Customer Reviews

Nantucket Ghosts

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book while vacationing on Nantucket in hopes for a good scare. Written by a children's book author, I was expecting the scares to be watered-down and the fantasy to be fluffed up. This was not the case. The stories are well-written and captivating. The author includes first-hand accounts from witnesses and has managed to round-up some really bizarre and extremely creepy ghost stories.

The people you will meet in these accounts are lovely people. People you'd want to have over for dinner, or ask to recommend a book to you. People you might have sit your dog or borrow a cup of sugar from. And they have some very scary things to say. You may or may not believe in ghosts when you begin this book, but after finishing it, you'll have to wonder. Not recommended for bedtime reading!

This book was a page-turner right from the beginning. This is quite simply one of the best ghost story collections I have ever read, especially for one that is concerned with such a concise regional area. The stories are well varied, the writing is snappy and moves right along, and the storytellers keep nicely to the point. There's no embellished fluff or rehashing of old legends here. ALL of these stories are first-hand accounts witnessed by contemporary people. Some of these tales will make you smile, some will make you chuckle, and others will quite effectivley put a lead ball in the pit of your stomach.

The author has nicely captured the essence of Nantucket by letting the people describe their heritage for themselves. Her detailed descriptions of the architecture bring alive these places for you. Nantucket is one of those places you'll never forget once you have been there, and these candid people will help show you why. In addition to all the local history and genealogy, doors open and close, sturdy latches won't stay shut, lights turn on and off, voices of all types haunt present day residents, ghostly footsteps abound, and much more! I was especially intrigued by the lady whose entire family of ancestors seems to be staying on in her house with her.

Having grown up in a Massachusetts home built in 1788, I can appreciate the value the residents place on preserving their historical and generational traditions. This book will give you a real sense of how these people relate to their island, their homes, and their living history. If you are interested in Nantucket, or just love curling up with a good ghost story or two, this one's for you.

It is NOT a new as of 2006 book.

It is a compilation of The Ghosts of Nantucket and Nantucket Hauntings.

That being said, both of those books are keepers and it's nice to have them both in one place.

And what makes this book so great? Because it's so believable. When people I know tell me about ghostly experiences they've had, they all tend to recount them just like the people in these accounts do, with matter-of-fact descriptions and no sensationalism. Most of these accounts are not extremely scary, just strange and unsettling, but a few of them are very, very disturbing.

Listen, I collect books on true ghost encounters, hauntings, etc. and have a thing about terrible. boring, obviously made up CRAP. I am hard to please when it comes to these stories because I feel like I've literally read them all. I was HAPPILY SURPRISED when I read this book and have to say it is one of the best that I've read in a LONG long time. I was surprised that it was first written back in the eighties and somewhat ashamed of myself for most likely passing it over merely due to its title. I rarely read the "Ghost of so and so State" books because way back I read some truly boring and non scary ones. This book changed my mind. Very well written and truly scary stories. I RECOMMEND it one hundred percent!

I am not a ghost/ ghoul book reader so I dont know how to compare this with other books in this genre. I actually found this book after enjoying the author's Chasing Vermeer series with my kids. That said, I really enjoyed this book. my kids even loved hearing some of the stories aloud. It contains very well told first person accounts-- good for retelling around a campfire. I'm very sceptical of ghosts etc..but it will make you think..Goosebumps.