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Down a Dark Hall
Why does the exclusive boarding school Blackwood have only four students? Kit walks the dark halls and feels a penetrating chill. What terror waits around the next corner?
181 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1974
189 people are currently reading
6898 people want to read
About the author
Lois Duncan
68 books2,003 followersLois Duncan (born Lois Duncan Steinmetz) was an American writer and novelist, known primarily for her books for children and young adults, in particular (and some times controversially considering her young readership) crime thrillers. Duncan's parents were the noted magazine photographers Lois Steinmetz and Joseph Janney Steinmetz. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Duncan started writing and submitting manuscripts to magazines at the age of ten, and when she was thirteen succeeded in selling her first story.
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Follow Lois on Twitter: http://twitter.com/duncanauthor
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?i...
http://www.kaitarquette.arquettes.com
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Follow Lois on Twitter: http://twitter.com/duncanauthor
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?i...
http://www.kaitarquette.arquettes.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,047 reviews
October 31, 2023
Solid concept that was executed really well! I feel like this is the perfect horror novel for people who have a hard time with the intensity that some horror novels can bring. It's a very chill horror novel and I really enjoyed it!
November 23, 2025
Kit Gordy's mom just got married and during the absurdly long honeymoon, she's shipped off to Blackwood Hall - an all-girl's school that promises individual attention and personalized learning.
At first...she was okay about the idea. She'd do anything for her mother. But very quickly on, she realizes that there's something...off about this school.
The dorm rooms are perfect, the education really is top-notch but...there's only four girls in this school. And each of them seems incredibly odd in their own way.
There's a creeping feeling that Kit keeps getting - one that she cannot shake and is screaming at her to run far, far away.
This book was pretty dang good.
I didn't get any goosebumps or chills but I'm also twice the age of the target audience (ha).
I definitely was intrigued throughout and invested in this mystery.
Kit felt like a fabulous main character and I really enjoyed the secondary ones as well.
The atmosphere of this book is really well done and I'm really curious about what else Duncan has written!
August 17, 2016
The first Young Adult novel I've read as an adult is Down a Dark Hall, the supernatural mystery by Lois Duncan first published in 1974. This revised edition released in 2011 modernized the novel by introducing cell phones, texting and the Internet; "Why don't those girls call 911?" or better yet, "Isn't there an app for that?" being considerations for the suspense author of today. Antiquated usages like "Mother" were also updated, but what I was thrilled to find preserved was a sense of Gothic dread that reaches back to the early 20th century and beyond, where haunted manors, creepy headmistresses and raving lunacy were the top existential threats to teenage girls.
The story begins with sixteen year old Kit Gordy being driven through the countryside by her new stepfather and her newly remarried mother, who are off to honeymoon in Europe while Kit is enrolled at Blackwood School for Girls. A city girl, Kit is despondent at being dumped in the sticks and separated from her best friend, who applied to the same boarding school but did not pass the entrance exam. Arriving in Blackwood Village, Kit's stepfather receives directions from a gas station attendant, as well as some exposition: the school was once "the Brewer place," recently purchased and renovated by "some foreign lady." A townie named Natalie Cullers has been employed as cook.
Pulling onto the grounds of Blackwood School, Kit senses something evil under the eaves. The headmistress, Madame Duret, welcomes Kit, who has arrived a day ahead of the other students. Kit's apprehension is initially soothed by the decor of her private room, which is furnished with antique comforts including a canopy bed. Above all, Kit doesn't want to ruin her mother's honeymoon by making a scene. Joining Madame Duret for dinner, Kit is introduced to Professor Farley, who teaches math and science and the headmistress's dashing son Jules, who teaches music. Kit is alarmed that along with Madame Duret, the languages and literature instructor, this is the entire faculty.
After a night of restless sleep, exacerbated by a door that only locks from the outside and a forebodingly dark corridor outside, Kit meets the school's cook Natalie, who she learns will be preparing food for the entire student body. Even stranger, the townie has been instructed not to converse with the student body. Kit finally locates the first of her classmates, a shy redhead named Sandra Mason. The girls watch a limousine drop off two more students--a blonde beauty later introduced as Lynda Hannah and a mousy brain named Ruth Crowder. The gates to the property are sealed and Kit gets the sinking realization that they are the only students enrolled at the school.
Kit is awakened by a shriek from Sandra's room. Braving the dark corridor, Kit finds Sandra's door locked, which should be impossible if she's behind the door. Kit forces her way inside the chilly room where Sandra is troubled by a nightmare in which she imagined a woman standing over her bed. Returning to Kit's room for the night, they realize that they both had psychic experiences as children--Kit being visited by her father the morning he was killed in a traffic accident, Sandra receiving a premonition of her parents disappearing over the Caribbean. Kit is confident that Lynda and Ruth were both enrolled by Madame Duret, and not her friend, due to similar experiences.
Strangeness is afoot at Blackwood School For Girls. Lynda discovers she can sketch a detailed portrait. Kit catches Jules listening to a piano composition she knows she's heard somewhere, even though the headmistress's son tells Kit he doesn't know it. Natalie confides that Mr. Brewer, the previous owner of the house, lost his family in a fire and withdrew from village life until he lost his mind. Madame Duret notifies the girls that Natalie has quit. Kit is confident that something sinister is going on. Isolated at the school fifteen miles from the village without Internet and with their handwritten letters going unreturned, the girls have no choice but try to survive until Christmas break.
To a critical thinker, Down a Dark Hall is one of the most implausible books I've ever read (keep in mind it's my first foray into Young Adult fiction). Even by the standards of the day it was originally published, it's difficult to accept that parents would enroll their little princesses in an uncredentialed boarding school overrun by ghosts, particularly one where their daughter is unable to contact them by phone, fax or email. The girls are discouraged from simply going AWOL by the presence of some spikes atop the fenceline (I'm for real). All of this makes the belief in psychic phenomena and ghosts seem credible by comparison.
