I have had this book on my shelves for several years and finally got around to reading this slight volume. I also read and enjoyed Hill's ghost story,
Woman in Black a few years ago. THE MAN IN THE PICTURE is another ghost story that I enjoyed although not as much as Woman in Black. This one is told from several perspectives. It is about a college professor who obtains an unusual painting of revelers at a carnival in Venice. Oliver, a former student of the professor visits him and is told a macabre tale of a woman who owned the painting and how the painting seemed to draw people into it. Her story is told by her through Oliver. She desperately wanted the painting returned to her because it seemed to show what happened to her husband who disappeared in Venice. But how could that be? The painting was made in the 16th century. The tale goes on with the painting eventually affecting Oliver and his wife when they visit Venice on their honeymoon.
I thought the story was very atmospheric and provided some chills, however, the end was not quite what I was expecting. Overall, a mild recommendation for this one.
A wonderful story that involves a picture with some history. A ghost story that should be read with a cup of tea or brandy. It is a book I will remember and one I am sure you will enjoy.
On a particularly bitter January evening, Oliver visits his former tutor, Dr. Theo Parmitter. As the two men sit by the fireside in the professor's rooms at Cambridge - sipping brandy and reminiscing - Oliver notices an unusual painting hanging on the wall. The seventeenth-century oil painting of masked revellers at a masquerade in Venice draws his eye and utterly fascinates him. Although Oliver asks about the painting, Theo seems extremely reticent about revealing too much about the strange picture.
In order to satisfy his former student's profound curiosity, the elderly professor decides to reveal the painting's dark secret. It seems that the ominously dark art of the Venitian scene - instead of imitating life - has the power to entrap it. In fact, the picture is capable of such malevolence, that Dr. Parmitter feels the need to issue a stern warning.
According to his esteemed former tutor, Oliver is dabbling in something he doesn't understand. Indeed, to even stare at the picture for a prolonged period of time is to court danger. Staring into the painting can be viewed as an invitation to all manner of unseen demons, and to become a victim of the painting's enthralling and macabre beauty.
This is actually the second book by Susan Hill that I have read. I must say that as much as I sincerely enjoyed reading The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story, I also enjoyed reading this book just as much. In my opinion, Ms. Hill is a tremendous writer. She creates such a wonderfully eerie atmosphere with her writing style; I found the plot to be intricately woven and chillingly satisfying. I give this book a definite A+!
