The Children on the Hill
- Downloads：7671
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-16 11:21:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer McMahon
- ISBN：179713616X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind comes a genre-defying new novel， inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein， that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us。
1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont， the brilliant psychiatrist Dr。 Helen Hildreth is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill。 But when’s she home with her cherished grandchildren， Vi and Eric， she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets， preparing them home-cooked meals， providing them with care and attention and love。
Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family。 Iris—silent， hollow-eyed， skittish， and feral—does not behave like a normal girl。
Still， Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate。 She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club， where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them。 Before long， Iris begins to come out of her shell。 She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles， go to the drive-in， meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters。 Because， as Vi explains， monsters are everywhere。
2019: Lizzy Shelley， the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us， is traveling to Vermont， where a young girl has been abducted， and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar。 She’s determined to hunt it down， because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister。
A haunting， vividly suspenseful page-turner from the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson” （Chris Bohjalian， author of The Flight Attendant）， The Children on the Hill takes us on a breathless journey to face the primal fears that lurk within us all。
1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont， the brilliant psychiatrist Dr。 Helen Hildreth is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill。 But when’s she home with her cherished grandchildren， Vi and Eric， she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets， preparing them home-cooked meals， providing them with care and attention and love。
Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family。 Iris—silent， hollow-eyed， skittish， and feral—does not behave like a normal girl。
Still， Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate。 She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club， where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them。 Before long， Iris begins to come out of her shell。 She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles， go to the drive-in， meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters。 Because， as Vi explains， monsters are everywhere。
2019: Lizzy Shelley， the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us， is traveling to Vermont， where a young girl has been abducted， and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar。 She’s determined to hunt it down， because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister。
A haunting， vividly suspenseful page-turner from the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson” （Chris Bohjalian， author of The Flight Attendant）， The Children on the Hill takes us on a breathless journey to face the primal fears that lurk within us all。
Reviews
Amanda Pierson
，
Wow。 While it took me a bit to read it due to a hectic schedule， the last 100 pages blew me away。 Not as scary as “The Drowning Kind”， McMahon delivers an eerie， complex monster hunt that leaves you to decide who the monster truly is。
Marcella
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Was hard to focus on
emperorcupcake （Melyssa）
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Monster girls <3<3Another 5 star read from who I think I can call my favourite author now， Jennifer McMahon。 She is the ~queen~ of the dual timeline in a small New England town which is just my favourite thing in the world。 Stories that are equal parts eerie and suspenseful， thrilling and page-turny， and emotional and resonant。 Perfection。 My fave is probably still The Invited， but this is a wonderful addition to her catalog and a heartfelt homage to the classic horror monsters of our childhoods Monster girls <3<3Another 5 star read from who I think I can call my favourite author now， Jennifer McMahon。 She is the ~queen~ of the dual timeline in a small New England town which is just my favourite thing in the world。 Stories that are equal parts eerie and suspenseful， thrilling and page-turny， and emotional and resonant。 Perfection。 My fave is probably still The Invited， but this is a wonderful addition to her catalog and a heartfelt homage to the classic horror monsters of our childhoods。 I love the understanding that not only society， but children in particular NEED monsters to help deal with the real world。 And sometimes， they even are real。 But are they misunderstood？ 。。。more
Rhonda Kelly
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Y’all， Jennifer McMahon。is。the。bomb！ She has quickly become one of my favorite authors。 I couldn’t put this one down！ So good！ I think I have given every single book I’ve read that she has written 5 solid stars！ I love the atmosphere she creates！ Sucks me in every time！
Barbara
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I dont know。。。。I guess it just didnt appeal to me。 It had its moments and I'm sure if you like McMahon， you'll probably like this too。 It just seemed meh。 I dont know。。。。I guess it just didnt appeal to me。 It had its moments and I'm sure if you like McMahon， you'll probably like this too。 It just seemed meh。 。。。more
