From Publishers Weekly
In three interlocking ghost stories spanning two centuries, the veteran British novelist ( Jane Fairfax ) places a fictional haunting within the history of a real English house, displays a masterly way with several contrasting narrative styles and sympathetically evokes some ghostly presences. The main spirit is the lame, sickly man-child Toby Lamb, who lives with his family in Lamb House in the English town of Rye during the 18th century. His sad, eloquently rendered diary shows Toby being bullied by his father, intimated by an older brother and emotionally broken by the fate of his sister Alice, who is effectively sold into slavery. Toby's chronicle also depicts his fluctuating health, his one close friendship and the two sad deaths that touch his family. The diary later falls into the hands of a late-19th-century tenant of Lamb House: Henry James, whose own lesser tragedies are made to parallel Toby's, and whose fragile ego demands that the journal be published, carefully doctored by James himself--until a subtle form of demonic visitation persuades the exiled writer to change his mind. The third owner and second author is E. F. Benson, who also senses the wayward spirit of the house and the growing number of literary demons quietly taking possession. Aiken starts much stronger than she finishes: Toby's tale has a somber, understated power, but while the two shorter sections on James and Benson demonstrate an admirable fluidity with language, they dilute the effectiveness of the book and the author's surprisingly hopeful message. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-- Aiken's blending of historical and fictional characters and her restrained but uncanny skill at bringing to life the past while instilling a present sense of dread and horror make this book a treat for fans of the supernatural. Three separate tales are related, loosely connected by the fact that the characters in each lived, at some time, in Lamb House. By far the longest, and most interesting, is that of Toby Lamb, the lame younger son of an 18th-century brewer. He is devoted to his gentle older sister Alice, who is sent away to live with relatives. He faithfully writes to her, but she never replies. When she returns home years later, Alice is a bitter and changed woman. What evil has befallen her? Could there be a connection with the mysterious stranger Toby has seen in the garden? The other inhabitants of Lamb House are William and Henry James, philosopher and novelist brothers; and, later, the British author E. F. Benson. They, too, experience mysterious visitors in the old house. A haunting and compelling account.- Diana C. Hirsch, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, MDCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The prolific Aiken has conjured up a deliciously scary ghost story set in the English residence of Henry James and later of E.F. Benson. Most of the book is devoted to the diary of Toby Lamb, who describes mysterious events in his own life and his relations with his beloved older sister and with his best friend. In this tale, Aiken suggests as much as she reveals about dark secrets that lead to suicide. The action then shifts to James's period of residence, which is followed by a first-person account of Benson's time in Lamb House. Aiken's mastery of style serves her well in her creation of three distinct voices. She raises intriguing connections among the stories, including speculations that one protagonist can haunt an era before or after his own. Those familiar with James's writing, especially The Turn of the Screw , will derive special enjoyment from this novel, but there are shivers enough for any reader willing to acknowledge the possibility of ghosts and the reality of evil.- Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.