At 49,000 words, the novel is a quick read and an elementary one. On a superficial level, Kit seems unburdened by anything that Nancy Drew hadn't encountered in one of her mysteries, or Scooby Doo for that matter. What elevates Kit above other children's sleuths and makes Down a Dark Hall compelling is its emotional depth. From the beginning, Kit is given reason to mistrust adults and feel both alienated and powerless. She is driven from her home and her support network. She's cast off to fend for herself. She taps into a reserve of power, but also something inside her that is new and terrifying. Duncan calls these "spirits" but "sex" can easily be read between the lines.
Time has demonstrated that Duncan, author of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Killing Mr. Griffin among other tales of terror dealing with the isolation and victimization of teenage girls, is operating on another level here. It says something for the existential dread of her writing that readers in the 1970s, 1990s and present day can inject their own fears into her text and with a few minor adjustments for technological progress, the story can be as unsettling as ever. I also liked the solution to the mystery, which involves . Like any scheme devised by an adult, greed is never to be underestimated.
The story begins with sixteen year old Kit Gordy being driven through the countryside by her new stepfather and her newly remarried mother, who are off to honeymoon in Europe while Kit is enrolled at Blackwood School for Girls. A city girl, Kit is despondent at being dumped in the sticks and separated from her best friend, who applied to the same boarding school but did not pass the entrance exam. Arriving in Blackwood Village, Kit's stepfather receives directions from a gas station attendant, as well as some exposition: the school was once "the Brewer place," recently purchased and renovated by "some foreign lady." A townie named Natalie Cullers has been employed as cook.
Pulling onto the grounds of Blackwood School, Kit senses something evil under the eaves. The headmistress, Madame Duret, welcomes Kit, who has arrived a day ahead of the other students. Kit's apprehension is initially soothed by the decor of her private room, which is furnished with antique comforts including a canopy bed. Above all, Kit doesn't want to ruin her mother's honeymoon by making a scene. Joining Madame Duret for dinner, Kit is introduced to Professor Farley, who teaches math and science and the headmistress's dashing son Jules, who teaches music. Kit is alarmed that along with Madame Duret, the languages and literature instructor, this is the entire faculty.
After a night of restless sleep, exacerbated by a door that only locks from the outside and a forebodingly dark corridor outside, Kit meets the school's cook Natalie, who she learns will be preparing food for the entire student body. Even stranger, the townie has been instructed not to converse with the student body. Kit finally locates the first of her classmates, a shy redhead named Sandra Mason. The girls watch a limousine drop off two more students--a blonde beauty later introduced as Lynda Hannah and a mousy brain named Ruth Crowder. The gates to the property are sealed and Kit gets the sinking realization that they are the only students enrolled at the school.
Kit is awakened by a shriek from Sandra's room. Braving the dark corridor, Kit finds Sandra's door locked, which should be impossible if she's behind the door. Kit forces her way inside the chilly room where Sandra is troubled by a nightmare in which she imagined a woman standing over her bed. Returning to Kit's room for the night, they realize that they both had psychic experiences as children--Kit being visited by her father the morning he was killed in a traffic accident, Sandra receiving a premonition of her parents disappearing over the Caribbean. Kit is confident that Lynda and Ruth were both enrolled by Madame Duret, and not her friend, due to similar experiences.
Strangeness is afoot at Blackwood School For Girls. Lynda discovers she can sketch a detailed portrait. Kit catches Jules listening to a piano composition she knows she's heard somewhere, even though the headmistress's son tells Kit he doesn't know it. Natalie confides that Mr. Brewer, the previous owner of the house, lost his family in a fire and withdrew from village life until he lost his mind. Madame Duret notifies the girls that Natalie has quit. Kit is confident that something sinister is going on. Isolated at the school fifteen miles from the village without Internet and with their handwritten letters going unreturned, the girls have no choice but try to survive until Christmas break.
To a critical thinker, Down a Dark Hall is one of the most implausible books I've ever read (keep in mind it's my first foray into Young Adult fiction). Even by the standards of the day it was originally published, it's difficult to accept that parents would enroll their little princesses in an uncredentialed boarding school overrun by ghosts, particularly one where their daughter is unable to contact them by phone, fax or email. The girls are discouraged from simply going AWOL by the presence of some spikes atop the fenceline (I'm for real). All of this makes the belief in psychic phenomena and ghosts seem credible by comparison.
At 49,000 words, the novel is a quick read and an elementary one. On a superficial level, Kit seems unburdened by anything that Nancy Drew hadn't encountered in one of her mysteries, or Scooby Doo for that matter. What elevates Kit above other children's sleuths and makes Down a Dark Hall compelling is its emotional depth. From the beginning, Kit is given reason to mistrust adults and feel both alienated and powerless. She is driven from her home and her support network. She's cast off to fend for herself. She taps into a reserve of power, but also something inside her that is new and terrifying. Duncan calls these "spirits" but "sex" can easily be read between the lines.
Time has demonstrated that Duncan, author of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Killing Mr. Griffin among other tales of terror dealing with the isolation and victimization of teenage girls, is operating on another level here. It says something for the existential dread of her writing that readers in the 1970s, 1990s and present day can inject their own fears into her text and with a few minor adjustments for technological progress, the story can be as unsettling as ever. I also liked the solution to the mystery, which involves . Like any scheme devised by an adult, greed is never to be underestimated.
November 2, 2018
This was one of my "Halloween" reads for this year. It's a YA novel that was originally published in 1974 and written by the accomplished author, Lois Duncan. I know had I read this as a teen in the early to mid 1980's I would have enjoyed it very much. In 2011 the author updated the book by modernizing some phrases and including such things as cell phones, and texting. While the writing style felt a little dated compared to today's standards, I must admit that I enjoyed it immensely. The change of style and pace reminded me of my youth and the books I enjoyed reading. This was a nicely written, old fashioned creepy story. Today, we might call it a "cosy mystery (gothic)" story. It had just enough mix of teenage angst and mystery. Nothing over the top. Just wholesome. I think some of today's YA novels are missing this. I know there was a movie recently released of this book. I look forward to watching it.
