42 pages • 1 hour read
Susan HillThe Woman in Black
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1983A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
In Susan Hill's gothic novella The Woman in Black, solicitor Arthur Kipps reflects on a haunting experience from his youth. Kipps travels to a remote English village to settle the estate of Mrs. Alice Drablow at Eel Marsh House, encountering a mysterious woman in black and uncovering tragic secrets that intertwine with ghostly apparitions, affecting both him and the local community. This novel contains themes of child loss.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black masterfully revives the gothic horror genre with its atmospheric setting and evocative prose. Positive reviews commend the novel’s ability to generate suspense and genuine fright, while some critics feel the pacing is occasionally slow. Overall, it is praised for its skillful storytelling and eerie, memorable ambiance.
Who Should Read The Woman in Black?
Readers who enjoy The Woman in Black by Susan Hill are typically fans of classic Gothic literature and atmospheric ghost stories. They likely appreciate the suspense found in works like Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, valuing eerie settings, psychological horror, and rich, evocative prose.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsLexile Level
1360LBook Details
Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Historical Fiction
History: World
Religion / Spirituality
Grief / Death
Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Life/Time: The Past