Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    House of Echoes
    Unavailable
    House of Echoes
    Unavailable
    House of Echoes
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    House of Echoes

    Written by Barbara Erskine

    Narrated by Isla Blair

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    When Joss, an adopted child, discovers that her real mother has left the beautiful family home, Belheddon Hall, to her, she is thrilled, until she discovers that the Hall is haunted by a presence which will not tolerate husbands or sons living in the house.

    Joss Grant is eager to begin a new life when she inherits Belheddon Hall. She brings her husband, Luke, and their small son, Tom, to the dilapidated house, and sets about discovering her family roots.

    But not long after they move in, Tom wakes screaming at night. Joss hears echoing voices and senses an invisible presence watching her from the shadows. Are they spirits from the past? As she learns, with mounting horror, of Belheddon’s tragic history, she realises that both her family and her own sanity are at the mercy of a violent and powerful energy that seems beyond anyone’s control.

    Readers LOVE Barbara Erskine:
    ‘Atmospheric’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘Enthralling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘Spellbinding’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘Another fabulous read from the mistress of the genre’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘Immensely and deeply immersive fiction’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘I loved every minute’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘An exceptional writer of great books’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘You can rely on this author to keep you wanting more’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘A joy to read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    ‘Captivating and engrossing’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateApr 25, 2013
    ISBN9780007528011
    Unavailable
    House of Echoes
    Author

    Barbara Erskine

    Barbara Erskine is the author of thirteen bestselling novels and three collections of short stories that demonstrate her interest in both history and the supernatural. Lady of Hay, her first novel, has now sold over three million copies worldwide.

    More audiobooks from Barbara Erskine

    Related to House of Echoes

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      A Lost Prayer

      Feb 2, 2023

      A Lost Prayer
      10 min read

    • Article

      Keys and TREES

      Mar 31, 2021

      Keys and TREES
      3 min read

    • Article

      Summer Beach Reads

      Jan 10, 2021

      Summer Beach Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Lost Children

      Aug 4, 2022

      Lost Children
      5 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading Guide

      Jan 2, 2022

      Summer Reading Guide
      6 min read

    • Article

      Home to ROOST

      Jan 11, 2022

      Home to ROOST
      11 min read

    • Article

      Raiders From The Sea

      Sep 1, 2023

      CANNY LIFTED HER head from the swirls of gold and red and put down the brush, stretching her frozen fingers. The sun fell through the scriptorium window in warm panels, but the room was still cold, and she’d been at work on the manuscript in front of

      7 min read

    • Article

      A Kitchen, A Sunroom, And A Thousand Days

      Aug 5, 2019

      I was young, maybe 8 or 9. My mother was going through a time: The couple she cleaned for and whom we lived with had broken up and left us lingering in their abandoned home. She had cancer, my mother, so her head was where it was, but sometimes she w

      3 min read

    • Article

      HOME To Roost

      Mar 5, 2024

      HOME To Roost
      11 min read

    • Article

      THE Dark Light

      Oct 28, 2020

      THE Dark Light
      9 min read

    • Article

      One Carrot

      Jul 2, 2020

      One Carrot
      5 min read

    • Article

      Excerpts From The Works Of The 2024 Whiting Award Winners

      Apr 10, 2024

      The 2024 Whiting Award winners were announced Wednesday night. Below are excerpts from their work.

      19 min read

    • Article

      ‘The End of the Day’: Featured Fiction from Bill Clegg

      Sep 30, 2020

      An excerpt from a novel Kirkus called "A moody, atmospheric domestic drama with a mystery novel somewhere in its family tree." The post ‘The End of the Day’: Featured Fiction from Bill Clegg appeared first on The Millions.

