This set of three short interconnected folk ghost stories reads like sitting on a front porch listening to neighbors, family and friends share tales. It is ideal for a quick read, especially if you like a touch of paranormal with a hint of local lore. I recommend this to anyone with a interest in local lore, oral histories, or folk tales, which exactly why I picked it up and am very glad that I did. ( )

Three historical based interconnected ghost stories. This trio of tales takes place in the lowcountry of South Carolina. Reads like old local folk tales. An enjoyable group of tales. I love tales about ghosts and could almost hear the voices of the Southern ladies telling the tales. It was a quick and fun read. I recommend this book to anyone who loves ghost stories or southern stories. ( )

These three stories need to be retold in a recorded book with the South Carolina drawls of sweet Miss Genevieve and Cousin Corrie. These gentile, southern ladies were once masters at ghost-story-telling at the Brookgreen Gardens in Merrells Inlet, South Carolina. Lynn Michelson does and excellent job of passing on their ghostly legends. I wonder if the spirits of Genevieve and Corrie don't pleasantly haunt those gardens still?

Each ghost story contains details from South Carolina lowcountry history. A map is provide for those who aren't familiar with that part of the country. Michelsohn does more to bring the stories alive when she concludes and personalizes the book by describing her own experiences visiting Brookstone Gardens. I enjoyed the author's writing here as much as I did in the ghost stories.

"In those simpler days, visitors to Brookgreen Gardens turned off the narrow pavement of Highway 17, the King's Highway, onto two parallel ribbons of concrete spaced far enough apart to support the wheels of a car. Visitors drove slowly along those concrete ribbons through the wooded deer park. . . . (p. 28)

"After a leisurely stroll through the Live Oak Allee, with perhaps a detour into the Palmetto Garden, a peek inside the Old Kitchen, and a dip of the fingers into the cool water of the Alligator Bender Pool,. . ." (p. 28)

"I. . . enjoyed playing hide-and seek among sun-dappled sculptures and looking for painted river turtles sleeping on logs that floated in the old rice field swamps. I loved darting from the shelter of one live oak canopy to the next during summer showers." (p. 29)

Ms. Michelsohn perceives her surroundings with the eye of a talented writer. This suggests that she has the ability to write fiction that could pull the reader right into the story and setting. It also suggests that an autobiography could provide an very appealing read. ( )

This book contains three interwoven stories about a rural part of lowcountry South Carolina. The stories are all historical, ranging from lost loves to Confederate ships felled by naval blockades. While the title suggests that the main thrust of the book is ghost stories, I would consider it to be more local history or folklore. Much of the story is not about after-death activities, but about what now-supposed ghosts did in life, and how they eventually met their ends. Really the stories are more legends of the past, told very much in an oral history tradition. The author displays a strong understanding of the history of the region.

That said, I found it hard to connect with these stories. Perhaps that's because I was expecting a more traditional ghost story. It might also be because I've never much had an interest in traditional storytelling, and reading this felt more like listening to a storyteller than reading.

I would recommend this book to people who have a particular interest in this region, the sorts of readers who would read a local history of the region. ( )

I loved the stories. The backgound and history provided reminded me of my Grandmother. She would tell ghost stories when I would stay over. Before she would tell the story she would make sure I received the full history lesson of family and location.
Thanks for the memories! ( )