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Audrey's Door
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$ 6.39
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$ 7.99 |
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$ 1.60 (20%) |
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| Item Number |
2481989 |
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Item Description...
Overview
When she moves into the Breviary, an apartment building built on the Upper West Side during Manhattan's Gilded Age, Audrey Lucas is plunged into a world of madness when she is haunted by dark visions and a voice that demands she build a door. Original. 100,000 first printing.
Publishers Description
Built on the Upper West Side, the elegant Breviary claims a regal history. But despite 14B's astonishingly low rental price, the recent tragedy within its walls has frightened away all potential tenants . . . except for Audrey Lucas. No stranger to tragedy at thirty-two—a survivor of a fatherless childhood and a mother's hopeless dementia— Audrey is obsessively determined to make her own way in a city that often strangles the weak. But is it something otherworldly or Audrey's own increasing instability that's to blame for the dark visions that haunt her . . . and for the voice that demands that she build a door? A door it would be true madness to open . . . |
Item Specifications...
Pages 412
Dimensions: Length: 1" Width: 4.25" Height: 7"
Weight: 0.45 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Oct 1, 2009
ISBN 0061624217
EAN 9780061624216
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Availability 9 units.
Availability accurate as of May 30, 2012 05:51.
Usually ships within one to two business days from La Vergne, TN.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | Not quite "Rosemary's Baby". Jan 29, 2010 |
Sarah Langan covers very familiar territory with a ghost story/haunting tale of a mixed-up, lonely woman inhabiting a creepy apartment at NYC's The Brevieary Building. Showing shades of both Stephen King's "The Shining" and, more specifically, Ira Levin's "Rosemary's Baby" (The Breviary is an obvious homage to The Dakota), "Audrey's Door" will prove mostly satisfying to fans of this genre.
Each section of the novel opens with a news story from the past about various tragedies that have occured at The Breviary. The lead character, Audrey Lucas, has had a somewhat tragic history herself - in her mid-thirties dealing with a broken relationship and a turbulent past with her ow institutionalized (and comatose) mother - she is easy prey for the evil spirits of The Breviary who keep demanding that she "build the door".
The Breviary plays tricks on its' tenants and "Audrey's Door" will play tricks on the reader --- some passages are nearly incomprehensible. Where Langan suceeds is in building the terror and exposing her protagonist's flaws in ways we can all relate to. Not a classic, by any means, but a creepy tale nontheless
| | |  | Great Buildup to an Abrupt and Unsatisfying Climax Jan 20, 2010 |
Audrey was a survivor. She survived her father's abandonment, mother's deteriorating psychological state and her own drug dependency. She came out of the other end with enough scars to last a lifetime: obsessive compulsive disorder, an inability to form healthy relationships with friends and co-workers, and frequent dreams/hallucinations/visions. She moved to NYC to complete her study of architecture, then started working her way up on the proverbial corporate ladder. Her visions intensified after moving to a supposedly bargain apartment in upper west side building with an ill history, Breviary. What follows is a story of a woman walking a fine line between total mental breakdown and bizarre supernatural encounters.
Sarah Langan took great care at molding characters, especially the neurotic protagonist and her perverse neighbors. She described Audrey's memories of her past, OCD and social inadequacy in great details. For a while, I even forgot that I was reading horror fiction. I simply wanted to find out more about the characters. Audrey's return trip to see her comatose mother in the second act is my favorite portion of the novel. That is not to say that Langan skimmed on mystery, suspense and chills. On the contrary, the story is full of dread and forebodings. It features many memorable skin crawling scenes. In one such scene, Audrey was making a business presentation to company's owners and senior management. She then "saw" the mysterious visitor from her last night's nightmare standing with his back facing her and persistently scratching the back wall.
