10
Apr122011
YA-11 – BOOK REVIEW: ‘Long Lankin’ by Lindsey Barraclough
by Carolyn • Posted in 21 Days of Young Adult Fiction, 3.5 Star Reviews, Authors A-D, Book Reviews, Ghost, Reviews by Carolyn, RHCB, Young Adult
Title: Long Lankin
Author: Lindsey Barraclough
Publisher: The Bodley Head (RHCB)
Publication Date: April 2011
ARC: 455 pages
Genre: Horror, Ghost
Young Adult
Source: Review Copy
Reviewed by: Carolyn
RATING: 7/10 – very good, definitely leaning towards an 8/10
BOOK COVER SUMMARY:
When Cora and her little sister Mimi are sent to stay with their elderly aunt in the isolated village of Bryers Guerdon, they receive a less than warm welcome, and are desperate to go back to London. But Auntie Ida’s life was devastated the last time two young girls were at Guerdon Hall, and now her niece’s arrival has reawoken an evil that has lain waiting for years.
A haunting voice in an empty room…A strange, scarred man lurking in the graveyard…A mysterious warning, scrawled on the walls of the abandoned church…Along with Roger and Peter, two young village boys, Cora must uncover the horrifying truth that has held Bryers Guerdon in its dark grip for centuries – before it is too laste for Mimi.
REVIEW:
“Long Lankin” is a really good debut novel from new author Lindsey Barraclough and is based on an old traditional poem that’s actually quite gruesome. However, I’ll just give you a snippet…
Let the doors be all bolted and the windows all pinned,And leave not a hole for a mouse to creep in.The doors were all bolted and the windows all pinned,except one little window where Long Lankin crept in.
The novel certainly keeps the atmosphere and creepiness of the poem and the imagery Barraclough paints is just brilliant. The young characters of Cora, Mimi, Roger and Pete are well written and developed giving me a rounded understanding of their young personalities, and Cora’s old great aunt Ida is severe and cruel in her treatment of the children and has a past full of deadly secrets.
Cora and her sister Mimi live in London but are sent to live with their great aunt Ida in the countryside by their father due to their mother being in hospital with mental issues. When the children arrive I got a real sense of how old and dilapidated Guerdon Hall was and the descriptions of the graveyard are wonderfully eerie.
I would have liked a bit more detail of the surrounding area as it really could have been anywhere, but because we are told that the area is Essex, England, it would have been a great opportunity to champion this particular county that gets such a bad rap – there are some stunning areas of natural beauty, especially in north essex. So with that in mind I didn’t really get a true sense of where the characters lived in relation to London.
I quickly delved into the lives of Cora, her sister Mimi and great aunt Ida, their story captured my imagination for most of the novel, unfortunately it did wane slightly in the middle. There are references to Ida’s complicated past with fragmented memories of certain horrors that happened (and which would soon unfold in the present), but nothing actually got going until a good 250 pages into this quite lengthy novel – overly so in my opinion.
The ending was rushed slightly with an overloading of history into who, and what, is Long Lankin, which did become rather tedious, and seemed to take forever to get to the much anticipated climax. I think at least a hundred pages could have been removed from the first 250 without any loss to the story and maybe a little more attention to the ending would have given the novel a better balance.
However, the fundamental story is a creepy one and there are passages that made my skin crawl. Long Lankin is indeed grotesque and he would have frightened me senseless as a young girl.
Below are two of my favourite passages from the book, both from Cora’s perspective…
Last night I heard whispering, very close to me. I peered at Mini’s face, half in shadow on the pillow. She was moving her lips in her sleep, as if she were speaking. I leaned in towards her, and with her breath on my cheek I heard her say, ‘ Help us…help us…save us…’ but it wasn’t her voice, or even one voice alone – it was many voices.
I rush to the stairs and look up. My jaw drops open. Behind Mimi, [Long] Lankin is crawling down like an animal. The tip of his tongue, wet with thick grey spit, is sticking out from between his sharp yellow teeth like a black pointed stone.
VERDICT:
“Long Lankin” is a great debut. With a creepy and atmospheric story and great characters, “Long Lankin” was a delight to read and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to young adults and adults alike. Ms Barraclough has a wonderful way with words and I look forward to reading her future work.
You can find out more about the author here:
This book counts towards the following BCC reading challenges:
10 Comments
I do love a creepy novel and have been looking for one for a while – this sounds like it will fit the bill! Plus the cover looks atmospheric as well!
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This sounds like that one I would like. I have seem this book around on another couple of blogs.
Great review
Jules
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This does sound deliciously spooky
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Thanks for the review, this sounds creepy and great!
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Just those snippets you provided were creepy – one to look out for I reckon.
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I love that you posted a review about this today. Heard about the book at the London Book Fair this same day, and bought it on my kindle. Looking forward to reading it.
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Mel – I love creepy novels too! I think you'd probably like this one then
Jules – Thanks, I hope you enjoy it when you get to read it
Laura – It certainly is!
Meaghan – I see you picked up on my over-use of words 'creepy' and 'great' LOL But it is both
Carmen – Definitely one to look out for! I liked those passages too
Bokelskerinnen – I heard that Lindsey Barracough was at the London Book Fair, hope you got to meet her and I hope you enjoy the book
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I devoured this book, thought it was absolutely brilliant. Wouldn't be surprised if I see it on the prize lists. Great review, although I would disagree about it not having a sense of place — it was so strongly set in the marshes and fens of rural Essex / East Anglia, I absolutely loved the descriptions of the water and the light and the wide skies. Even in the first page — 'there was too much sky' — it's how I feel sometimes living in Norfolk. Really atmospheric. And loved all the details of bygone England, when I finished I just wanted to turn back to the begining and start again!
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Petra – I'm so pleased you enjoyed the book! I suppose we will have to agree to disagree – the book was descriptive and atmospheric, as I mentioned in my review, but it didn't give me a sense of place (that being Essex) Having lived in Essex all my life I was hoping for more…
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This is one book that hasn't been over hyped and lives up to it's promise to 'scare'. I stayed up late reading the end and was almost too scared to turn off the lights! So many books that you hear about being creepy or gothic don't work out so this was great.
Thanks
Lynn
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