Posted Friday, 6 November, 2015 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, E.B. Wheeler, Sweetwater Books, The Haunting of Springett Hall 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “The Haunting of Springett Hall” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I love a wicked good ghost story:
#HistoricalFix in October had a wicked good topic of discussion as it was centered around paranormal historical fiction, ghost stories and our genuine love of the cosier side of horror! I felt honoured I was able to attend this quarterly chat for a conversation which truly excited me beyond what words could express! In attendance were Katherine Howe, Cat Winters and Lynn Carthage (the latter of whom I interviewed when her debut novel Haunted was released!). Curiously, I ended up walking away with a copy of Haunted at the end of the evening, as the author appreciated the fact my favourite childhood toy was my Gloworm of whom was my reading companion as a child!
During the conversation, as with previous #HistoricalFix’s the tweets are lightning quick, the chatter blissfully addictive, I started to notice that I am not the only one who is bemused by ghost stories! In fact, what did surprise me is how many of us appreciate the lighter side of the genre vs the horror-esque style of modern ghost stories! Not every contemporary author writes the horror into a ghost story, but imagine my jolly surprise in finding there were other writers and readers out there who liked the same versions I did!
I happily mentioned The Haunting of Springett Hall and I believe I remembered to mention my readings of Edith Wharton’s Ghost Stories from Halloween 2014, as they became singularly memorable due to how Wharton wrote the ghosts inside her tales! I have been wanting to read more ghost stories and more PNR in particular, however, the hours slip past me in the hourglass, and another year has come and gone! Imagine!? I am hopeful by October 2016, I will have lots of lovelies to talk about inside this suspenseful genre as I do get a heap of happiness out of reading about ghosts!
Mind you, I’m a bit more scared to admit The Barter is keeping my imagination on high alert as it’s a ghost story unlike any other I’ve attempted to read! This was a curious suggestion of a book to read for Halloween and I must say, I’m still working my way through it! It’s so chillingly haunting and quite fetchingly edgy, it’s remarkable how the author managed to keep the tone introspective as her character is trying to ‘think her way’ out of the horror of keeping company with a ghost!
The beauty for me is finding stories like The Haunting of Springett Hall as I had a feeling even before I picked it up to read, this might become a seasonal favourite to re-visit due to how Wheeler pulled her story together and gave me such a wicked sweet read! Gentle spirits, innocent ghosts, expansive estates and the historical past – what is not to love about soaking inside this kind of a world where a girl realises she’s a ghost but forgets how that’s possible?
Notation on the Cover Art: Quite happily, when I first soaked inside the first chapter, the image on the cover art started to percolate inside my mind’s eye as the young girl whose become the ghost of the hour is quite aptly described as the same ghost featured on the cover! So much so, you can almost feel her discomfort of wandering around an old Victorian estate home without so much as a clue as to why she’s there and what could possibly have caused this new ‘state’ of her life.
The Haunting of Springett Hall
by E.B. Wheeler
Source: Direct from Publisher
I gasped and jerked my hand back, staring at it. Through it, really. Even when I covered my eyes, I could see the furniture on the other side of the room: a grandfather clock with its hands stopped, a mahogany side table and sofa, and a portrait draped in black.
Someone had died.
I turned my translucent hand back and forth. Yes. Someone had.
Eighteen-year-old Lucy can't remember how she became a ghost, but the more she discovers about her past, the more she wants to forget. With the help of a servant named Philip, the only living person who can see her, Lucy must find a way to erase the mistakes of her former life before it's too late.
This haunting romantic mystery takes you back in time to Victorian England. Filled with suspenseful scenes and thrilling twists - it's an impossible romance you won't be able to put down.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Published by Sweetwater Books
on 14th July, 2015
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 256
Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #HauntingOfSpringettHall, #ghoststory, #paranormal,
#PNR or #paranormalrom
About E.B. Wheeler
E.B. Wheeler grew up in Georgia and California, where she became fascinated by stories of the places around her. She studied English and history at Brigham Young University and earned an MA and MLA from Utah State University.