Auđur
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3，5*
Emily Sarnoski
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Even though you can see the twists coming in her books， they're so damn creepy i love them anyway。 Even though you can see the twists coming in her books， they're so damn creepy i love them anyway。 。。。more
Samantha
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this was interesting but underwhelming。 I was able to figure out the plot early on so that killed it for me unfortunately。 Also I wouldn’t say this is a psychological thriller but more of a slow burn psychological mystery。
Rachel
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This book was a bit intense， and all in a good way。 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is definitely one of my favorite books， and when this was likened to it as a re-telling， I just had to pick it up。 I do love how this novel is written with the back and forth from currently occurring events and events back to 1978 when our main character was growing up with her two siblings。 The big 'surprise' in this novel I had figured out pretty early on， however， it was still a good reveal and I appreciated the c This book was a bit intense， and all in a good way。 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is definitely one of my favorite books， and when this was likened to it as a re-telling， I just had to pick it up。 I do love how this novel is written with the back and forth from currently occurring events and events back to 1978 when our main character was growing up with her two siblings。 The big 'surprise' in this novel I had figured out pretty early on， however， it was still a good reveal and I appreciated the confirmation of what I was thinking。 Good thriller novel and I liked it a great deal！ 。。。more
XC's Book Nook
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（3。5）I find it really hard to rate this book， because I really enjoyed it， but I personally found the ending so underwhelming and lackluster。
Caitlin Scholes
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3。5。 I will always read Jennifer McMahon and this was certainly a page turner & well written， but all her newer work just doesn’t compare to her older novels。 I love how in most of her books there are some creepy and supernatural elements， and this just didn’t have that。 It wasn’t scary， not even a little。 The overall story had some interesting ideas and it was easy to read but nothing about it grabbed me or made it memorable。
Desiree Leonard
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Jennifer McMahon has done it again what else can I say besides she's an amazing writer she knows how to put together a story so twisted that when you end the book you're still saying how in the world did she just pull that off this was one of my books that I was so excited to get and to read but once I started reading I just didn't want it to end I had to make it last。A book that definitely shows you who the real monsters are in this world I highly recommend this book to everyone to read this su Jennifer McMahon has done it again what else can I say besides she's an amazing writer she knows how to put together a story so twisted that when you end the book you're still saying how in the world did she just pull that off this was one of my books that I was so excited to get and to read but once I started reading I just didn't want it to end I had to make it last。A book that definitely shows you who the real monsters are in this world I highly recommend this book to everyone to read this summer！！ 。。。more
Ginger
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I am a big fan of the author， but this one left me wanting a little more。 What I loved about it is that I love all those monster movies， The Werewolf， Invisible Man， Dracula， etc。 I enjoyed being taken back to those days of my youth watching these movies when I got home from school or Sunday mornings。 The book was a little uneven for me and I found it a little too easy to put down。
Evelyn Tavares
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This is a great book。 I might be a bit biased as I love Frankenstein。 This book really hits with home with the question What Makes A Monster A Monster。 It was beautifully written and the characters are perfect。 The end of the book has some surprises and it’s paced perfectly。 It’s setting is creepy and mysterious。 This is a really good homage to Mary Shelly’s work。 The characters are perfect and very fleshed out。 It does time jump a bit but it’s not distracting to me。 Check this one out if you lo This is a great book。 I might be a bit biased as I love Frankenstein。 This book really hits with home with the question What Makes A Monster A Monster。 It was beautifully written and the characters are perfect。 The end of the book has some surprises and it’s paced perfectly。 It’s setting is creepy and mysterious。 This is a really good homage to Mary Shelly’s work。 The characters are perfect and very fleshed out。 It does time jump a bit but it’s not distracting to me。 Check this one out if you love monsters。 。。。more
Ashley - the chapter traveller
