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Haunted
- Ghost Stories and Their Afterlives
- Narrated by: E. Jay Gilbert
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
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Haunted
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Summary
Part-chilling tale, part-memoir, part-cultural exploration, Haunted: Ghost Stories and Their Afterlives takes us through some of the most chilling and enduring ghost stories, and discusses what they reveal about the listener, the teller and the times we live in.
E. Jay Gilbert has been collecting tales of the supernatural from her local area (a small village outside of Newcastle) for years and what surprised her most is how universal those are: not only in terms of recurring spectres that haunt us the world over (I'm looking at you, White Ladies), but also how similar our experience of ghost-telling is, wherever we grew up. The result is a book which explores more widely the ghosts of the British Isles and how they have endured and changed through the ages: how they reflect the communities in which they originate, and how they are similar to and different from similar stories from across the world.
Haunted doesn't just thrill with the tales of the inexplicable, but also asks why are we so fascinated by ghost stories and what do they tell us about the community and people who cultivate them. Why are some tropes universal, while others are very much unique to the place they haunt? Do we actually care about the identity of the ghost? Or are we more concerned about how the alleged sighting made us feel?
Aimed at both believers and sceptics, it's not only for those who are looking to be frightened a little, but also for those interested in the psychology and history of the long tradition of supernatural storytelling.
Absolutely irresistible, a fascinating account of the stories we tell ourselves and the ghosts we keep close - Amanda Mason
A delightfully personal adventure into the paranormal worlds of these isles - seeking all sorts of spectres from banshee to black dogs. - Dr James Canton
What listeners say about Haunted
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Bull316
- 26-09-24
A fun listen but adds nothing to the topic
This book should have been perfect for me but it falls short. The premise in the introduction is that the identity of the ghost doesn’t matter and that people are only interested in the story of the encounter. I personally disagree with this notion and I’m not sure Gilbert fully supports it. The first two chapters are the weakest as the point is tried to be made but Gilbert repeatedly provides history and theory on who the ghost were, undermining her point. These chapters feel padded and meandering while proving little. I also gave up during the second chapter on white ladies when shallow comparisons are made to other similar cultural phenomena but not true analysis is made.
However, when the ghosts are left and the book starts to focus on folklore, history and exploration of the nature of story it improves a lot. The Witches chapter is very good. Gilbert does a good job of presenting her material.
This has some really good points but there are much better books that cover this topic with better and deeper analysis.
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