Catherine House
- Downloads：2457
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-03 06:51:21
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Elisabeth Thomas
- ISBN：0062905678
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A gothic-infused debut of literary suspense， set within a secluded， elite university and following a dangerously curious， rebellious undergraduate who uncovers a shocking secret about an exclusive circle of students 。 。 。 and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige。
Trust us， you belong here。
Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other。 Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania， this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum， wildly selective admissions policy， and formidable endowment， has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors， artists， inventors， Supreme Court justices， presidents。 For those lucky few selected， tuition， room， and board are free。 But acceptance comes with a price。 Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world。 Family， friends， television， music， even their clothing must be left behind。 In return， the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige， and that its graduates can become anything or anyone they desire。
Among this year’s incoming class is Ines Murillo， who expects to trade blurry nights of parties， cruel friends， and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry。 Even the school’s enigmatic director， Viktória， encourages the students to explore， to expand their minds， to find themselves within the formidable iron gates of Catherine。 For Ines， it is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had。 But the House’s strange protocols soon make this refuge， with its worn velvet and weathered leather， feel increasingly like a gilded prison。 And when tragedy strikes， Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor， hallowed history， advanced theories， and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda within the secretive， tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum。
Combining the haunting sophistication and dusky， atmospheric style of Sarah Waters with the unsettling isolation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go， Catherine House is a devious， deliciously steamy， and suspenseful page-turner with shocking twists and sharp edges that is sure to leave readers breathless。
Trust us， you belong here。
Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other。 Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania， this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum， wildly selective admissions policy， and formidable endowment， has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors， artists， inventors， Supreme Court justices， presidents。 For those lucky few selected， tuition， room， and board are free。 But acceptance comes with a price。 Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world。 Family， friends， television， music， even their clothing must be left behind。 In return， the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige， and that its graduates can become anything or anyone they desire。
Among this year’s incoming class is Ines Murillo， who expects to trade blurry nights of parties， cruel friends， and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry。 Even the school’s enigmatic director， Viktória， encourages the students to explore， to expand their minds， to find themselves within the formidable iron gates of Catherine。 For Ines， it is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had。 But the House’s strange protocols soon make this refuge， with its worn velvet and weathered leather， feel increasingly like a gilded prison。 And when tragedy strikes， Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor， hallowed history， advanced theories， and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda within the secretive， tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum。
Combining the haunting sophistication and dusky， atmospheric style of Sarah Waters with the unsettling isolation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go， Catherine House is a devious， deliciously steamy， and suspenseful page-turner with shocking twists and sharp edges that is sure to leave readers breathless。
Reviews
Denise howard shearer
，
I have no idea what this book was even about。 Very disappointed。
Megan
，
I got this in a Goodreads giveaway。 It was interesting， I guess， but IDK if I actually liked it。
Jessica Goodman
，
I usually love campus novels but this was not for me。
Jennifer
，
I really wanted to like this book， but it made it so hard。 I waivered between one or two stars and finally went with two since I was compelled to finish。 Don't waste your time。 I really wanted to like this book， but it made it so hard。 I waivered between one or two stars and finally went with two since I was compelled to finish。 Don't waste your time。 。。。more
Chantal Boezaard
，
This book was freaking weird。。
Hannah Daniels
，
Beautiful writing！ I felt transported to the Catherine House and only wish the author spent more time with character development， because she definitely has the talent。 4 stars only because she lost me with the sci fi （but to be fair any book with sci fi background would lose me）
Chelsea
，
An interesting book with a bland mystery and sometimes bland characters。 No real resolution was given at the end。 There were a lot of repetition in the way characters did things: ate breakfast， went to class （or skipped）， had sex， repeat。 The book spans 3 years but time jumps are based on semesters and seasons， not necessarily months or concrete points in the plot。
Megsbookclub
，