After several years teaching and writing about history, she decided to pursue her other dream of writing fiction. “The Haunting of Springett Hall” is her first novel. She currently lives in northern Utah with her husband, daughters, various pets, and a garden full of antique roses.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Friday, 6 November, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Castles & Estates, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Cosy Horror, Cosy Horror Suspense, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Earthen Magic, Folklore and Mythology, Ghost Story, Ghosts & the Supernatural, Good vs. Evil, Gothic Literature, Gothic Mystery, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Thriller Suspense, Indie Author, Life Shift, Paranormal Romance, Parapsychological Suspense, Psychological Suspense, Shapeshifters, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, the Victorian era
Posted Tuesday, 31 March, 2015 by jorielov Berni Stevens, ChocLitUK, Dance Until Dawn, Immortals of London, The London Vampire Chronicles 40 Comments
{ A Special #ChocLitSaturdays on my 2nd Blogoversary! }
Acquired Book By:
I am a ChocLit reviewer who receives books of my choice in exchange for honest reviews! I received a complimentary copy of “Dance Until Dawn” from ChocLit via IPM (International Publisher’s Marketing) in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Growing up with Buffy & Angel:
I met my first vampire when I was thirteen whilst on holiday in New Orleans as I watched the motion picture “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. Perry I knew from 90210 as most of us who grew up in the 1980/90s were an appreciator of the series; however, Swanson was new to me then, but would later re-appear in another favourite series “Early Edition”. My parents had a meeting they were attending in the city, so I vegged out seeing Buffy whilst consuming copious amounts of bread pudding; courtesy of ‘room service’. This first introduction led me to the tv series spin-off lateron, wherein I would come to feel attached to both Buffy and Angel respectively. For me, the appeal of the tv series faded when Angel left, which is why I said ‘good-bye’ to Sunnydale and hallo to Los Angeles!
Along the way, I have contemplated reading works of vampire fiction, as my best friend in high school had an affinity for them, yet personally I couldn’t get the appeal myself. I respected Anne Rice as a writer and researcher, but as far as soaking inside one of her novels? I fear I side-stepped the notion because I had a feeling based on what my friend disclosed to me, I would have a very difficult time appreciating the narrative as a whole. Other vampire works would come up in conversation, but I sided with my joy in watching the tv serials, until of course, Angel left my interest too by jumping the rails on story-lines and believability. A bit quirky perhaps that the ‘believability’ was an issue for me, but it was!
I settled into Gothic Lit and Southern Gothic Lit as a gateway into psychological suspense and Gothic settings of atmospheric intrigue as a way to encompass what I was attracted too without going full throttle down a rabbit hole I might not enjoy visiting. Strangely, it is within these realms of literature I found sure footing and have continued to find myself attracted to books published fitting under one or both of these card catalogue headings.
One novel stands out to me as being potentially a ‘vampire’ novel except to say, I have only read the first several chapters of it and am uncertain where it’s leading me in the end; this would be “The Accursed” by Joyce Carol Oates. When I first discovered this novel from my local library I cannot even properly recollect the joy in devouring her narrative voice and the gutting suspense of ‘wondering’ what was truly going on. Thus, if you have read this novel, do not spoilt for me!
On my connection to Ms Stevens:
Similar to my previous thoughts I shared about Ms Courtenay, Ms Harris, and Ms Gover, I have come to appreciate chatting with Ms Stevens, either through #ChocLitSaturday chats or privately. We have been lightly talking about Gothic Lit and Vampire fiction since I first attempted to read Dance Until Dawn during Horror October 2014! I must say, it was through these conversations I garnished a newfound respect for Gothic Lit and even started to form a curiosity about reading Dracula as I had previously felt the novel was something completely different than it is! I find conversations like these quite the blessing, because you get to find like-minded persons who share your interests whilst endeavouring to expand your horizons in literature at the same time!
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Stevens through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse whilst I host #ChocLitSaturday the chat as well as privately; I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.
Dance Until Dawn
Do you Believe in Love After Life?
At twenty-two, West-End dancer, Ellie Wakefield should be having the time of her life. The only problem is, since waking up in a three-hundred-year-old vampire’s leaky cellar, Ellie’s been very much dead. And to make matters worse, she’s found that an aversion to blood and a fear of the dark aren’t very helpful – especially when you’re a fledgling vampire.
