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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, August 10, 2007
This review is from: High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance (Paperback)
When mischievous sisters Maggie and Kate Fox hear that their dreaded niece, Lizzie, is coming for a visit, they immediately start thinking of ways to get rid of her. Their prank takes the form of rapping noises that spell out messages from the dead, but instead of making Lizzie flee in fear, their plan backfires, and soon they have not only Lizzie and their family convinced, but the whole town.
All of a sudden, neighbors want to hold séances to give messages to their deceased loved ones, an innocent man is accused of murder, and a reporter comes to investigate, turning their harmless little prank into something much bigger.
The girls are thrilled with all the attention, but when their older sister, Leah, makes a visit and witnesses a spirit rapping for herself, she immediately sees through their shenanigans and recognizes that it is one of their tricks. Rather than turning them in, however, she gives them a choice: come with her and allow her to take charge of the rappings and make the decisions, or be revealed as frauds. Under Leah's control, the spirit circles turn into a business venture, as she starts charging admission and adds a vast arsenal of spooky tricks to the evening's entertainment.
The sisters travel around holding séances, and their fame grows, giving rise to spiritualism and mesmerism, and causing many more "mediums" to be discovered. Not everyone is impressed, though, and more than once they find themselves confronted by disbelievers and skeptics, even having to flee for their lives on occasion.
One of these skeptics is Elisha Kent Kane, a charismatic and well-known Arctic explorer who, despite his misgivings about her occupation, takes a great liking to Maggie and begins to court her. He insists that she give up the spirit rapping and the deception, even offering to provide her with an education and place to stay in order to improve her social status. Maggie finds herself with a decision to make, as she is torn between her feelings for Elisha and what he can provide, and her old way of life and the acceptance of her family.
HIGH SPIRITS is a fascinating book, made even more interesting by the fact that the story of the Fox sisters is based in truth. I enjoyed every second of reading it, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Readers will be swept along with Maggie and Kate as they bamboozle an entire nation, and will feel for Maggie as she debates whether or not to leave the profession and then has to deal with the consequences of her decision.
Dianne K. Salerni has written a brilliant debut novel and I am eagerly awaiting her next.
Reviewed by: Andie Z.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than history!, May 19, 2008
This review is from: High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance (Paperback)
High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance is a novelistic treatment of a real incident from American history, the story of the Fox sisters, whose childish pranks of communicating with the departed were taken seriously first by family members, then neighbors, and then the community, ultimately growing into a genuine phenomenon. The resulting movement, known as spiritualism, became quite the rage from the 1840s until after the Civil War. Traces of it are not unknown today.
By the time they reached young womanhood Maggie and Kate Fox had achieved near-celebrity status. The proceeds from their appearances financed their blue collar family and allowed them access to the highest circles of society in New York City, Philadelphia, and so forth. Maggie, in particular, developed a relationship with Elisha Kane, an adventurer and explorer whose exploits earned him his own corner in history and fiction.
For this reader, however, the history is not ultimately the point of the book. The story is a rewarding and entertaining study of two sisters, their family, and their acquaintances, as they grow and develop and mature (or fail to). The author has done a splendid and totally convincing job of filling out their lives and personalities and putting real flesh on the bare bones of history. The romantic relationship between Maggie Fox and Elisha Kane is especially well depicted, for example. Good historical fiction is capable of putting us not only in other minds but in other eras, and High Spirits does this beautifully. One can read all the history one wants of the position of women in Victorian society but this book can show us what it actually felt like.
In addition the story is masterfully written and edited. All in all this is a first-class novel.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gothic Mystery and Conspiracy a Delightful Dish..., August 19, 2007
This review is from: High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance (Paperback)
When the Fox sisters (note the last name; in Japanese folklore, the fox, or kitsune, is notorious for being a wily trickster) allow a simple prank to explode into a national obsession during the mid-19th century, there is no turning back.
High Spirits is a crafty, enchanting, mesmerizing read set against the spiritualism crazes of the era; mediums claim to reach into imaginative shadowrealms, psychics chant, and illusionists ensnare generations. The prose pulls a rare feat; author Dianne Salerni writes with such effortless skill that she captures the directness of youthful observation without sacrificing the complexities of an innocent game snowballing into massive layers of deceptive cunning.
Locations are rendered in a credible way; creepy Hydesville is the ideal setting for a tale steeped in the devilish folklore the Fox sisters have grown up with. In a way worth pondering, their hoax seems an inevitable development given the family and society in which they find themselves.
What's especially noteworthy is the way the author handles dialogue and dynamic character change. Skillfully portrayed, believable personalities spring to life, and then flower distinctively: The fame from their hoax grants each clever sister a path of fate. The decisions are plausibly, joyfully managed. It swiftly promotes reflection on the choices any of us would make in the same situation. In archetype terms, which sister are you?
High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance is a delightful discovery, mixing the right combinations of gothic mystery and conspiracy. But it does more than that; it showcases an author with real passion and talent.
Brian Trent
Author
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