I was thinking of how I would picture Catherine House， which is the book I’m sharing today！ I feel like old private schools that are basically secluded campuses also give me the creeps！ Again the fear of the unknown！The school is hidden deep in the woods and has experimental curriculum。 No ones knows how you really get admitted， but some of the great minds go on to have amazing achievements。 When Ines is accepted she assumes all her party ways will end， until she realizes she can drink and party I was thinking of how I would picture Catherine House， which is the book I’m sharing today！ I feel like old private schools that are basically secluded campuses also give me the creeps！ Again the fear of the unknown！The school is hidden deep in the woods and has experimental curriculum。 No ones knows how you really get admitted， but some of the great minds go on to have amazing achievements。 When Ines is accepted she assumes all her party ways will end， until she realizes she can drink and party and pretty much do whatever she wants and the schools sanctions it！But when a tragedy happens and Ines can’t get answers she starts to wonder what is hidden behind the curtain。 In this gothic setting not everything is as it seems。 Definitely a suspenseful one you will want to check out。 。。。more
Becky Hunter
，
Great job establishing an eerie tone。
Amy Sturgis
，
Outstanding。 This novel pushed all of my buttons。 It’s one of the best books I’ve read in ages， and it exemplifies all that I appreciate in dark academia works。
Bonnie Cassidy
，
This was one weird story。 Not sure I completely "got it" but it was an interesting diversion from what I usually read。 This was one weird story。 Not sure I completely "got it" but it was an interesting diversion from what I usually read。 。。。more
Kelyn
，
DNF'd at the end of year 1。 The prose just was not doing it for me。 DNF'd at the end of year 1。 The prose just was not doing it for me。 。。。more
Gina Malanga
，
This book was a head scratcher for me。 I know it got a lot of press when it came out and there were parts of it I loved， some of the language and the descriptions of the school， but other parts left me wholly confused and wondering what I was reading。 Ines is running from a life of bad decisions when she is chosen to join the prestigious and controversial Catherine House。 When she gets there it is part debauchery， part rigorous college and part science experiment。 As her time there comes to an e This book was a head scratcher for me。 I know it got a lot of press when it came out and there were parts of it I loved， some of the language and the descriptions of the school， but other parts left me wholly confused and wondering what I was reading。 Ines is running from a life of bad decisions when she is chosen to join the prestigious and controversial Catherine House。 When she gets there it is part debauchery， part rigorous college and part science experiment。 As her time there comes to an end she is offered an awful choice， and it is not even really a choice。 This book certainly had twists and turns but I am Not totally sure I got where it was going！ 。。。more
Jennifer
，
I listened to this book over the course of one day。 I was sucked in by the idea of the story but all it really did was left me feeling dazed and confused。 If the point was to make you feel like you were a happy interloper in a drunken stupor， then job well done。 Also。。。any school that offers unlimited wine and cookies to it's students is up to no good！ I listened to this book over the course of one day。 I was sucked in by the idea of the story but all it really did was left me feeling dazed and confused。 If the point was to make you feel like you were a happy interloper in a drunken stupor， then job well done。 Also。。。any school that offers unlimited wine and cookies to it's students is up to no good！ 。。。more
lauren ♡
，
3。5 Stars。 “I didn’t know where my body was。 I wasn’t sure if I was alive。 I couldn’t recognize anyone。 No， I could， but it was as if I recognized their bodies and faces from some long-ago dream。 Or was this the dream？” That’s a bit how reading this novel made me feel， all caught up in its settings and lost as to what was happening–but not always in a good sense。 And in retrospect， I should have loved this book。 And in some ways I did。 I’m a sucker for gothic thrillers and dark academia-esque se 3。5 Stars。 “I didn’t know where my body was。 I wasn’t sure if I was alive。 I couldn’t recognize anyone。 No， I could， but it was as if I recognized their bodies and faces from some long-ago dream。 Or was this the dream？” That’s a bit how reading this novel made me feel， all caught up in its settings and lost as to what was happening–but not always in a good sense。 And in retrospect， I should have loved this book。 And in some ways I did。 I’m a sucker for gothic thrillers and dark academia-esque settings brimming with atmosphere and creepy surroundings。 And Catherine House certainly delivered that–but what was missing was the reasoning behind this and that， the drive of a sound plot， and characters that intrigued me like they were supposed to。 This book took me a month to read， which is a long time for a 300 page book。 I loved the writing， but I considered DNFing so many times， because often I wondered why I was supposed to keep reading。 The scenes were set up beautifully and dripping with dust and jasmine tea and sex and honey and decay， but there was often no substance in the narratives between the characters， and few moments that led to concrete answers in the text。 Many readers did not like Ines， but I did。 Needless to say， she wasn’t always likeable。 But in some ways she did remind me of my younger self， when I was often dumb and more easily caught up in things unhealthy for me。 Something about her made the book more interesting for me， and I have seen many readers connect to Catherine House （and Ines in particular） because it reminded them of their own struggle with depression。 I myself connected in that manner， but there was simply not enough of a cohesive plot to warrant a higher rating from me。 I wanted MORE。 More answers on plasm， more character building and background， more of the history behind Catherine and its inhabitants。 I was certainly sucked into the atmosphere however， and that’s where the stars come from。 That， and Ines and my connection to her story from a personal sense。 But for all my issues with this book it is still on my mind even upon completion。 The house， inside and out。 The way it grips you。 Her dusted corridors and secret nooks filled with yellowing books and tea trays and drunken students and mysterious labs and lovers and liars and deceit and darkness。 Perhaps I too am lost there。 。。。more
