Customer Reviews

Mountain Ghost Stories and Curious Tales of Western North Carolina

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Frankly, I was somewhat disappointed by this book. I picked it up because I am interested in ghosts and because I live just east of the foothills in western North Carolina. I had also enjoyed reading the authors' book Ghost Dogs of the South. Despite the title of this book, the vast majority of the stories collected here have nothing to do with ghosts, and no story deals with a traditional type of haunting. What these stories do contain are tidbits of mountain folklore, local history, and Indian traditions and beliefs. The book is not bad in and of itself; the problem is that this reader was expecting something quite different from what he found. Peculiarities of the mountain environment are the catalysts for many of these tales, and I believe that readers unfamiliar with the North Carolina mountains will probably be more disappointed than I was. You don't need to have visited Clingman's Dome, Blowing Rock, or Grandfather Mountain to enjoy these tales, but having some personal knowledge of the area is certainly a plus for the reader.

Mountain Ghost Stories is a pretty short book, coming in at just over 100 pages. I would have loved to see pictures of some of the locations mentioned, but there are none. If you are interested in mountain folklore, Indian myths/traditions, or North Carolina history, you might find a quick wade in this pool enjoyable. If you are looking for traditional ghost stories, you would do well to bypass this little book altogether.

There are many titles that would have been appropriate for this book but the one chosen by the authors is not one of them. Picking up this book one expects to find an abundance of ghost stories within it's pages but if that is your expectation, you will be disappointed. There are only two stories in this book that deal in any way with ghosts and one of those is the Brown Mountain lights which show up in almost any ghost book dealing at all with Western North Carolina. The rest of the book is just one old legend after another.

Don't get me wrong, some of these legends are intriguing and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the story of Spearfinger. The writing is good and flows nicely and I ran into no editing problems. Still, this book purports to be a book of ghost stories and that is what I bought it for. A much more appropriate title would have been "Cherokee Legends of Western North Carolina" or something like that. One story doesn't even bother to deal with a legend. It is just the story of a scalawag bushwhacker that people still remember and detest.

Those who like to read about the legends and gods of the Cherokee Nation will generally enjoy this book. Do not bother with it however if you are looking for haunts and spooks for there are none to be found here. If I were a lawyer with too much time on my hands I might file a false advertising suit on this one.

Things that go bump in the mountains at night are things that growl and bite! The best sense of setting in a folklore book that I have ever read. Makes the mounatins of North Carolina seem like the only place in America you want to visit on your next vacation. The story of the Spearfinger Witch alone is worth the price of this well-researched book by a husband and wife who spent their honeymoon kicking around the N.C. hills, listening to ghost stories as they are still told today. Terrific fun.

I found this book in a small bookstore in Highlands many years ago in my travels through North Carolina. I found it to be a warm collection of good old fashioned bedside stories to capture your interest. I really enjoyed these unusual tales of the region, including a favorite "'X' Marks the Spot" which covers the unusual circumstances behind the establishment of Highlands, North Carolina. All in all this collection is definitely enjoyable, and you will find it to be a great book to have around for a quick read before bedtime. The stories are short, but very interesting and will spark your curiousity and imagination about the wonderful mountains of this beautiful state. I truly enjoyed it.

My family and I took a trip to Byrson City N.C in the summer of 2000. We were staying at a cabin up in the mountains. This out of the way location was the perfect place to read this book. The Wicked Witch of Nantahala was our favorite. This story added excitement to our nights in the cabin. We all slept in the same room the night I read this story.

The title is very misleading. This is not really a book of Ghost stories, but rather a book of old fables. They were interesting, but not really what I was expecting when I got the book.

The stories in this book are a good balance of the unexplained natural occurrence in the area and the reaction of the people of people to them. Most of the stories are short but left me wishing for more.

Although I somewhat enjoyed this book, I felt that the title was misleading. A more appropriate title would have been simply "Mountain Folk Tales," because many of the narratives were based on ancient Cherokee legends. The book is well written and intelligent, and appears to be historically accurate. In addition, students of Native American culture will find some great material here. However, if you are looking for a good old fashioned haunting, you will not find it in this collection of tales.

I am a ten year old and enjoyed this book! I suggest you read it! It is horrifying, but it is enjoyable. Read it!