Burnt Offerings (Valancourt 20th Century Classics) Kindle Edition

I first saw the movie version of this when I was a little girl. My brother used to torture me by grinning at me the way the chauffeur had at Ben. The movie (and my brother’s reenactments) made for a horrifying story then, and the original story proved even more unsettling. The novel “Burnt Offerings” transported me back to that childhood sense of fear. Like Shirley Jackson’s masterpiece “The Haunting of Hill House,” Marasco uses sound as a weapon, collaborating with the reader in terror—he intuited that the unknown, couple with our own imaginations, can bring much more terror than resorting to gory detail. I don’t scare easily, but I couldn’t read this at bedtime.

In college I took a class on Shakespeare and the popular, much-noted instructor of the class began by saying, "The great drives out the good." That was his way of introducing the class to the fact that for the semester we were going to read and study the plays by Shakespeare most people over-looked because of the fame (and greatness) of many other works by the Bard of Avon. Although certainly not in the same league as Shakespeare, the expression about the great driving out the good applies to the first novel by Robert Marasco (1936-1988), Burnt Offerings (1973, re-issued by Valancourt Books, 2015, with an Introduction by Stephen Graham Jones.In his Introduction Jones writes that the release of Burnt Offerings suffered from bad timing. Stephen King was about to make a huge splash in popular horror fiction followed by the likes of Robert R. McCammon, Clive Barker, and Peter Straub. Even though Burnt Offerings was made into a film with notable stars, it soon was left behind in the ash (no pun intended).Burnt Offerings falls into the category of "quiet horror." There is no gore, no moments so horrific that it would demand CGI effects in a modern film, no moments of true, gut-wrenching fear. It is a work of subtlety. Burnt Offerings also reads like an "old friend." It covers some familiar haunted house ground and doesn't really have any new twists or gimmicks to offer to the genre. None of this, however, is meant to imply that there aren't some truly memorable scenes and moments in the book.Burnt Offerings begins with a typical scenario: a couple, Ben and Marian Rolfe, tired of the "less appealing every day, more abrasive" noise and chaos of life in Queens, look for a summer retreat to which they and their eight-year-old son, David, can enjoy a break from the "tension." They find an ad for a "unique summer home. Restful, secluded. Perfect for large family. Pool, private beach, dock" two and a half hours away from the city which is for rent for the summer and "very reasonable for the right people." Skeptical, the Rolfes go to meet the owners, an elderly couple, the Allardyces, attended to only by their rather peculiar chauffer. Nothing prepares them for the "formidable" estate they are offered at a ridiculously affordable price. The Rolfes accept the offer, move in bringing their elderly Aunt Elizabeth with them, and the Allardyces leave. The stage is set. The foul play begins.In addition to those already mentioned, a number of things set Burnt Offerings apart from typical horror novels. Marasco's writing is quite literate and he builds the novel's suspense slowly. From the ridiculous rental price to the one string that is attached to the rental: that the Allardyces will be leaving behind their elderly mother who must be served her food on a regular basis but stays in her room behind closed doors and is likely never to be seen or to be a bother, the novel is sprinkled with hints like crumbling, falling tiles off of an old house's roof, that all is not what it appears to be. Like the best of comedians, Marasco's timing is brilliant. The punches he delivers, delicate though they mostly are (with a few exceptions), come at the right time and leave an indelible impression upon the reader. Astute readers will take note of clues (especially as they become more and more obvious) and are bound to appreciate both Marasco's writing style and his timetable of revelations.Burnt Offerings has neither real evil spirits in it desiring revenge or looking to wreak havoc upon the living, nor are there specters looking for a way to "cross over" and find peace and serenity. The house in Burnt Offerings has, instead, a very human yearning: to stay alive and the entity is willing, like most humans, to do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal. Likewise, the real terror to be found in Burnt Offerings is also human: the effect of staying at the house that is inflicted upon the Rolfes and Aunt Elizabeth and what happens to them, their relationships, and their mental and physical well-being.Less terrifying than Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (1959) (although Burnt Offerings is of that novel's tradition), readers are likely not to be too surprised by the climax of the novel--but it is a conclusion which, if pondered, is both dramatic and fret inspiring. It is the perfect ending to a "good" entry to the genre that deserves the attention of those who enjoy that which "moves within the night/That is not good and is not right" (Dean Koontz in The Book of Counted Sorrows.) [NOTE: A new Blu-ray edition of the film version of Burnt Offerings is scheduled for an October 2015 release.]

