House of Darkness: House of Light- The True Story, Vol. 1

I saw the film The Conjuring and I wanted to know more about the case and the Warrens. I’ve read two of the Warren's books and I came back to this case because they haven’t written one about it and they hadn’t made any significant mentions of the case that I could easily find elsewhere, so I decided to read Andrea’s first two books. I got what I wanted and more, so I rated it five stars. I got the impression from reading the reviews that even though the Amazon rating system is pretty simple: hated it<------>loved it, it turned into more of a writing style rating system for some reviewers. What I liked the most about book 1: This is a rare experience. New England has lots of old houses, some are haunted with spirits, and this book is a privileged peek into what living in a haunted house with an evil spirit was like and how the family of seven were affected by their decade at the farm. Despite all the chaos the spirits created in the Perron’s home, Andrea did a good job of depicted how their life in the countryside was pretty ideal and peaceful. There’s always a sense of balance in the book: for example, the evil Bathsheba, trapping a child in a trunk in contrast with the benevolent spirits at Fran’s house helping to turn the sheet music when Andrea plays the piano. Even Andrea’s passages of deep analysis is balanced with ‘Boo!’ throughout the book. I also liked the occasional philosophical analysis and the Socratic style of questioning which allows the reader to examine his or her preconceived ideas about spirits and the paranormal, and not just vicariously experience these events through the family members. I don’t think some of the other reviewers have considered the benefits of this approach and can consequently fail to get a deeper awareness of what this family’s journey was like. I agree that the enlightenment is in the question, not the answer. It makes perfect sense that unwillingly sharing a house haunted with so many spirits and an evil one like Bathsheba would create more questions than answers. Before reading this book, I listened to American Sniper by Chris Kyle. He could see a target through his rifle’s scope better than he could see himself because his book was fairly lacking in insight. I don’t think that he really reflected on his experiences to understand the world more deeply. This was the next book I choose to read and I appreciate the academic and philosophical approach she took to make sense of a deceptively idyllic environment that in some ways seems very similar to Fallujah. (By the way, this book was scarier than reading about the Iraq war.) What I disliked about it: I did not like how the book affected me. I had been reading it through the night and was on the page about how Bathsheba would stop clocks in the house at 5:15am and just after I read that I looked at the time and it was exactly 5:15am. Very, very creepy. I had to put the book away for a little while. For me, the story affected me the way some people are affected by studying the grisly details of the Holocaust, slavery, or the Apartheid -- you get too close to it and it seems to get too close to you and you need to take a break and be away from it for awhile. I also didn’t feel comfortable with Andrea’s depiction of Bathsheba Sherman in the book, which I will explain below. What I still don’t understand after seeing the film and reading the first book: Is Bathsheba a ghost or is she a demon? In the film, Bathsheba possesses Carolyn very rapidly and it takes an exorcism to force her to leave; she is also capable of leaving the area she haunts; she leaves the Perron house in order to attack the Warren’s daughter, so it fits to call her a demon; in contrast, in the first book, Bathsheba seems less systematic, intelligent, and less powerful than a demon. I don’t recall coming across stories of the children having a dramatic encounter with Bathsheba outside of the house or after moving away for college other than a few times when she followed people in a car who were driving away from the farm. Her ambitions are fairly human: to be the respected mistress of the house; above all, to have its dwellers follow her, not Satan; yet her presence is accompanied by a rapid plunge in temperature (psychic cold) and a foul stench. I thought the spirit of a person who was once alive cannot become a demon, as a demon is a fallen angel who was never alive on Earth to begin with. They’re different types of entities even if they are playing for the same team. I read the book hoping that there would be a clear distinction, but I realize that in real life such distinctions might be blurred or unknowable. What should have been clearer in the first book: After reading 500 pages, I felt that there was some important information that was omitted, or somehow not emphasized as much as it needed to be. It could be that the writing style did lead to things getting overshadowed by the philosophical musings, descriptive sentences and the lengthy passages about all the feelings involved, and so forth, but in any case I felt that these things should have been clearer: 1. If Bathsheba were a living person, then by the end of the first book she would be serving hard time in prison for multiple attempts at murder. She could also be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, arson, damage and theft of property, creating mental and emotional distress, being a creepy groper, and so on and so on and so on. Whatever she really is -- and even if she does have feelings of genuine ghostly love for Roger and some of his kids -- her behavior is very criminal compared to the other spirits, and she kept the family, Carolyn especially, living in real and present danger for nearly 10 years. 2. It isn’t very clear what Bathsheba means to Andrea. Why doesn’t Andrea pass harsher judgement on her after she beat and nearly murdered her mother? In the first part of the book, before ever even seeing the house, Andrea broke a neighborhood boy’s nose after he murdered her dog. (Coincidentally, the dog was also named Bathsheba and as another reviewer mentioned this strange coincidence is not explained or explored.) By the end of the first book, I got the impression that Andrea is a little attached to Bathsheba, the witch. One of the spirits in the house, evidently a very creepy one, caught Andrea's boyfriend cheating on her with one of her sisters and scared him away from the farm and the family. The book says he eventually died young of a drug overdose. After the incident with Andrea’s (ex)boyfriend, there is an account of the first time Bathsheba manifested in solid form in front of Roger. Andrea takes on a more critical tone towards Roger for being rude to her and speaking to her without the decorum and deference that Andrea seems to feel Bathsheba is entitled to in "her house". I don’t know if these events happened in chronological order, or if they were just written in chronological order, but it seems the writer has misplaced sympathy for the devil. The real life Bathsheba Sherman was formally tried for murdering an infant and found guilty in the court of public opinion. She was accused of abusing her household staff. She was regarded as a witch in a time before Wicca and 'witchcraft-lite' occult practices. She may not even be resting under her headstone because the townspeople didn't want her buried in consecrated ground. She didn't make better choices after death. 3. To what extent did relationships between the spirits and the living inhabitants manifest? It’s clear there was mutual dislike between Carolyn and Bathsheba, but I’ve learned elsewhere online that there was a relationship between April and the spirit of the young boy she saw right after moving in, and that Bathsheba lusted after Roger. She broke items in the house knowing he would take them into the cellar to repair them, where he felt icy fingers on his back on more than one occasion. I’m looking forward to reading the second book and am hoping that some of these lingering questions will be answered. This is my first book review on Amazon. I didn’t like all the negativity of the reviewers. It did impact how I read the book and it’s a very rare type of book to read, so I felt the need to discuss and analyze more than average. I wish some people would remember that others are reading these reviews to get more information about the book & decide if they will buy it and read it, too. This is more of a memoir -- not a novel, told in vignettes. A novel is a work of fiction and it DOES NOT need to follow a strictly linear timeline, as 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez shows. They lived in a house with timeless spirits who sometimes appear young or old, and I think the time jumping is kind of appropriate. It was almost like flipping through a family photo album. As for the academic writing style with no editor -- I think it adds to the authenticity and even a good editor could have done more harm than good with the story. Andrea's the eldest and this fits the birth order psychology theory that the eldest is the most academically driven and the most likely to become a professor. If a revised, abridged version is ever published, it might be helpful to separate the telling of the story from the deeper philosophical analysis; perhaps by concisely telling the facts and feelings of the story in the first part of the chapter, and then have the second part of the chapter be about analyzing what those events could mean. Separating the content gives the those readers who need the graded reader version a sense of control over how much enlightenment and academia they’re exposed to while reading the story, so maybe, maybe, maybe they could come back to the more insightful parts at a later time, and it'd keep those readers who need to explore this topic more deeply happy as well.

