The Haunting of Falcon House

Written by Eugene Yelchin

Narrated by Michael Bakkensen and George Guidall

A long-undisturbed bedroom. A startling likeness. A mysterious friend. When twelve-year-old Prince Lev Lvov goes to live with his aunt at Falcon House, he takes his rightful place as heir to the Lvov family estate. Prince Lev dreams of becoming a hero of Russia like his great ancestors. But he'll discover that dark secrets haunt this house. Prince Lev is the only one who can set them free. Will he be the hero his family needs?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781501932281

Eugene Yelchin

Eugene Yelchin is a Russian-born painter and illustrator. He received a Newbery Honor for Breaking Stalin's Nose, which he both wrote and illustrated. He lives in southern California with his family. www.eugeneyelchinbooks.com

Reviews for The Haunting of Falcon House

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a mildly spooky middle grade story about a young boy who comes to live with his aunt in Falcon House. The year is 1891. He is Prince Lev Lvov and will one day inherit the house. The house is in disrepair and his aunt is kind of creepy. She is an old woman in a wheel chair who is constantly abusing her servants. She has an agenda for Lev to follow.Lev is shown to his grandfather's study which is to be his room. His aunt greatly admires her father and is eager to keep to his outdated rules for living. One of the first people Lev meets is a frightened young boy named Vanyousha. Vanyousha used to have a gift for art but has lost it. Coincidentally, Lev has a gift for drawing. It is something that he did with his mother when they were at home. Vanyousha asks Lev to draw pretty things to remind him of his home but Lev find himself drawing his grandfather's study. The whole story is framed as being based on scraps of paper that the author found when he was a boy in Russia. Instead of recycling them, he saved them. When he came to the United states, the papers and drawings came with him. Many years later he was encouraged to translate them and tell Lev's story. Fans of historical fiction and fans of creepy stories would be the best audience for this story.

[kimpiddington · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nice plot twists-engaging mix of mystery and ghosts. Loved the language-not a huge fan of the art.

[cwhisenant11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Haunting of Falcon House
Written by Eugene Yelchin
Narrated by Michael Bakkensen and George Guidall
Published 2016 by Recorded Books
5 hours and 2 minutes

I received a free audio copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I was in my early twenties, I discovered the writing of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky which sparked in me an enthusiasm for Russian literature. The Haunting of Falcon House appealed to me because it’s a middle-grade ghost story set in late Czarist Russia. The story begins when twelve year old Prince Lev Lvov goes to live with his aunt Olga at Falcon House in St. Petersburg. The story moved very slowly for me and wasn’t as spooky as I had anticipated but about midway through the book, I began to enjoy it. What I liked most was the message to be your own person and “not follow the rules”—especially as it applied to the context of this story.

There are two narrators for this book. George Guidall narrates the prologue, introduces the beginning of each CD, and closes the book by reading the notes. There isn’t much to say about his performance in this book but I’ve listened to some of his other work and he is a solid performer. The main narrator and voice of the story is Michael Bakkensen. This was my first experience hearing this narrator. Unfortunately, I didn’t like his pronunciation of some words—especially the Russian words—and thought his reading pace was too slow. His performance was okay for most of the story but I was so annoyed with some of the pronunciation that it detracted from the rest of his performance.

I would have probably enjoyed this book more if I had read it. In the prologue, George Guidall mentions the book’s illustrations which I missed in the audio version so I’ve placed the book on hold at the library.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Young Prince Lev Lvov is finally going to take his place at the home of his ancestors. The last of a proud line, Lev dreams of noble stature and military glory. He's determined to emulate his grandfather, a true hero. However, life at Falcon House is not exactly what Lev expected: the house is dusty and most rooms are closed up, the servants are quirky, and the only other member of the family in the enormous house is his volatile aunt. Left for the night in his grandfather's study (believed by the servants to be haunted, but Lev is a true Lvov, not given to superstition!), Lev meets the only other child in the house, an odd boy named Vanyousha. In Vanyousha's company, Lev sets out to learn the secrets of Falcon House -- but what he discovers does not throw a positive light on his illustrious grandfather. Just who is Vanyousha? Why has Lev been brought to Falcon House? These are only a few of the questions that readers will uncover as they journey with Lev and Vanyousha through the dank and moldy halls of Falcon House.

Though at first it appears to be just a ghost story, this book has surprising depth as Lev learns the truth about his grandfather and decides what sort of man he is to be. Ah, Russians: even your ghost stories are more melancholy than scary! This book runs the gamut of emotions -- there are a few frightening moments, some sad ones, and a surprising amount of humor, too (I loved the scene where Lev and Vanyousha slid down the banister!) There are two twists at the ending, one of which I was expecting, and one of which surprised me. Recommended.