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The Long Shadow
The Long Shadow: A Christmas Story with a Difference | Celia Fremlin
9 posts | 7 read | 21 to read
From the Edgar Award-winning author of The Hours Before Dawn Jolted from sleep by the ringing of the telephone, Imogen stumbles through the dark, empty house to answer it. At first, she can't quite understand the man on the other end of the line. Surely he can't honestly be accusing her of killing her husband, Ivor, who died in a car crash barely two months ago. As the nights draw in, Imogen finds her home filling up with unexpected Christmas guests, who may be looking for more than simple festive cheer. Has someone been rifling through Ivor's papers? Who left the half-drunk whiskey bottle beside his favourite chair? And why won't that man stop phoning, insisting he can prove Imogen's guilt? 'The story unfolds with brilliant ingenuity, always on the verge of explanation, ever plausibly plunging deeper.' The Times 'Celia Fremlin is an astonishing writer, who explores that nightmare country where brain, mind and self battle to establish the truth. She illuminates her dark world with acute perception and great wit.' Natasha Cooper 'Dark, hilarious, engrossing and genuinely chilling . . . it could only have been written by Celia Fremlin.' Kate Murray-Browne, autho rof The Upstairs Room
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review
erzascarletbookgasm
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I didn‘t like this as much as The Hours Before Dawn but it was entertaining. Imogen‘s thoughts & perceptive observations are often wryly humourous. There‘s an atmosphere of unease cleverly weaved in throughout. And when the mystery is explained, it‘s so simple yet one couldn‘t possibly have guessed. Brilliant how Fremlin has a flair to “put a plot that is exciting or terrifying against a background that is domestic, very ordinary, humdrum."

batsy Yes, I love that quote... She can really turn the most ordinary thing into something menacing. 10mo
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jlhammar
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So very good. Fremlin‘s writing is fantastic! Perceptive, suspenseful, darkly humorous. Will most definitely be reading more of her work.

#CloakandDaggerChristmas

Ruthiella Excellent! I need to try Fremin. 🎅🏻🔪💀🎄 11mo
ShelleyBooksie Sounds great! 11mo
Tamra You are in for a treat! 11mo
LeahBergen I‘ve been having a love affair with Fremlin for the last couple of years and making a little stockpile of her books. 😂😂 Try this one! 11mo
batsy Echoing @LeahBergen definitely read The Hours Before Dawn if you haven't yet! 11mo
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batsy
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My 3rd read for #CloakAndDaggerChristmas is excellent. I read it for the "set during the holiday season" prompt. It's not quite a Christmas mystery, but with this & The Hours Before Dawn Fremlin has shown herself to be a master at depicting domestic unease & the subtle terror that builds when things close to home start to become unfamiliar. She's like a crossover of Barbara Pym & Ivy Compton-Burnett channelling Shirley Jackson! @Ruthiella

batsy Her sensibility is astute & unforgiving, suffused with grim humour, but able to turn a compassionate eye on her suffering characters. Her sentences are a delight. An example: "She was that hostess's nightmare now, an Extra Woman: and tonight, on top of being Extra, she wasn't even enjoying herself. Extra Women should enjoy themselves like mad, it's the least they can do". I do feel the need to seek out all of her other novels! ? 11mo
Tamra Terrific review! I want to be careful how quickly I read thru Fremlin‘s work because I‘ll be quite sad to finish the last. Not that I‘m anywhere close, but it would be easy to devour them! 11mo
mabell What a fabulous cover! 11mo
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batsy @Tamra Thank you! I know, I'm counting on the fact that I get easily distracted and so will hopefully have lots more to read for some time 😁 Her writing is so *good*! 11mo
batsy @mabell The new Faber covers are all pretty fabulous 😍 11mo
Ruthiella I‘ve heard so many good things about Fremin here on Litsy! I need to give her a try. 11mo
LeahBergen I like your author comparison! And it‘s probably why I love her so. 😆 11mo
LeahBergen @Tamra I‘m amassing a little stockpile of Fremlin for when I‘m in need. 😆 11mo
bookandbedandtea That's a beautiful cover 😍 11mo
erzascarletbookgasm Great review! I plan to read it soon! 11mo
Tamra @LeahBergen I need to do the same - little prizes spread out through the year. 11mo
batsy @Ruthiella Definitely recommend! I've only read this and 11mo
batsy @LeahBergen I was thinking so hard of what she reminded me of 😆 11mo
batsy @bookandbedandtea It's so perfect, isn't it 😍 11mo
batsy @erzascarletbookgasm Thank you! I hope you enjoy it. 11mo
vivastory You 100% sold me with your comparison. 11mo
batsy @vivastory The dark humour and wit, the crisp sentences ... Her writing is so good. 11mo
jlhammar Can‘t wait to start this! 11mo
batsy @jlhammar I hope you enjoy it! 11mo
Centique Your author comparison is fabulous! Cant wait to try Fremlin 😍 11mo
batsy @Centique I've only read two of her novels so far but I think you'll like her! 😊 11mo
merelybookish Great review! You had me at Ivy C B. 11mo
batsy @merelybookish Thank you! ICB is truly in a league of her own stylistically but there's something about Fremlin that reminds me of her 🙂 11mo
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bekakins
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Xmas book club read - and whilst I didn‘t find this particularly Xmas themed I did find it darkly comic. A proper British domestic comedy, it would make a good BBC mini series… looking forward to discussing it at my club!