February 27, 2019
Actual Rating: 1.5 stars
I didn't like this book.
I am actually surprised I managed to finish it. Half the time I found it boring, the other half it was just not credible. The behaviors and dialogues between the characters made little sense, they were unconvincing to me. . The tolerance that the girls, specially Kit, have for the staff is also shocking to me, if they were so scared why were they such doormats and accepted everything so readily? It just makes no sense to me, it is not realistic, I don't think. Then, the lack of communication that they had with their parents it is also really hard to believe. The whole situations is not feasible to me. The funny thing is that is not the supernatural the unbelievable part, it is everything else.
I think that the main problem with this lack of plausibility in this story is that the novel has been somewhat "updated". The way the events unfold and the behaviors of the girls make little sense nowadays. Merely by adding a few comments here and there referencing text messages, laptops an internet is not enough. The dialogues and actions of the characters are not in accord with the current days. I have a very hard time believing teenagers acting that way nowadays in similar situations. I just don't see it. I would have found this book more believable if the story was set 30-40 years ago. Maybe, even longer than that. To me, it was a big mistake that "update" that they did to the novel . It just doesn't work, and it goes to its detriment. It should have been left as it was when it was first published.
Beside my issues with the credibility of the characters behaviors, my other problem with the book is that I didn't really found it that interesting. It really wasn't for me, and I kept expecting the scary parts to come, but they never did. I would have imagined a horror book to be a little bit scary at the very least. But no, there is nothing scary here at all.
To summarize, to me this book was unrealistic, uninteresting and not frightening. A disappointment. I do not recommend it.
Next, I am going to watch the movie and see if it is any better, which I really hope so.
I didn't like this book.
I am actually surprised I managed to finish it. Half the time I found it boring, the other half it was just not credible. The behaviors and dialogues between the characters made little sense, they were unconvincing to me. . The tolerance that the girls, specially Kit, have for the staff is also shocking to me, if they were so scared why were they such doormats and accepted everything so readily? It just makes no sense to me, it is not realistic, I don't think. Then, the lack of communication that they had with their parents it is also really hard to believe. The whole situations is not feasible to me. The funny thing is that is not the supernatural the unbelievable part, it is everything else.
I think that the main problem with this lack of plausibility in this story is that the novel has been somewhat "updated". The way the events unfold and the behaviors of the girls make little sense nowadays. Merely by adding a few comments here and there referencing text messages, laptops an internet is not enough. The dialogues and actions of the characters are not in accord with the current days. I have a very hard time believing teenagers acting that way nowadays in similar situations. I just don't see it. I would have found this book more believable if the story was set 30-40 years ago. Maybe, even longer than that. To me, it was a big mistake that "update" that they did to the novel . It just doesn't work, and it goes to its detriment. It should have been left as it was when it was first published.
Beside my issues with the credibility of the characters behaviors, my other problem with the book is that I didn't really found it that interesting. It really wasn't for me, and I kept expecting the scary parts to come, but they never did. I would have imagined a horror book to be a little bit scary at the very least. But no, there is nothing scary here at all.
To summarize, to me this book was unrealistic, uninteresting and not frightening. A disappointment. I do not recommend it.
Next, I am going to watch the movie and see if it is any better, which I really hope so.
August 16, 2018
3.5/5 creepy branches - I would describe this as a "cozy horror novel" in that it felt like a creepier version of Nancy Drew. My biggest complaint is that I wish it didn't move so quickly. Video review of the book and movie will be up tomorrow!
July 19, 2018
Reseña completa: http://elcaosliterario.blogspot.com/2...
Hay un dato muy importante que me gustaría compartir con vosotros. Esta historia fue escrita por primera vez en 1974, es decir, hace 44 años. Como os podéis imaginar, en 44 años han cambiado muchas cosas: teléfonos móviles, internet... Debido a ello, en el año 2011 la novela fue revisada y modernizada introduciendo mensajes de texto o el uso de teléfonos móviles. Por este motivo, en algún momentos de la historia se menciona el uso de nuevas tecnologías o la carga de dispositivos móviles.
La edición es bastante sencilla con varias páginas en negro en su interior incluso en el cambio de algunos capítulos y su portada bastante oscura, muy acorde a la historia con toques paranormales que nos encontramos en el interior.
La novela cuenta la historia de Kit Gordy, una adolescente que va a pasar los próximos meses en un internado llamado Blackwood. Sus compañeras empiezan a mostrar talentos singulares y a tener sueños perturbadores. Blackwood oculta mucho más de lo que parece.
Varias cosas importantes que me gustaría comentar antes de que nadie se asuste: no da tanto miedo, es juvenil y está escrita de una manera sencilla y cercana. La autora tiene una pluma exquisita y se disfruta mucho leyéndola. Tiene bastantes diálogos y poco más de 230 páginas así que se lee muy rápido y es bastante concisa.
Los personajes me han parecido un poco planos, sin embargo la ambientación me ha parecido muy buena. He echado en falta profundidad en la historia y un final más desarrollado pero lo demás me ha gustado bastante.
Si buscáis una historia de mucho terror quizá no sea la lectura que estáis buscando, pero si os gustan las historias oscuras con un toque paranormal y cortas, creo que es lo que estáis buscando. Perfecta para leer en una tarde.
En resumen: una historia muy bien escrita que se lee muy rápido y que cuenta con varios momentos de mucha tensión además de una excelente ambientación. Una novela entretenida e interesante escrita por una autora de prestigio.