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4。5/5I can’t believe this was my first read by Jennifer McMahon！ It definitely won’t be my last。 I really enjoyed the alternating timelines between past and present and the creepy atmosphere of the psychiatric facility which really builds up as the book progresses。 It took me a few chapters to get into the monster thing， but it ended up working itself out well！ I was pleasantly surprised by the ending， there are two really good twists！ This book would actually make a really good movie！
Coffee&Books
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This is my first Jennifer McMahon DNF。 This one was just slow。 I was at about 30% and *nothing* was happening。 I couldn't imagine pulling myself through more of it。 I'll hop on the next one！ This is my first Jennifer McMahon DNF。 This one was just slow。 I was at about 30% and *nothing* was happening。 I couldn't imagine pulling myself through more of it。 I'll hop on the next one！ 。。。more
KimT
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I could not get that much out of this book just by listening to the audio alone。 I am going to do a re-read in October 2022 with the physical book and will rate it after that。
Bethany Smith
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Another unique story。 This story goes back and forth between 1978 and 2019， which I enjoy in books。 In 1978， Vi （13） and Eric （younger） live in Vermont with their Gran， a renowned psychiatrist running a hospital for the mentally ill。 Her hospital has extraordinary results。 One day Gran bring home Iris， a feral 13 year old to be Vi's and Eric's sister。 Vi and Eric quickly accept Iris as their sister and begin to research where Iris came from。 As 1978 continues， there are twists and turns， I did g Another unique story。 This story goes back and forth between 1978 and 2019， which I enjoy in books。 In 1978， Vi （13） and Eric （younger） live in Vermont with their Gran， a renowned psychiatrist running a hospital for the mentally ill。 Her hospital has extraordinary results。 One day Gran bring home Iris， a feral 13 year old to be Vi's and Eric's sister。 Vi and Eric quickly accept Iris as their sister and begin to research where Iris came from。 As 1978 continues， there are twists and turns， I did guess the ending， but I am not sure most will。Fast forward Lizzy is a Monster Hunter in 2019， she has a connection to Vi， Iris and Eric。 As the story unfolds， you learn her connection。 I liked that this story focused on the monster in all of us， you never know when that monster will come out， what triggers it and how well some are at controlling that monster。 It is a unique psychological thriller that I enjoyed。 。。。more
Corrine Townsend
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Dr。 Hildreth is well known for her work with the mentally ill。 Taking care of her two grandchildren， Violet and Eric， is her second favorite accomplishment and her hospitality is known throughout her town。 When Hildreth brings home a little girl， no one questions where she came from or why。 Not to mention Violet， is excited to have another little girl to play with， however something isn't right。 The girl won't talk and to say she's a normal girl would be the furthest thing from the truth。 Violet Dr。 Hildreth is well known for her work with the mentally ill。 Taking care of her two grandchildren， Violet and Eric， is her second favorite accomplishment and her hospitality is known throughout her town。 When Hildreth brings home a little girl， no one questions where she came from or why。 Not to mention Violet， is excited to have another little girl to play with， however something isn't right。 The girl won't talk and to say she's a normal girl would be the furthest thing from the truth。 Violet and Eric start a quest to find out who Iris is and how she got to Dr。 Hildreth's "inn"。 What they uncover while trying to piece together Iris' truth will have you questioning the other side of every story you ever heard。 This book is perfection from start to finish。 Told in alternating POV's from past to present it slowly tells a tale you aren't expecting while keeping you engaged and hanging on every page。 I've never read McMahon before and have since added all of her other books to my TBR（ like my list isn't long enough）。 I enjoyed the story and although parts were predictable（especially if you read thrillers） the ending was nothing I expected and I LOVED IT。 Go ahead and hit "ADD TO CART" now， I promise you won't be disappointed。 。。。more
Allie
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3。5 stars
Denise Cimpko-Beller
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3。5 Eh。 Okay。 Beginning pretty good， but descends into realm of…wait…what？ And not in a good way。
Meagan
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3。5 ⭐️This was such a great story & I enjoyed the twists even with guessing some of them。 The beginning & ending were good。 I do feel like the ending was a bit rushed though。 The middle was way too boring for me & I kept finding it hard to want to come back & read。
Victoria Stout
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one of the best books i’ve read in a while。 her new stuff has kind of been just okay， but this book is just as good as The Night Sister
Anita Norton
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Another excellent book by this author。 Bug plot twist toon me by surprise。
Courtney
