A past student, Oliver, returns to Cambridge to visit an old professor and friend, Theo Parmitter. Theo is a bit out of sorts and decides to confess a story from his youth to Oliver. He asks Oliver to first look at an eighteenth-century painting of Venice that is on the wall. Oliver notices that the scene that at first seems frivolous and festive is actually disturbing -- with strange characters in it that almost seem to be looking out of the canvas at him. Then, over two nights, Theo tells the story of how he acquired the painting and what else he has since found out about its history. Of course, this is a far-fetched story that Oliver isn't sure whether to believe -- until he also becomes entangled in the painting's malevolent grasp.

This one was a good solid A- story. It has a very similar cadence and phrasing to many Poe short stories and in fact drops a "House of Usher" reference which I loved. The only thing that kept me from adoring this story was that the plot became a bit predictable and I wasn't shocked or surprised at the end.

http://webereading.com/2009/10/story-... ( )

first line (of the prologue): "The story was told to me by my old tutor, Theo Parmitter, as we sat beside the fire in his college rooms one bitterly cold January night."

first line (of the first chapter): "My story really begins some seventy years ago, in my boyhood."

This is a brief little book with the feel of a ghost story despite the absence of any actual ghosts. I enjoyed it, though not as much as I seem to recall liking Hill's The Woman in Black. Both books pull off a wonderfully creepy mood, though, such that I may have to give her other ghost stories, and possibly her crime/mystery/suspense series, a go. ( )

A short ghost story novel. It is quite disappointing and predictable. ( )

Subtle ( )

Oliver is in town to visit his former tutor and mentor, Theo Parmitter, to catch up and reminisce about old times when Theo suddenly announces after dinner that he has a story he must tell Oliver in order to regain his peace of mind. Having been an art trader when he was younger, Theo has picked up a mysterious Venetian painting of Carnevale from ancient times. Even though he is begged by the agent of an unknown buyer to name his price- and sell the painting, the painting has already taken a hold of Theo, he feels under its strange power and refuses to part with it for any amount of money, even when he learns it's deadly history and suspects that he will pay the ultimate price.

I have another book on my shelf by Susan Hill entitled The Various Haunts of Men, though I didn't realize it when I picked up this book to read. A cross between The Picture of Dorian Gray and an Edgar Allan Poe short, this tale started out creepy but left too many unanswered questions in my mind for me to really appreciate it. The atmosphere and the suspense were there right from the beginning. Set in a creepy and deserted-for-the-term college campus, it's filled with mysterious figures lingering in the shadows and curiously unexplained mishaps. A delightfully chilling tale within a tale, within a tale, within a tale, I was a little apprehensive about starting to read it late at night, and more jumpy than usual at bedtime, peering into shadows around my room and half wondering whether I would see a face lurking in the dark. And then, all of that promise fell flat, which was disappointing because it could have been easily remedied had the book been longer.

I can't go into too much detail without giving the story away completely, but character motivations and development were sparse, and I just didn't feel there were any valid explanations into why this curse was being passed along to the people. Was the painting haunted? After its initial reasons for revenge was it just content to continue wreaking havoc on the lives of those who came to possess it? What happened to the people who were affected by the painting? What happened to cause the painting to come to exist and begin its deadly work? I was very disappointed not to find these answers. Not knowing made the whole thing less creepy, and I was more inclined to concentrate on the holes within the plot.

That being said I am really looking forward to reading The Various Haunts of Men. I suspect that the problems I encountered due to the lack of length won't be as much of a problem since it is a full length novel. I really enjoyed Susan Hill's writing. It was suspenseful and atmospheric and I thought she did an excellent job capturing the spirit of a different time through the dialogue and scene descriptions. I can't wait to see what she does when in a full length novel she answers at least some of the questions that her story asks.

A nice, light read. Elegant but over-explained in some parts. Pretty predictable and not creepy or scary. ( )

Victorian Ghost Story. Good read. ( )

The Man in the Picture is a small book. As in, it’s only 142 pages, and its trim size, according to Amazon.com, is 6.9 x. 4.5’’. It’s more of a short story than a novella. Therefore, it only took me about an hour to finish.

The story revolves around an 18th century painting, of a scene at Carnevale in Venice, and the deep, dark secrets hidden within. The Man in the Picture has four narrators. One is Oliver, a medieval scholar. The second is his old professor at Cambridge, Dr. Parmitter. The third is the Countess, and the fourth is Oliver’s fiancé, Anne. This is a tale of revenge and obsession, and it works to a certain extent. However, the story is so short that there’s very little room for character development. The story and the method of telling the story aren’t very original—Hill has used it several times in her ghost stories (The Woman in Black comes to mind). And you could see the ending coming from a mile away. Still, I enjoyed the premise of this little ghost story, and I definitely recommend reading it on a cold autumn day. ( )

Susan Hill quickly takes you back in time into a dream-like atmosphere. Starting with the current owner of a painting, Theo, you find that there is a painting which has certain unusual characteristics. In the painting is a man that appears to be staring directly at its owner begging for help. Theo tells Oliver the history of the painting, but Oliver is not totally sure what to make of it initially. He will soon find out first hand how the picture can take on a life of its own.

This "ghost" story is a quick read, but there are times that the changes of voice can be confusing. Susan Hill does wonders with creating the dark, haunting back drop, which places the reader in this world from the beginning. ( )

heart-stoppingly chilling and a good old fashioned ghost story. Reviews not complementary. Companion to The Mist in the Mirror and Woman in Black

An elderly professor at Cambridge tells his young friend of the events surrounding an oil painting of a Venetian carnival. The story is one of heartache, obsession and tragedy.

This was not a scary story, sinister and foreboding, but not scary. You basically know what is going to happen before it happens. I prefer stories with more twists and turns. This is pretty much; the picture is cursed and you can’t get away from it.

It was written extremely well and reminded me of gothic ghost stories. I couldn’t tell the actual time of the events. It sounds Victorian until the narrator talks about cars and other modern conveniences. Once you start reading it you will not want to put it down. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyable! Susan Hill has mastered the genre of the literary ghost story in the modern era. (Note: You can't say very much about it or else you'll ruin the story.) But The Man in the Picture employs masks, crowds, darkness and paintings in a delightfully gothic manner. Scary, just a little twisted, but handled with a delicate touch. ( )

This was a very enjoyable, if too short, gothic mystery and I look forward to finding more of Susan Hill's books. I thought the fact that the reader doesn't know the exact time frame, reflected the timelessness of the painting and the evil worked through it. It put me in the mood to read more Wilkie Collins. ( )

An old painting of a Venetian carnival scene holds a mystery that is slowly revealed to both Oliver, who has come to visit his old professor in Cambridge, the owner of the picture; and to the reader. This was a delightful and wonderfully well-written 'ghost' story that kept me riveted for all 145 of its tiny pages. ( )

This is a very well written, classic ghost story by a contemporary writer. A perfect read for a cold winter evening. It's short, so you can read it in two sittings. ( )