Hay un dato muy importante que me gustaría compartir con vosotros. Esta historia fue escrita por primera vez en 1974, es decir, hace 44 años. Como os podéis imaginar, en 44 años han cambiado muchas cosas: teléfonos móviles, internet... Debido a ello, en el año 2011 la novela fue revisada y modernizada introduciendo mensajes de texto o el uso de teléfonos móviles. Por este motivo, en algún momentos de la historia se menciona el uso de nuevas tecnologías o la carga de dispositivos móviles.
La edición es bastante sencilla con varias páginas en negro en su interior incluso en el cambio de algunos capítulos y su portada bastante oscura, muy acorde a la historia con toques paranormales que nos encontramos en el interior.
La novela cuenta la historia de Kit Gordy, una adolescente que va a pasar los próximos meses en un internado llamado Blackwood. Sus compañeras empiezan a mostrar talentos singulares y a tener sueños perturbadores. Blackwood oculta mucho más de lo que parece.
Varias cosas importantes que me gustaría comentar antes de que nadie se asuste: no da tanto miedo, es juvenil y está escrita de una manera sencilla y cercana. La autora tiene una pluma exquisita y se disfruta mucho leyéndola. Tiene bastantes diálogos y poco más de 230 páginas así que se lee muy rápido y es bastante concisa.
Los personajes me han parecido un poco planos, sin embargo la ambientación me ha parecido muy buena. He echado en falta profundidad en la historia y un final más desarrollado pero lo demás me ha gustado bastante.
Si buscáis una historia de mucho terror quizá no sea la lectura que estáis buscando, pero si os gustan las historias oscuras con un toque paranormal y cortas, creo que es lo que estáis buscando. Perfecta para leer en una tarde.
En resumen: una historia muy bien escrita que se lee muy rápido y que cuenta con varios momentos de mucha tensión además de una excelente ambientación. Una novela entretenida e interesante escrita por una autora de prestigio.
June 5, 2018
2,75/5
Aunque la lectura haya sido original...no me ha dicho nada. No he sentido miedo ni tensión. Al menos se lee rápido. Demasiado juvenil para mi gusto y una historia muy mal aprovechada.
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Aunque la lectura haya sido original...no me ha dicho nada. No he sentido miedo ni tensión. Al menos se lee rápido. Demasiado juvenil para mi gusto y una historia muy mal aprovechada.
Reseña completa:
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-Blogger: http://addicionaloslibros.blogspot.co...
May 31, 2022
Am oscilat între 3 și 4 🌟. Faptul că am citit câte ceva despre autoare și am observat că unele elemente din carte sunt desprinse din viața ei, m-a convins să îi acord 4. Poate cel mai important aspect este că fiica lui Lois Duncan a fost ucisă, iar acest lucru a marcat inclusiv stilul de scriere.
Acum pe scurt, despre poveste: un roman polițist gotic pentru adolescenți. Mi-a amintit de starea pe care mi-a oferit-o Mexican Gothic, am regăsit și elemente comune (spre exemplu, băiatul bun care ajută "victimele"), dar recunosc că a fost un pic mai bună cartea de față decât Mexican Gothic.
Patru tinere încep cursurile la Școala de fete Blackwood. Din start conacul transformat în școală le dă o senzație de neliniște, iar regulile pe care trebuie să le respecte nu fac decât să accentueze starea. Ce se va întâmpla cu ele, prin ce schimbări vor trece și mai ales ce ajung să facă vă las pe voi să aflați.
În rest, o lectură ușoară, sub 200 de pagini, de "răpus" într-o singură zi. 😊
Acum pe scurt, despre poveste: un roman polițist gotic pentru adolescenți. Mi-a amintit de starea pe care mi-a oferit-o Mexican Gothic, am regăsit și elemente comune (spre exemplu, băiatul bun care ajută "victimele"), dar recunosc că a fost un pic mai bună cartea de față decât Mexican Gothic.
Patru tinere încep cursurile la Școala de fete Blackwood. Din start conacul transformat în școală le dă o senzație de neliniște, iar regulile pe care trebuie să le respecte nu fac decât să accentueze starea. Ce se va întâmpla cu ele, prin ce schimbări vor trece și mai ales ce ajung să facă vă las pe voi să aflați.
În rest, o lectură ușoară, sub 200 de pagini, de "răpus" într-o singură zi. 😊
July 15, 2025
“I feel now as though I’ve been sitting all my life inside a box, and suddenly someone is lifting the lid and I can look up and see the stars.”
― Lois Duncan, Down a Dark Hall
OK -- I have read many books by her. But THIS -- this one was f'in creepy.
I mean it. I read it YEARS ago but it really wound itself around my brain and I still think about it.
Duncan was my favorite childhood writer BUT most of her books did not scare me. This one did.
This is actually a very frightening little tale. I did not enjoy it as much as some of her other books, BECAUSE I prefer her books that are a little less -- well -- intense -- Daughters of Eve is among my favorite books ever.
Ah, but fans of horror and ghost stories? Fans of boarding school books? This is your book.
It is a scary book! The whole concept was creative, a bit terrifiying and completely freaked me out and I'd say this is one of, if not the most, scary of her books.
I will not reveal the plot. All I can say is it does not go where one might think that it would because very few people would come up with a mind-blowing idea like this. Kudos to Duncan.
The whole "I'm alone at boarding school" thing is a premise I love but she takes it to the next level. I really could see this as a movie as it has the creepy factor AND it is pretty original.
3.5 stars. Good scares.
Now, I want to talk about the concept. So please do not read ANY further, if you have not read this book.
SPOILERS:
OMG! The writers come back to life were absolutely terrifying! I'd never ever thought of this as a nook concept and it really -- made me tingle with a few creepy scares.
Can you even begin to imagine? Authors using your body as a writing vehicle? Man, there is just so much Stephen King in this book. I wonder if Duncan was influenced by his writing.
I really would LOVE to see this as a film unless it IS a film and I just do not know it!
Anyway to sum up -- not for those who just want a peaceful YA romp. Heck no! But want to be scared and want to read a dark, moody story? This is your book.
