At the far end of the long white gallery is a painting of a woman, in pale flowing clothes and lying on a sofa beside an open window. The muslin curtains billow out towards her like clouds. There is a touch of brilliant red, the ribbon on her hat. The rest is the white, cream, palest grey. It is a painting which leads Flora on, beckoning her away from her childhood, her complaining, clinging mother, pert younger sister, and the confines of a small community, to a pround and self-reliant future. But later, its image is to prove the catalyst for the most significant event in her life. Isolation, separation, solitude, betrayal. The shocks of life. The consolations and the beauty of death. A few piercing moments of absolute joy and perfect understanding. THE SERVICE OF CLOUDS is about these things, and also about love, loyalty, friendship, growing up and growing old.
Susan Hill
Susan Hill is a renowned British author known for her haunting gothic novel "The Woman in Black." Her writing style is characterized by atmospheric settings, psychological depth, and subtle suspense. Hill's key contributions to literature lie in her ability to craft chilling tales that linger in the reader's mind long after the final page.
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The Woman in Black and Other Ghost Stories
A special edition of the classic gothic novel
