All Souls’ Night

by Hugh Walpole, John Howard (Introduction)

Hugh Walpole (1884-1941) was one of the most popular and prolific English authors of his time, best known for his historical fiction and novels for boys. But it was in the field of the macabre and supernatural that Walpole was at his best, and this collection of sixteen tales contains many of his finest, including the classic werewolf story ‘Tarnhelm’; the oft-anthologized ‘The Little Ghost’; ‘The Snow’, a chilling story of vengeance from beyond the grave; and perhaps the highlight of the collection, ‘The Silver Mask’, which one critic has called ‘a masterpiece, a classic example of how a tale can be truly terrible and ghostly with no ghost and only the wispiest hint of the supernatural.’

This new edition, which reprints the unabridged text of the 1933 first edition and includes a new introduction by John Howard, will allow a new generation of readers to discover an unjustly forgotten master of the eerie and macabre.

REVIEWS

‘Excellently written and displaying a wide range of interests . . . Mr. Walpole knows well how to make the flesh creep.’ - Sydney Morning Herald

‘There are sixteen stories in Walpole’s collection, and they all reach a high degree of merit; all are marked by the distinguished literary quality one is sure to find in his work.’ - New York Times

‘A macabre master whose understanding of the night side of human experience makes him indispensable fire-side reading.’ - Flesh and Blood Magazine

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Anthologies, Gothic, Audiobook

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole was an English novelist. A prolific writer, he published thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories, two plays and three volumes of memoirs. His skill at scene-setting, his vivid plots, his high profile as a lecturer and his driving ambition brought him a large readership in the United Kingdom and North America. A best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s, his works have been neglected since his death.

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is yet another collection of brilliant stories by Hugh Walpole.

Walpole is famous for historical fiction and supernatural stories. This anthology consists of sixteen entertaining and thought-provoking stories.
My favorite three lines from this book.

“No one ever did anything mean to anyone else yet save for their good, and so it will be until the end of this frail planet.”

“And then she was frightened of him. How well the house understood this!”

"It is surprising how completely one human being can convince another of incompetence, ignorance and silly vanity if they are often alone together."

The silver mask, the staircase, and the little ghost are a few of this book's best stories. My favorite among them is the staircase, where the author dwells deep into the human psyche.

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[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Souls' Night is an excellent collection of stories, originally published back in the 1930's. I listened to the audio version, narrated by the outstanding Matt Godfrey.

Not all of these tales were dark fiction or ghost stories, but-of course, those were my favorites. The ones that I enjoyed the most were found right at the beginning, namely:

Whistle I love tales about dogs and people that don't care for them. Dogs always know.

The Silver Mask Nothing outright horrific, really, but most definitely unsettling and surprising.

The Staircase Easily my favorite story in this collection. Featuring extremely keen insights into human behavior, (that stand up, even to this day), as viewed and acted upon, by the house itself. This one blew me away.

Lastly:

Lilac I thought this was going to be one kind of story, but it didn't go the way I thought it would at all.

As I said above, I listened to the audio of this book and I thought the narrator did a great job of bringing these tales alive. I could easily picture everything going on and the English accent was appropriate for the time and age in which the stories were set.

Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. If you decide to try it out, don't expect all of the stories to be macabre, or to involve the supernatural. These tales vary widely, but all of them feature startling insights into the nature of humanity, and they are still true today. Highly recommended, especially the audio version!

You can get your copy here: All Souls' Night (Valancourt 20th Century Classics)

*I was provided this audio book free of charge from the narrator, (through Audio Boom!) in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it. Thanks to you both for the opportunity!*

[Poonam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my Book Of the Month- August 2016, with GR group- Literary Horror

This is a collection of short stories and a perfect read if you are dipping your toes into the horror genre and want to start with something mild.

There are 16 short stories and not all of them are typical horror tales. They range from human behavior and relationships to human like behavior in inanimate objects.
I think what the author is trying to convey here is, you don't need a ghost or some other wordly thing to make it horror but sometimes the human behavior can be horrifying enough.

