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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming supernatural mystery, May 3, 2004

By

Virginia Q Kaderabek (Decatur, ga USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Weaver and the Factory Maid (Ringan Laine, 1) (Hardcover)

When Ringan Laine, folk musician and historic house restorer, acquires a house in payment for a job, he and his long-time lover, theatre producer Penelope Wintercraft-Hawkes, find that they're not the house's only occupants. Through detective work, they look for a way to deal with their spectral houseguests.

The book features a charming British setting and characters, plus an added fascination for those of us interested in traditional folk ballads. In marketing, it may suffer from being "neither fish nor flesh nor good red herring." It has many of the aspects of a "cozy" mystery. It also has the supernatural aspect, although designed more to intrigue than to terrify. It would be a shame if genre-driven marketing fails to find a way to effectively market this charming whatever-it-is, which should appeal to mystery and supernatural readers; persons interested in traditional music; and Anglophiles.

As a fan of series books, I'd say that The Weaver and the Factor Maid also has many of the elements that can support a successful series. Ringan's musician friends and Penny's theatre work should offer many logical ways for them to become involved in supernatural mysteries. There are also a gracious plenty of spooky ballads from which to draw stories. I'm looking forward to the next installment, The Famous Flower of Serving Men.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly charming, December 29, 2003

By

Kristin Ohlson "Reader and writer" (Cleveland Heights, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Weaver and the Factory Maid (Ringan Laine, 1) (Hardcover)

I read this on a five-hour cross-county plane trip and was so engaged that I never noticed the turbulence. This is the kind of mystery that delivers just about everything I like-- fine writing, doughty characters, a beguling and ghostly plot, a narrative that weaves in fascinating threads from history, folk music, and architecture-- and there's even a little existential Pandora's box cracked open towards the end, as the characters wonder about the morality of ejecting the ghosts from their cozy human world. I'm thrilled that there are more of these Grabien mysteries in the Thomas Dunne pipeline!

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming and spooky, March 26, 2006

By

Kelly Erickson "kelbow1600" (Henderson, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Weaver and the Factory Maid (Ringan Laine, 1) (Hardcover)

I picked this one up at the library. It was spooky and charming. I guess I scare easily, because there were parts that I waited to read during the daytime, instead of before bedtime. I couldn't be as brave as those 3, seeing ghosts all over the place. I don't ever want to see a ghost, thank you very much.

I think I am going to have to get the next one in this series. I just wish it came with a CD, so that I could hear what these songs sound like. I am assuming they are actual songs, right?

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Old Folk Song and Murder...
Ringan Laine, a British folk musician and an expert in restoring historical architecture, finds the cottage he moves into is haunted... very haunted. Read more

Published 22 months ago by A. Lee

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good Gothic.
I'll admit I love Gothics and so was delighted to find a new author who writes them. I learned a bit about English history, architecture, and music. Read more

Published on April 9, 2005 by L. J. Roberts

4.0 out of 5 stars lyrical, haunting
I read this book when it first came out but waited until I had time to write a thoughtful review.

I really enjoyed this book, but I think it refuses to stay put in any one... Read more

Published on February 16, 2004 by beth

5.0 out of 5 stars The Weaver and The Factory Maid
I found this beautifully written tale of ghosts and music in the English Countryside to be a great read. Read more

Published on February 14, 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Who talks like that??
The story was entertaining, even a bit creepy, but the dialogue was so stilted! I cringed nearly every page! Read more

Published on January 2, 2004 by Jennifer Terry

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghosts of politics past form the warp to a well written woof
Now at a time when another working class evolution/revolution is underway with offshore outsourcing, we are treated to a well spun yarn about a song that characterized another... Read more

Published on December 15, 2003 by Gypsy Nick

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing
Sadly, the best thing about this novel is it's lovely cover. Other than that, the book fell flat. While Grabien is facile with words, the plot was predictable and quite. Read more

Published on December 1, 2003 by Lilly Simmons

4.0 out of 5 stars amiable tale of three nice humans trying to help spirits
Due to a cash flow problem, caused by loans and an energy investment, Scottish land owner Albert Wychsale cannot pay in money the house restoration debt he owes folk musician... Read more

Published on November 26, 2003 by Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm and Chilling, all at the same time
I loved this book. I think I'd describe it as a sort of gentle ghost story. There were definitely chilling moments, but the ghosts are a part of the tale rather than the great... Read more

Published on November 24, 2003 by Deena Fisher

5.0 out of 5 stars A haunting mystery
This wonderful book definitely stays with you after reading it, which you're likely do quickly as it's extremely difficult to put down. Read more

Published on November 22, 2003 by withanf

› See all 16 customer reviews...

Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
On a bright Saturday afternoon in Cornwall, the Padstow Mayday Celebration was in full swing. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
factory maid, weaver lad, tithe barn, muniment room

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Will Corby, Betsy Roper, Albert Wychsale, Lord Randall, Lumbe's Cottage, Right Hon, Wychsale House, Jack Calder, Broomfield Hill, Jane Castle, George Roper, Glastonbury Tor, May Day, Elizabeth Roper, Boer War, National Trust, Second World War, Somerset Light Infantry, West Country, William Corby, Penelope Wintercraft-Hawkes, Ringan Laine, Whistler's Croft

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