William James Austen has fallen hard. He’s spent the last year loving Ellie from afar and now he’s finally able to be truthful about who and what he is. As the most powerful vampire in London, he’s used to getting what he wants. But this time, Will might just have bitten off more than he can chew.
*originally published as Fledging in 2011
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Series: The London Vampire Chronicles, Immortals of London
Also in this series: Revenge is Sweet Cover Reveal
on 7th April, 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 356
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)
Will Austen has his own Twitter! (@austen_will)
Read updates on the London Vampire Chronicles Blog!
Formats Available: Paperback & Ebook
Converse via: #ChocLit, #DanceUntilDawn OR #LondonVampireChronicles
About Berni Stevens
Berni Stevens lives in a four-hundred-year-old cottage in Hertfordshire, England, with her husband, son and black cat. She trained in graphic design and has worked as a book cover designer for more than twenty years.
Books and art remain her passion, and her love of the paranormal began when she first read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, aged fourteen. She is now on both the committee and the book panel of the Dracula Society, a society for fans of gothic literature and film.
Berni has had several short stories published, and her first novel, Fledgling, – a paranormal romance – was published in the US. This is Berni’s debut novel with Choc Lit and the first in a series of three.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Posted Tuesday, 31 March, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, Blog Birthdays & Blogoversaries, Blog Tour Host, Book Trailer, Bookish Discussions, Bookish Films, Castles & Estates, Cemeteries & Graveyards, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Diary Accountment of Life, Domestic Violence, England, Fantasy Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Fly in the Ointment, Geographically Specific, Gothic Literature, Gothic Mystery, Gothic Romance, Indie Author, Inspiring Video Related to Content, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Life Shift, Modern Day, Paranormal Romance, Parapsychological Gifts, Romance Fiction, Singletons & Commitment, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Vampire Romance, Vampires, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Monday, 9 March, 2015 by jorielov Haunted, Kensington Publishing Corp., Lynn Carthage, The Arnaud Legacy series 10 Comments
Originally, when I first caught sight of the Haunted blog tour being adverted as an upcoming event this Spring 2015, there was a strong draw for me to want to participate on it! After all, I have shared my first review on reading ghost stories (The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton), joined my first Horror October, expressed why I’m a Cosy Horror Girl, shared my top favourite Classic Horror Motion Pictures, and compiled a list of book series which are definitely bent towards the paranormal! As you will see from those previous blog posts I’ve written, there are aspects of the Horror genre I never quite realised I was enthralled with myself, as I always felt I was living outside the genre completely! Sometimes it takes an event like Horror October hosted by the girls @ Oh, the Books! to set your mind straight! Laughs.
Instinctively, I hopped on Twitter to see if Ms Carthage was online (not that instant, but in general!), as I have come to appreciate finding authors I am keen on reading are participating in reader to author connections via Twitter; as it allows the readers (such as I) to ask pertinent questions which might arise out of reading a book synopsis or an excerpt (if one is available). What followed was a happenstance conversation, where a reader enjoyed getting to know an author outside the scope of being able to read the novel! I asked a few direct questions, as I was a bit on the fence as whether or not I could read this novel as it might take me too far outside my comfort zones along the lines of what is seen or unseen in the novel itself.
I’m definitely *the Cosy Horror Girl* at heart, as I have to weigh what I want to read with what I can handle as I have a sensitive heart. Always feeling being honest about this upfront is best, I did share my concerns, and as we talked a bit more about Haunted and our personal likes in books, I decided I truly felt I would love to interview Ms Carthage in lieu of reading the book for her blog tour! The elements of the paranormal within the series is still keenly intriguing to me, and there was a heap about the setting and atmosphere she stitched into it which lit my imagination aflame with curiosity!
The book cover art alone has all the lovely bits I appreciate about what can be considered an epic Gothic suspense, as you have the house barely seen through the misty fog, the young protagonist’s field of vision not focused on what is in front of her but what is unseen to the side, and the colour dimensions give it a purely haunting feel, encouraging your will to want to read this in order to see where the layers enfold and retreat from what is visually representative in the art itself!
Therefore, I am quite happy to bring to you, dear hearts, the conversation I pulled together out of inspiration from our original twitterverse convo intermixed with bits and bobbles I discovered about her book series whilst composing my thoughts on this interview! I hope you enjoy the conversation!
Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Irving has traded life in San Francisco for her stepfather’s ancestral mansion in rural England. It’s supposed to be the new start her family needs. But from the moment she crosses the threshold into the ancient estate, Phoebe senses something ominous. Then again, she’s a little sensitive lately—not surprising when her parents are oblivious to her, her old life is six thousand miles away, and the only guy around is completely gorgeous but giving her mixed messages.
But at least Miles doesn’t laugh at Phoebe’s growing fears. And she can trust him…maybe. The locals whisper about the manor’s infamous original owner, Madame Arnaud, and tell grim stories of missing children and vengeful spirits. Phoebe is determined to protect her loved ones—especially her little sister, Tabby. But even amidst the manor’s dark shadows, the deepest mysteries may involve Phoebe herself…
Public Library | Add to Riffle
Published By: Kensington Publishing Corp. (), 24.Feb.2015
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book | Page Count: 288
Converse on Twitter via: #HauntedBlogTour & #arnaudlegacy
What originally drew you into the world of *Haunted*, where reality and the unseen co-reside together!?
Carthage responds: I actually had a nightmare! The book began as my trying to craft a coherent storyline around a few scary details from the dream.
I give you a lot of respect for being able to pull together a series based off of a nightmare! I can foresee being able to shape a dream into a novel, but a nightmare!? Goodness! You remind me of M. Night Shyamalan who was able to take nightmares and fuse them into thought-provoking works of motion pictures! Read More
Posted Monday, 9 March, 2015 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Junkie Promotions, British Literature, Castles & Estates, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Debut Novel, England, Ghosts & the Supernatural, Good vs. Evil, Gothic Literature, Gothic Mystery, Haunting & Ethereal, Indie Author, Parapsychological Gifts, Parapsychological Suspense, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Sisters & the Bond Between Them, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense, YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal &/or Paranormal Romance, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Thursday, 5 March, 2015 by jorielov Daughters of Hampshire, Howard Books, Lady Darby Mysteries, Mist of Midnight, Sandra Byrd, Simon & Schuster 0 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was contacted by the author’s (Sandra Byrd) CBA Tour Coordinator (Renee Chaw) back in November, 2014 about the possibility of receiving “Mist of Midnight” in exchange for an honest review which would be included on Ms Byrd’s official blog tour for it’s March release! I was beyond delighted at having been approached by her and readily agreed. As I have a non-giveaway policy for Jorie Loves A Story, this blog tour stop is not hosting the tour giveaway, but rather is solely a book review of the novel which is posted whilst the official tour is going on. I received my complimentary ARC copy of Mist of Midnight direct from Howard Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. In December 2014, I received the press materials from her publicist Ms Chaw. I am thankful for this wonderful opportunity, not only to read my first novel by Ms Byrd but to host my first blog tour book review for Howard Books! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Intrigued to Read:
I unequivocally can declare when it comes to Gothic Lit & the Historical Fiction side of literature, I am unabashedly intrigued by each new story and author I stumble across! Imagine my good cheer in finding an author had found me for her blog tour? I hadn’t realised it at the time, but Ms Byrd has been on my TBR for awhile now, as I had to remind myself I had spied her Ladies in Waiting series previously!
When it comes to Gothic Lit, the reason I am caught instinctively inside the pages of stories which befall this category is because I have a passionate affection for ‘psychological suspense’ and most of what I enjoy reading within this realm of plausibility curates this experience for me! I have a penchant for the Victorian era of which I believe might be deduced by my literary wanderings time after time; however, it’s this wicked joy I have bubbling up inside me when I know I am about to plunder inside an enriched atmospheric novel I find the most inspiring! As well noted by now throughout my blog, I’m a hybrid reader (dancing through genres of literature between mainstream & INSPY markets) and I cannot even properly express how wicked happy I was to discover Mist of Midnight!