Shayna Sewell
，
3* I really liked parts of this and felt other parts were not for me。 What I really liked was the atmosphere and the way things were described， particularly the nature， setting and food （oddly seems to be a theme throughout dark academia）。 Similar to bunny， I like how the main character’s own issues cause the book to be told from a point of view that is disconnected and not in the know like some other characters may be。 I like how this affected the plot of the book and how the character’s own de 3* I really liked parts of this and felt other parts were not for me。 What I really liked was the atmosphere and the way things were described， particularly the nature， setting and food （oddly seems to be a theme throughout dark academia）。 Similar to bunny， I like how the main character’s own issues cause the book to be told from a point of view that is disconnected and not in the know like some other characters may be。 I like how this affected the plot of the book and how the character’s own depressed/negative feelings made the book quite dark。 I also enjoyed the Ines’s fleeting relationships with the other characters and certain moments she had with them especially yaya and diego。 What I didn’t enjoy was the plot and the main part of dark academia which the weird supernatural or scientific or magical things that are going on。 In this book， the weird stuff was based in science and maybe due to my own science background， it didn’t feel very mysterious。 Although the plasma stuff doesn’t exist in real life， as it was explained so much （especially quite early in the book） it felt more like a sci-fi element。 This removed some of the mysterious and tense feeling and so I didn’t enjoy the book as much。 Overall， it was okay and I think with most dark academia’s I can still enjoy them a little even if I don’t like the plot just because the atmosphere is so cool。 。。。more
mica
，
I thought this book was a really interesting read。 It really felt very muffled and soft in a creeping sort of way， and I think Thomas really captured a beautifully modern gothic horror/fairy tale/fever dream sort of vibe。 I think it's well crafted and on the whole， I thought it was pretty good。 That said， it felt a bit like this book was all soft focus， and I think I needed a few bits of clarity or sharp focus in it， and particularly its conclusion。 After finishing it， I think there are just a f I thought this book was a really interesting read。 It really felt very muffled and soft in a creeping sort of way， and I think Thomas really captured a beautifully modern gothic horror/fairy tale/fever dream sort of vibe。 I think it's well crafted and on the whole， I thought it was pretty good。 That said， it felt a bit like this book was all soft focus， and I think I needed a few bits of clarity or sharp focus in it， and particularly its conclusion。 After finishing it， I think there are just a few too many loose threads left。 I generally like it when authors respect their readers enough to leave some mystery in the conclusion， but I think there's a little too much mystery here。 。。。more
Amy
，
I love books about dark weird schools and this was so good right up until the end！ I don’t need everything tied up perfectly but I definitely wanted more from the end！
julia
，
3。5 stars。 This is a really slow book and I think this is why it took me so long to read， but I loved the atmosphere of the house and how the writing style only helps that。
Erik Koster
，
Story in the "mysterious boarding school" genre。 It's been done a lot but this was a really good read。 I liked it。 Story in the "mysterious boarding school" genre。 It's been done a lot but this was a really good read。 I liked it。 。。。more
Emily
，
Can only describe this as incredibly mysterious but without any big mystery。 The setting hit the gothic theme right on the money， but the rest just fell flat。 The characters were distant and unknowable， which could’ve worked for me if there was something to unravel。 If you go into it without expecting much plot or coming to know any of the characters， you might enjoy the ride because the writing is pretty good。
kim ！
，
RATING: 3/5Catherine House， though advertised as a dark academia novel， fell short of my expectations。 The synopsis caught my eye and I went into this thinking I’d be reading about an obsessed artist or the lengths it takes to acquire greatness。 However， I came to the realization that the synopsis was misleading as this book features none of those elements。 Catherine House is not a plot driven book， rather its an atmospheric narration of day to day life at the institution。 The mysteries of the i RATING: 3/5Catherine House， though advertised as a dark academia novel， fell short of my expectations。 The synopsis caught my eye and I went into this thinking I’d be reading about an obsessed artist or the lengths it takes to acquire greatness。 However， I came to the realization that the synopsis was misleading as this book features none of those elements。 Catherine House is not a plot driven book， rather its an atmospheric narration of day to day life at the institution。 The mysteries of the institution were compelling enough for me to want to continue and finish reading， but the ending left me with a lot of unanswered questions。 I didn’t mind the lack of a conclusion and thought it added more to the story， as it forced me to read between the lines and interpret the text for myself。 。。。more
ambyreads
，
