There Was an Old Woman: A Novel of Suspense

Written by Hallie Ephron

Narrated by Nan McNamara

There Was An Old Woman by Hallie Ephron is a compelling novel of psychological suspense in which a young woman becomes entangled in a terrifying web of deception and madness involving an elderly neighbor.

When Evie Ferrante learns that her mother has been hospitalized, she finds her mother’s house in chaos. Sorting through her mother’s belongings, Evie discovers objects that don’t quite belong there, and begins to raise questions.

Evie renews a friendship with Mina, an elderly neighbor who might know more about her mother’s recent activities, but Mina is having her own set of problems: Her nephew Brian is trying to persuade her to move to a senior care community. As Evie investigates her mother’s actions, a darker story of deception and madness involving Mina emerges.

In There Was an Old Woman, award-winning mystery author Hallie Ephron delivers another work of domestic noir with truly unforgettable characters that will keep you riveted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9780062353863

Hallie Ephron

Hallie Ephron is the New York Times bestselling author of Never Tell a Lie, Come and Find Me, There Was an Old Woman, and Night Night, Sleep Tight. For twelve years she was the crime fiction reviewer for the Boston Globe. The daughter of Hollywood screenwriters, she grew up in Beverly Hills, and lives near Boston, Massachusetts.

Reviews for There Was an Old Woman

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A story of two boys who stand between their town and eternal damnation which comes in the shape of a carnival. Or something. This is like reading an epic poem, only without the rhymes. The wording and phrases are a wonder to behold. Bradbury carefully stretches, pulls and mashes his character's character into shape right before your very eyes. He draws pictures, paints sets and creates a world for you to step into, full of atmosphere and life. If I had any beef with the writing, it would be that occasionally, when he has me sitting on the edge of my seat because of the suspense, he will wander down the passages of a characters mind, meandering here and there while he explores all the possibilities. Frustrating.

[marcush_42 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you like any of the fantasy/horror that has recently been published (Twilight, Tithe, Hush, Hush, etc.) you should read this novel. A classic piece of fantasy from Ray Bradbury that captures the imagination of boyhood in a small town setting. The description and suspense are amazing.

[pamelabarrett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is what suspense novels should read like; building tension using everyday life and then putting one aspect askew so that you question what is real and what is imagined. No gimmicks, no car chases just disturbing incidents that feel too close to home. I’m giving There was an Old Woman 5 stars because I had trouble putting it down; reading it in two days.Mina is an elderly widow who has lived most of her life in a cozy neighborhood overlooking a marsh with views of the Manhattan skyline. Content in her home with her cat Ivory, she spends her days making lists of friends and family who have passed away. Her biggest problem is her memory, but at her age memory loss happens, and hers isn’t as bad as her nephew thinks it is; or is it? His constant pestering about putting her into assisted living is upsetting. Then things get more complicated when her long-time neighbor is rushed to the hospital and, in the ambulance, she asks Mina to call to her daughter adding a whispered cryptic message. Elsie, one of her neighbors’ daughters, discovers things are much worse with their mother and moves home only to realize that something mysterious is happening in the old neighborhood. This one will keep you guessing. When it comes to suspense, Hallie Ephron knows her stuff. ARC Amazon Vine program.

[redpandabear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's safe to say that Bradbury is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. This story is incredibly imaginative. The best part being the villains that he creates and the mood that he sets throughout the entire story. It's got this ominous vibe, and it literally feels like your watching a scary movie. You feel for these kids! I also loved the general message about time and living in the present. Always a good thing.

[mr_headshot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hands down my favorite book ever. The prose is absolutely gorgeous, the metaphors are deep and thick (I can understand why that would turn some people off), and the narrative is something I relate to in a very real way. Sure he romanticized the boys, because the story is for the father. The story is from the boy's perspective but the narrator sounds more like an older man looking back. Think of the narrator as Will at age 50. His father is still a great man to him but he had his flaws. The story is about redemption and responsibility and knowing yourself and being content with what you are. As a man not wanting to let go of his childhood this book made me cry, several times. It gave me shivers. It terrified me. Excellent

[isabelx_21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The itinerant lightning rod salesman brings tidings of the coming storm to two 13-year-old boys in a small town. Evil comes in the form of a carnival that sets up camp on the on the borders of town, a liminal place where the threshold between good and evil, life and death, age and youth lurks in the shadows of the midway.A re-read of a very scary story, and as it was so long since I've read it, I couldn't remember the details which helped to keep the suspense level up for me.Reading two Ray Bradbury books close together, his liking for Green place names was obvious. This book takes place in Green Town, Illinois, while in The Illustrated Man there are Greenwater, Alabama, Green Village and another Green Town, this time in California.