There are also 2 stories involving animals and for me they were not at all horror instead had a sweet feel to them.

These stories are more similar to reading the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'

There are few typical ghost stories and even a story thrown in with shape-shifter.

My favorite one's are the the ghost stories as I am anyways partial to paranormal spook.

The book was published in 1930's and has an old feel to it which I really liked. Each and every story was interesting on it's own and kept me engaged.

Overall an enjoyable read.

[K.J. Charles]

A pretty good collection of short stories. Some are supernatural, though by far the most sinister are about domestic situations and people inflicting small cruelties on one another. Well written. Pretty damn gay in a super-repressed way.

[Nancy Oakes]

maybe a 3.7 or so -- I hate number ratings. Ick.

I absolutely had to chuckle at one reader's two-star review of this book -- "charming, but surprisingly old fashioned." Well, hello -- this collection was published in 1933, so go figure. He's right on one point, though -- the book is definitely charming, and once you're into the eerie, strange tales, positively hackle raising. Let's put it this way: I enjoyed the supernatural stories enough to invest a chunk of change in a "used, like new" hardcover copy of the Tartarus edition of Walpole's Tarnhelm, the Best Supernatural Stories of Hugh Walpole, but I also appreciated the not-so-eerie tales enough to want to look into more of Walpole's work.

Strangely enough, it wasn't a story with a supernatural bent that won the day for me, but rather "The Silver Mask," which is probably the darkest tale in this book. When I find a story like this, my overactive sense of empathy kicks into high gear, making the main character's plight just plain horrific to read, and I'm sure I stopped breathing for a bit as things continued to slide downhill out of control for this person. I refuse to give up any details, but in this case, calling this entry a "horror" story is beyond appropriate, even without any supernatural elements.

There are 16 stories in this collection, and unlike some of the characters in this book's "Mr. Oddy," who read only what's in vogue and modern because "everything that's old is out of favour with our set," I have this deep and abiding love for these older tales, and I was not at all disappointed with All Souls' Night. As is the case with every single anthology I've ever read, some are great, some are good, and some are just so-so, but which ones fall into these categories are really a matter for the reader to sort out, and I'm having a tough time with a number rating. I liked all of these stories, some more than others, and there really is a wide range here. However, if you're in it for just the creepies, well, they're definitely worth the cost of the entire book.

More Walpole in my immediate future, thanks once again to Valancourt. Recommended for readers who enjoy this old stuff.

... and, of course, the long version here

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lovely edition from Valancourt that I picked up from a wall of other such very lovely editions from Valancourt at Posman Books in Chelsea Market. If you're in NYC and you like weird and/or LGBTQ fiction, make time to check it out.

Prior to this I was kind of dimly aware of Walpole as a perhaps-unjustly-neglected author of ghost stories, but he in fact sits at the nexus of both of Valancourt's foci. A gay man when this was still strictly illegal in England (b. 1884, d. 1941), Walpole's stories tend to focus on men (although there are a few women protagonists as well) who, despite being good-natured, capable people, are a bit alienated from society at large. Not outcasts, per se, so much as interiorly ill-at-ease and eager to find that one (male) "special friend" to provide emotional support and stability. Of course there's no forthright eroticism to be found here, but it is sometimes thinly-veiled indeed. One tries not to be ahistorical, but it's difficult to imagine anyone missing the subtext in many of these stories.

Whether working with the natural or the supernatural, Walpole possesses a wistful romanticism that verges into sentimentalism at times. He imbues his protagonists with uncontainable enthusiasms that one assumes he shared: art (particularly visual art, most particularly Utrillo), cathedrals, the aforementioned special friends, traveling away from London (particularly to Spain), close female family members.

All that said, my favorite story here was The Silver Mask, which contained basically none of those elements, being a tale of emotional and financial vampirism centering on a middle-aged wealthy woman whose outer cynicism masks an inner softness (wrapped in utter loneliness and isolation). She takes pity on a destitute young man and things devolve from there.

