The Bell Witch : An American Haunting

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but Inaccurate
Review: I picked up a copy of THE BELL WITCH: AN AMERICAN HAUNTING after one of my friends recommended it to me. I've read other books on the topic of the Bell Witch and done my own research, although limited.

What I found was an entertaining read, perhaps one of Monahan's best mysteries. But page after page of this book is chock full of inaccurate information that can be proven easily just by a little research. What bothers me the most is not the inaccuracy of information, but Monahan's clever approach. He presents the information, including the discovery of a so-called diary by Richard Powell, as fact.

Readers of horror fiction should be able to appreciate the entertainment aspect of this book but there is little tolerance for the misleading information it gives. I thought this book would be a good research aid, but it would appear that the opposite is true.

I was espeically disappointed by the ending. How does the author know this? He wasn't there. Richard Powell was there, but he surely would have gotten his basic facts straight if he was writing this mysterious "diary."

Rating:
Summary: utterly frighting account of a haunting
Review: i read this as a child of 12 and i had nightmares for weeks. i never forgot it and i am now 45years old. read it with the lights on. michel j guarrera jr

Rating:
Summary: A mysterious but interesting novel!!
Review: I recently read The Bell Witch for I project in my English class. I chose this book because I thought it would be interesting to read about a true American haunting. I found the characters to be very interesting and mysterious. Especially the Bell Witch. The witch took on many identities, with many voices. It had a thing for picking on John Bell's daughter. The witch was mean to the family but also did good deeds to help the family and the community. The only thing i disliked about the book is the events were kinda drawn out and it was repetitive, another thing is that it was hard to follow and keeep track where and what the characters were doing.I would suggest this book to anyone who likes a book that gives the scared edge but still keeps you on the edge of your seat wadering whats going to happen next, and if you like mystery combined with all this I suggest you read The Bell Witch.

Rating:
Summary: More like historical fiction
Review: In "THE BELL WITCH," the author asks us to believe that he has recently discovered a manuscript which documents the only case in US history when a ghost actually kills a man. At the same time, the author also admits that his story is a "faction," much like "THE EXORCIST." Whether or not some of the events really happened is up to the reader to decide.

I picked up "THE BELL WITCH" after the recent success of "THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT" and was hoping to find something as equally as entertaining but this time as non-fiction. Instead, what I read was a ghost story that was more amusing at times than frightening, more predictable than surprising and left me feeling like less of a believer than intended. The discovered "manuscript," written by the local school teacher, documents the haunting of the Bell family in too much detail to actually make the reader believe that this was a daily journal. This book is only one person's account of the poltergeist and the author/editor, Brent Monahan, tries too early in his preface to convince us that everything that lies within is all true. The only real mystery here is trying to decide what events may have truly happened.

Rating:
Summary: More like historical fiction
Review: In "THE BELL WITCH," the author asks us to believe that he has recently discovered a manuscript which documents the only case in US history when a ghost actually kills a man. At the same time, the author also admits that his story is a "faction," much like "THE EXORCIST." Whether or not some of the events really happened is up to the reader to decide.

I picked up "THE BELL WITCH" after the recent success of "THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT" and was hoping to find something as equally as entertaining but this time as non-fiction. Instead, what I read was a ghost story that was more amusing at times than frightening, more predictable than surprising and left me feeling like less of a believer than intended. The discovered "manuscript," written by the local school teacher, documents the haunting of the Bell family in too much detail to actually make the reader believe that this was a daily journal. This book is only one person's account of the poltergeist and the author/editor, Brent Monahan, tries too early in his preface to convince us that everything that lies within is all true. The only real mystery here is trying to decide what events may have truly happened.

Rating:
Summary: More like historical fiction
Review: In "THE BELL WITCH," the author asks us to believe that he has recently discovered a manuscript which documents the only case in US history when a ghost actually kills a man. At the same time, the author also admits that his story is a "faction," much like "THE EXORCIST." Whether or not some of the events really happened is up to the reader to decide.

