Lowcountry Ghosts: Stories of Alice Flagg, Confederate Blockade Runners, and Haunted Beads [Lynn Michelsohn]

[I initially reviewed this book in 2012 after a LibraryThing giveaway. I decided to expand upon that review here because this book deserves a more substantial write-up and it also exemplifies the themes I am bringing to up in this blog.]

I came across this book shortly after my cousin's wedding, which took place in the region Lynn Michelsohn is writing about in this collection. I was immediately drawn to it thanks to my memories of how lovely the low country of South Carolina had been (albeit far too full of mosquitoes for my liking), and the stories delivered on my expectations.

At first, I wasn't 100% sure of what to make of Miss Genevieve and Cousin Corrie, the narrators of the stories. Sure we spent summers in the backyard, around the fire-pit telling stories, but to my "Northern girl" mind, Miss Genevieve read slightly as a stereotype of a Southern lady might. It didn't take long for me to get beyond this and see them in a different light: as genteel women with fascinating stories to tell.

Though I initially had my doubts, the oral history method of presentation Michelsohn utilizes is truly the strength of the piece. The stories read as though you are sitting with these master ghost-story tellers in Murrell's Inlet with Spanish moss hanging down from the trees around you. You can almost feel the ghostly chills sneak up on you as you read on.

Additionally, for those less familiar with the area (including myself), Michelsohn includes maps, references, and history details, which help to keep the reader grounded, but are presented in such an easy way that they do not overwhelm or detract from the stories themselves.

As I said in my initial review, this is a book of local lore with a touch of the paranormal, which allows the reader to slip for a moment into the history of a unique community. It's a quick read (being a selection from Michelsohn's larger works) and I recommend it to anyone with a interest in local lore, oral histories, or folk tales.

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Lowcountry Ghosts is available on Smashwords as is the larger work it is excerpted from Tales from Brookgreen. Lynn Michelsohn's full catalog of works can be found at http://www.cleananpress.com/