[.ca] Here I Stay (ISBN 0060878185)

Richly textured, well written, but .....:
This is the story of a woman and her younger brother inheriting a house from a great aunt ... yes, a haunted house. There are just enough spooky things in this story to satisfy those who like a little bit of ghostliness in their books -- not a lot of ghostly stuff though. This book was very well written. Ms. Michaels described her characters so well you come to care about them. One flaw to this book is that the main character is not a very nice person, she's downright nasty most of the time -- sarcastic. She was not a sympathetic character at all. You come away from this character thinking she is a complete jerk. The characters around her are wonderful "people" and they are often hurt by her sarcastic words. No she absolutely has no redeeming qualities. Also, there is a surprise ending that I found very disappointing. That all said, I gave this book a 4 because it was well written and held my attention until the very end. Get your copy from the library if you must read it. Save your money. This book is not a keeper.

Michaels in high gear:
"Here I Stay" is an example of gifted suspense writer Michaels at the top of her form. Part Gothic thriller, part psychological novel, in "Here I Stay" Michaels displays her easy mastery of vivid imagery and provocative character insights. The reader will be drawn in immediately, and the unusual tale satisfies from beginning to end. Highly recommended, good to curl up with on a cold winter's night, or to read on the hammock on a summer afternoon.

I've loved this novel for years ...:
I read it at least once a year. I love the story, the atmosphere, and the characters--including Andrea, the main character. Many reviewers here have found her off-putting, and she certainly is at first. She's selfish, opinionated and abrasive, not to put too fine a point on it. But she evolves. The sharp tongue doesn't completely go away, but she softens--love for Martin softens her, and although she doesn't submit to it willingly, it happens all the same. There's a haunting incident at the end in which she recognizes and repudiates the way she's tried to control Jim (her brother), has tried to clip his wings, metaphorically speaking. It sickens her, and she draws back from it. Her personal growth is one of the reasons I like this book so much.

Great anti-cliché:
Since I don't like romantic novels -that is, novels that are centered on the romance between the characters- I began to read this with extra caution and a pinch of prejudice. I also bore in mind that it is extremely difficult to find a "gothic" novel that is not full of the usual "blood-curdling" clichés. But I knew this author already as Elizabeth Peters and thought that she narrated wonderfully well with a great sense of humour, and I had heard such good things of her as Barbara Michaels that I decided to give it a try .... Boy, was I wrong! This writer is particularly good at character building (more so than in the Amelia Peabody series, where the characters are funnier but more like charicatures), so much so that we feel we are getting to know real people. This is especially the case with the main character, Andrea, who is bound to learn a great lesson and evolve throughout the story, and from whose point of view the events are told.The romance comes really as a natural consequence of the evolution of these characters, and it is never forced or far-fetched -and, of course, thank heavens!, it is not a romance between physically perfect, young and extraordinary people, but quite a realistic affair between two common middle-aged persons. The "gothic" atmosphere is never cliché and it is very intelligently contrived, so that rational, intelligent readers don't have to laugh or feel indignation...It is, well, there and not there (I can't say more without revealing). But the most important thing is that this novel centers on the evolution of well-built, round characters and the lessons they learn about life. The romance is part of this evolution, and never the most important element, and the "gothic" is part of the setting and never full of clichés or the justification of the events. I expect to read more from this author soon.

Awful!:
I was halfway through this book and wanted to throw it against the wall, it was that bad. I have read her works before, and they were very good -- but not this one. It was not scary at all. The heroine was very unlikeable--in fact everyone was. I was definitely very disappointed in this book.