Portrait in Shadow, on the other hand, was a favorite that hit almost all of the above: narrated by the special friend of a deceased writer who had traveled to Spain (warmth, freedom, happiness, etc) with his young aunt/best friend, been captivated by a painting, and had a passionate encounter with a rascally Spaniard. Focused more on mood and setting than most, using shifting perspectives to ponder what might have been. The Snow and Mrs. Lunt, meanwhile, are fantastic ghost stories about (heterosexual) marriages gone awry.

Also of note is Tarnhelm, Walpole's most famous and frequently-anthologized story in the weird fiction world, which I found completely underwhelming. An odd lonely child goes to stay with his two uncles, the creepier of whom channels Norse myth in order to become an even creepier dog. Aside from the boy's relationship with their chauffeur, "the friend of [his] life," a very standard werewolf tale. Why this has caught on rather than The Silver Mask or Mrs. Lunt I'll never know.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.

ALL SOULS' NIGHT, by Hugh Walpole, brings together sixteen of the author's best "weird" fiction. Some contain ghosts or other supernatural phenomenon, others are merely unsettling--instilling a sense of disquiet in the reader, while telling about coincidences that may not be just that . . .

From the entire collection, I admit that my most favorites were those with horrific or supernatural presences.
--"Tarnhelm" or "The Death of My Uncle Robert": a gothic tale that set me on edge right from the beginning with its descriptive passages.
--"The Staircase": A different take on a haunted house; one that lives and loves peace among its occupants.
--"The Snow": This one features the second wife of a man, who the deceased first wife feels may not love him enough. . .
--"Mrs. Lunt": Along with "Tarnhelm", this was my favorite in the collection. A man goes to visit the home of another writer, one whose wife passed away nearly a year ago. ". . . I have never at any period of my life hated at first sight so vigorously any dwelling-place into which I have ever entered as I did that house . . . " This one took me by complete surprise, with an ending that was simply perfect for the tale.

As in any collection, the tales here will appeal to a wide range of readers. Another fantastic book brought back into print by Valancourt Books!

[Warren Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have seen much in the way of reviews of this short story collection that has been misleading. This is NOT a collection of ghost stories, though there are several tales that do feature the supernatural. In fact, to say this is a collection of ghost stories is as erroneous as saying it is a collection of dog stories. Now if you ARE a dog-lover, you will be sure to shed a tear over "The Whistle" and "Sentimental But True." Actually, the majority of the stories are designed to tug at one's heartstrings with sweet little snippets about affection and loyalty, as well as to demonstrate how truth is determined solely by fragile and shifting perspectives. Very little of this book is meant to scare you out of your chair. But just because this book is not what I expected from literary blogs, Wikipedia, and other reviews, it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy this immensely. In fact, "All Souls Night" almost earns a five-star rating for me, and perhaps will get my full recommendation with subsequent rereadings.

Every single story shines with mature observations of human emotion and behavior from a master writer and artist. The stories are all quite brief, yet so much depth can be found in a few pages. A boy labeled as a constant screwup reveals his true nature when he commits a sacrificial act of chivalry for a visiting cousin even though she annoys him. A lonely old man falls in love with a minor saint. A middle-aged man works himself into a frenzy worrying about his girlfriend's possible response to his recent marriage proposal. A positively ancient and malevolent matriarch of an old Cornish family has her dominating power wrested from her by the most unlikely of foes--a kindhearted and somewhat dimwitted tourist. Out of all of these cleverly rich tales, I was particularly struck by the wonderfully good-natured "Mr. Oddy," which was the feel-good story of the year for me, about a struggling young writer and his budding friendship with an older gentleman he meets in a used bookstore.

"Warren, thou art a genius of all Edwardian literature," I hear you proclaim, "and you are right again! This book seems to have little to do with the ghosties and ghoulies I was promised, and I'm about to clear this off my Halloween season TBR, I am!"

Not so fast, I say! "All Souls Night" does have some really unique and terrific tales of the supernatural. Most famous of them all is likely "Tarnhelm," about a magic amulet with the power to transform those who wear it. But most effective of all is the Poe-like "Mrs. Lunt," which may be one of the scariest ghost stories I have ever read!

