Mrs. Molesworth's Ghost Stories

Four Uncanny Tales

By: Mary Louisa Molesworth

Narrated by: Susie Berneis, Robert Bethune

Unlike most ghost story writers, Mary Louisa Molesworth does not want to make you wake up screaming in the middle of the night. You may wake up with a shiver, but you'll also wake wake up feeling thoughtful, musing on how the mysteries of love, compassion, and memory can extend themselves into the realm of the supernatural.

In "Lady Farquhar's Old Lady", she explores how women fallen on hard times never quite lose their attachment to their homes, even in death. In "Witnessed by Two", she lets us see how the deepest connections of the spirit can form a visible bridge over thousands of miles when love's need for love will not allow itself to go unspoken. In "Unexplained", she shares with us how travelers happen across an old connection to an old mystery, and it changes their lives forever, while remaining forever mysterious. And lastly, in "The Rippling Train", again she takes us on a visit into lives whose love crosses the bridge of time and distance, even if only for a moment, and even though leaving much unseen and unknown. Enjoy!

Public Domain (P)2012 Robert Bethune and Susie Berneis

Dull, dull, dull

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Nothing other than a different author could have made this book enjoyable. I like 19th century literature in general, and ghost stories in particular, but very little happens in these stories, and what does happen is more "odd" than "scary." The narrators are fine, but the material is poor.

What was most disappointing about Mary Louisa Molesworth’s story?

There is no suspense and nothing scary--"no there there." The stories generally have a long dragging prelude to any action, and the conclusion is disappointing.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Robert Bethune and Susie Berneis ?

The narrators were okay; the fault lies with the author.

What character would you cut from Mrs. Molesworth's Ghost Stories?

None of the characters were memorable enough for me to even recall their names. None were worthwhile.

Any additional comments?

Readers looking for 1i9th and early 20th century ghost stories would do better reading such works by Edith Wharton, Charles Dickens, M.R. James, Kipling, and others, not Mrs. Molesworth.