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The Man in the Picture

By: Susan Hill
Narrated by: Paul Andsell, Jessica Rushton
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Summary

A mysterious depiction of masked revellers at the Venice carnival hangs in the college rooms of Oliver's old professor in Cambridge. On this cold winter's night, its eerie secret is revealed by the ageing don. The dark art of the Venetian scene, instead of imitating life, has the power to entrap it.

To stare into the painting is to play dangerously with the unseen demons it hides, and become the victim of its macabre beauty....

©2007 Long Barn Books Ltd (P)2008 Long Barn Books Ltd
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What listeners say about The Man in the Picture

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Alternative title, Woman in White?

SPOILERS
Whilst I did enjoy this book, and there were obvious points of difference in that this involved a painting, nonetheless the vengeful spurned lover and the series of events (I don't want to spoil it too much for others), paid more than lip service to Susan Hill's other more famous story. I found it a little predictable as a result. Also the recording must have been edited in a hurry as for the first time with an Audible book, there were repeated sections on at least two occasions that should have been edited out . Good but no cigar!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very eerie but good fun

A very (tongue in cheek) eerie story excellently read & played. I could imagine many would feel scared by it though. Good listen

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It's not bad but not thrilling

It's easy to listen to and well read. It wasn't boring but it did not scare me or grip me either and there are more engaging and interesting thriller stories like the woman in black

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Intriguing

Kept in suspense although never really explained the picture's origin. All narrators were good and easy to listen to.


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3 people found this helpful

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The Man in the Picture

A wonderful reading of the excellent book by Susan Hill. An incredible atmosphere and telling that catapults the reader to the conclusion. This story should definitely be made into a television or film version.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Another scary story from Susan Hill

You can rely on Susan Hill to deliver a story that is genuinely spooky and without resorting to crass over the top horror. This is a fantastic example and just the right length for one atmospheric sitting.

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Good but not great.

Nice naration and story but not quite in the same league as Woman in Black. Worth a listen for the price.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Well written classic

A classic story well delivered, there were two moments where the editing caused a sentence to be repeated but otherwise great.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Good listen

I first read this in book form years ago and it was one of the most surreal reading experiences of my life. I honestly felt like I had seen the picture before. Not quite the same now as I now know the story but it was nice going back to it. It's not too long so could be done in one listen and is narrated well. Hills shorter ghost stories are better than her novels, in which I've noticed she has a habit of not finishing her thoughts. Harder to do this when the stories are shorter. The story is a nice little supernatural one, not scary as such but engrossing.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Sadly not one of Susan Hill’s best.

I am a great fan of Susan Hill. I enjoy her detective series and her gothic horror (particularly The Woman in Black). This book however is not up to her usual standard at all. Moreover, in some places one could be forgiven for thinking it was written by an amateur attempting to write for the first time. Let’s hope it is just a temporary blip.

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2 people found this helpful