Though not based in any supernatural threat, "The Silver Mask" remains one of the most discussed highlights of this collection. One of the descendants of Walpole's beloved Herries family appears in this unexpectedly tight thriller, and I consider this story a work of genius up there with the likes of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" as far as psychological terror. Here, a dashing man who is down-on-his-luck endears himself to an aging spinster who gives him charity, but the woman soon finds out how dangerous it is to "feed the bears."

Do not pass up this great piece of literature from one of the finest minds of the 20th Century. There's something here for everyone no matter what your mood or season.

[Paula Cappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

'A ghost may come; for it is a ghost's right.' This collection of short stories will certainly keep you reading because the suspense and intrigue is high, the characters compelling, and the writing picturesque and cozy. The Staircase is a wicked little haunted house tale in the style and voice of a Tudor Manor. The Snow is a ghostly story of angry love, but Walpole's best is Mrs. Lunt, set by the icy dark sea at Cornwall with an unforgettable ghost. The Silver Mask is so so sinister! The Ghost is my favorite, available online, at my blog ( https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2017... ) if you want to test out this author. Even though these stories were published during the 1930s or so, they stand well against the test of time. More like 'quiet little horror' stories that please and haunt.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knocking off three more Walpole stories from my "to read" list - these turn out to be interesting because none of them are traditional "ghost" stories, and all are abstracts of "weird" story roots, riffing on a concept rather than being dedicated to disturbing the reader.

"The Staircase" - Candil Place, 1815, is occupied by landed gentry Edmund Candil and his new wife Dorothy, along with Edmund's bitter, spinster sister Henrietta. But this tale of a familial rivalry, that ends in a death, has a fourth character: the house itself, personified and subdivided into various parts, places and items of furniture, all of which have opinions and feelings about what occurs within or around them, and the events which finally rouse them to "action." This charming story can obviously be traced backward to Walpole asking "Yes, but what does the house think?" (Not, it might be noted, "the haunted house" - as this is not a ghost story but a flight of Gothic, non-whimsical whimsy - almost an "anti-haunted house" story). It starts with an extended bit of architecture porn (completely justifiable given the tack the story takes - we must describe our characters, mustn't we?). An old, established house has its own history and opinions, even as it intends to serve humans to its best ability - and the story's conceit to subdivide this personification ("The Store Room hated her more than any other part of the house") is quite enjoyable, adding an interesting and engaging fillip to the general concept - even the Sun itself gets personified at one point! And all while presenting a sadly familiar and believable tale of familial jealousy with some nice touches ("such is the British temperament"). Not scary, as I said, but the climax builds to some solid eeriness. Quite good!

"Seashore Macabre: A Moment's Experience" - A memory of childhood summers spent at the seaside, and a specific incident in which our narrator recounts becoming fascinated with a "wicked-looking, bent old man," who he follows to his cottage, only to glimpse a frightening tableaux. Again, not a "horror" or "ghost" story (the slightest suggestion of the supernatural at the end can easily be chalked up to a child's imagination) - but a short piece about a child discovering the existence of death (or perhaps just "the dead"). I was worried for a time that this might share the same unspoken subtext of Walpole's "Tarnhelm," but it does not play out like that, although interestingly it does share with that story an expression of a young boy's passionate love of fiction-reading, and THE WEEKLY TELEGRAPH (here we get specific mention of enthusiasm for R. Murray Gilchrist, E. Phillips Oppenheim, and Leonard Merrick's The Worldlings - as well as mentions of The Red and the Black and Saracinesca, while his parents read Meredith's The Egoist).

