Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. The noir classic follows Detective Tom Shawn on his nightly walk along the river which is interrupted when he follows a trial of money on the ground leading to a woman attempting suicide. After saving her life, he is drawn into her story. She tells him of a clairvoyant man that has recently predicted many strange and extreme events with stunning accuracy, and has now ensured the death of her father, with whom she is incredibly close.

The man predicts that he will die in the coming days after a deadly encounter with a lion. These odd circumstances lead Detective Tom Shawn to believe there may be foul play involved and puts his best men on the case. Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich 4 December — 25 September is one of America's best crime and noir writers, and sometimes wrote under the pseudonyms William Irish or George Hopley. It is a bravura example of a writer anticipating what his reader wants, and holding it tantalizingly out of reach But upon finishing the novel, the reader will inevitably realize that the characters in "Night Has a Thousand Eyes" have no free will at all.

Everything is preordained, and human beings are trapped in this master plan. The thousand star-eyes of the title look down on us, mercilessly and aloof. No wonder poor Jean Reid can't bear to look at them. Woolrich's vision of a relentless, bleak and deterministic universe turns out to be a pretty horrifying thing after all! View all 3 comments. Will, volition, was like a flickering candle flame going out in all that darkness, going lower, lower, lower, guttering to an end.

Leaving the eternal, rayless night of fatalism, of predestination, to suffocate us, herself and me alike. Woolrich extends the beautifully poetic scenery and introspection to build tension coiled tight, the words like springs ready to snap, threatening to turn the mood from nervous apprehension to realised horror. Woolrich does noir as it should be done. The characters of 'Night Has a Thousand Eyes' are depressing, self serving, and in need of misery for company. Despite Jean Reid's care for her father, whose death is foretold, her sense of belonging and personal grief, the 'what-if's' of a life alone, shadow the immediate threat to her father's life.

Even the most optimistic of Woolrich's characters fall into a common shade of gray. This works very well for the theme of the novel where death is a but a clocks tick away, each sun up and sun down is one less fore a determined reaper is coming. Jean, and the police, are equally helpless to intervene. The agent for Tompkins' vision, Eileen, the Reid's housemaid, who conveyed the vision to Jean is treated in a fashion which is undeserving yet right for the tone of the novel.


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The do-gooder punished for her open heart. Woolrich delivers contrasting emotions depicted through light — a shining, sparkling wineglass; the reflected warmth radiating against the owners hand, the rays caressing his face as he extends the glass closer to his lips. Sunlight dancing through netted curtain, a clear blue sky unstained by cloud envelopes the character in a golden mist.

Night Has a Thousand Eyes

The polar opposite drenching Jean in a vale of water streaming through a black night, tears and rain cascading down long gone make-up, the vision is a sad clown with little prospect for smiles. My interpretation of the mood and the delivery by which Woolrich depicts the contrasting and at time conflicting emotions were the highlight of the novel. Despite best intentions, the novel was always going to head in one direction.

Encompasing elements of the police procedural, albeit somewhat unorthodox, Woolrich attempted to diversify the counting clock linear plot only to detract from the awkward relationship and interesting unravel of Mr. Reid as he waited for death. Into the lions den, death in a literal or figurative sense is to be served by one of the worlds fiercest hunters.

Can Jean save her father and change fate? Will the words of a faded man prove true or do little more than to kill Jean's father one minute at a time? Read 'Night Has a Thousand Eyes' to find out. This had an intriguing concept -- about a newly-acquainted man and woman attempting to change the hand that fate has dealt them, even though every move they make further ensures that preordained fate -- but is unfortunately let down by overly-wordy narration that sucks any potential for suspense right out of the story.

Much of the novel is told from one person to another in a coffee shop, yet is so descriptive and with such perfect recall about every minute, trivial detail, that my suspension of This had an intriguing concept -- about a newly-acquainted man and woman attempting to change the hand that fate has dealt them, even though every move they make further ensures that preordained fate -- but is unfortunately let down by overly-wordy narration that sucks any potential for suspense right out of the story.

Much of the novel is told from one person to another in a coffee shop, yet is so descriptive and with such perfect recall about every minute, trivial detail, that my suspension of disbelief was broken multiple times.

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There were a few suspenseful moments that crossed over into supernatural horror territory, which I liked, and the exploration of free will vs. I do wish that more writers of the 40s and 50s had been willing to combine noir or hardboiled elements with horror the underrated John Franklin Bardin is the only one I can think of , as I'd like to read more in this vein, even if this one wasn't entirely successful for me. She dismisses the idea as someone who has devious aspirations and fires the maid.

Over time however, the idea takes hold of her as doubt in her logic creeps in and she becomes frantic. The daughter is determined to find out who made the prediction, why was she told and why her father?


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The police get involved, although no real law was broken, to determine if there is something criminal in the works. The predictions of various natures are told, some favorable, until the ultimate fortune is told no one wants to be hear: There is a con man working his trade, but what about the predictions? Fabricated to complete the con game? You need to read this and come to your own comclusions. The characters are believable, the setting is fine and the stroy was unique and had promise.

However, the novel could have been much better by reducing the lengthy detail leading up to the final crisis. I ended up having to fast forward ahead to get through the monotonous repetition. Lontane e impenetrabili Il romanzo del di Cornell Woolrich ha un titolo davvero suggestivo: Quali sono gli occhi con cui la notte ci scruta? Chi ci guarda attraverso le stelle? A tali domande cerca di dare risposta la squadra investigativa che decide di smascherare quella che sembra essere una sensazionale truffa ai danni di un uomo molto ricco e della sua famiglia.

Non gli piace intrattenersi in una birreria con i colleghi a fine turno. A lui piace camminare lungo il fiume e fantasticare sulla sua vita, mentre ammira le stelle, sue uniche compagne nei momenti di solitudine e riflessione. E con lui forse anche il lettore. Sep 20, Tony rated it really liked it Shelves: Cornell Woolrich writing as George Hopley. This is the most thrilling novel I have yet read by Woolrich.

I have to admit that he could have used the help of an editor in cutting down on lots of his tangents, but in spite of the novel being over-long, it still managed to grip me — the reader. It involves a reluctant prophet, who would rather not have his abilities known to the rest of the world, since his forecasts always seemed to manage to get him and his customers into trouble. Jean Reid is one of his unfortunate victims. She has learned through one of her housekeepers that the prophet has predicted that her father will die on a specific date and time — ravaged by a lion.

OK — so stay away from lions. It seems that the objects of predictions have no other choice according to the prophet. If he tells them one thing, it is bound to happen. Enter a young detective who manages to prevent the daughter from committing suicide by jumping off a bridge. He soon gets involved with the prophet and the people around him in an effort to convince her father that all of the prophesies are untrue.

Unfortunately, many actually, all of the minor prophesies about her father turn out to occur, just as predicted. Racing against time, the detective and the daughter must find a way to debunk the prophet and bring her father back to the world of the sane.

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Sep 14, Antonius Block added it Shelves: The plot involves an aristocratic father and daughter who come in contact with a man who convinces them he can see the future, something the father turns to his financial advantage until one day being informed that he will die in a few weeks time, at the stroke of midnight, at the jaws of a lion. Convinced without a doubt that the information is true, and moreover that he is helpless to prevent it, he disintegrates into a doom-ridden, despondent, emaciated ghost of his former self, surrounding himself with ticking clocks that he watches with hypnotic intensity as he waits out the remainder of his waking nightmare of a life.

If the novel were told from his perspective, it would approach the type of dread that marks I Married a Dead Man , but instead it switches between a number of different perspectives, as the police get wind of the situation and are skeptical that something criminal is brewing instead, and the result is a book that is half doom-ridden noir and half police procedural.

In some respects the switching between perspectives that increases with greater speed as the dreaded hour nears mirrors the sense of being watched by thousands of omniscient eyes, though the main purpose is to prolong the ambiguity of whether this man really can see the future or if he is just a brilliant charlatan. Written before his two greatest works, Rendezvous in Black and I Married a Dead Man , Night Has Eyes feels like a slightly experimental novel, as its structure begins with a long, descriptive first-person flashback that later shifts to a series of briefer third-person snippets from the present.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Woolrich's meditation on predestination and determinism disguised as a suspense novel, are a bit too melodramatic and drawn out for my taste. Both the plot, the usual Woolrich tangle of unlikely coincidences, and the behavior of the characters need too strong a dose of unbelief to hold water.

In my opinion this would have been better as a shorter work. Woolrich is still the master of character and metaphor but his characters are just too extreme in type to hold our attention. The ending is almos Woolrich's meditation on predestination and determinism disguised as a suspense novel, are a bit too melodramatic and drawn out for my taste. The ending is almost predictable being one of about four possible set out by the author. I think the one chosen was planted too early to really keep holding our suspense. In addition Reid has become such a pathetic and empty character by this time that we don't really care how he goes, just that he goes, the alternative being too anticlimactic.

The fact that after all the trouble the protagonists go to in other avenues to prevent Reid's early demise, the other obvious ones that haven't already been removed stretches the reader's credulity. The apparently clairvoyant Thompkins, even given his short stage time, remains the most enigmatic and interesting character in the novel. He is played by the outstanding and superbly cast Edward G. Robinson in the film adaptation. This novel did have a very cinematic feel and I highly recommend the movie based on it. Not characteristic of Woolrich's better work which is usually as weird but not so drawn out, these being more akin to more tightly plotted short shocks.

Nov 20, Chris Becker rated it really liked it. I've loved Woolrich for decades. Then I found several of his books at a used book store and I loved his work right away. Woolrich was not always the greatest writer Before there was film noir, there was the "roman noir," French I've loved Woolrich for decades.

Before there was film noir, there was the "roman noir," French for Black Novel, and those were named as such because of Woolrich's use of the word "Black: Night Has a Thousand Eyes is a superb noir novel, filled with Woolrich's amazing sense of doomed predestination. If you love noir like I do, this is one of the touchstone source novels. Dec 04, Donna rated it liked it Shelves: This book was an odd little story. It started off so strong. I enjoyed the plight of the characters.

But somewhere in the middle the momentum stalled and then the rambling began. I was wondering what happened. I wish the initial momentum could have been sustained. I still wanted to see how things got wrapped up. It was predictable, but still an interesting read. A fascinating and beautifully written story about fate, paranoia and fear of death that features some truly cinematic imagery.

What struck me in particular is Woolrich's masterful ability to communicate a character's state of mind through spot-on descriptions of body language. May 04, David rated it really liked it. This is my second go with Woolrich after 'Rendezvous in Black' and I suspect what Raymond Chandler said of him may be true: The description given here of this novel is not accurate. The psychic in this story is not a con man. Rather, he is a pitifully humble This is my second go with Woolrich after 'Rendezvous in Black' and I suspect what Raymond Chandler said of him may be true: Rather, he is a pitifully humble fellow seemingly cursed at birth with a 'gift' As he grows into a man, he has more and more reasons to stay away from people and keep to himself.

The thing is, a few people know of his ability and occasionally word gets around As this story unfolds, he falls into the lives of a couple of skeptics - and the twisted tale of their acquaintance begins. The first third of this novel is by far the best part. It's tense, full of question marks, and the suspense involved is milked to the max. This section also contains a few delicious surprises. Ultimately he is - especially at the conclusion - but the way there can sometimes be irksome.

Woolrich has been criticized for his writing style - but it's best to remind yourself that he deals in heightened realities. If the writing - and especially the dialogue - were always completely realistic, it's likely that that would not serve the purpose of the author's intent. He means to whip you into a frenzy and that's where Woolrich, 'warts and all', succeeds even if this novel in particular can seem slightly over-written. Woolrich has more on his mind here than suspense. He has much to say about the nature of belief, as well as the nature of flat-out doubting everything that is not believable in practical terms.

He also delves into the pitfalls of being rich and pompous. I rather enjoyed the novel's wrap-up; it helps in making everything much more of a logical piece. Jan 12, Chris Beckett rated it it was ok. Starts off tremendously well, but once the direction of the plot is established it mostly just spins its wheels and spends a ridiculous amount of time describing the spinning.

Dramatically it makes no sense for anything to really happen before a certain time of a certain day so there is virtually no suspense. There is some nice noir-ish depiction of predestination vs free will and of someone giving up the will to live once informed that he is to die, but too much time is given A disappointment. There is some nice noir-ish depiction of predestination vs free will and of someone giving up the will to live once informed that he is to die, but too much time is given over to irrelevant detail, especially during the police's attempts to get to the bottom of things.

I'll still keep reading Woolrich because this is the only misfire of his work that I've read so far. May 22, Pop Bop rated it really liked it Shelves: All of the strands of the plot, all of the characters, all of the previous hints and developments move inexorably and mercilessly to the midnight hour and to the resolution of the characters' fates. This isn't horror, exactly. It isn't crime, precisely. It is fate and dread and despair in the night, beneath the unblinking stars. Woolrich practically invented this style, and this book is one of his finest crea Relentless Tension - A Bleak Tale of Despair and Dread The operative word here is dread.

Woolrich practically invented this style, and this book is one of his finest creations. Arguably included with Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Raymond Chandler as one of the best American crime writers of the 30's and 40's, Woolrich today is hardly known by name except by readers familiar with the crime genre and with writers of that period.

This despite the fact that more film noir screenplays were adapted from Woolrich novels and short stories than from any other crime novelist. Heck, the Hitchcock version of "Rear Window" is as classic as film gets. Also a Woolrich novel. In his personal life Woolrich was a tortured soul, and that certainly comes through in his work.

In addition to the plot, which is described well by others, you get some fine writing. Opinions differ on whether Woolrich's greatest strength was his plotting or his style, but there is no denying that in addition to setting an extended scene, he could turn a phrase. Reviews always include a favorite line or two, and it's always a different one. Here's an example; his description of an incidental character - "She was As though she'd been fused in a crucible of hate, and all the soft parts smelted away. Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book. Ossessionante - Come lottare contro il destino? Supponiamo che il nostro Harlan creda fermame Ossessionante - Come lottare contro il destino? Il tempo che scorre, inesorabile