I read this book on my Kindle. This book perked my interest because in my early years I lived upstairs at my grandmother's house with my parents and 2 brothers, although, my oldest brother lived downstairs with my grandmother. My middle brother had several experiences as a small child waking up with a lady covered in veils sitting at his bedside and at times he felt there were more in the room. Of course, my parents denied it and said it was a dream. When I was aound 2, we moved from the house but would go for visits. I could never stay overnight alone with my grandmother because of feeling uncomfortable and at times felt like something was watching me upstairs. My family were not believers in the paranormal at all so that was the end of the story. Years later my great aunt stayed alone in the house when my grandmother was hospitalized. She saw balls of lights coming at her and called out to God for help. Again the family did not believe this was paranormal or even if it happened at all. Reading House of Darkness, House of Light is a great explanation of the paranormal and also good versus evil. I felt so for this family who liveed through some of the more negative experiences but at the same time good things happened while living in this house. Wonderful friendships were formed not only for the mother and her friend Fran who had a close friendship and fun together but also the 5 girls. The Perron family were very kind people even with all the problems they encountered. The story of Lenora, a friend of Nancy, was so touching. I am sure her friendship with Nancy and Nancy's protection to a child treated so unkindly meant the world to Lenora. There were other great stories told also in this book. It is not a book about evil and being scared (although some of the stories were scarey) like the story of Chrissy and the trunk but there was so much more to the book that I was left with a good feeling throughout the book. Andrea is a wonderful writer and I look forward to the subsequent volumes. What Andrea says that the world was not ready to believe in what happened in this book until now, 30+ years later is true and I thank her for sharing her story and her family's story now.