I have recently read a re-telling of Jane Eyre, entitled: Keeping Kate on behalf of a blog tour for Cedar Fort Publishing & Media; this on the footheels of having learnt there was a readalong for Jane Eyre! Mind you, my unhealthy time consumption in February solely focused on technical malfunctions and ISP unknown tech issues caused my blogging life to be put on hold for most of the month; notwithstanding, I simply lost too many hours within my personal life outside of this blog to soak inside even one book more than I managed to feature within the month just extinguished from view. I still fully intend to read Jane Eyre and go back through the readalong posts, however, sadly it was ill-fated for me to participate as a whole. Thrice this has happened to me, where I had sought out a RAL for Charlotte Bronté’s classic tale, yet it did not stop me from absorbing myself straight into Keeping Kate!
Bringing me round to what I wanted to share, as I have slated in my mind and gathered a bit of my intentions of what to read next on my tCC List in direct reflection to this curiously addictive focus I have on Gothic Lit! What comes to mind after I muse about Eyre, is how in earnest I attempted to borrow and consume the narrative within the pages of The Distant Hours by Kate Morton or even The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates; two novels continuously whetting my palette with hearty intrigue.
Now when it comes to ‘inheritance stories’ I must confess, I have a particular interest in them because they bring a swirl of excitement to central focus within the heart of where the story leads us to go as the lead character is nearly always at odds in these situations with an interloper! Someone who either has a hardened heart turnt black and whose ill will seeks to cause them extreme duress if not personal harm, has a shadowy allure to soak into your imagination due to the very nature of what pulls this context forward! You start to gather the facts inside your own mind, weigh and counterbalance what is perceived against what is known (as so oft-times the writer holds the reader in the dark and/or gives only ‘just so’ much information to leave the climax plausibly aloof) and hold a firm grasp on your emotional heart as the drama surrounding the entire tale will leave you up late into the night wicking at the flames of a candle!
Yes, I must confess, when it comes to seeking stories — the ones of which give me a hitch of wicked joy are the ones shrouded in suspense with the framework of a relationship that may or may not yield in romantic overtures. The mystery itself is well worth the wait to see how everything unfolds! With haste and felicity, I took up the pages of Mist of Midnight! Top cheers to Ms Byrd for allowing us the grace of seeing this is only one installment of a new series yet to bewitch us wholly and true!
Mist of Midnight
In the first of a brand-new series set in Victorian England, a young woman returns home from India after the death of her family to discover her identity and inheritance are challenged by the man who holds her future in his hands.
Rebecca Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries, spent most of her life in India. Following the death of her family in the Indian Mutiny, Rebecca returns to claim her family estate in Hampshire, England. Upon her return, people are surprised to see her...and highly suspicious. Less than a year earlier, an imposter had arrived with an Indian servant and assumed not only Rebecca's name, but her home and incomes.
That pretender died within months of her arrival; the servant fled to London as the young woman was hastily buried at midnight. The locals believe that perhaps she, Rebecca, is the real imposter. Her home and her father's investments reverted to a distant relative, the darkly charming Captain Luke Whitfield, who quickly took over. Against her best intentions, Rebecca begins to fall in love with Luke, but she is forced to question his motives—does he love her or does he just want Headbourne House? If Luke is simply after the property, as everyone suspects, will she suffer a similar fate as the first “Rebecca”?
A captivating Gothic love story set against a backdrop of intrigue and danger, Mist of Midnight will leave you breathless.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Series: Daughters of Hampshire,
on 10th March, 2015
Pages: 384
Published By: Howard Books (@Howard_Books)
(an imprint of Simon & Schuster: )
Available Formats: Hardback & E-Book
Converse on Twitter: #MistOFMidnight
About Sandra Byrd
Sandra Byrd is a best-selling author and has earned Library Journal's Best Books of the year pick twice, in 2011 for To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, and in 2012 for The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr. She's twice been a Christy Award finalist, for To Die For and for Let Them Eat Cake: A Novel. Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I published April 2013
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Posted Thursday, 5 March, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, British Literature, Castles & Estates, Cemeteries & Graveyards, Clever Turns of Phrase, Death of a Sibling, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, England, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Genre-bender, Gothic Literature, Gothic Mystery, Gothic Romance, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Romance, Historical Thriller Suspense, India, Inheritance & Identity, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Life Shift, Literature of India, Lyrical Quotations, Military Fiction, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Orphans & Guardians, Passionate Researcher, Philosophical Intuitiveness, Singletons & Commitment, Suspense, the Victorian era, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, World Religions
Posted Tuesday, 28 October, 2014 by jorielov Charles Scribner's Sons, Edith Wharton, The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton 2 Comments
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton
Borrowed Book By:
After I compiled my reading list for Horror October (of which I blogged about on my post about being a Cosy Horror Girl), I knew that I wanted to borrow this particular collection from my local library. The best resource I have always enjoyed in my life are local libraries, as they have a beautiful outreach for materials outside their collection through the ILL services they provide with other libraries. (I shorten “inter-library loan” to ILL) In my particular case, my local library is part of a consortium of libraries from a portion of the libraries within my state. This means that I can draw books out of collections from larger cities as well as from University libraries. I borrowed “The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton” and elected to blog my ruminations without any obligation to do so. The hardback edition arrived to me via a Community College library within the consortium via ILL.
