Dover Book

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    The great Charles Dickens was not only an extremely prolific writer, but also an editor of journals. He is known as an advocate of the poor, and also an advocate of emerging writers.
    This is a delightful little book written by Dickens and friends that he supported, who also contributed to his journals. Two of them, Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell are still quite well known authors today. In all, six writers combined their talents to create tales inspired from each of the haunted rooms.
    It begins as the main story-teller, Dickens himself, (as John), happens upon a run-down house near a railway station. Needing a rest in the country, he and his sister move in, though they are warned it is haunted. Their overly dramatic servants prove to be more annoying than they are worth, so it is decided that John and Patty will live without servants, but invite a handful of their friends to join them. No one is to speak of ghosts they encounter until Twelfth Night (the last night of Christmas), when they will all share their haunting experiences. Each one has drawn lots for a Room, and one by one, we hear the tale of the Ghost with whom they resided. But as it turns out, the ghosts were the people themselves, haunting stories of their own pasts, which range from sentimental to hilarious, to pure terror.
    The Ghost in the Clock Room: Cousin John Herschel and his wife stayed in the Clock Room, and no doubt, it was haunted by a flirtatious young woman who falls truly in love under the most unexpected circumstances with the most unexpected man. This poignant and romantic story begins with a game of deceit, which progresses to shame and sorrow, and ends happily, as the woman lets go of her past and accepts genuine love. It is written by Hesba Stretton.
    The Ghost in the Double Room: Alfred Starling, a likable young man who is a bit irresponsible, had the Double Room, and he was haunted by the Ghost of the Ague. This story, written by George Augustus Sala will make you laugh so hard your eyes will water and you will gasp for breath. Starling tells his own story about his engagement to Tilly, and being struck with the Ague shortly before his wedding. Strangely, the symptoms of the Ague make him behave exactly as if he were drunk. . .

"At dinner-time—my agonies had never ceased, but had not attracted notice—I began literally to but my foot into it again. First, handing Mrs. Van Plank of Sandwich down to the dining room—my Uncle Bonsor escorted Tilly—I entangled myself in the bugle ornaments which that wealthy but obese woman persisted in wearing; and we came down together with alarming results. I was undermost, shaking miserably, with Mrs. Van Plank's large person pressing on my shirt studs. . ."

    The Ghost in the Picture Room: This bittersweet poem by Adelaide Anne Proctor is told in the voice of Belinda Bates, who is a Women's Rights Activist. It is the story of a nun, Angela, who nurses a wounded knight back to health, then falls in love with him. She runs away from the convent, but the blissful and romantic life she had imagined proves an illusion.
    The Ghost in the Cupboard Room: This one is truly edge-of-the-seat terrifying. Told by Captain Nat Beaver, it is the story of why he is still petrified by bedroom candles. Written by Master of Horror Wilkie Collins, it is about a very precarious journey on a cargo ship hauling gunpowder to General Bolivar in South America, which gets hijacked by the enemy right off the coast.
    The Ghost in Master B's Room: Written by Dickens, it is John's haunting memories of childhood—his school days when the two little boys in Miss Griffin's class decided they wanted a seraglio, so they convinced the eight little girls to join their harem. All is delightful fun until John's father dies suddenly.
    The Ghost in the Garden Room: This one, by Elizabeth Gaskell, is in the voice of the solicitor, Mr. Undery, haunted by a judge. It is a sad story about country folk in Yorkshire. Nathan Huntroyd, as a young man was found not suitable for Hester Rose's husband, and turned away by her father. Twenty years later, now successful, he learns his childhood sweetheart, is not married to a rich man as expected, but single and a servant. He finds her, now in her forties, homely and plain, and proposes on the spot. They have one child Benjamin, and take in Hester's niece Bessy, whom they love as a daughter. It is assumed that Benjamin and Bessy will marry, but Benjamin decides to become a lawyer. Unsuccessful and corrupted, he turns to a life of crime and deceit. This heartbreaking story is also the longest in the book.
    The Ghost in the Corner Room is the last story. Also by Dickens, it is sailor Jack Governor being haunted by his old flame—Patty—and they are married in a happy ending to the book.

This is such a creative and endearing collection—each story very different in style, yet they all connect to the whole. Easy and enjoyable reading!

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