[gaby317 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Arguably, There Was an Old Woman is a New York sort of mystery. There's very little violence or gore. Instead, we are drawn in by Ephron's descriptions of Higgs Point as a neighborhood, the period finishings in Mina Yetner's home, the description of the young curator's job and her upcoming exhibit of the history of the Empire State Building.Through the story of Mina Yetner, Ephron takes us to the Depression and what it was like for a young woman working her first job in New York City and in the iconic Empire State Building. Mina's choice to work came at a time of freedom and employment for women and as we read Mina's story, we're drawn in, imagining this unique time. It struck me that in There Was an Old Woman, the main, pivotal characters, those that carry the action forward are women from the young art historian and curator to Mina, who in her youth moved to New York City to build a life and worked at the Empire State Building.Not that the book lacks mystery. There is psychological suspense as we wonder whether the events that Mina describes are actually happening or if she's slowly deteriorating. There is drama as well - families divided by alcoholism, greed, and disappointment. There's romance with the dashing lawyer who has stopped practicing law and has opted to run his family business, the corner store.Ephron's writing is clear, I focused completely on the characters and story, drawn into the build up and development without noticing anything else. I kept wondering what would happen next. If you're looking for a fun read set in New York City, check out There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron.ISBN-10: 0062117602 - Hardcover $26Publisher: William Morrow (April 2, 2013), 304 pages.Review copy courtesy of the publisher.

[clark7hallman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I tried to read this book a long ago, but never finished it. I just didn’t like it at the time, but I decided to give it another try. It’s about two thirteen-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, who have very scary (life-threatening) experiences with a carnival run by tattoo-covered nefarious Mr. Dark. Will’s father, William Halloway, also plays an important role in the story. This novel is a very surreal blend of fantasy and horror, written by a very good writer. It is well thought of, even acclaimed as a classic. However, I still don’t like it! There is something about the style of writing that bothered me, perhaps the long suggestive sentence structures that never really convinced me that I knew what was going on. I’m not suggesting that Bradbury didn’t achieve what he intended to achieve in this book. If he was trying to involve the reader in a surreal experience, I guess it worked, but I did not find it satisfying. However, I must say that I did enjoy how Bradbury developed William Halloway, a night custodian at the local public library, as a major character in this book and the library as an important setting. Of course I am very partial to libraries. I’m glad I finally read this book, but wouldn’t want to read it again.

[pratchettfan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A finely crafted story about two boys who try to uncover the secrets of a visiting carnival and bring themselves in grave danger.Paul Hecht is an excellent Narrator, bringing the characters to life and making each instantly recognizable.

[jrichman_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book that cemented Bradbury as my favorite author; I'm proud to own a signed first edition.

[awfki_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Trapped in cabin with a bunch of Koreans for four days I finally read this. I have no idea why it was so hard to get started in the past as it was an excellent story.

[diehardkev · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is what Stephen King's IT should have been. Essentially a coming of age tale, the haunting imagery and quite menacing freaks could put you off the carnival for life. As the original cirque-de-freak thriller, this is small town horror the way it was meant to be told.

[femmack · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I have tried several time to read this book. I want to like it, I really do. But I just can't get through it. It long jaded me on Ray Bradbury in general but Fahrenheit 451 has redeemed him to me.

[revslick_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the stuff that little boys are made of.... Ray Bradbury tells this dark, poetic tale from the viewpoint of two boys exploring this world as little boys should once again be allowed to explore. Imagination runs wild as they discover the world is a scary place and bravery comes with a little bit of trust.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For a reader looking for a master in the art of using words, he need look no farther than Ray Bradbury and this is a prime example of his genius.Two 13-year old boys have a brush with evil when a mysterious carnival shows up in their town in the middle of the night long after the time of year when they are expected. Will's father is the town librarian and is the hero of the story.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought overall a very good book with deep themes, but the writing could have been better. Choppy sentences, a times, made have to read sentences, paragraphs a few times to get meaning, but very much worth reading.

[darla_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Science fiction. Well, that's what it says on the spine, anyway. It's more contemporary fantasy, but it's kind of hard to call it that when it takes place in 1962, more or less. Anyway, a classic. Heaven only knows what it was I read when I was a teenager--I read sf/f almost exclusively for several years, and yet I seem to have missed almost all of the classics, except Tolkein and Asimov. Weird.