Audrey's Door is both great horror and character study until the end. The climax is a big let down. The world of the supernatural is the book's Achilles heel. Langan did not explain why Breviary necessarily intended to usher in dark forces if the building itself was already sentient, mad and evil. The connection between the supernatural and Audrey's and her mother's psychology is tenuous. It seems to this reader that Langan clobbered together the loose pieces so as to quickly wind down the story. It is odd considering this is her third "ghost" story. Other than that, the book is a fascinating look at troubled female psyche.
| | | | Classic style horror; deliciously creepy! Jan 7, 2010 |
It seems it is becoming harder, and harder, to find novels of the horror genre, that are as equally driven in delivering the fright factor, as they are in developing the characters. They seem to morph into gratuitous scenes of blood and guts, focusing on soliciting shock-value. And, if the characters aren't sufficiently fleshed-out---if there is no bond with them, then I have difficulty relating to their outcomes.
Not true with Langan's story! She has succeeded in crafting and developing characters that we can relate to, while managing to provide a 4-star 'BOO' factor. Some may feel that we have, 'been there, done that,' with her premise, but Langan states her inspiration came from some of the greatest: The Haunting of Hill House, The Shining and Rosemary's Baby, to name a few; a time when horror stories were character driven; a time when those characters remained unforgettable. She added she hopes she has done well by them with her story. I believe her unique spin on all of these stories, combined, is a triumphant success. Well, almost---there are some flaws.
Audrey, the primary protagonist, is a fragile, psychologically damaged young Architect, with commitment issues, who moves into a steal-of-a-deal Manhattan apartment, The Breviary. She is seeking space from her boyfriend, and attempting to empower herself, in light of some serious emotional issues. She is carrying around enough baggage to fill a dozen Pullman suitcases, including OCD and a mom with debilitating mental illness. I grew to love her for her imperfections.
Langan sets us up with a suspenseful, atmospheric, supernatural thriller, as very strange things begin to take place, and a host of peculiar neighbors begin to unveil themselves. We're left to wonder if Audrey is experiencing a breakdown, or if these events are actually happening. Secondary characters effectively drive the plot. Jayne, the only other young tenant in The Breviary was engaging, and Sarub, Audrey's boyfriend, was endearing, in spite of some serious issues of his own. I thoroughly enjoyed these characters.
Langan does a great job describing her characters. In one scene, an intrusive neighbor accosts Audrey in the hallway. Langan describes this lady so well, I could actually see her through Langan's eyes, all the way to her crusty, fungus-ridden toenails. This is where the subtle creepy factor begins to pinch the nerves.
Build the door and they will come. Ah, yes---this is where I had issues. In a supernatural world, suspending disbelief is often required, but with a little more development in this area, I feel, that for the genre, this would have been a strong 5 star read. All said, I know I will be watching this author closely, and I plan to pick up her other novels, to date. | | | | A bit Dissapointing Dec 30, 2009 |
This is the first book that I have read by Sarah Langan and I was expecting a lot based on the good reviews she received for her other books. The story predominantly takes place in building with a past in New York. The author has gone to great lengths to explain the unique nature of the building which is called "Chaotic Naturalism" and there is even an accompanying religion complete with blood drinking. However, I wish that the author had spent as much thought into the development of her characters. Rather than something seamless, the character development during the first few chapters was obvious and a bit trying. The development of some characters continued until almost the end of the book when Jill, Audrey's boss is suddenly thrown into the forefront of the story. Jill's story does not aid the haunted house story and I found it distracting.
Rather than being scary, I found the book to be awkward to read at times when the main character would say or do embarrassing things. The book varied between a quick read at the beginning to wanting to skip whole paragraphs in the middle to an unconvincing ending. The one strength is that the author does a good job of taking the reader into Audrey's metal illness which plays a large role in the story.
Overall, an interesting story that was trying at times. I expected a great read and was a bit disappointed. This will be a book that I give away rather than to keep on my bookshelf.
| | |  | A stunning example of literary architecture. Dec 11, 2009 |
| Langan builds amazing, unique characters and sets them on a perilous ride through psychological and physical torment. The writing is sharp, and Langan explores her subjects with such an attention to detail, even the most outrageous scenes feel plausible. Audrey's Door is so worth opening. | | | Write your own review about Audrey's Door
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