Book Review: Miramont’s Ghost by Elizabeth Hall

Miramont’s Ghost is loosely based upon the true events surrounding Miramont Castle, a palatial estate built in the late 1800’s by a french priest in Manitou Springs, Colorado.  The story begins several years earlier in France as young Adrienne begins having visions of the townsfolk’s secret lives.  The narrative follows Adrienne as she ages and her ability matures. The villagers begin to fear her knowledge and her witch-like power, causing a scandal for her well to do family.  Adrienne’s Aunt Marie insists time away is the necessary cure and whisks Adrienne off to America to Miramont Castle, Marie’s son’s new home.  Unbeknownst to Adrienne, Marie has more reason to fear her visions than anyone else and uses the trip to fake Adrienne’s death.  Kidnapped and forced into servitude, Adrienne’s only hope of survival is to find a way out before her shrewd aunt catches on to her plans.

 I adored the opening chapters of Miramont’s Ghost.  The language immediately pulled me into the story, and Adrienne’s visions were expertly told.  I felt that the novel dragged a bit toward the middle, however, as too much time was devoted to visions that were relevant to the psyche of the supporting characters but did not seem to move the plot forward.  The plot picks up again as Adrienne travels west with her aunt, but this is also where the novel gets dark. And then darker…and darker (I don’t want to reveal too much, but I’ll warn you there are a few detailed accounts of pedophilia and rape.)  In the end, I felt conflicted about this book.  It was beautifully crafted, and most of the time I found I couldn’t put it down.  It is a ghost story, and, therefore, one would not expect it to be cheerful, but I found the downward spiral of the end chapters to be a bit too dark for my taste.  So, whether I would recommend this book or not would be dependent upon your feelings toward extremely dark tales.

Book Review: Neil Gaiman's "The Ocean at the End of the Lane"

When a little boy visits his neighbors, he realizes there is much more to them than meets the eye.  They speak as if far older than their appearances would suggest they are, and the youngest, Lettie, insists that the pond in their back yard is really an ocean.  The young narrator finds himself tagging along with Lettie on a mission through another realm to banish a meddling spirit.  Unbeknownst to the children, the young boy brings something back with him that soon disrupts his world.  Now a prisoner in his own home, the boy must find a way to escape and seek help from his magical neighbors.  The price to set things right, however, is much higher than he would ever have guessed.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a beautifully written fairy tale that I had difficulty putting down.  The story is rather dark in places, but the innocence of the young narrator keeps it from being too heavy for long.  Gaiman does a fantastic job portraying the wonder and vulnerability of a child whilst still providing the depth necessary to keep the novel interesting for adults.  I enjoyed following along as the narrator was drawn deeper and deeper into the magical world of the Hempstocks.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane from Amazon