"The Oldest Talland" - A bright, friendly woman explores the Cornish seashore town of Rafiel, eventually (and accidentally) making the acquaintance of the Talland family, who are ruled over by a glowering, brooding, mute and witch-like old matriarch. But the general friendly brightness of the young woman places pressure on a crack in the family's long-standing power structure, which eventually unravels the older woman's influence. Again, not so much a "supernatural" story as a story that takes advantage of our expectations, and standard symbolic figures, to make a gentle and subtle point about the impotence of passive evil in the face of generalized happiness and good intentions.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole (1884~1941) was a New Zealand–born British novelist, critic, and dramatist. He was educated at King’s School, Canterbury, then at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he studied history. He was one of the most popular and prolific writers of the first half of the 20th Century, and he was close friends with Virginia Woolf, Henry James and A. C. Benson. He worked on films in Hollywood for a time, and even had a bit part as the vicar in the 1935 production of David Copperfield. He has, however, been rather neglected since his death.

All Souls' Night was published in 1933 by Macmillan and Co. It contains: 'The Whistle', 'The Silver Mask', 'The Stair-case', 'A Carnation for an Old Man', 'Tarnhelm; or, The Death of my Uncle Robert', 'Mr. Oddy', 'Seashore Macabre. A Moment's Experience', 'Lilac', 'The Oldest Talland', 'The Little Ghost', 'Mrs. Lunt', 'Sentimental but True', 'Portrait in Shadow', 'The Snow', 'The Ruby Glass', and 'Spanish Dusk'.

'The Whistle' is a poignant tale about the almost mystical relationship between an unfulfilled chauffeur and an unwanted Alsatian dog.

In 'The Silver Mask', lonely, middle-aged spinster Sonia Herries finds her usually predictable life knocked entirely out of whack by the persistent attentions of a handsome but insidious young man. This is a wonderfully sinister tale.

'The Staircase' is told from the perspective of a small, and immensely insightful, Tudor manor house. If there's one thing that a house cannot abide it is to be shabbily treated, so it has always disliked its current ruler, Henrietta Candil, a sly, greedy, selfish woman for whom saving money is a sensual passion. And a house can only stand by and watch the doings of a selfish and interfering human being for so long; it must eventually act. A wonderful story, and a warning to all who treat their homes badly. This is one of my favourite tales.

Click here to read the rest of the review...

[Saurabh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is like a buffet meal with lot of flavors, each story is like a dish tasting differently, leaving a lasting new taste with you.

A collection of stories filled with haunting emotions. In none of the stories there are any heroes or villains. It appears like the feelings/emotions are playing the main roles in the stories. I will not recommend this book to someone looking for thrilling horror stories, but to someone who would like a taste of different emotions, mostly variations of fear.

[Jorene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of ghost stories for dark, winter nights. Even when the stories don't directly deal with ghosts, the main characters are haunted in some way.

[Sofía Tenorio · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Aquel momento en el cuarto iluminado por el fuego, cuando sentía aquel corazón espiritual latiendo al unísono con el mío, es y siempre será suficiente para mí.»

"El pequeño fantasma" en "La noche de todos los santos" | Hugh Walpole

Hugh Walpole fue un escritor neozelandés que vivió gran parte de su vida en Inglaterra, condecorado como sir. Fue un incansable buscador de libros y manuscritos "raros" pero sobretodo fue un entusiasta del relato fantástico.

"La noche de todos los santos" reúne 16 relatos con una gran diversidad de temas. Desde cuentos clásicos de fantasmas, terror psicológico y terror sobrenatural, a relatos que pisan el terreno de lo fantástico. Las tierras cálidas y coloridas de España y los gélidos inviernos en Inglaterra con sus costas llenas de misterio, secretos y melancolía, fueron una verdadera delicia por la forma en cómo son descritos sin mencionar que los personajes de estas historias conmueven y están bien desarrollados para ser cuentos breves.

Resumen de los relatos (sin spoiler)
«El silbido»
El libro abre con la historia entre un perro y el chófer de un matrimonio de alcurnia. Qué profunda puede ser está amistad para tener una increíble empatía en el otro, y tal vez una conexión mental más profunda de carácter sobrenatural a través de un silbido.

«La máscara de plata»
Sin duda es uno de los mejores relatos de esta antología. El temple blando y carácter débil en Sonia Herries se pone a prueba cuando un extraño y manipulador caballero irrumpe en su hogar, afectando su salud física y mental. Si eres fan de historias de terror de "Home invasor" este relato te encantará.