I picked up "THE BELL WITCH" after the recent success of "THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT" and was hoping to find something as equally as entertaining but this time as non-fiction. Instead, what I read was a ghost story that was more amusing at times than frightening, more predictable than surprising and left me feeling like less of a believer than intended. The discovered "manuscript," written by the local school teacher, documents the haunting of the Bell family in too much detail to actually make the reader believe that this was a daily journal. This book is only one person's account of the poltergeist and the author/editor, Brent Monahan, tries too early in his preface to convince us that everything that lies within is all true. The only real mystery here is trying to decide what events may have truly happened.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS ONE BELL THAT DOESN'T RING TRUE!
Review: In THE BELL WITCH: AN AMERICAN HAUNTING, Brent Monahan tells the remarkable story of the only documented poltergeist or spirit haunting to ever result in the death of a human being. True to its purpose, THE BELL WITCH delivers a suspenseful tale of the supernatural that has the mystique of realness - historical documentation corroborates the events described. Monahan delivers plenty of surprises, interesting characters, a couple of gasps and even a few laughs along the way. What is missing, however, is believability - not so much in Monahan's premise or in his ability as a writer, but rather in his packaging. The real weakness here is Monahan's implausible framework, which is the direct result of some rather transparent marketing schemes.

In THE BELL WITCH, Monahan asks us to believe that what lies between the covers of his book is not a novel, but rather a recently discovered manuscript written by one Richard Powell for the edification of his daughter. His daughter, we are told, is the product of Powell's marriage to Betsy Bell, daughter of the haunted John Bell and target of some of the mysterious entity's most violent abuse. No less, we are lead to believe that Betsy Bell's daughter has never before heard this well-publicized story of her mother's torment and her grandfather's murder at the hands of a malicious spirit. For just a moment, set aside the fact that Monahan is the well-known author of several notable novels of the supernatural. Then ask yourself, "Do I smell a gimmick here?"

Perhaps in an effort to make this book appear more journal-like, Monahan dispenses with the usual convention of chapters. He writes straight through, from the setting of the scene to its final conclusion, in one long Uberchapter. For me, however, this device was largely unsuccessful. As a rule, when reading any book, I try to finish each reading session at a logical break point. The lack of a conventional structure just made it all that much harder to find my place each time I picked up the book again. I guess this would not have bothered me so much if it were such an apparent gimmick.

One thing that would have improved this book greatly in my mind is if the author had dispensed with at least some of the inherent racism laced throughout the length and breadth of the story. True, racism may have been en vogue in Kentucky in the early decades of the1800s, but Mr. Monahan - perhaps in a misguided attempt at period realism - took it too far. The constant references to "darkies" and, in particular, references to the "pungent odor of sweat" among the slaves, were not only overdrawn clichés, they also added nothing to the story. Even if one chooses to believe that this book is, indeed, the long, lost manuscript of Richard Powell, many, if not all of these offensive statements could have been stripped without affecting the end product in any way other than making it more palatable to a wider audience. If the desire had been to tell the complete and unedited story in Powell's own words, the alleged manuscript could have been published, as found, without the need for any involvement on the part of Monahan.

While I've been largely critical of THE BELL WITCH, I would never tell anyone NOT to read this book out of hand. It tells a decent story, sheds some new light on an old legend and even has a significant amount of entertainment value. But if you are looking for a good example of Brent Monahan's best work, I would strongly urge you to start with THE BOOK OF COMMON DREAD. It's a great supernatural novel that doesn't try to be anything else.

Rating:
Summary: Fact or Fiction, this is definatly a page turner
Review: It's a bit hard to get into, but once the actual "haunting" begins you can not put it down. The fact that it could be a true story only adds to the suspense, and the ending was an absolute suprise. A good blend of horror and drama makes this book a winner.

Rating:
Summary: You just can't put it down.
Review: It's one of the best books I've every read. It kept me turning pages all night untill i was finished, and then it kept me talking about it for weeks. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: Have Just Ordered- but wanted to clarify other comments.
Review: Just so you all know, there was a book written by John Bell's son Richard in 1846. My cousin has a copy given to her by her mother. My father's family lived in this area of Tennesee and I grew up hearing stories about the bell witch. There remains the Bell family burial plot which can still be visited today. I have been there. I have been looking for this book for years. Even though it is not the original issue, I plan to read it with gusto. I will give my honest review afterward.