In 1951 Steve Clark accepts a teaching job in a one-room school in the Missouri Ozarks and moves with his pregnant wife Lacey to the colorful backwoods community of Indian Glade. There they are surrounded by Ozark characters who are absorbed with old customs and beliefs and school children who speak in Elizabethan terms. The Clarks move into what they consider an ideal house, but are forewarned by the locals that, The last folks lived there claimed it weren t natural... Steve and Lacey encounter their unnatural inhabitant and attempt to unravel the mystery of the fiddler s ghost , who becomes more lifelike as they discover his time-travel connection to music.
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"The world of literature, novels and tales is teeming with ghosts aplenty. But you never met a ghost like this one before. He's too good to be true, but to true to be make-believe" --Donald Harington - Author, recipient Oxford American Lifetime Award
"Fiddler's Ghost is the rarest of books. I could hardly put it down. It's full of suspense and plot turns. Only Mitch Jayne could write a novel with a perfect understanding of the music and dialect of the Missouri Ozarks." --Michael Patrick - Historian/Folklorist
Mitch Jayne has had love affair with the Ozarks language, people and music for more than half a century. This is reflected in his previous books Old Fish Hawk and Home Grown Stories and Home Fried Lies. His new book Fiddler s Ghost tells a wonderful story while providing a new venue for the native dialect he has so passionately worked to preserve. Set in the Ozarks (before television, gaudy tourist attractions, and big highways), Jayne creates such a memorable cast of characters, in speech and description you ll wonder if they re your neighbors or relatives. --Champ Herren - Farmington Press
"Fiddler's Ghost is the rarest of books. I could hardly put it down. It's full of suspense and plot turns. Only Mitch Jayne could write a novel with a perfect understanding of the music and dialect of the Missouri Ozarks." --Michael Patrick - Historian/Folklorist
Mitch Jayne has had love affair with the Ozarks language, people and music for more than half a century. This is reflected in his previous books Old Fish Hawk and Home Grown Stories and Home Fried Lies. His new book Fiddler s Ghost tells a wonderful story while providing a new venue for the native dialect he has so passionately worked to preserve. Set in the Ozarks (before television, gaudy tourist attractions, and big highways), Jayne creates such a memorable cast of characters, in speech and description you ll wonder if they re your neighbors or relatives. --Champ Herren - Farmington Press
About the Author
Gold Medal Winner - 2008 Independent Publisher's Association - Mid-West Region Best Fiction
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hall-of Fame Bartender says Ghost Almighty!!!,
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This review is from: Fiddler's Ghost (Paperback)
Just finished reading "Fiddler's Ghost".
Wow, amazing and splendiferous (a Mark Twain word) are not large enough descriptions for this riveting tale. Pay very serious attention if you are lucky enough to run into a ghost like this one. The descriptions of experiences of the other side, consciousness, spirituality and God are marvelously explained and balanced in the enchanting work. `Life ends but existence doesn't!' In my personal encounters with the paranormal, (example: a night spent alone in St. Louis' Union Station's tower before the shopping mall conversion) I've had some exciting feelings but nothing like this. Wouldn't mind it at all. I hadn't read a good ghost story in a long time and when asked to look at it I was expecting a `Keep the lights on at night!' sort of experience. Far, far from scary, my journey was one of love, humor and appreciation of someone who knows how to tell a damn good story. I broke out laughing in some parts. Mitch Jayne can flat out write! This is a story of how a young couple finding their way after WWII learn to accept, learn from and help a long wandering spirit. Uncle Hiram has a fierce dedication to all music old and new. If you're a music lover, much less a musician, this is seriously a must read! Imagine a ghost tucking a Guarnerius under his chin even making chiming sounds with it. Made me research `Carol Of The Bells'. You will have a trip through American musical history from the beginning to today. In "Fiddler's Ghost" you'll discover a feeling for good old Missoura logic, thinking and country language (`gravel for his goose', `drink it reverend', `squanderin' an opinion', `sizes a man's pile like a tax assessor', etc.) that is leaving us all too quickly. My, oh my, the Ozarkean food and drink (sage dressing with baked ham, venison roast wrapped in bacon, pecan and mincemeat pies, etc.) will have you packing for Rolla and Branson in a heartbeat. The worst part of the book is that once I started it simply refused to allow me to put it down so I missed some sleep. Don't know if Uncle Hiram was in my home but if he was Harry, the older Doberman, must have enjoyed him because he kept making puppy sounds the entire time. Do not deny yourself the absolute pleasure of "Fiddler's Ghost". It's much, much more than a very splendid read!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Eerie Yet Endearing Gem,
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This review is from: Fiddler's Ghost (Paperback)
I bought this book because I love The Dillard's and heard Mitch Jayne was funny. I also love ghost stories. The double whammy, I hoped.
Well, it was funny, spooky and a whole lot more "whammies" than I had bargained for. Wait until you read about the Burdey Family and other Ozark characters - I laughed so hard, I nearly went into cardiac arrest! Ghostly? Jayne has created a ghost that we meet in a classically creepy way but by the end of the book becomes an eerie but endearing member of the family. But, beyond the double whammy . . . Whammy Three: The ghost, Hiram, is an incredible vehicle through which to view and appreciate history, the kind of personal, real-life history that reminds us of our place in it all. Whammy 4: Jayne uses this oddball plot and set of characters to present a powerful message about the role of music in our lives Whammy 5: I have read Jesse Stuart and many other depictions of education in one-room schoolhouses. This may be the best of them all - warm, uplifting, yet faithful to historic fact. Fiddler's Ghost is a great fireplace read, with whispers of Mark Twain and Garrison Keillor throughout. Get it, read it, and enjoy!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A multi-layered novel,
This review is from: Fiddler's Ghost (Paperback)
Fiddler's Ghost is the rarest of books. I could hardly put it down. It is full of suspense and plots. Only Mitch Jayne could write a novel with a perfect understanding of the music and language of the Missouri Ozarks. The novel is filled with characters who the reader could meet in the Ozarks even today. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this is a book for readers of all ages.
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