― Lois Duncan, Down a Dark Hall
OK -- I have read many books by her. But THIS -- this one was f'in creepy.
I mean it. I read it YEARS ago but it really wound itself around my brain and I still think about it.
Duncan was my favorite childhood writer BUT most of her books did not scare me. This one did.
This is actually a very frightening little tale. I did not enjoy it as much as some of her other books, BECAUSE I prefer her books that are a little less -- well -- intense -- Daughters of Eve is among my favorite books ever.
Ah, but fans of horror and ghost stories? Fans of boarding school books? This is your book.
It is a scary book! The whole concept was creative, a bit terrifiying and completely freaked me out and I'd say this is one of, if not the most, scary of her books.
I will not reveal the plot. All I can say is it does not go where one might think that it would because very few people would come up with a mind-blowing idea like this. Kudos to Duncan.
The whole "I'm alone at boarding school" thing is a premise I love but she takes it to the next level. I really could see this as a movie as it has the creepy factor AND it is pretty original.
3.5 stars. Good scares.
Now, I want to talk about the concept. So please do not read ANY further, if you have not read this book.
SPOILERS:
OMG! The writers come back to life were absolutely terrifying! I'd never ever thought of this as a nook concept and it really -- made me tingle with a few creepy scares.
Can you even begin to imagine? Authors using your body as a writing vehicle? Man, there is just so much Stephen King in this book. I wonder if Duncan was influenced by his writing.
I really would LOVE to see this as a film unless it IS a film and I just do not know it!
Anyway to sum up -- not for those who just want a peaceful YA romp. Heck no! But want to be scared and want to read a dark, moody story? This is your book.
June 10, 2019
i had never read anything by Lois Duncan before. I got this from chirp for 3$ and some change. and listened to it on my commute. i was really hoping for witches but we get mediums instead. thats ok, that can be cool too. the characters were ok, and i'm sure in 1974 the story was 5 stars. i didn't guess who the girls were channeling until it was revealed and sorry girls, but i'm so on Madame Duret's side. If these girls had been smarter and arranged for a portion of the sale of their works, they would be set for life. but nooo, i don't want to channel so and so! ugh really! come on now! the story was ok and the narrator was good. i would read or listen to more by Lois Duncan.
September 18, 2017
I read this one for the Chilling Children square! It would also work for Ghost, Haunted Houses, Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Gothic, Terror in a Small Town and Classic Horror.
I am giving this book 3 1/2 stars (rounded up to 4 for GR) based upon my enjoyment of the book this time around. If I had been rating this book circa 1976, two years after it was published and I was 10, I would've given it one million stars, once I emerged from my hiding place under my comforter. Because this book scared the bejeezus out of me when I read it as a pre-teen!
I still maintain that Down a Dark Hall is the scariest Duncan, with it's ghostly elements. A relatively short story, the author does a tremendously effective job in building tension. I can still visualize the climactic scene in my mind from when I first read it more than 40 years ago. I doubt that it would have the same impact on today's relatively sophisticated young people, but I can say that my daughter, at around age 13, disappeared into the kindle reissues of Duncan's books for one entire month during the summer vacation between 7th and 8th grade. She devoured them, reading one after another until she had read them all. She would come to me, kindle in hand, a look of pleading in her eyes and ask for Gallows Hill or I Know What You Did Last Summer or Summer of Fear. And, being a sucker for a child asking for a book, my answer was yes, yes, and yes again, at which point she would disappear to her tree house with an apple, reappearing only for dinner.
Duncan's books all involve young, female protagonists. While hardly revolutionary now, given the plethora of YA books published every year centering around young women, Duncan's books were unique in their time. Adults are largely absent, unless they are actively sinister. Young women, and groups of young women, frequently act together to get into, and get out of, their own problems. Evil wears both a female and a male face, but the victims are almost always young women who must empower themselves to face their fears and vanquish their tormentors.
Down a Dark Hall plays to these themes admirably. Kit is dropped off at Blackwood Hall by her parents who either cannot or will not see the obvious clues that danger lurks there. The red flags are so big that they are flapping loudly in the face of anyone with eyes to see. Kit is abandoned, at risk, and must literally fight her way out of danger. That she succeeds is a triumph. And that Duncan has created a terrifyingly realistic story out of frankly supernatural happenings is remarkable.
At the end of the book, there's a discussion with Duncan, who is still alive although she hasn't written anything new in years. In the Q&A, she talks about the process of updating the books in 2011 for the modern tween, where she attempts to deal with the reality that today's youth possess cell phones that enable them to call 9-1-1 at basically any moment. On the one hand, she did a reasonable job in fixing the texts. On the other hand, they are still obviously books for a different era, and, in some ways, I feel like it would've been better to just leave things as they are and let kids read them as books published before widespread availability of technology.
If you're interested in the ubiquitous nature of the Duncan YA horror phenomenon that swept teen and pre-teen girls in the 1970's, that extends even to today, the New Yorker published a lovely article titled I Know What I Read That Summer, which you can findhere.
I am giving this book 3 1/2 stars (rounded up to 4 for GR) based upon my enjoyment of the book this time around. If I had been rating this book circa 1976, two years after it was published and I was 10, I would've given it one million stars, once I emerged from my hiding place under my comforter. Because this book scared the bejeezus out of me when I read it as a pre-teen!
I still maintain that Down a Dark Hall is the scariest Duncan, with it's ghostly elements. A relatively short story, the author does a tremendously effective job in building tension. I can still visualize the climactic scene in my mind from when I first read it more than 40 years ago. I doubt that it would have the same impact on today's relatively sophisticated young people, but I can say that my daughter, at around age 13, disappeared into the kindle reissues of Duncan's books for one entire month during the summer vacation between 7th and 8th grade. She devoured them, reading one after another until she had read them all. She would come to me, kindle in hand, a look of pleading in her eyes and ask for Gallows Hill or I Know What You Did Last Summer or Summer of Fear. And, being a sucker for a child asking for a book, my answer was yes, yes, and yes again, at which point she would disappear to her tree house with an apple, reappearing only for dinner.
