Well written short horror / ghost story. Follows the final days of a frustrated novelist and his unrequited love to a rather grim and ambiguous ending. The troubles begin upon moving into new lodgings, a dilapidated old house, one with a curious, haunted, or even accursed history. As with many such tales, events begin playing out in a cyclical manner, history repeating itself, and we are led inexorably to a murky and dark conclusion. A few tricks with an unreliable narrator are played, leaving us with some doubt as to the exact nature of the ending, but we are able to glean enough to be chilled by the outcome. ( )

The buildup was a bit too slow with a few too many tedious details but this was really good. I did enjoy the tension and the way the characters personalities were influenced by "it". ( )

What really makes this story is how what's terrifying about the ghost is how its influence affects the mind and moods of the characters... Over and above shadows and bumps in the night, it's the depression and despair that accompany its presence.

A writer rents out a suite in a decrepit and long-empty home. Sinking his savings into renovations, he's eager to show the apartment off to his lady-friend, whom he anticipates will be delighted by what he's done with the old place. However, her reaction is quite the opposite. Even though everything is freshly painted and lovely, she hates it. Moreover, she seems terribly prone to accidents whenever she comes to visit. Meanwhile, the tenant can't seem to get a lick of work accomplished there, and the more he tries to buckle down and get his latest novel written, the more he seems convinced that it's no good, and that he's a failure.

And that's just the beginning of the horror...

(Just as a note, I think what really brought this up to 5 stars for me is the character of Elsie [the friend of the narrator]. She's just so bold and real - 'substantial' in more ways than one. She's one that's going to stick with me.)

(a re-read) ( )

Paul Oleron is 15 chapters through his latest and probably most important book, the one that will make a name for him in the literary world. And by chance, while roaming the streets, trying to procrastinate rather than work on his novel he happens open an old house with a "To Let" sign tacked to the gate. After a few inquiries and a quick viewing of the hosue, he decides that the first floor would be spacious enough for him to work in -- definitely more room than his current cramped quarters. He moves in and settles himself nicely into his new surroundings.

When his journalist friend Elsie Bengough pays him a visit, she tells him right away to leave the house, that something doesn't seem quite right. Paul shrugs it off, even when Elsie scratches her wrist on a nail trying to open a window box -- a nail that Paul swears he removed days ago. As the days and weeks progress, a change takes over Paul, and he learns too late that perhaps Elsie was right about the house.

"The Beckoning Fair One" is a classic haunted house story, and what I enjoyed most about it was that the haunting was subtle and psychological. No ghostly vapors or doors opening and slamming shut by themselves. For Paul, a steady drip of water turns into and old Welsh tune or of a sudden he realizes that he's no longer alone in a room though no one else is visible. It reminded me quite a bit of Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" in that respect, where the haunting is alluded to and hides in a far corner to infect the atmosphere. This is the way to tell a haunted house tale, with subtlety and hints rather than ghosts jumping from every page. ( )

VG ( )