Written by the eldest Perron daughter, this book is a firsthand account of the family’s experiences. If you’re looking for a ‘scary’ book, this isn’t it... it is a retelling of the experiences of family and friends living in a spirit-filled farmhouse in rural Rhode Island during the 70’s. The fact that it’s written by a person who lived through it really gives credence to the story and makes it all the more convincing for the reader. The most interesting aspect (to me) is the author’s disagreement with the so-called paranormal ‘experts’ on the nature/intention of the spirits that inhabit the house, as well as what worked best to handle them. Very little mention of the Warren’s involvement in this volume, I expect this will be forthcoming in volume 2. My one criticism is that the narrative meanders quite a bit. It is not a linear timeline and therefore can be a bit confusing for the reader. There is also quite a bit of philosophical discourse about the nature of spirit, the soul, time, and consciousness. I found that to be intriguing in light of the author’s own experiences, and it really made me think about my own beliefs. So interesting!

I did like the book but did not love the book. I wanted to read a ghost story. There is a lot of philosophy in this book. If I wanted to read a book on philosophy I would buy one. I finally started skipping those parts. The author really went off on a tangent like Stephen King when it takes 3 pages to describe something. I finally started saying enough already ok the "house is alive with death" we get the picture. I lost count on how many times she say "boo". I thought what is this for. The story has decent parts but it really did skip around alot. First they are young, then high school, then they moved away, then high school, then young again. Once they brought the Warrens in I was disappointed. Of course maybe back then they didn't really know the Warrens. It's not like they had the internet to research her background. Not sure if she wrote the story correctly or not, if she did seems the Warrens did not pick up on Bathsheba until their mother researched the information and told the Warrens all about her. Then she picks up on her and she's a demon. I have book 2. I have to follow through this but it seemed sometimes she would write about something that happened and would write it again later slightly different description. Then with all the padding. I thought what does she have to write about that makes a book 2 and book 3. Then she said their are things that happened that they won't talk about. What is up with that. How bad can it be. Sometimes when you talk bout it. It loses some of it's fear and hold on you.