Encouraged to Read By:
This was one of the novels that was compiled on the List I asked (Mr.) Gregory Fisher @ Riffle Horror to curate for me as a way for me to seek out the cosier side of the Horror genre. I have always had a pure fascination for ghost stories, as there is always such a curious route the individual writer can take as they yield to the supernatural and the presence of each ghost they bring to life on the written page. I personally have a preference for spunky & cheeky ghosts as much as spirits of the recently deceased who are in seek of help from living persons who can either aide them towards finding peace, redemption, and/or justice as a way to transition forward in peace. (I spoke more about this on my review of Lost in Thought)
I have been wanting to read more Classics since 2014 began, as I had all these wicked happy ideas of where I could soak inside the works of the writers’ who not only championed the cause for well-written fiction but who were dedicated to the craft of writing in such a way as to illicit immediate respect and admiration. When I was finally able to join tCC (the Classics Club : my List), I thought for sure each month I’d be reading at least two classic novels! Clearly my year did not pan out as I had forethought it would but that doesn’t discount the fact I knew during Horror October I could finally introduce myself to the writing style of Edith Wharton! As Wharton is already listed on my Classics TBR List due to my interactions with an after canon author during a 2013 blog tour!
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton
by Edith Wharton
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Laszlo Kubinyi
Source: Borrowed from local library
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton are a collection of Gothic Literature Shorts set around the parapsychological phenomenon of hauntings by way of ghosts & spirits who are attached to either physical properties, (i.e. houses) or living persons of whom the ghostly spirit has found an attachment. Each of the short stories transcends what is popularly disbelieved and unwilling to become accepted as bonefide fact that there are experiences past our vision of acceptance where the supernatural lies just outside the stretch of the living soul's observational mirror.
The setting of choice for Wharton to place these stories was inside three distinctly different locales: England, Normandy, & America. Her preference was for the inclusion of a family estate to be the central focus of where her characters not only interacted with the ghosts but where the action of the story itself takes place.
Illustrative plates are included per short story to help the reader fuse directly into the heart of where Wharton hoped to take her readers with the vision of the supernatural she wished to convey.
The following short stories are included in this collection:
- The Lady's Maid Bell
- The Eyes
- Afterward
- Kerfol
- The Triumph of the Night
- Miss Mary Pash
- Bewitched
- Mr. Jones
- Pomegrante Seed
- The Looking Glass
- All Souls'
Other Works by Wharton listed inside the collection are:
- The Moose Marathon
- The Mudslipper (Children's Lit)
- Mistress & Other Creative Takeoffs (Short Stories)
with Desmond Sim & Kwan Loh
This summary of a synopsis was written & composed by Jorie @ Jorie Loves A Story.
Genres: Anthology Collection of Short Stories and/or Essays, Ghost Story, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Suspense
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Published by Charles Scribner's Sons
on 1973
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 276
Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Tuesday, 28 October, 2014 by jorielov in #HorrorOctober, 19th Century, Anthology Collection of Stories, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Discussions, British Literature, Classic Mystery, Classical Literature, Clever Turns of Phrase, Cliffhanger Ending, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, England, Ghost Story, Ghosts & the Supernatural, Gothic Literature, Gothic Mystery, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Library Find, Literary Fiction, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Mental Health, Motion Picture Adaptation, Parapsychological Suspense, Philosophical Intuitiveness, Reading Challenges, Short Stories or Essays, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense, tCC The Classics Club, the Victorian era, Writing Style & Voice
