn’t slap it out of your hand either, I guess.
January 16, 2021
This was a 5 until the ending. I feel it lacked a resolution worthy enough to satisfy the curiosities I developed while reading. Lots of unanswered questions still, but it was such an interesting story, and one not typically in my wheelhouse. I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints and time periods between chapters.
March 24, 2018
I do not know what the heck I just read?? Why does it end so abruptly??
Why is there so much "extra" in this book.
Blah, wasted 3 hrs-hope next book better!
Why is there so much "extra" in this book.
Blah, wasted 3 hrs-hope next book better!
May 27, 2020
Excellent suspense thriller. Kept me on my toes and definitely a page turner. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a mystery.
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