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pseud. Francis Beeding

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The House of Dr. Edwardes Kindle Edition

by Francis Beeding (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.8 60 ratings

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A novel of psychological terror set in a mental asylum that became the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck.

From the outset, the air that Beeding’s characters breathe crackles with ominous electricity. This is surely what appealed to Alfred Hitchcock when he found Beeding’s The House of Dr. Edwardes and used it as the inspiration for his unforgettable film Spellbound.

The “house” of the title is a lunatic asylum in France and Dr. Edwardes is the head psychiatrist. While Edwardes is held in high esteem, an almost iconic figure in psychiatric circles, there is something clearly amiss. The novel opens with a puzzling, ominous episode in which a patient being transported to the asylum grows agitated as the car bringing him there approaches. The patiently suddenly screams: “the gorge of the devil” and then attacks and kills one of the supervisors, a promising but inexperienced psychiatrist. This opens a position that Dr. Sedgwick accepts, but on arrival, she learns that Dr. Edwardes has taken a leave of absence to calm his nerves. It doesn’t take her long to discover that the house is hardly in order.

Unlike Hitchcock’s Spellbound, The House of Dr. Edwardes owes less to Freud, displaying much closer affinities with the brooding, psychological landscapes of Gothic novels of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, particularly Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. The result is a compelling work—part mystery, part modern Gothic.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07N1BK765
Publisher ‏ : ‎ RosettaBooks (December 22, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 22, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1881 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 167 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1774646250

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3.8 60 ratings

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3.8 out of 5

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S. Posen

The Book that Inspired Hitchcock

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2015

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The House of Dr Edwardes, a madhouse ifor English expatriates, is no ordinary asylum, It is a converted Chateau, high in the French Alps and set in beautiful surroundings. The patients have to be rich, or have rich families, but that is not the only criterion for admission. They also have to suffer from interesting delusions and "no ordinary lunatic need apply." Inmates include a retired colonel who reminisces about his campaigns in India, a failed business magnate who believes he is still the head of a large commercial establishment in the City of London and an English spinster who suspects a variety of males of harboring lecherous thoughts towards her.

The story begins with the arrival of two new residents: Dr Murchison, who will relieve Dr Edwardes during his absence and an aristocratic and dangerous devil worshipper who believes in human sacrifices. Both men identify themselves as Dr Murchison and accuse the other of being the mad aristocrat. A recently graduated female doctor (Constance Sedgwick) whose knowledge of mental disorders is rudimentary, is unable to identify the impostor and almost dies as the result of her error.

The book, written almost a century ago, moves at great speed with only occasional poetic or repetitious distractions. Some of the descriptions of these insane Victorian personages are quite hilarious.. An excellent read/

4 people found this helpful

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Elva Moser

Evil lives in the House of Dr. Edwardes

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2011

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i really liked the book. for its day, it was pretty modern. freud's methods were becoming known and used to treat patients.

the main character, constance, is an newly graduated m.d.(despite having had to take the test 3 times). still, despite her inexperience, she's intrepid. her instincts are good - even though she ignores them at the beginning.)

constance is flawed and her flaws are mostly being 'female' but she overcomes that. she doggedly digs for truth when she discovers inconsistencies. she finds her strength and in fact, heroically plans and leads an escape.

characterization of the 8 patients is believable. despite their craziness, the patients are for the most part, likable, not unlike unruly children. their insanity is being manipulated by a super crazy mastermind. but constance is observant enough to notice the changes in their personalities. she notices late night activities and noises that awaken her suspicions.

the setting and geography are important. it is located in the "devil's gorge". it's a gated, secluded, former castle in the wooded mountains. the locals are afraid of the asylum and have to be paid high wages for their loyalty. only the very brave among them will work there.

as for the workers...you suspect that people are not who they say they are. dr. edwardes himself is not even there to welcome constance. the asylum is under the supervision of his assistant, dr. murchison while dr. edwardes takes 'a rest'.

in the movie the evil is the postwar nazis and their secrets. the evil in the book is not a political philosophy, but perverted religious beliefs. in both stories, innocents are sacrificed for evil.

One person found this helpful

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Formerly Fly Guy

An OK read, hope the movie is better

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2011

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I had never heard of the book or the Hitchcock movie based on the book, but it was free so downloaded it to the Kindle. As another reviewer pointed out, there is some garbled text. But that is not the author's fault.

The writing style seems typical of the 1920s and 30s: slow, lengthy, and overwrought. For that, 3 stars only. Rather disappointing that the "trick" in the plot is given away before the trick is actually sprung.

One reviewer says this book is better than the movie. That's usually the case, but it seems a perfect plot for a movie, and could be done better than the book. I hope Hitchcock in fact does so.

2 people found this helpful

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W. Laine

Is the Doctor Sick?

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2016

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I read this because Alfred Hitchcock based his classic film, "Spellbound," on it. However, the film is quite different. There is no Satanism in the film, & the new doctor who takes charge of the asylum turns out to be quite different from the character in the film.

2 people found this helpful

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Leigh Riley

Interesting and Creepy!

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2013

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I read this because I am a big Hitchcock movie fan. While this is significantly different than Spellbound, it is very good. I can see why Hitchcock turned it into a movie.

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2011

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I slogged my way through this book even though the errors referenced by other reviewers annoyed the heck out of me. I find it hard to believe this inspired Hitchcock, but oh well, I guess it did. I like a good mystery and a good scare, but this was neither for me...

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2011

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I thought this was a good read for a free kindle book. There were errors in spelling, but I have found that to be true with pretty much all kindle books. This story was interesting. I have never seen the movie but I will now. Considering the time period it was written in I thought it was interesting. The plot kept me reading.

6 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

the book is better than the movie

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2011

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my title says it all.this is definitely a gothic novel.a lunatic asylum atop a scary,craggy mountain.fill in the details as you go.mr. beeding has done an excellent job - better than hitchcock.

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