#wintergames #snowangels #promptmaze

Emilymdxn Ooooh sounds fantastic ❄️❄️❄️ 11mo
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Tamra
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Is Ivor dead or not? 🫣 I won‘t say.

Fremlin is always entertaining and highly perspicacious regarding human nature. I can‘t wait to read another.

erzascarletbookgasm I‘ve read one and really liked it. I‘ve got a few of hers stacked! 11mo
Tamra @erzascarletbookgasm that was a great one! 11mo
LeahBergen I have a little stockpile of her books waiting for me. 😆 11mo
Tamra @LeahBergen that should help you thru the winter. 😉 11mo
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Tamra
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I do NOT want to put this down! As is typical with all of Fremlin‘s novels.

LeahBergen It‘s a good one! 11mo
jlhammar Yay, I'll be starting this soon. Can't wait! 11mo
Kimzey Oooh, sounds good! Stacked! 📚 11mo
batsy Nice! I'm hoping to get to it too. 11mo
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LeahBergen
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Well, I‘m finally getting around to this Christmas read (of sorts 😆) and thoroughly enjoying it so far.

The author wrote from the 1950s onwards and has been compared to a UK Patricia Highsmith and Shirley Jackson as she wrote domestic thrillers and a bit of horror later on. If you‘re interested, I REALLY liked her first novel, The Hours Before Dawn.

Look, @Cathythoughts , I‘m reading it. 😆

erzascarletbookgasm I enjoyed The Hours Before Dawn too! Been wanting to read more of hers . 3y
Cathythoughts Oh exciting.. I feel like I want to read it again now 😄 I must look up more of her 3y
LeahBergen I have been, too! 3y
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LeahBergen @Cathythoughts I was looking up a few more myself. 😆 3y
Tamra So jealous! Love the cover! 3y
LeahBergen It was a good (and strange) Christmas read, too. 😆 3y
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Cathythoughts
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Such an entertaining read. Ivor has just died , but there is mystery around his death & his widow Imogen keeps him very much alive for us with her witty musings ...great characters , suspense , humour & a bit of Christmas thrown in ✨✨✨✨✨ thanks @LeahBergen for posting this recently.. I went straight off & read it .... & loved it 👍🏻❤️

erzascarletbookgasm I can‘t wait to read more of this author! 👍 5y
batsy Sounds like a lovely Christmassy read 👍🏽 5y
Cathythoughts @erzascarletbookgasm yes! This is my second , she‘s very good 👍🏻❤️ 5y
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Cathythoughts @batsy thanks Suba ! It is. On another note .... I feel bad I didn‘t like Out ... I started out loving it & then little things put me off a bit 😬... but I‘m going to revisit it 👍🏻Thankyou for this gift 👍🏻❤️ 5y
batsy @Cathythoughts Oh no worries at all, Cathy! Books are so personal and subjective. Sometimes it's timing, sometimes it just doesn't work and it's part of the magic of books 🙂❤️ 5y
Cathythoughts @batsy thanks!! We have to be honost or there‘s no point , I just wanted to be kind & honost. AND I will give it another go ... love the genre & with some good writing & substance ... it‘s all there , so definitely worth another try at another time 👍🏻❤️ 5y
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blurb
LeahBergen
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As the cover of this 1958 mystery states, this is “A Christmas Story With a a Difference”. 😆

Recently widowed Imogen‘s house is filling up with unexpected Christmas guests ... and then she begins to receive anonymous phone calls, accusing her of killing her husband.

I heartily enjoyed another of this author‘s books, The Hours Before Dawn (recommended by the lovely @Cathythoughts 😘).

#BookAdventCalendar
Day 4

batsy I recently bought The Hours Before Dawn because of @Cathythoughts & @erzascarletbookgasm 😁❤️ 5y
Reviewsbylola That tag line is funny! 😆 5y
LeahBergen @batsy I think you‘ll like it! 5y
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LeahBergen @Reviewsbylola Right?? 🤔 5y
charl08 Sounds good! 5y
Cathythoughts Thanks for sharing .... we are away on a little break & I have just downloaded this one this minute .. we got upgraded to a suite with a Christmas tree .... so , perfect 👍🏻❤️ 5y
Cathythoughts Fab pic too ❤️🌲 5y
erzascarletbookgasm I‘ve got all Celia Fremlin books stacked after reading The Hours Before Dawn 😊👍 @batsy @Cathythoughts 5y
Cathythoughts @erzascarletbookgasm @batsy I‘m looking forward to this one Leah. The situation with the telephone sounds nice & creepy 🤣🙃 5y
LeahBergen @charl08 It does, doesn‘t it? 👍🏻 5y
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts Oh, lucky you! Your break sounds perfect! 😍😍 5y
LeahBergen @erzascarletbookgasm I was looking at several others and they ALL sound good! 5y
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