Customer Reviews

The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America's Most Haunted House

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Being just a little skeptical of The Myrtles I mainly picked up this book because I very much enjoyed this author's previous book filled with ghost accounts from across the country. Now that I have read this book which is written with such sincere conviction and forthright honesty I am convinced that The Myrtles is indeed a very haunted place.

Frances Kermeen and her husband Jim bought The Myrtles in 1980 with the intent of being innkeepers and they appear to have been very successful in that enterprise. So successful in fact that they had several guests that just wouldn't leave. As she relates the story of her often frightening experiences at The Myrtles Ms. Kermeen come across as one of the most sincere authors that I have come across when reading this type of book. She holds nothing back and gives the reader the whole story no matter how hard it must have been for her to write about. Interestingly it is this author who finds out that some of the legends surrounding the plantation are incorrect and through much hard work she pieces together what really happened which actually may have pacified some of the spirits.

What happened to the author and her family and friends at The Myrtles is so fascinating that I basically read this book in one sitting. Just like a great novelist, Ms. Kermeen manages to make the reader really begin to care about the people in the story and one begins to worry about what may happen to them next and it becomes very hard to put this book down. The only negative to be found in this book is the author's sometimes-condescending attitude toward Southern traditions regarding marriage and manners. That type of attitude is why we Southerners are so leery of people who move in from other parts of the country but this small foible takes very little away from the book as a whole. This author's first book was quite good but I have never seen any author's writing skill improve so much between first and second books. I am sure that the personal feeling that she poured into this book will make it a classic for years to come.

If you wonder what it is like to live with ghosts or if you just like a good ghost story then this is a book you will definitely want to read. The story of The Myrtles will make you laugh, cry and duck your head under the bed covers. I hope that Ms. Kermeen will continue her research into the supernatural and will give us many, many more books like this one. This is very close to being the perfect ghost story book.

Don't read this in bed, alone, at night. If even half of the sightings are true I want to book a flight to Louisiana NOW. I have seen many stories on TV about the ghosts at this plantation. The book just added the icing to the cake of shivers. It is worth the read - and seems worth the price of the trip. Keep this one on your table for rainy nights and candles.

I usually read reviews before buying but I'm glad I didn't in this case since there are one or two thumbs down here that might have put me off. IMO the fact the book is the story of the author's relationship with the house (a haunted antebellum plantation in La.) and its effect on her personal relationships is fascinating and the fact that the place wreaked havoc on her marriage, that her husband seemed to be "overshadowed" by whatever disturbed, blinkered or sinister forces are at work in the place, is quite interesting since personal imbroglios often seem to be the reason the troubled spirits remain locked in residence at the myrtles.

The author's depiction of an interplay between the endlessly looping ghosts and contemporary residents or guests is intriguing, and one of the reasons I was sorry to come to the end of the book. Could reenactment of their ancient dramas bring some catharsis? Who knows, but it's an idea that appeals to one's desire for a happy ending, or at least a lifting of misery.

It's written in an unpretentious style that I think works and you get the feeling you would like the author, who comes across as a trustworthy narrator, even though I kept asking myself why in the world anybody would stay in a place that creepy when they were scared out of their wits; for instance calling a laundry list of candidates to stay over when alone at night (yes there is humor)--the answer of course is that when you make such a big commitment to something, whether a philandering husband or a haunted plantation, it's hard to walk away.

The descriptions of the South, esp. small town life, food, food prep, behind-the-scenes running of a B&B, friends and the house itself are well drawn. I agree with the reviewer who said they look forward to what the author will do next.

I liked this book. Like the previous reviewer said, it was a fast fun read - at times unbelievable - but interesting. OK, here is my issue. In the book she has a friend Hamp. Hamp dies shortly after looking at the photograph someone took of him with balls of light forming the year 1967 above his head, which turns out to be his year of birth according to the author. Per the timeline she purchased the house in 1980, and Hamp passed the second year she lived there. SO - do the math - Hamp was 15 years OLD? Understand that in the book this character is detailed as an imposing but gentle giant of a MAN that is a very close friend and spiritual advisor to her, but based on her dates he was a kid. Anyway. This and a few other seeming falsehoods in the book do stand out, but overall it is well written and entertaining. I feel very sorry for all she had to endure at the hands of her husband though. Such a jerk!

I became interested in the Myrtles Plantation after seeing a Ghost Hunters episode on Sci-Fi a few years ago. Apparently this Louisiana plantation was crawling ghosts, and the ghost hunting team did in fact have some success in uncovering some odd happenings. So when a friend suggested this book, I jumped at the chance to find out a little more about this mysterious place deep in the south.