      12 min read

    • Article

      Portal To Peril

      Feb 6, 2019

      Portal To Peril
      7 min read

    • Article

      Yohanca Delgado

      Mar 9, 2021

      The widow arrived at LaGuardia on a Sunday, but the rumors about the woman who had rented a big apartment, sight unseen, had taken an earlier flight. We had already reviewed, on many occasions and in hushed tones, in the quiet that comes after long h

      15 min read

    • Article

      Clean SWEEP

      Aug 31, 2022

      Clean SWEEP
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Witch Finders

      Jul 16, 2020

      Beth pulled her cloak tightly around her. It was the very last day of October and the air was damp and chill. Dead autumn leaves lay in deep piles in the woods and smoke curled into the night air from her cottage. Not far to go now. She bent her head

      4 min read

    • Article

      Are You Lonesome Tonight?

      Aug 8, 2019

      Are You Lonesome Tonight?
      6 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      All My Tomorrows

      May 10, 2022

      It was Misha’s first day minding the shop, and already she’d broken the fifth rule. Always lock the door immediately. When you had the most valuable merchandise in the universe, you had to take the utmost precautions. She hadn’t meant to disobey. It

      13 min read

    • Article

      A Parsonage in New Hope

      Dec 4, 2023

      A Parsonage in New Hope
      12 min read

    • Article

      Peace Comes With A Smile

      Nov 11, 2019

      Peace Comes With A Smile
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Library of Gromma

      Jul 10, 2023

      Zac was sweating and panting as he reached the top of the hill. The crooked beams of the library loomed over him. He dropped the buckets of water, swore at the few drops that spilled, and escaped the piercing morning sun in the shade of the library.

      22 min read

    • Article

      The Last Friend on Earth

      May 4, 2023

      It was as if Doreen Saunders had been waiting for me, passing the time until my arrival. She might as well have been sitting in a rocking chair, knitting needles clicking, jam tarts cooling on the side, the door wide open, waiting for the next visito

      6 min read

    • Article

      Beyond the Mangrove Trees

      Aug 6, 2020

      No one expects their house to float away. Ethel certainly hadn’t. Our story begins in the sleepy village of Greenwood, where Ethel had spent her entire life. It was an overcast Sunday afternoon and Ethel watched the rain lash against the window from

      7 min read

    • Article

      ‘The Divines’: Featured Fiction from Ellie Eaton

      Jan 19, 2021

      An excerpt from a debut novel Booklist calls "sharp and haunting." The post ‘The Divines’: Featured Fiction from Ellie Eaton appeared first on The Millions.

      13 min read

    • Article

      Practicing

      Mar 15, 2018

      This would have been her favorite season in the Allegheny woods. The shadows of the trees were rickety, and the wind had sap in its scent. But last week, Ty had left; now one day decayed into the next. Their house was abandoned. Only their father, si

      18 min read

    • Article

      Une Affaire Dangereuse

      Feb 1, 2018

      Une Affaire Dangereuse
      10 min read

    • Article

      The White Fox

      Oct 13, 2017

      The White Fox
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for House of Echoes

    4/5

    80 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I like the writings of Barbara Erskine, this one I loved. Why, Barbara, not only has a way of creating tension and suspense which she does beautifully. This book also exudes in atmosphere and the realm of the Supernatural. Her story is partially of being historical and takes us back to Edward 111, but of a house dreaming for centuries. This house, held a curse, an evil curse that took the lives of male children and the words 'Catherine,' echo through the attics and main bedroom. A shadow lies in this room, in the corner and it was of Edward 111. If you believe in the Supernatural, you will have to take on board that our main Joss, is now carrying his child, whom he believed was his ill fated young Catherine, who died in childbirth due to her mother, who played with dark magic.
    • 3/5
      An Had the theme of child death throughout, which I don’t enjoy. Not my favourite Erskine.

      On a more technical note an echo effect is used on certain dialogue which was jarring but also meant that I couldn’t always understand it.

