Gwen, in Green
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Gwen, in Green
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Narrated by:
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Joe Hempel
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By:
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Hugh Zachary
About this listen
After receiving a large insurance settlement, young couple Gwen and George fulfill a dream by buying their own little island, a secluded, private paradise surrounded by a lush green landscape of plants.
What the real estate man didn't tell them was that a tragedy took place years earlier in the cool, clear pool near the house. And the waters still hold a terrifying centuries-old secret.
Soon George begins to notice strange changes in his wife. Always so reserved and demure, suddenly Gwen has become passionate and insatiable. And then there are the people who have mysteriously started to disappear....
©1974 Estate of Hugh Zachary (P)2022 Valancourt Books LLCListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Gwen, in Green
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- John
- 24-07-24
Could be a decent Poison Ivy origin story, (maybe)
This book was given for free in exchange for an honest review.
Gwen in Green is from the 1970s. While some people might not realise it at first, that was fifty years ago. Half a century. The 1970s was a very differnt culture. If you know what I'm talking about, you know. And this book is very 1970s.
Horror hadn't quite become splatterpunk and Stephen King tomes just yet. But you can see where a market for such things might have been growing. So the style and prose might make the reader forget that indeed this book is fifty years old. And as such, is from a differnt culture.
Not everything about 70s culture has aged the best. This was the era of free love, well before the AIDS epidemic. Books from this era sometimes have a "sex = always good" mindset. And there is a lot of sex in this book. And sometimes it is laughed off when the implications are not good. It's not the most sensitive book. It's not porn by any means. But it has some sour notes that have to be excused with it being from a differnt era.
And it's treatment of gender issues is also very 70s. All the men look down on Gwen as a neurotic little fool. Many of them are horny idiots. And Gwen herself is almost agonisingly withdrawn and detached. Just letting everything happen to her. Is this an attempt at feminism? Or is it written by someone like the men in the book? I don't know. But either way it's a very unnuanced treatment of men and it's female lead. One that seems to view the sexes as incompatible. Again. A bit of a sour note.
However. This is not a bad or malicious book. The previous reviewer said this book has Animal cruelty, explicit sex, and misogyny. This makes is sound so much worse than it really is. Misogyny? Well there are misogynist characters. But it's hard to say if we're meant to agree with them or hate them. Explicate sex? Well, there is a lot of sex in the story. But it's not even even as descriptive as King's work. If you go in expecting erotica, you're going to be disappointed. Animal cruelty? A seemingly rabid opossum is killed in the first chapter. That's it. They are called horror novels you know.
With all that out the way, how is the book itself? It's fine.
Gwen in Green isn't pushing any creative boundaries. It's eco horror plain and simple. It's not particularly violent, though there is violence in it. The parts that are most shocking are the bits where serious issues relating to sex aren't treated as seriously as you'd hope they would be. But that is surprisingly common in sci-fi from this era. The characters are fine they get the job done. Joe Hempel's narration is pretty strong. Keeps the story running smoothly. Some parts of the book are more fun than others. But I'd say it's actually at it's best when it's doing character stuff outside the horror story (Again. Like some of King's stuff). Hugh Zachary is not bad with characters when he treats them as people. The ending left me cold however. I wouldn't say it was awful. But it wasn't very satisfying either.
If Gwen herself had a bit more agency, If she did more of the things she does in the story because she wants to and she believes in them, this could be a decent origin story for a Poison Ivy type villain. The growing intimacy she has with nature is probably the strongest and most driving thread in the book. And it has some decent atmosphere too.
So. Do I recommend Gwen in Green? Well. Do you like what you see here? If you really like eco horror or horror with female leads, or just have a good feeling about it. Sure, go ahead. But if not, it's fine to skip over. I wouldn't tell anyone to stay away from it. But its far from essential reading.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- R. Johnson
- 06-09-23
I had to stop listening.
This audiobook has some serious issues:
Animal cruelty.
Explicit sex.
Misogyny.
All in the first few chapters.
No thank you.
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