Written by Frances Kermeen, owner of the Myrtles Plantation during the 1980s, we are told the history and the alleged ghostly encounters that have taken place there. Frances felt compelled to purchase the Myrtles after a brief visitation in 1980, and she and her then husband spent a good deal of time renovating and updating the plantation. Almost immediately upon taking possession, Frances began hearing unexplained noises and seeing strange lights and even faces. During the decade in which she owned the Myrtles, the odd events were almost a daily occurence, with many of the guests also having weird things happen. Though Frances loved the house, eventually her life fell apart (whether or not it was the house, as she hints), and she sold out and moved away around 1990. Fifteen years later she decided to write this rather dramatic tale of what went on while she lived on the property.

This is a good book, with lots of action and plenty of "evidence" that ghosts do indeed haunt the Myrtles. Frances admits to being dramatic (she even hosted several murder mystery weekends at the plantation) and this comes across throughout the book. The writing itself is a bit choppy and amateurish, but the book does flow and you can feel her enthusiasm for the place. I admit to being highly skeptical of some of the things Frances described (she really lost me with the "crying portraits") but I don't doubt for a second that she endured constant demonstrations of ghosts during her tenure at the Myrtles. My take is that some of the stories may have been embellished somewhat, but with so many people visiting the plantation and experiencing much the same activities, there must be something to the tales. This is a fun read and it did give me some interesting background into a fascinating home that's indeed alive...with history.

I am a big plantation nut and last January I stayed for a night at the Myrtles on a whim. I wanted to mostly because it is one of the few plantations that allows you to actually stay in a room IN the plantation, where most have you in a cottage on the grounds. Ghosts also have always intrigued me along with hauntings so it gave the Myrtles that extra edge over the few other plantations that I was considering.

Before I went to the Myrtles I did my research and found out the 'true' stories versus the fictional ones. I knew going in that Chloe didn't poision the family - and that the children died of yellow fever instead. I also knew what rooms were haunted with what and chose the least haunted of the bunch that was in the plantation (General Bradford Suite) that also had the bonus of having veranda access.

I wanted this book after my stay (which was eventful!) to see if this author perpetuated the false stories of the Myrtles or what her story even was. I was prepared to honestly not like the story from the reviews I had read but was prepared to give it a shot in my thirst for knowledge. I was surprised by the fact that I really enjoyed (although most of it was filled with heartache) reading this story about her love affair with the Myrtles for the time she owned it until she had to leave it behind. The story sucks you right in from the first chapter and keeps you interested until the final chapter. The author also makes a point to clear up some of the myths about the Myrtles - one being Chloe.

I think anyone that enjoys historic homes, ghosts or a bit of both will enjoy this story.

This was a very informative book about the Myrtles Plantation. Having always been interested in the paranormal, I loved seeing the episode of "Ghost Hunters," in which T.A.P.S. investigated this old plantation. I immediately bought this book and couldn't put it down when I received it. If you like to be scared, or if you yourself are interested in ghosts or those "bumps in the night" that you hear sometimes in your home, then this is a great choice!

This is not so much a reveiw as it is a validation.
In reading the posted reveiws I see where a couple of people questioned Frances Kermeen's ownership of the Myrtles Plantation.
The anwser is very simple-- NO, she does not CURRENTLY own the plantation. She and her husband, Jim, however, DID own the place for several years. I know-- when I was attending the University of New Orleans, I would often drive up to St. Francisville to visit them at The Myrtles on some weekends, and continued to do so after graduation. And, I can confirm there are some really bizarre things which do occur in the house and on the grounds. Often when I was visiting, somebody, who was staying as an overnight guest, would be frightened out of the house during the night. You would find them sleeping in their car out in the parking lot, or requesting a room in the newly constructed units which are not connected to the main house.
I read a draft before it went to publisher and it is very effective indeed.

After visiting the Myrtles Plantation in 2008, I picked this novel up at a neighboring plantation. Thank goodness I read it afterward! When we stayed at the Myrtles we kept hearing heavy footsteps outside of our room that sounded like someone walking around in heavy boots. You guessed it, no one was outside our room when we looked. This book was entertaining and fascinating at the same time. I had it completely read before we even got on the plane to leave Louisiana.

I was sucked into this book as soon as I started - completely glued until I was done. I would have finished it in one day but I had to make myself put down the book and go to sleep. This story is fascinating and one of the creepiest books I've read in quite some time.
Love it!!!