Adams Fall

by Sean Desmond

Book Overview

-- Abandon is a commercial ghost story with literary underpinnings -- a combination that has worked very well for such writers as diverse as Stephen King and Patrick McGrath.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031226254X
• ISBN13: 9780312262549
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Harvard will Never be the Same

I have been to Boston twice in my lifetime and during my time there, I have visited Harvard on more than a couple of occassions. The atmosphere is dark, grim and not the oh so cheerful college-style freedom you come to get acquainted with when visiting any other university in any other part of the world. I always thought that was because of the Harvard demeanour and the fact that going to one of world's most respected school kind of does that to you. This book takes that personally contrived notion, gulps it up, spits it back out and forms a whole different and darker image of the place.We start off with the length, which is very right for this book in more than a different count. First being that Sean Desmond is a first time author where mistakes could be masked by making things up to the point and another is the fact that a story like this one is greatly told in a hit and run fashion. Desmond is successful enough to take us into a journey deep in the mind of the narrator, who through the novel is nameless. His thoughts, desires and fall from grace is well depicted throughout. The story moves more like a fall from grace style of writing and holds true to many biblical mythos and figures.Is it scary? I have read scarier books, but this book holds a suspense factor of 9 on a 10 scale. You just want to know what might happen. The only thing that the book fails to answer is why things are happening. The book will leave you wanting more, but I won't necessary think it would make an insomniac out of you.For a first time author, Desmond is good and his lacking are only apparent when it comes to naming places in the Boston area in great detail with names and such. This creates a lot of confusion with those not familiar with the place, especially knowing that these places actually exist in reality.I'm planning to visit Boston this summer and I would definitely have to make time to spend in Adams House and walk in the steps that this story's charcater walked in. Harvard will never be the same in my eyes after reading this piece. For once, the danky old place has become a tad bit exciting.

Blown Away & Freaked Out

After finishing the intriguing novel called "Adams Fall" by Sean Desmond, I was blown away and a bit freaked out. I couldn't put it down, and was fascinated with the story. Several times while reading the book I actually got the chills, and was afraid to be by myself. It is packed with paragraphs that are hilarious and wonderfully descriptive. I really was drawn into the main character's perspective of the college, and it was very easy to identify with him. It is a novel that is cloaked in secrecy, yet it reveals a powerful insight into the depths of the dark side of the human experience. After reading "Adams Fall," the first thing I did was flip back to the first page to start the ride all over again.

It's Love Story meets The Shining

Warning: this book will cause insomnia! I reached a point while reading this novel where I was terrified to continue reading, but I was equally terrified to close the book and turn off the light. (I opted to keep reading, and boy am I glad to be 3,000 miles away from Harvard's blood-soaked bricks.) My favorite scene was set on Halloween night in the steam tunnels beneath the library - don't expect to fall asleep after reading that chapter.Sean Desmond is a master of terror and I am certain that his horrifying portrait of Adams House circa 1994 will haunt me for years to come.

I fell for Adams Fall

I love reading books in which you can lose yourself. The characters become so real you feel you know them. The story so intriguing - you can't stop reading because the answers to your questions are just a few more pages away. "Adams Fall" is one of those books. Author Sean Desmond creates a world that is macabre and magnetic. The story is smart and suspenseful. It is a pleasure to read.

Gripping and Chilling

I couldn't put this one down. Sean Desmond has written an unbelievably engrossing novel with as many twists and turns as the tunnels that play a big role in its plot. I found myself wondering what was real and what wasn't. He has created a very interesting and complex protagonist -- one who I'm still not sure I completely understand. I can tell you one thing - this Sean Desmond must have experienced some very wacky things while he was at Harvard to pen this novel. You wouldn't be able to find me anywhere near Adams House!