stolencapybara's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful collection. I enjoyed every story, and appreciated that the ghost stories came in every style. Spooky, but quite often funny and strange. Well outside my usual reading, and quite excellent.
majkf's review against another edition
4.0
It's so hard to review story collections, so I really won't. I did quite like this one, a couple of the stories bored me, but it was a solid mix of early & late 20th century pieces. The book itself is beautiful and the illustration/anecdotes introducing the stories added to the experience in a unique way.
chandaurtara's review against another edition
4.0
actual rating 3.5
some stories made me want to dnf because they were so SLOW, but overall a great collection :)
some stories made me want to dnf because they were so SLOW, but overall a great collection :)
karlycay's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read a scary story anthology since Schwartz's Scary Stories in grade school. I didn't realize until I started this book that not all ghost stories are scary stories. In fact, while the selections seem arbitrary, some of them were hilarious and charming; then others were melancholy, creepy, and downright scary. Most were written in the early 20th century or earlier, when it was easier to be frightened in candlelight and when ghosts liked to write letters. But there were some modern day stories that were good too. I wasn't a huge fan of this book during the middle, but the last 3 or 4 stories really pulled me in. I get the sense that there are better ghost story anthologies out there, but this was a good selection. And Niffenegger's own illustrations were a good addition.
katrinky's review against another edition
3.0
obviously got this for the niffenegger illos.
edit: not a good book to read if you have cats and want to be able to sleep ar night.
edit: not a good book to read if you have cats and want to be able to sleep ar night.
storytold's review against another edition
4.0
I think I'll have a difficult time finding a better anthology of ghost stories. I outright loved 80% of these. The writing styles were so completely my bag; I know my writing's arch, I know my taste is arch, most of these are 19th century British aristocrats, I DON'T care, I loved them so much. So many of these are compassionate toward or from the ghosts, and that's exactly the stuff I like to see in my so-called horror. Several were about grief, which is—the point of a ghost story, for me. If you're not dealing with *life* after death, what are you doing in this genre? There were some good doses of horror, too; most stories did multiple things. I had a great time, I would recommend this to anyone looking for ghost stories to sample both traditional and contemporary, and I would very happily read another anthology just like it.
I skipped Rudyard Kipling! Apparently my limit for authors I straight up won't read is Mr White Man's Burden. A couple I sort of skimmed in places because the style wasn't working for me (Gaiman, oddly Bradbury); two dealt with sexual and spousal violence unnecessarily (Poe, Curtis); a couple I read in full but found frivolous (Niffenegger, Giacaoline). Several authors I'd like to read more of, most notably M.R. James (parody of self, I know, no one talk to me about this), P.G. Wodehouse ("Honeysuckle Cottage" was goddamn hilarious and the one I learned the most from) and A.M. Burrage ("Playmates"—the girls in the schoolhouse, this was easily my favourite story of the bunch). The 19th century British aristocrats. I know. We all do things. If nothing else it's good to confirm I keep gravitating toward British media for a reason.
I skipped Rudyard Kipling! Apparently my limit for authors I straight up won't read is Mr White Man's Burden. A couple I sort of skimmed in places because the style wasn't working for me (Gaiman, oddly Bradbury); two dealt with sexual and spousal violence unnecessarily (Poe, Curtis); a couple I read in full but found frivolous (Niffenegger, Giacaoline). Several authors I'd like to read more of, most notably M.R. James (parody of self, I know, no one talk to me about this), P.G. Wodehouse ("Honeysuckle Cottage" was goddamn hilarious and the one I learned the most from) and A.M. Burrage ("Playmates"—the girls in the schoolhouse, this was easily my favourite story of the bunch). The 19th century British aristocrats. I know. We all do things. If nothing else it's good to confirm I keep gravitating toward British media for a reason.
trulybooked's review against another edition
3.0
Like all anthologies, there are ones I love and others that didn't really work for me. If you're looking for scary stories, this is not the anthology for you, but there are some interesting ghost stories that I would never have thought of in here.
juliwi's review against another edition
4.0
Halloween has come and gone again. So if you're also having scare-withdrawals then a collection of beautifully creepy and scary ghost stories is rather appropriate. Ghostly does the job beautifully, giving us some good classics and also some relatively unknown, contemporary short stories. Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As the title of the collection may suggest Niffenegger didn't go out of her way to pick utterly terrifying stories, but rather ones that are 'uncanny'. "The uncanny" is this fascinating term that can apply to a lot of different things and yet means something quite specific. It derives from the German term 'unheimlich', which literally means 'not like home' i.e. something unusual. What is so great about this term is that anything and everything can be uncanny under the right circumstances. A man putting out his trash? That's quite normal, we all do that. When it happens in the middle of the night that's a bit different. Personally I love it when stories tap into this because it's so much easier to unsettle a reader when they can't put their finger on what exactly feels wrong. If you're looking for a collection full of terrifying stories, Ghostly is probably not for you. If you want to be just a little terrified, this is it for you.