First of all, anyone that reads this book needs to realize that it is fact and nothing but fact. It took 30 years for the Perron family to agree on publishing their experiences and they agreed that if it was to be published that it would be facts only. Andrea has gone so out of her way to honor those requests. I have met Andrea and her father personally, and can attest to the fact that they are wonderful, warm, and honest people. Andrea's writing skills are excellent, and this book not only shares what went on in the house as far as all of the spirits, but it is also a story about the victory of faith over fear, and science is introduced as well from time to time. This is only Volume I, and I can't wait until the other two are released! This is definitely a book that you cannot put down once you start it. I especially like the way that the chapters are short (and subtitled well). It's amazing how quickly you can read 500+ pages when a book is set up that way; almost like short-story reading. Having said that, I do have to admit that there were times that I had to set it down to catch my breath! The photographs are also very good, and real; no messing around with photos is always a good thing for this subject matter. I highly recommend this book for anyone at all, but especially to anyone who likes a good ghost story and would like to hear a REAL one; it's a great read. It's almost like Little Women to a degree, but there are ghosts involved. Some are friendly, some are not. And one is definitely not friendly. All in all, it's a wonderful read, and I can't imagine how excited I'll be when Volume II and III arrive. Every other book I pick up seems boring in comparison to this ghostly memoir!

I Have Many Books. I Only Have A Select Few That I Read Over && Over. I Have Even Less Series That I Adore And Read Over And Over That I Will Always Love And Read And They'll Never Get Old. This Series Is So Good I Haven't Put It Down. I Always Watched Videos About These Books And I Knew She Had Written These But I Just Recently Started On Them I'm Not Even Done With Volume One And I Can Tell I've Gotta Buy The Entire Collection So I Got Volumes 1&2 And Next Week I'll Buy #3. I Bought These so I Can Always Go Back To Them And I Can Say From Somebody Who When They Love A Series Read It Over And over I Can Tell These Are That Kind Of Series. Mrs Andrea Perron These Books Are Amazing. Thanks For Your Honesty And Your Beautiful Writing! I Also Lived In A House As A Kid That Wasn't As Active As This But We Experienced Our Own Super Natural Things. As Well As Others Who Stayed There And Or Slept Over Night. It Is A Crazy Thing When You Experience Something Like That And Makes You Wonder And Question Everything. I'm Currently On Book Number 2 And Already Bought Book Number 3. I Respect You All So Much And Love Reading About Your Experiences And Your Happy And Good And Not So Good Times At Your Farm. Thank You For These Books. There Wonderful And I'm Sure I'll Continue To Enjoy Them.

I love ghost stories anyway and I have a large collection of ghost books. So of course I had to add this series. Waiting for the 3rd one. The story happened 3 miles from my home so I was excited to read it. I did see the movie but the books hold more truth to the story. Movie always change things. The books are quite large but I like that. My only complaint would be I would like darker ink and a bit larger text, even with my reading glasses it is hard to see. The story line starts out slow and some parts the author writes 3 pages on a subject where it could really be 2 paragraphs but that is her style I guess. I don't need great detail on things that don't matter. I am looking forward to finishing the first book (busy person, not much time) and then on to the next one! I have heard other people say they read the books and loved it much more than the movie.

