Customer Reviews

Ghosts of the McBride House: A True Haunting

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really enjoyed this book. It was unnerving at times the way the ghosts popped up and I have to say I wouldn't
have been so brave as they were. I can relate to some of the experiences because I also lived in a haunted house
and dealt with the crashing glass sounds, footfalls etc. I think one thing that makes the book so different is there have been so many apparition sightings there. That's unusual. This book is well written and Mrs. Back did a good job descibing the episodes that transpired. I also would have enjoyed seeing what the house actually looked like. I don't think the one on the cover is it. It's good to read a great story after so many duds. Great Job!

Believable and well-written account of this 25+ year haunting. Some very scary and spine-tingling moments that I'm sure were fascinating to witness but doubt many of us would want to be the ones to do so! I admire this family for their tenacity to endure this for so many years rather than fleeing and for researching to find the answers to the many mysteries surrounding their home. The only thing lacking were pictures - I would have loved to have seen some of the actual rooms, etc. The author states they conduct site tours at Halloween, but unfortunately I don't live close!

A quick, easy read. It's fun, but not particularly original or convincing. It's sort of like sitting next to a stranger on a plane, who is telling you about her haunted house. Interesting, but hard to say if she's telling the truth, exaggerating, or just plain nuts.

The book is competently written, but seems a little disjointed and disorganized. After a particularly scary event, you're left wondering, "Did they try find out if there might be a logical reason? Did they consider moving out? How could they leave their kids alone in the house when they were so scared?" But the book just skips to the next event. Also, it's hard to tell how old the kids are sometimes, especially since they speak like adults, even when they're toddlers...at least as Ms. Back recounts it. (I was curious, since some of the events may have been the kids playing pranks...if they were old enough. There's also the theory that poltergeist activity is linked to adolescents, so it would have been helpful to know the age of the kids.)

Not my favorite true ghost story, but you could do worse.

This was my second favorite book next to Grave's End. It was very interesting, not super scary. If you have respect for the ghosts, they will usually behave.

This is such a fantastic paranormal read. For me, this is what a paranormal book should be. The family told of the ghosts, and how they effect their lives. Sometimes, it was pranks, and other times it was pretty spooky.

For me, what makes this such a great read is that the author didn't stretch the truth. She didn't say the house had demons, hooded figures, demon dogs, hell house, blood flowing from the walls. Nothing like that. She just told the facts on what went on in the house.

What I liked is that the ghosts had their own personalities. Mr. McBride, was good natured for the most part, but he didn't mind making things a bit scary, he had a strong personality. The woman ghost had a warm side to her, and made sure that the baby (the human one, not the a ghost one) was warm at night. That part was very interesting to read. The kid ghosts, acted like children do and played with the human children toys. I had to laugh at how Mr. McBride treated the author's mom. You know he got a kick out of it.

I can't say enough great things about this book. Was all of it scary? Nope, not even close. That being said, it didn't need to be all that scary to make it a good read.

I highly suggest this book for this time of the year. Great read and it did give me some goosebumps, but not to many. :O)

Well written. Held my interest. Having experienced paranormal activities, I read all the books I can about ghosts, hauntings etc. Bravo to the author!

As a huge fan of this style of book, I eagerly awaited reading first-time author Cecilia Back's "Ghosts of the McBride House: A True Haunting". Unfortunately, this is not one of the better examples of first-hand paranormal experience books. Back's writing style can most generously be described as 'flat'; at times the book was a chore to get through. It's not that the tale isn't intriguing, it's just that the style of writing is so flat and uninvolving. Events are describing in such a monochromatic way that not only does the reader find everything a bit unbelievable, but it's even hard to muster up the inclination to care that much. A shame, considering all of the elements are in place for a crackling good yarn, but Back seems to lack the true storyteller's skill to keep the reader engaged and riveted, which is practically what these style of books live or die by. Hopefully her next one will be a step up, but for me, after finishing this in a couple of weeks (it usually takes me a few days to get through a book of this nature), then picking up Annie Wilder's second book 'Spirits Out of Time'; suffice to say Wilder's fluid, engaging narrative makes clear just what's lacking in 'Ghosts of the McBride House' - a vivid, engaging storyteller's voice.

I enjoyed the book very much easy to read, interesting. Local history is always a fun read. The author had a wonderful sense of humor and shared her experiences raising her family with the four ghost of the McBride house.

Being a lover and avid reader of ghost books, I kept seeing this book everywhere I went. On Amazon, in the book store, you name it. Eventually I said "What the heck, let me get it" so I did and now I see why it was everywhere I went!

What a great book! It rivals Night Stalks the Mansion as it is indepth, you feel for all the characters, and you feel like you must keep reading much like they felt like they must keep living despite living in a haunted house.

Rather than taking everything and letting it depress her, she did the smart thing and turned her haunted house into a money making thing! I just wish upon all wishes that she would have donated her house to a credible university so they could have proven ghosts once and for all, but I am sure they didn't have the money to be buying another place.

I do agree with the 1 star rating of how could the mother let her children live in such an environment, but I am sure it was a little more difficult financially than to just say, "Ghosts? We're out of here!"

All in all one of my favorite books on ghosts and a true gem no doubt.

John McAdam, author of:
Enoch and the Extraterrestrials
Areoth
The Vampire Pill
Booklet on Spirituality series
The Surgeon with Glasses

This is a compelling book about a real-life haunted house with incidents that span well over a decade. The author is credible and calm, amazing when she recounts everything that went on in the house over the years. If you want to read a book that recounts just what's it's like to live in an atypical spooky place, pick this one up.