Duncan's books all involve young, female protagonists. While hardly revolutionary now, given the plethora of YA books published every year centering around young women, Duncan's books were unique in their time. Adults are largely absent, unless they are actively sinister. Young women, and groups of young women, frequently act together to get into, and get out of, their own problems. Evil wears both a female and a male face, but the victims are almost always young women who must empower themselves to face their fears and vanquish their tormentors.
Down a Dark Hall plays to these themes admirably. Kit is dropped off at Blackwood Hall by her parents who either cannot or will not see the obvious clues that danger lurks there. The red flags are so big that they are flapping loudly in the face of anyone with eyes to see. Kit is abandoned, at risk, and must literally fight her way out of danger. That she succeeds is a triumph. And that Duncan has created a terrifyingly realistic story out of frankly supernatural happenings is remarkable.
At the end of the book, there's a discussion with Duncan, who is still alive although she hasn't written anything new in years. In the Q&A, she talks about the process of updating the books in 2011 for the modern tween, where she attempts to deal with the reality that today's youth possess cell phones that enable them to call 9-1-1 at basically any moment. On the one hand, she did a reasonable job in fixing the texts. On the other hand, they are still obviously books for a different era, and, in some ways, I feel like it would've been better to just leave things as they are and let kids read them as books published before widespread availability of technology.
If you're interested in the ubiquitous nature of the Duncan YA horror phenomenon that swept teen and pre-teen girls in the 1970's, that extends even to today, the New Yorker published a lovely article titled I Know What I Read That Summer, which you can findhere.
October 11, 2019
Even though I read plenty of YA horror books when I was younger, I never got to read a Lois Duncan book. I'm happy that this was my first and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of classic gothic horror films like House of Usher and House on Haunted Hill and I loved Lois's writing! There were scary parts, edge of your seat moments, and a twist I never saw coming. Since this came out in 1974, it felt super original for that time and even now I feel like it still holds that originality. I'm excited to watch the movie adaption this month and see how they adapt this eerie story to screen. This is a perfect read for October. :) - R.C.
February 10, 2016
Lovely 'vintage' gothic written for young adults but can be enjoyed by all. This story immediately brought "Haunting of Hill House" to mind and it continued to be reminiscent of it throughout in my opinion. That's a good thing because I liked it a lot, as well.
It has the trademark Lois Duncan creepy ambience and great descriptions of the house, environment and characters. Loved Kit and her fellow schoolmates. They were painted so vividly and the paranormal experiences made me feel like I was there with them. Thought the ending was perfect!
Highly recommended!
April 17, 2011
Kit Gordy was accepted into Blackwood boarding school and she was really looking forward to it when she thought her best friend Tracy would be accepted as well. But Tracy wasn't accepted and as much as Kit tried to get out of going, she couldn't.
Kit's mom and stepfather are going away on their honeymoon, but before they leave, they take Kit to Blackwood themselves. Kit isn't thrilled about going and when they actually arrive, Kit does not want to be there. She thinks the place feels strange. There is something not right about it, something . . . evil.
But to make her mom happy, Kit says that she will be happy there and she really tries. At first things are okay, it's not as bad as she thought, but when the weird dreams start and other strange things, Kit knows something is not right about Blackwood.
One word for this book is 'intense'. You turn each page, reading and eager to find out what happens next. Like Kit, you want to know what exactly is going on. What is wrong with this boarding school? Why can't she get the answers she wants?
It was a wonderful suspense book with a great story and a nice cast of characters, even the ones who are the bad guys.
Kit's mom and stepfather are going away on their honeymoon, but before they leave, they take Kit to Blackwood themselves. Kit isn't thrilled about going and when they actually arrive, Kit does not want to be there. She thinks the place feels strange. There is something not right about it, something . . . evil.
But to make her mom happy, Kit says that she will be happy there and she really tries. At first things are okay, it's not as bad as she thought, but when the weird dreams start and other strange things, Kit knows something is not right about Blackwood.
One word for this book is 'intense'. You turn each page, reading and eager to find out what happens next. Like Kit, you want to know what exactly is going on. What is wrong with this boarding school? Why can't she get the answers she wants?
It was a wonderful suspense book with a great story and a nice cast of characters, even the ones who are the bad guys.
November 13, 2021
I first read this book when I was in middle school and remember it being one of my favorite books at the time.
I came upon my copy of the book recently and decided to reread it. While it does read differently from an adult perspective, it still has that feeling of magical surrealism that I enjoyed as a teen. This book has an unsettling gothic creepiness and issues/characters with a lot of depth (especially for a YA novel). In many ways, this is a YA version of The Haunting of Hill House with a bit of Suspiria thrown in for good measure. And the ending is still one of the most satisfying of any YA novel I've ever read.
Lois Duncan is always a real treat to read, and this is one of her best IMO.
If you're a fan of gothic literature and/or dark academia, I definitely recommend for youth and adults alike.
I came upon my copy of the book recently and decided to reread it. While it does read differently from an adult perspective, it still has that feeling of magical surrealism that I enjoyed as a teen. This book has an unsettling gothic creepiness and issues/characters with a lot of depth (especially for a YA novel). In many ways, this is a YA version of The Haunting of Hill House with a bit of Suspiria thrown in for good measure. And the ending is still one of the most satisfying of any YA novel I've ever read.
Lois Duncan is always a real treat to read, and this is one of her best IMO.
If you're a fan of gothic literature and/or dark academia, I definitely recommend for youth and adults alike.