I remember seeing the movie Burnt Offerings a few years ago and enjoying it well enough, even as I could tell that this was an adaptation that lost a little something on the way to the screen (and maybe got chewed up a bit by Oliver Reed and Shelley Winters along with the scenery). Robert Marasco's book is held up as a major influence on The Shining, and it's not hard to see why; with its tale of a malevolent house that feels like a living presence and its slow burn corruption of its figures, there's definitely some DNA of King's book here. But Burnt Offerings stands on its own as a solid horror novel, not just something of interest for what it inspired. The story of a family who moves into a summer home that feels far too good to be true, Burnt Offerings is the picture perfect example of a slow burn, as each chapter finds the characters acting just a little weirder, just a little more obsessive, just a little more off, and the house feeling just a little stranger. By the time the book really hits the gas in the final couple of chapters, you realize how well Marasco has been setting the stage for all of it, escalating bit by bit and helping us feel the characters unraveling in the best ways. Those final chapters are pretty wild (the movie actioned them up a little bit, so if that's your knowledge, what you get here is more in keeping with the restraint of the novel - and in some ways, the movie makes for a more satisfying climax), especially as Marasco makes clear what's been subtext for quite a while. It's a really solid read and one that holds up forty years later, not just as an influencer, but as a great tale in its own right.

I actually strongly disliked this book. Out started off strong enough,but then there was an obviousness about what was going to happen. I despised the central character, Marian, and thought she was completely and utterly selfish. I liked the husband, Ben and son David, though Ben wasn't strong enough and gave into Marian's spoilt whims. I really don't understand the fuss of the book and I wouldn't recommend it. It's not scary, it's highly depressing. It was lucky it got three stars,and that was only because of the prose and premise. I Highly disliked this book.

Marian Rolfe is desperate to spend the summer away from the city, with it’s oppressive heat, grime and noise. The advertisement in the paper for a ‘unique summer home. Restful, secluded. Perfect for large family. Pool, private beach, dock,’ sounds just what she’s looking for in a summer rental. Ben, her husband, eventually gives in and agrees to view the property, but is very sceptical when he learns the price and sees the run down state of the place. But for Marian, it’s everything she ever wanted…and more.The owners, Roz and Arnold, also known as Brother, Allardyce, are strange, to say the least, not to mention the creepy handyman/chauffeur. Ben is less than enthusiastic at the prospect of being responsible for the senior Mrs Allardyce, and who would leave their elderly mother in the care of strangers anyway? But he can see Marian has her heart set on it so they, along with their son, David, and Aunt Elizabeth, move into the house. It’s obvious all is not as it seems, there’s a weird and frightening feeling about the place which grows inexorably, and a nightmarish situation develops as the house begins to regenerate.The book is new to me and I didn’t realise it was first released in the early 70’s, neither have I seen the 1970s film based on the book. It’s been given a new lease of life with kindle and paperback editions released last year and an audio version this year. The narrative is a little dated but taking into consideration the book is 40+ years old, it’s a really good ‘evil/haunted house’ story. The horror is of the Gothic type, stealthy and subtle, no blood or gore, building slowly, steadily and menacingly to the inevitable and dreadful climax.The scene is set with the Rolfe’s uncomfortable living conditions in the city, and the family dynamics. Marian is manipulative, and petulant when she doesn’t get her own way, and seems to be motivated by the thought, and acquisition, of possessions which they can’t really afford. Ben mostly goes along with want she wants because he loves her. Occasionally, because of this, he comes across as weak but even so, I much preferred him to Marian. Aunt Elizabeth is a great character with lots of personality. The story is chilling, descriptive and atmospheric with a very enjoyable writing style.Another great narration by RC Bray. He gives the characters distinct voices and emotions, adding to the overall mood and enjoyment of the story.

A haunted house horror tale from the 70's now in kindle form. Marian, Ben and their son David respond to an ad to act as housesitters at the home of the Allardyces in upstate New York. What follows is a creepy tale as the house appears to be coming alive bit by bit and all through Marian. There is something very unsettling about this book....what is the true intention of the Allardyces letting this beautiful old house for the small sum of $900? who is the old lady who resides deep within the walls of the house and who must be regularly fed three times each day?...although she is never seen. What strange power has this house over Marian as she appears to sacrifice it over the lives of her husband Ben and son David. "It was alive, all around her it was alive, and how else had it come alive but through her? And wasn't that the uneasiness she was feeling - the growing awareness of her power in the house, the enormity of the mystery enveloping her life...."

A typical old school horror/ghost novel with a very predictable ending. Characterisation is good, and it's slow burn that you expect to build into a blow away ending. But for me, it failed to deliver. Creepy in parts and high in atmosphere though.

This book is less horror and more of a bitter dissolution of a marriage.The whole narrative is so inane and contrived that you really don't care about plot or story two thirds in.I found myself wanting the book to improve and not follow obvious narrative tropes and was still dismayed when I finished the book.