House of Darkness House of Light SPOILER ALERTS ! Truly this is one of worst books I have ever read. I bought both 1 and 2 books. Don't get me wrong, I believe in ghosts, but I do not `believe in the Perron's and am highly skeptical of anything the Warren's have ever been involved with. My disbelief of the Perron story unfolded as I read about a stay at home mother of 5 young girls who was delusional then later clearly suffering from severe depression. The catch is the author describes her condition as `haunted'. Regarding her delusion, she encounters trouble in her old neighborhood and buys an 80 farm in the country thinking it will solve all her problems. Shockingly she buys the farm on first sight and drains the family's life savings for down payment without her husband's knowledge! Delusional is too kind of word for this fruitcake. And no, they can ill afford such a place and naïve as hell to country living. I would like to backtrack here on her reasons she wanted to move from the first place they inhabited. Pets were harmed and then a break in of their home. Both by the same neighbor boy. That happened to my country living `parents too. But they didn't uproot their life over it. The reader is then exposed to the mother's constant whining about the ` new `old' farm they bought. An ancient home they can't afford to heat properly,'with high electric bills,isolation in winter due to high snowfall and long driveway, flies which come in from old window sills that spook them because they are clueless about origins, a husband who is on the road most of the time. It's a nonstop barrage of stupidity, yet this author insists her mother `was well educated, the model of perfection'. Get real. A prime candidate for a loony bin if I ever heard of one. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Her eldest daughter writes this book, some 30 years later and I warn you, she has no writing skills at all. Each and every chapter begins with a passage from someone else's book, why? Did author think her bad writing could be camouflaged if she used a professional's words often enough? This is very tedious reading, mostly for the redundancy. The writer doesn't `know when to quit writing on any particular topic. Worse she tries to psychoanalyze each and every family members every move and experience which leaves the reader exasperated. On the bright side this book has comic relief in the sarcasm department. Ms Perron attempts to paint her family as normal folk in the style of Laura Ingels Wilder. Unfortunately `Little House on the Prairie `was never geared to entertain adults. Describing the youngest sister as `the baby' of the family just gets more nauseous with every use. So the chuckles come because this family isn't as endearing as the author feels it was and using mushy descriptions is like forcing someone to look at your families photos. The children all seem attention starved. Author often uses `compete for attention when it comes to the siblings'. Gets a bit discerning when these kids `play school' when there isn't school and taking it very seriously. That's not normal, especially when they have a supposed wonderland outside to play in. The author strives that, at first, they didn't engage in talk about their experiences with each other. In an effort I assume was to add believability to the book. Really? And are we to believe that 5 young sister didn't speak about ghostly encounters with each other nor run to an adult? Duh. If the mother is acting spooked all the time it would be certainly picked up by the kids to add mayhem and hysteria and a real good way for the kids to get attention. It is also interesting to note that this family never seemed to acclimate with the local inhabitants of this pristine country setting. Despite a rural setting, they were not isolated from anyone in good weather, which they had 9 months out of the year. Yet they made no new friends. One incident depicts when sole neighbor stops in, amidst witnessing `Mrs. Perron being attacked by a coat hanger'. This woman never returned, which is simply explained away that she never visited again fearing ghosts'. Dollars to donuts I bet this woman is long dead thus author boldly uses her name. Having a coat hanger caught in a few strands of hair, with an occupant in frenzy to dislodge it can create an illusion. It's a shame the witness was never interviewed to collaborate such a tale. The main point of this is to illustrate perhaps the Perrons were never welcomed into this rural setting and it is preposterous to excuse that `because of ghosts'. As a country dweller all my life I know this story well and it needs to be told so urban and city people can better understand. If one owns 80 acres of farm land they must also own $300,000 minimum of equipment to maintain it. A major myth is that `land takes care of its own'. It gets overgrown with weeds if you don't farm it and infuriated neighbors when your weeds lay in your fields contaminating their land. The responsibilities are endless. Rural families usually cringe when inexperienced dwellers buy large acreage and move in. I am sure they knew enough about the Perron's background from the elderly previous owner who entertained them enough to learn particulars. The `new people' have no idea how much agriculture equipment costs and naturally presume you will lend them your equipment. Of which would need to be borrowed each and every year for normal maintenance. It is not like borrowing a cup of sugar. In fact I know of several unfortunate people who did indeed, lend out their equipment which was returned broken and never offered for the cost in fixing them. It is understandable that the Perron's would have been avoided like a plague. It does make people really angry and hold grudges for years. Then there is a sad tale of newbies buying livestock and thinking if there are fields the animal's upkeep is free. Horses are the saddest story and usually the animal they place on the pasture first. A person's good intention of a snack or feed can kill an equine, let alone certain weeds. Every 6 weeks a horse must be wormed and hooves trimmed. Present costs are $55 to $75 upwards each and every 6 weeks per horse. Then there are expensive vaccinations that must be given each and every spring. Good hay (not moldy) must be purchased or provided during winter months. $$$$ Any mention of this in Perron's book? `The family that could not afford heat and electricity yet whimsically buy such large livestock? Keep in mind one of the reasons the Perrons moved from their first house was because of a cat being killed by a neighbor. Imagine what torture a horse went through under the care of such ignorant people as the Perrons. Don't doubt for a minute that raised some eyebrows in the community as well. I do not only despise fake haunting books wrote under the guise as `real' but animal cruelty as well. So these books are a double whammy on my soul. Curiosity getting the best of me I searched the web for info on Miss Perron and not surprised at the results. Unmarried, unattractive and overweight , middle aged with the unfortunate handicap of `the gift of gab' which turns people off. I strive to seek a brighter side but this woman has nothing glimmering to offer. Seems she is giddy and proud for learning Microsoft Word and email as' a late bloomer'. I am 62 and in shock a middle aged woman was foreign to this concept at her age. Great authors prepare outlines, writing in their own words, not vigil on computer technology focusing on grammar/spelling. Or assume that learning `Word' is going to make you more professional. It also helps to have a great story to tell. Miss Perron has a lengthy interview on YouTube with the current woman who owns this home for a number of years. Would it surprise you to know that the new owners have had very little activity that could be ghost related? The new owner seems level headed and it could be easily assumed, financially way better off than the Perron family was in this property purchase venture. She and her husband completely restored the house to its original state which costs big bucks even if you do the work yourself. Her hospitality and patience for allowing Miss Perron to visit is overwhelmingly gracious. The woman feels they have something in common. Both women bought this house without their husband's knowledge. Some elaboration would have been appreciated here. Were they both employed at the time of purchase? Income bracket involved? I believe the actual financial situations differ greatly from both parties in comparison which would make this less uncanny as it actually sounds. And who has never worried about losing their home disregarding any income brackets. Everyone has that possible fate to occur. However I do find it uncanny that both the Warren's were involved with this place and the Amityville Horror of which occupants crapped over having flies. Also curious that when these supposedly haunted home victims moved out none of the ongoing owners had similar exposures. It can only conclude one thing, it's all manufactured sensationalism for financial gain and fame. There is also a podcast paranormal radio show where Miss Perron states, to the effect, she thinks she is special when it comes to the paranormal. Wouldn't it have been more honest to admit she has special needs? Lastly is the elephant in the room. This author waits 3 decades to write the book in which coincidentally a movie loosely based about it is in the works. Coincidence? My review may be `over the top' and cruel at times , but I gotta call it as I see it. I accidentally posted this review for book 2 of which I also bought at the same time as number 1. Considering the factors involved I believe it best to leave the review where it is as it entails much of number 2's subject matter ergo my opinion would not alter.