4 stars ｡･:*˚:✧｡ I can’t stop thinking about this book。 It was so weird and I honestly still don’t understand what the point of the book was + what the heck plasm is but something in me couldn’t give it less than 4 stars。 The characters were all so weird and Ines was constantly changing as a character and I didn’t know whether to trust her as a main character。 This authors writing style is very unique it’s very “and then I did this， and I did this” but it weirdly fits with the vibe of the story。 4 stars ｡･:*˚:✧｡ I can’t stop thinking about this book。 It was so weird and I honestly still don’t understand what the point of the book was + what the heck plasm is but something in me couldn’t give it less than 4 stars。 The characters were all so weird and Ines was constantly changing as a character and I didn’t know whether to trust her as a main character。 This authors writing style is very unique it’s very “and then I did this， and I did this” but it weirdly fits with the vibe of the story。 I will definitely be reading more works from this author。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
Some of the descriptions are breathtaking， but the world-building seems incomplete。 Overall I enjoyed it。
Dani
，
3。5 rounded downAn engaging read。 The last 100 pages flew by。 I did find that something was missing for me。 I couldn't quite connect with the characters。 Ironically I connected most with Sandy。 Much of the inner workings of Catherine House also seemed forced in the name of atmosphere。 I would have also liked to understand the history of the school and the motivation of the research a bit more。 There are a few missing links that don't quite make it a satisfying read for me。 3。5 rounded downAn engaging read。 The last 100 pages flew by。 I did find that something was missing for me。 I couldn't quite connect with the characters。 Ironically I connected most with Sandy。 Much of the inner workings of Catherine House also seemed forced in the name of atmosphere。 I would have also liked to understand the history of the school and the motivation of the research a bit more。 There are a few missing links that don't quite make it a satisfying read for me。 。。。more
Jessica Martinez
，
2。5 I’m not sure where this was going， but that was not it
Amanda
，
4。5 ⭐️ I understand why this book isn’t for everyone and I completely get the criticism but wow it landed for me。 I loved it。 It was gripping and claustrophobic and just beautifully written。 I can’t wait to see what else this author does。
Andrew
，
A fascinating setting and concept with beautiful prose that is really let down by one of the least active protagonists I’ve ever read。 The book wants to be focused on one woman’s growth as a person， but it also wants to be a suspense/thriller， and it never decides to try and do both at once， instead separating out character and plot in a way that just feels slow， lopsided， and unsatisfying。 I think one strength is the ensemble of side characters， all of whom are clear and believable， and the inc A fascinating setting and concept with beautiful prose that is really let down by one of the least active protagonists I’ve ever read。 The book wants to be focused on one woman’s growth as a person， but it also wants to be a suspense/thriller， and it never decides to try and do both at once， instead separating out character and plot in a way that just feels slow， lopsided， and unsatisfying。 I think one strength is the ensemble of side characters， all of whom are clear and believable， and the incredible vibrance of the setting。 I just wish that our protagonist had been able to make something out of it all。 。。。more
Grace G
，
It was just okay。 I tore through it out of curiosity but was pretty disappointed with the ending。
Naima
，
content warnings: animal death， suicide， cults， gaslightingrepresentation: bi white MC， background gay characters， black LIi've got a lot of conflicting feelings on this one！ i was leaning towards a 4-star until the very ending， which i think is what cinched it in as three-stars。 the book does very well with creating an atmosphere and weaving this large mystery and also having a main character that's driven to seek out the truth simply for its own sake， but it just never delivers。 i would've bee content warnings: animal death， suicide， cults， gaslightingrepresentation: bi white MC， background gay characters， black LIi've got a lot of conflicting feelings on this one！ i was leaning towards a 4-star until the very ending， which i think is what cinched it in as three-stars。 the book does very well with creating an atmosphere and weaving this large mystery and also having a main character that's driven to seek out the truth simply for its own sake， but it just never delivers。 i would've been almost more content had （view spoiler）[ines decided to stay at catherine house and become part of it， as opposed to the open-ended ending where it's implied victoria has come back to get here （hide spoiler）]。 i think that this was probably an issue with the perspective- every character around ines is far more vibrant and interesting， but， just as the book describes ines as looking at everything askew， we're only really given crumbs and pieces of her and her backstory。 i was endeared to her by her interactions with other characters and the latter half of the book just starts distancing her from everyone else- i particularly hated that （view spoiler）[we never got a reveal for what 'plasm' was， what actually happened to baby， if ines and baby had some sort of psychic connection （as it seemed that sometimes they were sharing experiences）， if there was a mass brainwashing event （hide spoiler）]。 okay， so that was a lot more than i thought i didn't like about it。 i guess at the end of the day i really didn't like that it's set up as mystery and just never untangles the wire。if you liked secret history， i'd say that this does everything that secret history did better， particularly the intrigue and character interactions， but if you're looking for a book with a definitive ending， this really isn't it。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Catherine House
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Catherine House&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Catherine House&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0