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The Children on the Hill interchanges between present narrator Lizzy Shelly and 1970s narrator Violet Hildreth。 Lizzy Shelly runs a successful blog and podcast hunting monsters across the US all with the same MO， taking a troubled girl on a full moon under the guise of local monster lore。 The latest from Peninsula in rural Vermont home to a lakeside summer vacation campground and Rattling Jane a spirit from the water taking human form with fish bones， sea weed， and whatever flotsam she finds in The Children on the Hill interchanges between present narrator Lizzy Shelly and 1970s narrator Violet Hildreth。 Lizzy Shelly runs a successful blog and podcast hunting monsters across the US all with the same MO， taking a troubled girl on a full moon under the guise of local monster lore。 The latest from Peninsula in rural Vermont home to a lakeside summer vacation campground and Rattling Jane a spirit from the water taking human form with fish bones， sea weed， and whatever flotsam she finds in the water。 Rattling Jane is said to present her victim with a wishing stone from a pebbled beach then takes the victim back with her。 Summer regular Lauren was said to have been bragging about seeing Rattling Jane before disappearing but had a troubled home life and hung out with the wrong crowd so it’s assumed she ran away and no one is looking for her。 Lizzy knows the truth and takes her hunting expedition to find her。 Violet Hildreth lives on a mental hospital compound in the directors quarters with her grandma and little brother， Eric。 Her grandmother runs the hospital and homeschools her grandchildren making sure she’s always home by 6 for dinner。 She often brings home patients from the hospital who are transitioning to the outside world and one day it’s a young girl named Iris， a sister for Violet。 The two grow close and Violet vows to find out what happened to Iris， sneaking into Gran’s lab and offices in search of files on Iris。 She discovers an underground Eugenics inspired human experiment laboratory and can never trust Gran the same again。 Great light thriller 👍🏻 。。。more
Chloe Nondo
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The story was a bit disjointed and took what I felt was random turns that I don’t necessarily fit。 Took my time to read it and if I had to describe it I would say this book was something alright。
Linda Beilstein
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Read through NetGalley。 How many times can you say "wait， what？" while reading a book？ Well I know I exceeded that limit as I read this book。 The basic story is about a woman who is a monster hunter by profession。 She travels around the country following stories of monster sightings and tries to find out if they are real and if she can find the monster。 The back story is about a medical facility （institution） that treats people with mental issues and the woman who runs the clinic。 The doctor liv Read through NetGalley。 How many times can you say "wait， what？" while reading a book？ Well I know I exceeded that limit as I read this book。 The basic story is about a woman who is a monster hunter by profession。 She travels around the country following stories of monster sightings and tries to find out if they are real and if she can find the monster。 The back story is about a medical facility （institution） that treats people with mental issues and the woman who runs the clinic。 The doctor lives on the property with her 2 grandchildren （or are they？） and brings home another child to become part of the family。 The monster hunter is one of the grandchildren。 Or is she？ Maybe？ Maybe not？ Anyway after a whole lot of "wait， what？' I finished the book and here I am writing the review。 I so want to tell you more but that's against the rules of book reviewing。 So I guess you will just have to read the book yourself。 And get your "wait， what's" ready to go。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Sudasha
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Buddy read with my book twin， Kay （Bibliophile Gal）！Can I just say。。。wow。 This book was slow going for me at first， I won't lie。 However， I'm glad I pushed through because about halfway in， things started getting seriously messed up！ :D And yes， that made me excited。 There's a huge twist I did not see coming， and it was so refreshing to read a book that actually surprised me as that's something that hasn't happened in a while。I would definitely recommend this if you're a lover of psychological t Buddy read with my book twin， Kay （Bibliophile Gal）！Can I just say。。。wow。 This book was slow going for me at first， I won't lie。 However， I'm glad I pushed through because about halfway in， things started getting seriously messed up！ :D And yes， that made me excited。 There's a huge twist I did not see coming， and it was so refreshing to read a book that actually surprised me as that's something that hasn't happened in a while。I would definitely recommend this if you're a lover of psychological thrillers。 。。。more
Katie Haddock
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I think Jennifer McMahon is an awesome storyteller and I like how her stories are set in Vermont。 The premise of this one was interesting - really different from any others I've read recently。 Definitely an interesting twist at the end！ I think Jennifer McMahon is an awesome storyteller and I like how her stories are set in Vermont。 The premise of this one was interesting - really different from any others I've read recently。 Definitely an interesting twist at the end！ 。。。more
Michelle （Michelle’s Library）
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https://youtu。be/Am89tSjldUw https://youtu。be/Am89tSjldUw 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Children on the Hill
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Children on the Hill&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft