An absolutely brilliantly written story which tells the story of the marriage of Eve to Tommy Carr, and to some degree that of her sister Miriam to John Bullard. Tommy is a kind man, whereas John is a lazy bully. Miriam is always pregnant and producing children, whereas Eve has only had one child who tragically died at age three. Tommy becomes gravely ill with cancer, but then miraculously recovers overnight and goes on to be a healer to others and is faced with wonder and suspicion from the townspeople. When he accepts money for his powers he loses them, as well as his life. Miriam then sends her oldest son Arthur George to stay with Eve, and another kind man is developed. ( )

Very good insight into the nature of kindness and love. ( )

This was a fast-paced one. Like the 'Beacon' the story is set out somewhere in the UK's landscape. A family story whereas one sister (Eve) is soft and calm wheras the other (Miriam) is unhappy and feels begrudging. Their two husbands can't be more different. Miriam's husband is a real lazybones whereas Eve's Tommy is a very kind and helpful person. Tommy got seriously ill and with 'paranormal' luck got healthy. With this health he is able to heal other people, but he would never do it for money. He sense that with taking money for his preternatural he will lose this power. ( )

Review from Badelynge
I read my first Susan Hill book back in the dim, misty past of my college days. Nestled in my English Lit reading list amongst Thomas Hardy, T.S.Eliot, G.B.Shaw, Grahame Greene etc was I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill. To an 18 year old who was more used to reading wall to wall epic fantasy and sci-fi I found Hill's writing the most accessible, though I admit it wasn't until a much later reread that I really appreciated the sheer depth and truth of her writing. Although A kind Man doesn't hit the heights of her earlier works it is as ever a very emotive read. This short book initially seems to be a somewhat prosaic story, set in a northern mill town during a hard depression, about the life paths of two sisters and the petty resentments that follow. One sister, Mirriam, marries a selfish and inconsiderate man, the other, Eve, marries the titular kind man, Tommy Carr, as selfless and giving a man as it 's possible to know. Mirriam can't stop having children, all boys, and Eve struggles to conceive at all. Eventually she has a single girl. From early on in the narrative, Hill generates a sense of anxiety, which is very subtly felt at first, but as the story advances and tragedy strikes, this anxiety slowly increases. What happens next is totally unexpected and far from prosaic. It's Hill's skill in engendering empathy from the reader for her characters that draws the reader in, making you worry for them and pre-empt their decisions. Essentially the book is a parable about love and kindness in a world that seems to be forgetting their value in a self made hell of drudgery and selfishness. ( )

I loved this little book. The depictions of love, loss and consequences are depicted with care and attention to detail. I found myself moved to tears by the storyline.

Susan Hill has a rare gift of being able to "paint" a tale using few words and I highly recommend this novella. ( )