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Unforgettable Ghost Stories by Women Writers
For centuries, readers have enjoyed the delicious terror of stories about ghosts, spirits, phantoms, and things that go bump in the night. But how do women writers approach these spectral tales differently than men? You'll discover the answers in this unique collection of eighteen supernatural fables by female masters of the genre, including Edith Wharton, Joyce Carol Oates, Ruth Rendell, Shirley Jackson, and others. A brief author biography complements each story.
Set aside your images of traditional ghosts. The writers in this volume evoke spirits of place and memory instead. As the anthologist notes in his introduction, male authors tend to write stories with avenging ghosts and heart-pounding hauntings. Women are more subtle. Their stories frequently emphasize the psychological aspects of the characters, some of whom may fear going mad. In Wharton's "Kerfol," a woman is falsely accused of murdering her husband, but can she grasp the knowledge of what really killed him? Is the scholarly gent in Oates's "An Urban Paradox" accurately viewing life's dangers . . . or is the world even more perilous than he thinks? Fortified by a firm understanding of the human condition, the authors have imbued these harrowing tales with a generous helping of reality and humanity that make them utterly intriguing.
Set aside your images of traditional ghosts. The writers in this volume evoke spirits of place and memory instead. As the anthologist notes in his introduction, male authors tend to write stories with avenging ghosts and heart-pounding hauntings. Women are more subtle. Their stories frequently emphasize the psychological aspects of the characters, some of whom may fear going mad. In Wharton's "Kerfol," a woman is falsely accused of murdering her husband, but can she grasp the knowledge of what really killed him? Is the scholarly gent in Oates's "An Urban Paradox" accurately viewing life's dangers . . . or is the world even more perilous than he thinks? Fortified by a firm understanding of the human condition, the authors have imbued these harrowing tales with a generous helping of reality and humanity that make them utterly intriguing.
- GenresShort StoriesHorror
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2008
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47 people want to read
About the author
Mike Ashley
278 books130 followersMichael Raymond Donald Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Chatham, Kent.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 9, 2017
Most of these stories can be found in other books or sources. Overall a good collection, though some of the stories delve too much into the metaphoric or philosophic concept of ghosts rather than tell a cinematic-type ghost story.
Quite a few of these stories are dated from the 19th or early 20th century, so there are some authors whose works you can try and look up on the Gutenberg Project. Others are by wildly famous authors like Shirley Jackson, Ruth Rendell, and Joyce Carol Oates. Bios of each author are presented at the beginning of each story, and a few have interesting tidbits.
If you're an overly sensitive dog-lover, you might want to skip "Kerfol", though it is one of the best written stories in the collection.
Quite a few of these stories are dated from the 19th or early 20th century, so there are some authors whose works you can try and look up on the Gutenberg Project. Others are by wildly famous authors like Shirley Jackson, Ruth Rendell, and Joyce Carol Oates. Bios of each author are presented at the beginning of each story, and a few have interesting tidbits.
If you're an overly sensitive dog-lover, you might want to skip "Kerfol", though it is one of the best written stories in the collection.
February 22, 2019
Somewhere between a 3 and a 4. Some stories were very good and some were just okay.
October 20, 2016
There are some very good stories in this volume and some that I didn't like but which have good literary merit anyway. It's certainly worth reading if you're a fan of dark fantasy. One of my favorites that I don't think is reprinted anywhere else is Greye La Spina's story, The Wax Doll. This 100 year old story still has all its original power, and if you this one doesn't stick with you, it's not for lack of merit.
January 6, 2010
Excellent stories.
February 14, 2012
Some very good stories but a few I would struggle to describe as good or as ghost stories. Found the Shirley Jackson story particularly dissappointing.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews