I listened to this one on audio and it was excellent. The writing was dark and brooding and the narration by Chris Barnes really added some extra atmosphere. There were some good characterizations, as well for such a quick work, which clocked in at just under 3 hours. A field trip group therapy session to a place called Grief House may not have been the best idea. Just sayin’.

Really enjoyed this all to brief novella. Things are not as they seem when a select group of grieving individuals head into the country for a weekend of therapy. Another brilliant Gary McMahon offering.

A tightly-plotted novella from McMahon that works well in the shorter form (as much as I enjoy his novels). As with 'The End', it's not a standard horror tale and all the better for it.

Review to come.

+1 star for quoting The Yellow Wallpaper at the start +1 star for Chris Barnes' narration- He was fantastic!!The Grieving Stones is a very good story about grief with some local folklore mixed in. The writing was good, the story was really good and original. I would read more by this author. I requested this audio book in exchange for a honest review.

My original The Grieving Stones audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.A therapy group for people dealing with loss and grief heads off to a dilapidated house in the country for a slightly unconventional weekend session to tidy up the house. Grief House has its own creepy history set within local folklore. The story is told from the point of view of Alice, who recently lost her husband, and who begins to feel a deep affinity with the house. Right from the start, this...

Review pending.

Alice and group of others undergoing counselling head off for a short trip to Grief House out in the country. Their counsellor thinks the change of scene and 'work therapy' will help them deal with the hardships they've each experienced. While the rest of the group find the atmosphere gloomy and oppressive, Alice feels more like she's 'come home', and feels a kinship with the previous residents of the house, three sisters who were persecuted as witches. As always the writing is excellent and McM...

I received my copy of The Grieving Stones as an eBook from the publisher, in exchange for an honest reviewWell, did not know what to expect of this book, I had not read anything from the author before, but I definitely will read more of his works now, the story was a well-crafted tale with a nice good pacing, the author writes grief, regret and guilt beautifully. The main character is believable and one of the supernatural entities are a bit disturbing (backwards girl). The only negative thing i...

This is a great book, darkly atmospheric; the ending felt a little more sudden than I expected but nonetheless it was a well crafted tale which was more a reflective and sombre picture of mental health commentary than an out and out horror novel.A small therapy group spend a weekend at a house with a deadly past; one of the group feels a deep affinity with the house and gets rid of the others so that she can remain in the house on her own. There is more to the story, of course, and the way the s...

"When the alarm went off, she felt like screaming. "But that was nothing new - in the mornings she always felt like screaming."Following the death of her husband, Alice has joined a counselling group for people who have lost loved ones. A weekend retreat in a secluded cottage in the Lake District is planned for a few of the members and Alice goes along. From here it gets as weird and unpleasant as you might expect, and nothing and nobody are quite as they seem.The character of Alice is a triump

I received an ARC of this novella in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this book.The Grieving Stones is old school horror at it's finest. The setting is atmospheric and the story is filled with genuinely creepy moments making it a highly effective ghost story. The lush descriptions and folklore of the area around Grief House and The Grieving Stones give the story a fantastic sense of history that is reminiscent of classics like Shirley Jackson's The Haun...

If you are familiar with Gary McMahon's work you'll appreciate this book. Extremely well written with unflattering but very real descriptions of the English countryside, it draws you in as a group of bereaved people meet for a weekend retreat in the countryside. I'd liked it to have been longer and spent more time with the characters but that didn't stop me form enjoying the book.

I was given the opportunity to read this novella in advance in exchange for leaving an honest review. WARNING: I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum but they may be there.To start, I must praise the first two pages. They perfectly introduced us to Alice and her mindset and the gloomy atmosphere is established quickly. It hooked me on the story, which every good opening should do.The reader shares the way Alice sees the world around her in her depression and weariness. Everything seems dull an...

Lettura rapida ma non del tutto soddisfacente.Nella lunga introduzione vengono citati sia The Haunting of Hill House di Shirley Jackson che Hell House di Richard Matheson ed è chiaro il tentativo di emularne le atmosfere... ma con esito nel complesso deludente.Come nei libri citati un gruppo di disadattati (in questo caso quattro sopravvissuti a lutti familiari, frequentatori di un gruppo di aiuto e il loro terapista) si trova per un week end di terapia intensiva presso una casa disabitata, nel

This is my first time reading this author and I was very impressed with his ability to send shivers down my spine with his writing.It started slowly, seemingly normal, but slowly and steadily drew me into the world of the occult and a descent into what could be madness or the result of otherworldly forces. I liked that there was no sudden leap, just a gradual progression. The characters all had their uses as the tale unfolded and reasons for their fates. The ending was fitting, not so much a con...

Gary McMahon's The Grieving Stones is a small book that packs a big punch. It's soaked in atmospheric folk horror; the setting of Grief House and the Grieving Stones near it are beautifully evoked, as is the complex tangle of relationships in the house. Be warned: parts of this book linger (that punch dummy! that Backwards Girl!) and will disturb your sleep. Fine writing, and elegant, old-school horror.

The lastest offering from Horrific Tales Publishing and I can honestly state, this is probably the best novella I have ever read, I could gush on and on. Even the cover art is fabulous. However, lets keep the gushing brief, well, I will try. I absolutely love Gary McMahon's work, he is a super talented author, experienced and above all else a master at human emotion. I feel a real connection with his books, it is as if he has tapped into my imagination, so much so, I forget it is an actual book

'Grieving Stones' builds slowly from low key drama to something more akin to folk horror with dashes of weird. It's a (deliberately) grey atmosphere, skilfully crafted and careful paced with an old school British feel. An enjoyable novella.

The author has crafted a short but intensely atmospheric example of the haunted house tale, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s Hill House, where five people who have suffered loss are taken to a woodland cabin for a long weekend therapy session, but the Grieving House as it is called is erected near the Grieving Stones, five ancient monoliths of stone that know and respond to grief. Grief fuels the power of the place, and that power reaches out to touch one of the hapless visitors.Told through the...