«La escalera»
Todas las casas poseen una vida además de quienes habitamos en ellas, pero algunas veces son capaces de manifestarlo para bien o con resultados fatídicos como en este relato. Es uno de los mejores cuentos que he leído sobre casas encantadas.

«Un clavel para un anciano»
Un anciano caballero inglés viaja a Sevilla con su hermana y la amiga de ésta para embarcarse en una aventura que dará un giro sobrenatural cuando Richard encuentre la felicidad que siempre anheló, al contemplar el retrato de una enigmática santa en el interior de una catedral. Es uno de los cuentos más hermosos y evocadores de la antología.

«Tarnhelm o la muerte de mi tío Robert»
Si hablamos de cuentos con extraños artilugios mágicos no podemos olvidar este relato en el que un niño, nuestro narrador, visita a sus excéntricos tíos en Cumberland. Un amuleto capaz de transformar a su portador en un animal aterrador (un perro amarillo) será el elemento sobrenatural en esta historia, que deja a su paso muchas preguntas sin responder, mismas que incrementan aún más lo inquietante en este relato.

«El señor Oddy»
Es un cuento de encuentros afortunados y misteriosos entre un joven escritor empedernido y la amistad que entablan por casualidad con un anciano cuyo secreto no será revelado, hasta que el joven es invitado a su casa.

«Macabro marino. Una experiencia fugaz.»
El primer encuentro con un evento macabro que marca para siempre la vida del narrador, de eso trata este relato sobre un recuerdo infantil con el mar como escenario.

«Lila»
Un día en la vida de un marchante de arte que espera con ansias la respuesta de su amada. Más que un cuento sobrenatural habla sobre cómo nuestra mente puede ponernos trampas y crear de la incertidumbre un verdadero infierno.

«La vieja Talland»
Una turista de Cornualles ayuda a una anciana sin saber que con esto afectará el oscuro poder que la vieja silenciosa ejerce en el poblado de Rafiel y su descendencia.

«El pequeño fantasma»
Afectado por la muerte de un cercano amigo, un periodista viaja como invitado a la antigua casa del siglo XVIII. Su estadía con los Baldwin (la familia que le invita) traerá consigo no solo descanso para su melancolía, sino que entablará una profunda amistad con un pequeño huésped sin invitación. Es uno de los relatos más bellos de la antología en mi opinión y uno de los mejores que he leído sobre fantasmas.

«La señora Lunt»
Es una historia de fantasmas vengativos, sí bien es un poco predecible, no por eso es menos inquietante.

«Conmovedor pero auténtico»
Siguiendo la historia de la misma turista en la historia de la señora Talland, en esta historia la solitaria y antisocial señora Comber, entabla amistad con un perrito al que le pone "Pelusa", quien se convierte en más que un leal compañero. Fue una de mis historias favoritas, conmueve mucho por los personajes, su crítica a guardar apariencias y la belleza en los pequeños gestos.

«Retrato en sombras»
Un joven viaja con su tía recién enviudada a tierras españolas, donde conocerán a un apuesto y cautivante caballero. El inicio de un romance, un misterioso retrato y una importante confesión pondrán en tela de juicio las verdaderas intenciones de este caballero con sus nuevos amigos.

«La nieve»
"Más te vale, sería la última vez" susurra una voz fría y de ultratumba a la segunda señora Ryder, quién debería mejorar sus atenciones con Herbert si no quiere rendirle cuentas a un fantasma vengativo. La nieve es una clásica historia de fantasmas, es un relato disfrutable para las noches de invierno.

«El vaso de rubí»
Jeremy es un niño travieso que tiene como cómplice a su perro Hamlet. La visita de su pobre prima Jane y los desafortunados eventos que se suscitan, pondrán a prueba su amistad. Es un cuento sobre el mundo infantil y cómo hay eventos que para un adulto podrían ser triviales pero para los niños se trata de una cuestión de vida o muerte.

