Customer Reviews

Fiddler's Ghost

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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!

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!

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.

Fiddler's Ghost is not only fun, silly and romantic but really a story that's about the love of music and how it touches the soul. I think that anyone that has any interest in music no matter if they play, or just enjoy music, would love this story. It would make a fabulous Christmas movie.
Lynny Jacobs

Being born a child of the Ozarks, I enjoy Mitch Jayne's stories. So real you feel like you know the place, the folks, the language, and customs/beliefs. I sent a copy to my Mother and her sisters who are now enjoying it. I can highly recommend Old FishHawk as well.

This is an easy reading, heart warming ghost story. Mitch Jayne instantly makes you feel connected to the families in this fictional account; the characters seem real, including the ghost.

What a book...I couldn't put it down. This story has many amazing messages that our society could certainly put to good use today. Mitch Jayne is masterful at creating images thru words. I am in the process of reading "Forest in the Wind", another entertaining book by Jayne, and will read all of his books.

I like the way he writes. It's not pretentious and it's a down home approach to writing. I've seen him on The Andy Griffith Show and in person a few times. He was truly a great man and will be missed.

This was a cleverly woven story of a ghost and the people he haunted. I loved the gift he passed on in the music he played. Plus there is a lot of good research that went into this book by the author about small town teachers in rural america. Do read this!