[marek2009_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a charming, frightening, inventive & heart-warming fairy tale & fable. Bradbury's peculiar use of language & evocation of childhood & aging deserve particular note.

[dmsteyn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The machinist climbs his Ferris wheel like a braveAnd the fire eater's lyin' in a pool of sweat, victim of the heat waveBehind the tent, the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallower's bladeAnd circus town's on the shortwaveWell, the runway lies ahead like a great false dawnWhoa, Fat Lady, Big Mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawnsAnd the man-beast lies in his cage sniffing popcornYeah, the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scornThe circus town's been born- ‘Wild Billy’s Circus Story’, Bruce SpringsteenThis is, I am ashamed to admit, the first book I have read by the late Ray Bradbury. I own Fahrenheit 451, and I have a good idea of what happens in that book, but I have never cracked open the cover. Now, having read Something Wicked This Way Comes, I look forward to reading more of Bradbury’s immense oeuvre. Because Something Wicked is a great book. I make no bones about that. It has certain weaknesses that I will respond to below, but it is an uplifting read that makes one taste the wonderment of being young, as well as the terror of growing up. It shows friendship at its best, but also how such a bond can be tested in the breach. I loved William Halloway and Jim Nightshade, the two young protagonists, for their bravery, but also for their fragility. Bradbury manages to capture something essential about that period between youth and adolescence; something not wicked, but something virtuous.Will and Jim are two young boys living in Greentown, gallivanting around like only two young tomcats can. Then the carnival comes to town, but no ordinary carnival. It is something essentially wicked, evil beyond imagining. Will and Jim are thrown into an eternal life-threatening situation, with only Will’s elderly father to help them. The leader of the carnival, Mr Dark, also known as the ‘Illustrated Man’ for his tattoos, is an implacable opponent, hell-bent on adding to his menagerie of freaks and sideshow performers. Jim, Will, and Will’s father must figure out how to battle an insidious foe, which does not fear secular authority (the police are useless against Dark’s misdirection) nor holy writ (Dark even throws a bible in the rubbish bin).There is a mythical intensity to Bradbury’s writing that could easily tip over into purple prose. Hell, sometimes it does. But I forgive Bradbury for his exuberance, as that is exactly the tone of boyhood enthusiasm that he needs to capture in presenting Will and Jim’s situation. Bradbury’s writing is peculiar, and takes some getting used to. But it is a delight when one gets over the initial awkwardness.Bradbury is often accused of presenting a simplistic morality in his writing, and the dichotomy between Mr Dark and his young protagonists can be somewhat Manichean. But the following extract, in which Will and his father discuss humanity, should make it clear that Bradbury is concerned with showing the complexity beneath the surface veneer of morality:’Now, look, since when did you think being good meant being happy?’‘Since always.’‘Since now learn otherwise. Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles and smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light. The seal-barker, the laugh-shouter, half the time he’s covering up. He’s had his fun and he’s guilty. And men do love sin, Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors, and smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit our appetites. Hear a man too loudly praising others, and look to wonder if he didn’t just get up from the sty. On the other hand, that unhappy, pale, put-upon man walking by, who looks all guilt and sin, why, often that’s your good man with a capital G, Will. For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two…’Will’s father is one of these good men who have almost broken under the strain, and Mr Dark will exploit this in their eventual confrontation. Jim Nightshade is also a peculiar character: unlike while, there is a duality to his character, as he is drawn towards the carnival. He must strain to escape the tug of the magical carousel, which can retard or accelerate aging. Helping him fight this war is his love for Will and their friendship. Mr Dark is aware of Jim’s dilemma, and tries to also exploit this whenever they encounter each other.Many of today’s famous fantasy and horror writers, including King and Gaiman, have tipped their hats to Bradbury over the years, especially to this book. I can see why, and I can also recognise the family resemblance between their works and Bradbury’s wonderful phantasmagoria. A treat of a book, meaningful and brave. Thanks, Ray!

[mritchie56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the first "adult" paperback books I bought back in 1966, and one I still own and treasure. The story of two boys, the weird carnival that comes to town, and the October that changes their lives. Spooky, full of wonder, nostalgic, sad, funny, poetic. A great read.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! More than just a mystery/thriller, it also is a study in aging and dealing with a parent's death.