Demasiadas descripciones que no aportan nada.

A vulnerable peak inside the story I thought I knew. I could not put this book down, and at the same time, there were times I was so scared, I had to. Andrea Perron's "House of Darkness" is heartwarming, hopeful and terrifying - an intimate recount of the real story of the conjuring house, and how the Perron family matriarch's once dream-house changed their family's life forever.

I heard Andrea Perron speaking on 'Open Minds', and was impressed by her articulate way of speaking. I had also already seen "The Conjuring" movies, but was eager for more details. The book was, as to be expected, very well written. However, my only criticism is that at 502 pages, it was a little over-written. Some parts are overly explained/described and there are parts which were included that added nothing to the story. The book would have been more engaging and enjoyable had it been tighter and more concise. Having said that, the book has lots of spooky encounters and is, in parts, quite emotive - two parts, especially, produced tears. I also enjoyed the way Andrea takes you back, through her words, to that time - in the Seventies - when the world was a different place. It brought back recollections of my own childhood. I do recommend the book, but be prepared to skim over some of the superflous details. .

So far Volumes 1&2 have been VERY eye opening and fantastic reads.

A good read, very descriptive. One can imagine the scene as week as the thoughts developing in the minds of the folk involved. If this is true, its hard to believe how a family endured this for a decade! I still am trying to find it hard to understand why the children did not want to move out despite all that happened.