Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories

Rating:
Summary: Both Accessible and Literary
Review: Mariah is fun to read, in the same way that X-Files is fun to watch. The stories have unexpected endings and range from haunting to humorous. Nonetheless, the stories are literature. There is meat (biblical allusions, foreshadowing, irony, etc.) enough to keep English teachers feasting for hours. Plus, lots of the stories take place locally, and my students found that a plus.

Rating:
Summary: Great tales of wonder, mystery, and imagination
Review: The reviewer who compared these stories to Rod Serling's Twilight Zone was right on the mark, although I would add that they resemble the BEST of that series. They also bring to mind the classic show "One Step Beyond." Most of the tales are ghost stories, but others are about subjects as varied as tree spirits and angels. Some of the stories have unpredictable, often puzzling, O. Henry endings. There is an amazing variety: the stories range from poignant to whimisical, though all have an overall point, and all are thought-provoking in one way or another. Wherever the stories are set-- the Southern Appalachian mountains, the Carolina coast, or the old plantation-era South-- the author conveys the geography, the mood, the atmosphere of the place with amazing feeling. She "puts you there." Most people I have talked to who have read it say the same thing---that they either have read it a second time, or plan to. This author captures the mood of the borderland "between light and shadow, between science and superstition" unlike any other I have read.

Rating:
Summary: A Reader from Charlotte, North Carolina
Review: The stories in this book really drew me in making me want to read the book again. Some of the stories reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series. Others are actually very spiritual, and two of them, the ones that take place in the Appalachian mountains, actually made me feel better about death. The title story "Mariah of the Spirits" has multi-levels-- an interesting twist on the phantom hitchhiker legend for one--though the allusions to Biblical figures such as Mary, Jesus and Moses might be lost on those who are Biblically illiterate. "Angel Unawares," is one of several brain knotter/teasers, and right spooky. "The Dressmaker's Mannequin" is a whimsical story, more of a wonder tale that makes belief in tree spirits seem almost plausible. Titles like "At the Clothesline," "Strange Things Happen," and "Lost Soul" give you a hint of the flavor of these stories as does the author's picture on her website where she is shown standing in an old graveyard, beside a Celtic cross with its many possible meanings.