April 11, 2024
This has always been my favorite Duncan, and the only one I've reread several times since I was a teenager. When Kit Gordy enters a private school, she's shocked to discover that there are only three other students, and she's disturbed by the school itself, whose atmosphere she immediately feels is evil. Eventually, Kit makes a chilling discovery about why she and the other three girls were the only ones selected; I don't want to reveal this, as it would be a massive spoiler, but this aspect of the plot just fascinates me. Kit herself is a particularly attractive, down-to-earth heroine, and the grim ambience of the school is spine-tinglingly effective, even years after I read the book for the first time.
March 15, 2021
***3.5 estrelas***
January 13, 2008
This is one of the first full length novels I read. I remember it serving as one of the seminal moments in my literary formation. I remember it being suspenful and full of immagery.
This book was republished in 1990, but was originally published in the late 70's. I read it in 5th or 6th grade.
While studying children's literature as part of my Masters program, we had to choose a book that we had read in elementary school. The assignment instrcted us to look at our influential book with adult eyes. We had to then review it.
I remember finding the book in a local library and discovering that Lois Duncan had been busy since writing Down A Dark Hall. She went on to write the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" series. That should have been my first clue.
The story takes place in a private school for gifted students. It turns out there are only five students in this strange school. Their studies include channeling the spirits of long dead artists and composers. Kit, the story's main character is always close to figuring out the secret, but remains a step behind, until the end of the book.
The author hits the reader over the head with heavy handed immagery, which leaves nothing to the imagination. It's a really BAD book. It's amazing what twenty five or so years and an adult sensibility can do to shatter the memory of a long ago wonder of literature.
This book was republished in 1990, but was originally published in the late 70's. I read it in 5th or 6th grade.
While studying children's literature as part of my Masters program, we had to choose a book that we had read in elementary school. The assignment instrcted us to look at our influential book with adult eyes. We had to then review it.
I remember finding the book in a local library and discovering that Lois Duncan had been busy since writing Down A Dark Hall. She went on to write the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" series. That should have been my first clue.
The story takes place in a private school for gifted students. It turns out there are only five students in this strange school. Their studies include channeling the spirits of long dead artists and composers. Kit, the story's main character is always close to figuring out the secret, but remains a step behind, until the end of the book.
The author hits the reader over the head with heavy handed immagery, which leaves nothing to the imagination. It's a really BAD book. It's amazing what twenty five or so years and an adult sensibility can do to shatter the memory of a long ago wonder of literature.
June 24, 2018
No me ha gustado tanto como esperaba, pero las expectativas han tenido mucho que ver...y me edperaba una historia más adulta de terror y más bien era una novela juvenil-infantil que tira más al misterio que a otra cosa. Por oo tanto, los personajes, sus relaciones, diálogos etc se quedan muy simples. Entretenida.
September 25, 2018
Blackwood es principalmente, una novela de misterio con cierto tinte de terror y suspense. Siguiendo un cliché tras otro del género, acompañamos a la adolescente Kit en su llegada por primera vez al internado Blackwood. La antigua mansión, perdida en medio de la nada sin internet ni cobertura, despierta una sensación de inquietud constante desde su primer vistazo. La sensación se incrementa cuando Kit descubre que solo serán cuatro alumnas en el curso escolar y tres profesores. Pronto comenzarán a suceder cosas extrañas. Las cuatro niñas comenzarán a experimentar sueños raros y habilidades tan repentinas como singulares. Sucesos extraños e inquietantes se dan cita en la peculiar mansión hasta que el secreto es revelado.
Escrita con precisión y buen ritmo, la autora va pasando de un cliché a otro -para cualquier asiduo del género- hasta llegar a un final un tanto precipitado. Una trama sencilla y ligera repleta de buena ambientación y personajes que son descritos de forma superficial. Esta no es una novela de sustos o imágenes grotescas. Tampoco de exploración personal o miedos internos. Blackwood es una elección perfecta para iniciarse, que todo novato o joven en el mundo del terror va a disfrutar.Pero también el adulto puede disfrutar de una buena narración y un verdadero misterio, al cual alabar su originalidad para el momento en que fue escrita.
Reseña en el blog: https://boywithletters.blogspot.com/2...
Escrita con precisión y buen ritmo, la autora va pasando de un cliché a otro -para cualquier asiduo del género- hasta llegar a un final un tanto precipitado. Una trama sencilla y ligera repleta de buena ambientación y personajes que son descritos de forma superficial. Esta no es una novela de sustos o imágenes grotescas. Tampoco de exploración personal o miedos internos. Blackwood es una elección perfecta para iniciarse, que todo novato o joven en el mundo del terror va a disfrutar.Pero también el adulto puede disfrutar de una buena narración y un verdadero misterio, al cual alabar su originalidad para el momento en que fue escrita.
Reseña en el blog: https://boywithletters.blogspot.com/2...
October 13, 2024
I read this with my book club that I run on Instagram where we revisit Point Horror and other books from our childhood - @talespointhorrorbookclub
Tagline - At Blackwood School For Girls, the private lessons might kill you!
Memorable For – ESP, gothic vibes and famous ghosts 😜
Some Thoughts -
The book follows Kit Gordy, who is sent to a boarding school by her parents who are going on a year’s honeymoon 😂 As soon as drives up the path toward Blackwood she feels it’s evil! Only four students have been admitted including herself. The students suddenly develop new talents, and strange things start occurring around the school!
The novel explores themes of loss of personal identity and possession and the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own self.
Other highlights include a the perfect gothic setting, an awesome main character, strange goings on and basically I feel its best to go into this book blind and enjoy the ride!
As with Stranger With My Face the writing is rich with imagery and description and one which really stands up to modern day!
Tagline - At Blackwood School For Girls, the private lessons might kill you!
Memorable For – ESP, gothic vibes and famous ghosts 😜
Some Thoughts -
The book follows Kit Gordy, who is sent to a boarding school by her parents who are going on a year’s honeymoon 😂 As soon as drives up the path toward Blackwood she feels it’s evil! Only four students have been admitted including herself. The students suddenly develop new talents, and strange things start occurring around the school!
The novel explores themes of loss of personal identity and possession and the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own self.
