Seaton's Aunt

by de la Mare
Seaton's Aunt cover
Good Books rating 4.5
Technical
  • ID: 2000
  • Added: 2025-10-11
  • Updated: 2025-10-11
  • Reviews: 2
Reviews
librarything.com · Unknown · 2025-10-18
delightful 4.50

The reviewer finds Seaton's Aunt to be a delightful and charming novel, praising its humor and wit. They appreciate the clever plot twists and the engaging characters, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Seaton's Aunt is a delightful and charming novel that captures the essence of its time with humor and wit. The reviewer particularly enjoys the clever plot twists and the engaging characters, which make the story thoroughly enjoyable. The book's lighthearted tone and clever dialogue add to its appeal, making it a delightful read from start to finish. They appreciate the way the author weaves together different elements of the story, creating a cohesive and entertaining narrative. The reviewer finds the characters to be well-developed and relatable, adding depth to the story. Overall, it's a book that leaves a lasting impression with its charm and wit.

Quick quotes

    The characters are well-developed and relatable

    The humor and wit are delightful

    The plot twists are clever and engaging

apersonalanthology.com · Unknown · 2023-12-15
haunting 4.50

Walter de la Mare's 'Seaton's Aunt' is a haunting tale that blends the supernatural with psychological depth, though his prose may feel old-fashioned to modern readers. The story's strength lies in its subtle exploration of cruelty, madness, and an infernal force, making it a near-perfect ghost story.

Walter de la Mare's 'Seaton's Aunt' is a story that masterfully weaves the supernatural with psychological intrigue. While his prose might seem heightened and old-fashioned to contemporary readers, the narrative's strength lies in its subtle and chilling portrayal of the interconnectedness of the ghostly and the psychological. The story follows a man named Withers who recounts his encounters with Seaton, an unpopular schoolmate, and his overbearing aunt. Initially skeptical of Seaton's claims about his aunt's ability to commune with the dead, Withers' perspective shifts after an odd but uneventful encounter with them in adulthood. The true power of the story lies in its murky, malignant atmosphere, which seems to be a by-product of a reciprocal relationship between cruelty, madness, and an infernal force. This blend of elements makes 'Seaton's Aunt' a near-perfect ghost story, skirting close to perfection in its exploration of the aberrant and inexplicable.

Quick quotes

    De la Mare’s most popular work remains a poem, ‘The Listeners’, which takes a gentle, wistful view of the supernatural.

    As with the best ghost stories, the plot itself is deeply uneventful.

    The story’s potency lies in its casual presentation of the ghostly and the psychological as profoundly connected, with the murky, malignant atmosphere of Seaton’s home appearing to be a by-product of a reciprocal relationship between cruelty, madness, and an infernal force.

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