Virago Modern Classics discussion

In a poll for October 2024 won The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton.

Who is going to read it? How do you like it?

If you have read it already, or you are reading it at another (later) time - write here what you think about the book too.

[Please keep in mind to hide spoilers in spoiler brackets.]

I don't like ghost stories. I am not planning to read this book. Although, perhaps, I will change my mind later.

My copy arrives Wednesday. I am looking forward to the discussion and am fairly confident I’ll complete the group project, that’s a rare feat for me.

I have this and will try to read this month. Not too sure if I'm in the mood for ghosts at the moment though.

I love ghost stories so always look forward to this time of year but read the NYRB collection Ghosts not long ago and, from what I can tell, there's a lot of overlap. (view spoiler)[I did find the stories intriguing, a lot around women, the body, domestic violence played out through narratives featuring the supernatural. More eerie than scary, thought the writing was great at sentence level but the plots could be a bit thin. (hide spoiler)]

Like Mela I'm not a fan of ghost stories, but I am a Wharton fan, so I just read on Gutenberg Australia (which, btw, has a lot of excellent titles listed - you just have to make sure your country's copyright laws are the same)

I had to read it twice, but I liked it. As always with Wharton this is well written & I liked the way it is structured.

I found I did have this collection on my kindle after all (duh!) but I will probably spread the read over several months.

Unsure about the format; didn’t know if there will be folders for specific stories or if this is where partial and comprehensive reviews join hands?

According to Goodreads these are the short stories in the Virago version of Wharton's ghost stories.

The lady's maid's bell (1904)
The eyes (1910)
Afterward (1910)
Kerfol (1916)
The triumph of night (1914)
Miss Mary Pask (1925)
Bewitched (1925)
Mr Jones (1928)
Pomegranate seed (1931)
The looking glass (1935)
All souls' (1937)

I found all of the stories in various collections on hoopla and archive. I am posting this list so I can keep track of which story comes next. (I like to read in chronological order.)

Finished. Some stories stronger than others I felt.

I'm planning on starting this next month. I love Edith Wharton's writing so hopefully will enjoy these stories.

Marilyn wrote: "According to Goodreads these are the short stories in the Virago version of Wharton's ghost stories.

The lady's maid's bell (1904)
The eyes (1910)
Afterward (1910)
Kerfol (1916)
The triumph of nig..."

Quite a few of these books are on Youtube as audiobooks. I haven't actually checked them all.

Finished. These were well-written, good stories. As I was reading, I wondered if expectations for a ghost story have changed. The ghosts in these stories were pretty tame.

I did like them, but for the most part they were just quite eerie or a bit unsettling. I prefer the ghost stories of authors like M.R. James or E.F. Benson. I think they pack a bit more of a punch.