Other highlights include a the perfect gothic setting, an awesome main character, strange goings on and basically I feel its best to go into this book blind and enjoy the ride!
As with Stranger With My Face the writing is rich with imagery and description and one which really stands up to modern day!
November 12, 2020
Super scary and suspenseful! And the plot twist about what happened to the girls is so unique and creepy.
July 16, 2021
4-4,5
Foarte interesantă, a avut părți care m-au speriat. Singurul lucru negativ este că personajul principal este cam prostuț.
Foarte interesantă, a avut părți care m-au speriat. Singurul lucru negativ este că personajul principal este cam prostuț.
September 10, 2018
Este libro ha sido llevada recientemente a la gran pantalla por Rodrigo Cortés y puedo decir después de haber leído el libro que yo no la voy a ver, no porque no me haya gustado la historia sino porque no me gusta pasar miedo viendo una película. El libro nos cuenta la historia de Kit, una chica que es obligada por su madre y su padrastro a estudiar en el internado Blackwood ya que ellos van a disfrutar de su luna de miel en Europa. Kit no quiere ir nunca a Blackwood y después de ver por primera vez el edificio solo quiere irse de allí. Además, ver que no hay internet ni cobertura en el edificio acompañado de que solo son cuatro alumnas las que van a recibir educación en el internado despierta en Kit un recelo aún mayor. Así, empiezan las clases, pero poco tiempo después empiezan a ocurrir extraños sucesos en el edificio y en el comportamiento de sus compañeras que hace que cada vez sea más difícil para Kit conciliar el sueño. Aunque yo no suelo leer libros de este tipo, en general me ha gustado. Los personajes no me han gustado demasiado, les faltaba un poco de desarrollo, solo salvaría a Kit ya que sabe desde el minuto uno que algo ocurre en Blackwood y está dispuesta a descubrir lo que es sin importar lo que digan los demás. Lo que si me ha gustado es la forma de escribir de la autora, ya que sabe sumergirte en el ambiente tétrico y misterioso que crea en cada momento (a mí consiguió ponerme nerviosa en varios momentos). Además es una lectura que engancha desde el minuto uno, pues quieres saber qué es lo que va a ocurrir a continuación. Sin embargo, el final no me ha gustado, deja muchas cosas sin explicar. No sabemos qué es lo que va a pasar con Madame Duret, qué ha pasado con Lynda, etc.
May 30, 2019
Ni harta de vino se me habría ocurrido que era "eso" lo que estaba pasando en esa casa.
August 18, 2018
One of the perks of being married is discovering the secrets of your spouse. Mine happens to be a well-adjusted, normal person who grew up in a family with no obvious issues. She eventually introduced me to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which I was surprised to discover, could be classified as "horror." It's actually more of a gothic romance, but as with Dark Shadows, we see that these genres bleed into one another. So as we were moving house and I was unpacking boxes of books, I found Down a Dark Hall. It was one of my wife's books, and for some reason I always expect that her books will be as well-adjusted as she is. Although fearing that this would be some young-adult breezy tale, I took it for bed-time reading after finishing Barnabas, Quentin and the Avenging Ghost. It was a surprising good follow-up.
Lois Duncan was definitely a more literate writer than Marilyn Ross. This story draws on Poe and at least one Bronte sister to make a wonderfully threatening setting. Blackwood is no Collinwood, but there's a gentle horror to it. It's a house full of ghosts and a host you want so very much to like that you only reluctantly admit that her motivation is anything less than pure. Following the story of Kit, a teen who's got a newly acquired step-father and who's being sent away to school so that her mother and step-father can play, as she enrolls at boarding school. Things turn out as might be expected in such circumstances.
Although written at the level of teen readers—there is some violence, but it's not graphic. There's no sex, but budding romance appears—the story does draw you in, even as an adult. Poe noted that gothic (or perhaps more accurately, horror) often draws its vitality from the death of a beautiful woman. The threat to young girls might be just a touch more accurate. While I can read stories of boys put through trials and tests, and they can make me squirm, they don't impact me as much as stories like this. Kit and her new friends live in constant threat and the story lingers like a ghost when you're done with it.
Lois Duncan had a bit of a revival when I Know What You Did Last Summer was made into a horror movie. I thought that it was a teen flick, and clearly it is, but when I watched it I had no idea there was a novel. So now I have yet another volume to add to my ever-growing list of things to read that I might've benefitted from as a teen.
Lois Duncan was definitely a more literate writer than Marilyn Ross. This story draws on Poe and at least one Bronte sister to make a wonderfully threatening setting. Blackwood is no Collinwood, but there's a gentle horror to it. It's a house full of ghosts and a host you want so very much to like that you only reluctantly admit that her motivation is anything less than pure. Following the story of Kit, a teen who's got a newly acquired step-father and who's being sent away to school so that her mother and step-father can play, as she enrolls at boarding school. Things turn out as might be expected in such circumstances.
Although written at the level of teen readers—there is some violence, but it's not graphic. There's no sex, but budding romance appears—the story does draw you in, even as an adult. Poe noted that gothic (or perhaps more accurately, horror) often draws its vitality from the death of a beautiful woman. The threat to young girls might be just a touch more accurate. While I can read stories of boys put through trials and tests, and they can make me squirm, they don't impact me as much as stories like this. Kit and her new friends live in constant threat and the story lingers like a ghost when you're done with it.
Lois Duncan had a bit of a revival when I Know What You Did Last Summer was made into a horror movie. I thought that it was a teen flick, and clearly it is, but when I watched it I had no idea there was a novel. So now I have yet another volume to add to my ever-growing list of things to read that I might've benefitted from as a teen.
April 5, 2017
YA gothic/supernatural novel set in a creepy, secluded boarding school. A real page-turner that's lots of fun to read.
January 5, 2022
O carte ușurică, deloc speriecioasă, așa cum s-ar putea înțelege din descriere.
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