    • 3/5
      When Joss, an adopted child, discovers that her real mother has left the beautiful family home, Belheddon Hall, to her, she is thrilled, until she discovers that the Hall is haunted by a presence which will not tolerate husbands or sons living in the house.When Joss Grant inherits the beautiful old house on the East Anglian coast, it is a dream come true. Eager to begin a new life there with her husband and son, she is also impatient to find out about her newly discovered family who lived there for generations.But Joss begins to hears echoing voices and senses an invisible presence, watching her from the shadows. Are they spirits from the past? Or is it her imagination? As she learns, with mounting horror, of the house's tragic history, her fears intensify, for she realizes that both her family and her own sanity are at the mercy of a violent and powerful energy which seems beyond anyone's control.Despite the threat to her own husband and son, Joss is unable to break free, and, in a last desperate attempt, conjures up the presence to deal with ‘it’ once and for all.My Thoughts:I was looking for fiction books that were about Edward IV and this one came up. I have read BE books before and I find that they are hit and miss.This one I found a happy medium. I like the fact that it had a hidey seeky ghostie feel to it and at time was creepy. I did find it though to be slightly overlong and could have been a tad shorter. Not that the book was a big tome of a thing, just that at times it was repeating itself.This book does have a haunted house and good spirits and bad, and all the ghostie happenings that one would expect. The characters were at times a bit wishy washy but that I think is the same in any BE book. I would perhaps recommend something like this to read in the darker months when a reader can be curled up in front of a fire to feel the effects of the creepiness.
    • 3/5
      Not my favorite Erskine, but not a bad little book either. Filled with just the right level of creepy, this is a suspenseful ghost story with ties to the time of the Wars of the Roses. It more or less follows the premise of a family inheriting an old house with a reputation. Shortly thereafter strange things begin to occur: the sound of children playing, a mysterious man who only the toddler can see, and white roses appearing out of nowhere.What irked me about this book was what is kind of always lingering in the back of most of Erskine's novels: how the people who are supposed to love each other are always somewhat nasty to one another. It seems like it's always a woman who is experiencing something supernatural, and the men in her life don't believe her, instead chalking her experiences up to female hysteria. The men of her books are liberal with the word "bitch" when describing women. In this case, Luke is kind of a dick to his wife, Joss, dismissing all her experiences out of hand. If she does something he doesn't like he throws a hissy-fit. There is also the trope of women who hate each other and can't get along. Joss's sister, Lyn, is downright awful to her. These are themes that seem to run through all of the Erskine books I've read, but seemed especially prominent in House of Echoes. On the other hand, her characters didn't seem to have such crippling alcohol dependencies in this one...The above issues aside, this is a good ghost story and a fast page-turner.
    • 3/5
       A blend of mystery, suspense, tragedy, and the supernatural that explores the centuries old curse of Belheddon Hall.  The characters were well written (see if the main characters sister doesn't drive you nuts! lol But, in my opinion a character that irritates you is better than one that makes you feel nothing.) The writing was enjoyable, although the story was a bit predictable. Still, the book delivered a few chills and was an enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      loved it, Brilliant, and a great story line.Warning not to be read alone at night! i landed up head under the covers.. SHUDDER!
    • 4/5
      A slightly creepy ghost story with a bit of a twist -- the family curse. I really enjoyed this read and couldn't put it down until I was done.
    • 5/5
      July 12, 2002House of EchoesBarbara ErskineI was thrilled to find this in hardcover at the Half Price Books on Northwest Highway, because it’s out of print now. I’d heard of it, but when I looked for it on Amazon it was unavailable. It’s a haunted house story – my favorite, of course! It’s also a “poor girl inherits a mansion from her mother who gave her up for adoption years ago” story, which is even better. And it takes place in England – always a great setting for a haunted house story. It’s not Barbara Michaels – who is? – but it was entertaining. Joss (Jocelyn) learns that she’s inherited a great mansion from her mother, who she’s never known, and since she and her husband are about to go broke, it’s a good thing, isn’t it? (chuckle). Anyway, she, the husband (can’t remember his name) and their little boy move in, and right away strange things start to happen. Strangely enough because I can’t stand kids, I was sometimes genuinely disturbed by the things that happened to the little boy, Tom. He was being harmed by the spirit in the house, and the descriptions of his tears and frantic cries had me feeling angry at his ignorant parents, who couldn’t seem to figure out that something was deliberately hurting and scaring him. So, the writer did a good job in playing with my emotions – well done! I also liked the ending, which didn’t result in some tacky fire or them leaving the house behind (I hate that).