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Evelyn Berckman
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The Victorian Album: A Novel of Possession Hardcover – January 1, 1973

by Evelyn Berckman (Author)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
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There are those among us who are endowed with the gift - not yet understood - of contact in some degree with powers beyond the physical world. Stylish Lorna Teasdale's awareness of possessing this gift pervaded her life, yet she consciously suppressed and resisted it in her anxiety to be an ordinary, normal person. But just how feeble her resistances are, Lorna soon finds out when she and her niece, Christabel, rent a flat in the London suburb of Clapham.

For even as she steps across the threshold she feels the first stirrings of her otherness coming to life, slowly gathering the force to overwhelm her...
Previous page
  1. Print length
    237 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Doubleday
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1973
  5. ISBN-10
    0385078153
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0385078153
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday; First Edition (January 1, 1973)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 237 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385078153
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385078153
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

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Evelyn Berckman

Evelyn Berckman

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Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

L. B. Taylor
3.0 out of 5 stars Slow-Moving Visit to the Past
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2015
Like so many older gothic-like stories, THE VICTORIAN ALBUM was told in first person. This, in and of itself, would not have been so bad except there were NO chapters. There was nothing to divide the protagonist's ongoing conversation with herself and to you, the reader.

Miss Lorna Teasdale, a sixtiesh spinster/companion to her niece, moved into an old Victorian home with her relative. The landlady was a haughty woman that intruded into their lives at the most inopportune times. Lorna had a short delay of employment before starting a new job as a seamstress. This allowed her time to explore her new home, in particular, the attic. She found a family album dating back to the mid-1800s with both pictures and letters, that drew her like a moth to a flame.

This story was first published in 1973 but the 'flavor' seemed like something written in the 1930s. The plus to this moody bit of suspense was the very life-like ambience while Lorna was examining her memento. The line, "something wicked this way comes" haunted the pages. Also, there were some unexpected twists and turns that I did not anticipate. Unfortunately, there was nothing to divide the hours and days while Lorna investigated her memory book and it took its toll. I plodded through the narrative waiting for the unexpected. Because of this, I can only recommend this story to die-hard Gothic-Suspense fans.

*2.5 Stars*
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Don'tSeeMe
5.0 out of 5 stars Stays with you!
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2020
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Awesome little gem of a book. Took me forever to remember the title, but once I did I knew I could find it on Amazon. I only wish the author had written more.
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John Hazard Forbes
4.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Masterpiece of Subtle, Insidious Horror!
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2016
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If you have ever lived under the thumb of a petty tyrant, this book will utterly chill you! More psychological thriller than crime mystery, the author depicts the utter dread of working one's life around the whims of a monster. Generally worthy of five stars, I've deducted a star for the hokey ending. Otherwise, I strongly recommend!
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Suzanne Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars Intricately layered...
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2020
This would be a good book to use for teaching the craft of writing. It is beautifully and subtly written, and the author has a real gift for a deft turn of phrase. Small, sharp gems of discovery are buried throughout.

On the surface, this is a mild mystery, but look more closely and you'll find an interesting character study. Begin by asking yourself if the narrator (Lorna) is reliable. I don't believe she is.

View her actions, thoughts and conclusions through this lens. Is her assessment of herself and her qualities reasonable/believable? Is she an honest, reliable person? Why did the move apparently shake her up so? What were the effects on her personality and her ability to judge and reason soundly?

How much of her own personality, frailties, etc. and her own situation is she projecting onto the inhabitants of the "Victorian album"?

What can be gathered from her self disclosed mental state at the end of the novel?

This is a very interesting and skillfully written character study. I have just finished reading it, and I will probably re-read it within a few months.
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Ron
2.0 out of 5 stars Nicely written but many flaws
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2005
The Plot:

Londoners Lorna Teasdale and her niece are forced to find new housing and come across a conveniently located private home owned by a mother and daughter. Moving in, the new tenants spend lots of time and money making their new flat livable, and find that their landlords are not the easiest people to deal with. Lorna is between work and finds snooping in the attic a way to pass the time. While doing so she comes across an old photograph album, and some letters, and spends her idle moments trying to piece together what might have happened in the house many years before.

My Review: this is a well-written, easy-to-read book, but was not satisfying. I found Lorna and her niece a bit exasperating. They go to extraordinary lengths to please the woman downstairs, more than the inconvenience of moving again would seem to warrant.

The mystery itself is okay, but nothing earth-shattering. And the possession angle is un-convincing. On top of that Berckman should be ashamed of herself for fostering and furthering the stereotype of the limp-wristed fashion designer. She borders on homophobia more than once in her writings.

Recommended if someone gives you a copy, or you can get it from the library.
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Top reviews from other countries

Dorothy
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading once, if you can accept the very irritating narrator
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2019
Verified Purchase
I first read this book as a teenager in the 1970s, and absolutely loved it. I hadn't seen it since, and was curious to see whether I would still enjoy it now.
Like other reviewers, I found the narrator very irritating. Lorna Teasdale in the 1970s was just a little older than I am now. She was a single woman who had had to work all her life. Obviously I needed to remind myself that she was "of her time", born ten years before my mother, but I found her attitudes difficult to believe. The way she refers to herself as elderly, infirm, the "poor little me" attitude, were all very hard to accept. At the same time, I guess the fact that I did feel irritated by her, meant that the author had succeeded in making her seem "real".
Obviously, because I already remembered the storyline, it's difficult to judge whether it would be as predictable on first reading, as it seems, but I think it would.
I was pleased to get the chance to re-read it, but I will not be keeping my copy. Somebody else can try it. During the intervening 40 years, I have read many better books!
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