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paperl21's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
marinaschulz's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I liked the mystery aspect, and the use of the gaslight within the story itself. I also think this play is worth a read, even if its just to learn more about the history of the term "gaslight", which originated with this play.
That being said, it is a bit trite and silly by today's standards (the twist is that the husband is a criminal searching for lost rubies that belonged to a rich dowager) and reads almost like a telenovela. Its also definelty not as subversive or femenist as I had hoped, although in its defense Bella is a very smart character whose wits push the story forward.
That being said, it is a bit trite and silly by today's standards (the twist is that the husband is a criminal searching for lost rubies that belonged to a rich dowager) and reads almost like a telenovela. Its also definelty not as subversive or femenist as I had hoped, although in its defense Bella is a very smart character whose wits push the story forward.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
apstaff18's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wilde_book_garden's review
4.0
I actually prefer the film version with Ingrid Bergman which is slightly different: it makes Bella (in the movie her name is Paula) more of a main character in her own story, which of course I really like; and it fills out some more backstory. That said, this is a really fantastic play and I highly recommend it for the atmosphere, the suspense, and the chilling (and frighteningly believable) examination of psychological abuse. And that final scene!! EPIC.
CW: Gaslighting (yep, this play is where the term came from), abuse
CW: Gaslighting (yep, this play is where the term came from), abuse
lnatal's review against another edition
4.0
From BBC Radio 4:
Set in Victorian London, a wife notices that after her husband leaves each evening, the gaslight drops as if somebody else is in the house, turning on another light. Is this true, or is she going mad? Then she receives a stranger who tells her a peculiar story......
Classic mystery by Patrick Hamilton.
https://archive.org/details/Gaslight_201704
Set in Victorian London, a wife notices that after her husband leaves each evening, the gaslight drops as if somebody else is in the house, turning on another light. Is this true, or is she going mad? Then she receives a stranger who tells her a peculiar story......
Classic mystery by Patrick Hamilton.
https://archive.org/details/Gaslight_201704
iheartpuns's review against another edition
4.0
This is a play that has long been on my TBR, but I had difficulty tracking down a copy. It is the play from where the term gaslighting originates for obvious reasons. I’m glad I finally read it because it was indeed very good.
The MC is a youngish married woman who seems to be losing her mind, or at least that is what her husband says. Items have gone mysteriously missing. Pictures are removed from walls. Lights go up and down on their own and, according to him, it is all her fault. At the end of Act I, the husband storms out of the house threatening to put her in an asylum.
Act II introduces us to a retired inspector who has long desired to catch a murderer that had got away while he was yet a rookie on the force. He reveals that he suspects the husband of being this killer came back to the house where his crime took place to find a cache of hidden rubies that eluded him so many years ago. He also reveals that the marriage is illegitimate as the man already has a wife and that he believes the man is intentionally trying to make the wife think she is crazy through emotional manipulation in order to put her away.
Act II concludes with … well I guess you’ll have to read or see the play for yourself to find out. But I will say, I very much enjoyed the ending.
The MC is a youngish married woman who seems to be losing her mind, or at least that is what her husband says. Items have gone mysteriously missing. Pictures are removed from walls. Lights go up and down on their own and, according to him, it is all her fault. At the end of Act I, the husband storms out of the house threatening to put her in an asylum.
Act II introduces us to a retired inspector who has long desired to catch a murderer that had got away while he was yet a rookie on the force. He reveals that he suspects the husband of being this killer came back to the house where his crime took place to find a cache of hidden rubies that eluded him so many years ago. He also reveals that the marriage is illegitimate as the man already has a wife and that he believes the man is intentionally trying to make the wife think she is crazy through emotional manipulation in order to put her away.
Act II concludes with … well I guess you’ll have to read or see the play for yourself to find out. But I will say, I very much enjoyed the ending.