[seph_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is horror at it's best, evoking forgotten memories of the rich and wondrous sensations of childhood and then tainting them with the inky poison of the monsters in the closet. The scariest things don't really bleed profusely or chase you at an all out run, they peak your curiosity, seduce you, creep in the shadows just out of sight and smother you softly with nameless, formless fear while sweetly offering you your deepest desires. Bradbury proves himself a master of horror with this tale. I plan to delight in future rereads, most likely around the time of Halloween.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I never cease to be amazed by the writing of Ray Bradbury. He can turn an everyday conversation into poetry. This book is no exception. The story of two boys who see and hear too much. A story of a father and son who don't understand each other but need each other desperately. It is a story of regret and hope and being careful what you wish for. And it is wonderfully creepy. Enjoy!

[nsexton34501 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not really a fan. Bradbury's repetitive style just doesn't build tension for me; it simply annoys. I wanted the story to take off, but instead it lagged. Just didn't do it for me.

[scot2-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book. Although I knew from the start who some (not all) of the baddies were, I was in suspense about how many lives would be destroyed before they were discovered. The characters were mostly well developed and I rooted for Mina; I really wanted her to be a survivor.

[apatt_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Something is in the air tonight and it ain't Phil Collins...This is by far my favorite Ray Bradbury book, others would tell you no no! it's gotta be Fahrenheit 451 or The Martian Chronicles but for me this book will always the best Bradbury. Like Fahrenheit 451 this is a fully fledged novel rather than a collection of interconnected stories like most Bradbury books. If this was written recently it would probably be classified as YA, thank goodness it was first published in the 60s, so it does not follow any modern YA fiction trends.Novels centered around a friendship between two kids like Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn can be very wonderful. There is something about friendship at that young age that stays with you for the rest of your life even if the friend has gone his seperate ways. Reading about Jim Nightshade and William Halloway makes me feel nostalgic for those days. Better still, this is a fantasy novel, right up my alley. Ironically the fantastical element of this book makes the story even more vivid for me. I love it from first page to last, I love the portentous feeling of the impending arrival of the mysterious carnival coming into town."Mr. Dark" the Chilean villain of the piece is suitably satanic and mysterious.Adults (old and young) can not ask for a better book than this. It is not merely that Something Wicked This Way Comes, I'd say Something Kick-ass This Way Comes!

[jwhenderson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The annual county fair was always an event at the end of each Summer that I looked forward to when I was a young boy growing up in a small Wisconsin town. It was fun and something in which our whole family participated. In contrast to my personal experience, Something Wicked This Way Comes is the story of two 13-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, who have a harrowing experience with a nightmarish traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October. The carnival's leader is the mysterious "Mr. Dark" who bears a tattoo for each person who, lured by the offer to live out his secret fantasies, has become bound in service to the carnival. Mr. Dark's malevolent presence is countered by that of Will's father, Charles Halloway, who harbors his own secret desire to regain his youth.The novel combines elements of fantasy and horror, analyzing the conflicting natures of good and evil, and on how they come into play between the characters and the carnival. Unlike many of Bradbury's other works, including the tangentially related Dandelion Wine, which is a collection of loosely related short stories, Something Wicked This Way Comes is a full-length novel. The novel may be interpreted as an autumn sequel to the summer of Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. The two works are set in the fictitious Green Town (based on Bradbury's hometown, Waukegan, Illinois), but have different tones, with Something Wicked emphasizing the more serious side of the transition from childhood to adulthood. While none of the characters in Dandelion Wine make an appearance in Something Wicked, William Halloway and Jim Nightshade can be viewed as one-year older representations of Dandelion Wine's Douglas Spaulding and John Huff, respectively. I will never forget my first reading of this book almost forty years ago. Bradbury's work is the quintessential small-town-meets-the-fantastic style novel that so many talespinners have emulated since.

[gaialover · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It starts slow, but once the main crux of the story gets set-up, Bradbury moves into some well-written, creepy territory. Stick out the first few chapters. It's a good read.

[rachelpenso · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one I would like to read to my kids someday. It is pleasantly spooky.

[smohri_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am a huge fan of Ray Bradbury's work and his style of writing. I enjoyed this book, but at times had a hard time following along. There was so much going on so quickly with blind witches to an age reversing carousel, that I often found myself having to go back and reread parts. I wouldn't categorize this book as gory nor scary, which normally comes to mind when I think of thrillers. However, I would recommend this book to a strong reader who is looking for a little bit more than just action and suspense.