«El crepúsculo español»
Un joven inexperto en las artes del amor, viaja con su padre conocedor de mundo a España; una aventura por la mágica Alhambra, los cielos multicolor de las tierras españolas y el primer amor, son parte de esta historia que por cierto Hugh Walpole no pierde detalle en mostrarnos su encanto.

Es una pena que se conozca tan poco sobre su obra y aún más que sean escasas las traducciones de sus cuentos. Para mí ha sido un gran descubrimiento leerlo y sin duda hay relatos que se merecen más de una relectura.

[Bill Hsu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Charming, but surprisingly old-fashioned.

[Matt]

I purposefully don't rate or review books I narrate, but I think you'll like this one.

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

For a book that's often lumped in with Walpole’s horror output, there are actually very few horror stories here. Most are in fact very gentle, pleasing, beautifully written character pieces - best read on a hot summer’s day, sheltered beneath a tree. Originally published in 1933, the collection is made up of sixteen short stories; none of which I would say are bad. On the negative side however is the fact that they are mostly very slight; pleasing when being read, but thin on plot and event and sadly, for me, soon forgotten. In my own little marking system, I have never given so many stories in one collection a score of five or six out of ten – meaning that I found them fine, but just short of the mark where I can say that I enjoyed them enough to recommend.

Here are the five stories that I gave more than six marks to (in order of appearance):-

‘A Carnation for an Old Man.’ An ailing brother and his two sisters stay in Seville for a few days. He finds peace and comfort there from a painting in a church of the long dead Santa Emilia – with whom he has a dialogue. I’m not a religious person, but this is so beautifully written and warm, that I went along with it. It’s a story in which little happens, and yet so much happens. I’m a sucker for anything to do with Spain, so the setting, together with the storytelling makes this my favourite story in the collection.

‘Mr Oddy.’ A young man who doesn’t feel a part of the modern world becomes friendly with an old man. I empathise with the man feeling out of time. This is another warm and finely written tale. Not sure about the end!

‘Mrs Lunt.’ A writer asks a critic to come with him to a haunted house. One of the few actual horror stories here. The characters are interesting, even if the story is nothing new.

‘The Snow.’ A woman is haunted by her husband’s dead first wife. Enjoyably atmospheric. Like ‘Mrs Lunt,’ this is one of Walpole’s much anthologised horror stories.

‘Spanish Dusk.’ A father and son travel to Spain and the son falls for a Spanish beauty – but she’s married! This is my second favourite story in the collection. It’s a moving and atmospheric piece, which, along with the rest of the book, is finely and beautifully written. Only the odd ending, for me, jars. Was there really a need for a twist-in-the-tale ending? One quote, from this 1933 story, had me smiling. The father goes into his son’s bedroom to bid him goodnight and decides to give a little observational pearl that not many fathers of the time might have given. The son tells us:-

He spoke of Spanish ladies, how different from anything that we could imagine in England, how gay and pleasant their lives before marriage, watched and guarded of course, but designed only that they should be courted and flattered, every young man serving them, worshipping them, adoring them. Then, from the moment of marriage, imprisonment, the husband their gaoler, never free, never alone, their only duty to obey their husband and bear children, the Priest over all.

So many of the stories in ‘All Souls’ Night’ are pleasant reads. I shall keep my attractively tactile 1937 MacMillan edition and with a re-reading in a few years’ time wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself amending the word pleasant to enjoyable - it’s a close thing with this collection.

[Haley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not one of my favorites. Granted, I am not a huge fan of the writing style from this time period, but I can also honestly say I only truly enjoyed a handful of the stories in this collection. I will say the author does a good job of exploring the idea of "horror" stories in subtler ways than is normally found in the genre (and calling this a collection of horror stories, or even ghost stories, really is not an accurate representation, as many other readers have pointed out). Several of the stories leave the reader with a slight feeling of unease, without quite knowing why. However, I also found myself finishing several stories feeling like I had completely missed the point, or even what was supposed to be at all off putting about the tale.