Ghostly is a short and fun collection of great stories, each playing beautifully with the uncanny and the reader's sense of unease. Whether it's classics such as Poe or more modern stories by Neil Gaiman, there will be something in this collection for everyone. I'd recommend it to those looking for ghost stories that won't terrify but thrill.
Full Review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/short-review-ghostly-collection-of.html
As the title of the collection may suggest Niffenegger didn't go out of her way to pick utterly terrifying stories, but rather ones that are 'uncanny'. "The uncanny" is this fascinating term that can apply to a lot of different things and yet means something quite specific. It derives from the German term 'unheimlich', which literally means 'not like home' i.e. something unusual. What is so great about this term is that anything and everything can be uncanny under the right circumstances. A man putting out his trash? That's quite normal, we all do that. When it happens in the middle of the night that's a bit different. Personally I love it when stories tap into this because it's so much easier to unsettle a reader when they can't put their finger on what exactly feels wrong. If you're looking for a collection full of terrifying stories, Ghostly is probably not for you. If you want to be just a little terrified, this is it for you.
Ghostly is a short and fun collection of great stories, each playing beautifully with the uncanny and the reader's sense of unease. Whether it's classics such as Poe or more modern stories by Neil Gaiman, there will be something in this collection for everyone. I'd recommend it to those looking for ghost stories that won't terrify but thrill.
Full Review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/short-review-ghostly-collection-of.html
1librarianspath's review
3.0
Collections usually contain a diverse range of stories, and this one is no different. The stories were published between 1904 and 2015, and cover a range of ‘ghosts’ too. The range means that you are likely to find some styles and stories that you like more than others of course, and I really struggled with some of them (‘The Pink House’ I’m looking at you with your fanfic style prose). Some were hilarious - which was unexpected, but they were well done - some poignant, many were bizarre, some were questionable with their descriptions of race. Here is the line-up:
‘The Black Cat’ by Edgar Allan Poe (1943)
‘Secret Life, With Cats’ by Audrey Niffenegger (2006)
‘Pomegranate Seed’ by Edith Wharton (1931)
‘The Beckoning Fair One’ by Oliver Onions (1911)
‘The Mezzotint’ by MR James (1904)
‘Honeysuckle Cottage’ by PG Wodehouse (1925)
‘Click-Clack the Rattlebag’ by Neil Gaiman (2013)
‘They’ by Rudyard Kipling (1904)
‘Playmates’ by AM Burrage (1927)
‘The July Ghost’ by AS Byatt (1982)
‘Laura’ and ‘The Open Window’ by Saki (aka Hector Hugh Monro) (1914)
‘The Specialist’s Hat’ by Kelly Link (1998)
‘Tiny Ghosts’ by Amy Giacalone (previously unpublished. Ghostly was published in 2015)
‘The Pink House’ by Rebecca Curtis (2014)
‘August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains’ by Ray Bradbury (1950)
‘The Black Cat’ by Edgar Allan Poe (1943)
‘Secret Life, With Cats’ by Audrey Niffenegger (2006)
‘Pomegranate Seed’ by Edith Wharton (1931)
‘The Beckoning Fair One’ by Oliver Onions (1911)
‘The Mezzotint’ by MR James (1904)
‘Honeysuckle Cottage’ by PG Wodehouse (1925)
‘Click-Clack the Rattlebag’ by Neil Gaiman (2013)
‘They’ by Rudyard Kipling (1904)
‘Playmates’ by AM Burrage (1927)
‘The July Ghost’ by AS Byatt (1982)
‘Laura’ and ‘The Open Window’ by Saki (aka Hector Hugh Monro) (1914)
‘The Specialist’s Hat’ by Kelly Link (1998)
‘Tiny Ghosts’ by Amy Giacalone (previously unpublished. Ghostly was published in 2015)
‘The Pink House’ by Rebecca Curtis (2014)
‘August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains’ by Ray Bradbury (1950)