Unlike many others, I did not like Whistle at all. As this is the first story in the collection, it is very possible I went into the rest of the tales with a negative outlook. I very much enjoyed The Staircase though. Both Mr. Oddy and Spanish Dusk felt more like stories that simply had a twist ending than anything necessarily macabre to them. Tarnhelm, Mrs. Lunt and The Snow were all sufficiently creepy. The rest of the collection elicited feelings of confusion, pity, and mild grief for various characters. This is not a book would I would recommend to anyone unless I knew they particularly liked this style of writing.

I listened to this as an audio book, and I will say that the narration was very good, and seemed to fit the mood of the collection well. While I might not seek out further books by Walpole, I would be willing to check out other titles narrated by Matt Godfrey.

*I was given a free copy of this audio book from the narrator, via Audible, in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Hugh Walpole before but when I learned the title of the book and saw the cover it just really intrigued me. My impression was that it would be a collection of short "scary" stories. I wouldn't say any of the stories scared me but then again this is from a different time and we are just way too used to scary things. Some of the stories, I'm not sure would even be considered "horror" even in the classical sense but the writing was so lovely that I listened to every story anyways.

AUDIOBOOK:
I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Matt Godfrey. I just have to say, I'm kind of obsessed with his voice. It's very unique and soothing and just very easy on the ears to listen to. He could probably read the back of a cereal box and it would sound lovely. I would definitely recommend the audiobook. it was great.

[Kathleen Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories by Hugh Walpole is exceptionally well-written, so much so that you forget you're reading. Your eyes simply glide over the page and absorb the words, as if by osmosis. These tales are quite whimsical, sentimental and sometimes have glimpses of the supernatural. I really liked the old-fashionedness of the stories. They often include intimate and well-observed portrayals of his characters; they might be diffident and scholarly writers (like the author?), middle aged kindly women or curious and immature young men venturing out into the world . His stories often revolve around a person who is on holiday, or in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, who provoke new and profound feelings. Whatever the story, there is always an insight in each one.

Overall I can thoroughly recommend this collection.

[Nicole Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to like this book. The narration was excellent, but for some reason the stories did not grab me. It is a collection of short stories, and I had to give up after two stories. Normally, I like horror/dark fiction, but these just seemed to drag. I am not sure what put me off, but I could not just through any more of it than I did. I am really sorry to say this, since I got a free copy of the audiobook.

[Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very good stuff in here but I would say the majority are well-written yet rather tame ghost stories. More interesting for the hints at the author’s sexuality, but I don’t think there’s many stories I’ll come back to and the ones I would are anthologized elsewhere. Walpole kind of reminds me of a gay HR Wakefield, but also a declawed Wakefield.

[Trevor Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable collection of short stories.
The most successful ones are those that play to one of Walpole's strengths: his love of the Gothic. In this respect 'The Silver Mask', 'Tarnhelm' and 'The Little Ghost' stand out.
It is a pity that Walpole didn't devote the rest of the stories to the uncanny and supernatural, as the collection would have been, overall, more memorable.

[Ross Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this one for the recommended story, 'Tarnhelm', which didn't disappoint. Very readable and quick to get through, though many of the stories have predictable twists ('Mr. Oddy', for example). Still good fun and worth a look if you like this sort of thing ('this sort of thing' being macabre gothic vignettes).

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for some slightly scary stories... This vintage volume is an excellent choice.

There's quite a medley of various types of ghost stories to creepy phenomena and a few other eclectic tales.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine prose stylist but some of the stories seem to run out of plot by the end.
A few of the stories are quite "sentimental," but the "The Snow" is a fine ghost story
and "The Silver Mask" is truly creepy.

[Barbara Cseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, old-fashioned short stories, mostly on the mystery line. Suited me well as bedtime reading.

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a decent book, but it's not really the kind of thing I like to read.

[Shriya Uday · Rating 3 out of 5]

So three things

1) Damn there are some repressed gay feelings in here

2) Wow he hates women

3) Some really intense and well written character portraits of people and dogs

[Deedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good collection of short stories.Matt Godfrey narrates nicely.I was given this book free by the author, narrator or publisher.