The Ghosts of Kerfol

The Ghosts of Kerfol is an anthology of ghost stories all set in one Renaissance French mansion. The stories range in chronological time frames from 1613 to 1982 and they're about people encountering the mansion's ghosts. The anthology is based on Edith Wharton's ghost story, Kerfol. The Ghosts of Kerfol is excellent. The protagonist of each story is very different from those of the others, and Deborah Noyes gives each a distinct inner voice, perspective, and reason for being at Kerfol. In a lesser talent, all the stories would have had the same style. Each story was fascinating; not a weak one in the bunch. I actually bought The Ghosts of Kerfol thinking it WAS Edith Wharton's Kerfol (maybe I'm ADD). I'm so glad for my mistake. Now, of show more course, I can't wait to find Wharton's story. show less

Noyes bases her stories on Edith Wharton's Kerfol. The first story is just a retelling of Kerfol, fleshed out, and from the point of a serving girl newly arrived at the house. From there, Noyes each story moves the the house closer to the present time, with various manifestations of the hauntings.

Her descriptions are uneven though. In one story, the house is haunted only by the dogs, as in Wharton's story. In other stories, there are various other ghosts, and it's not always clear who they're supposed to be. In one story, a girl dies. In another, a couple is only hurt. I would have felt better if all the stories were building to a grand exorcism of some kind, or if the hauntings all got worse until some drastic action were taken. In show more other words, I wish the stories had all built on each other in some way. But this isn't really how Noyes chose to write her stories. Except she did, in some ways. I wish she'd chosen either to write completely individual stories, or chosen to write stories that all built up into something. As it is, the tension of the hauntings builds for a couple of stories, and then just kind of fizzles. show less

A set of short stories revolving around the estate of Kerfol. The first story sets the scene all too well and the others involve parts of that story come back to life. I love the sweeping tales of love and murder and the haunting feel of the whole book.

Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com

Anne de Barrigan is a young woman in France who is married to the strong, jealous Yves de Cornault and lives at the grand Kerfol estate.

When Yves is mysteriously murdered, Anne is questioned. However, the marks on Yves show that he had to have been murdered by dogs, but there are no dogs at Kerfol.

Kerfol seems to be haunted through many generations, as each chapter goes to a different time period in history, ending at the present time.

Deborah Noyes writes an interesting book based off of the ghost story by Edith Wharton. Noyes creates characters in each time era that tells a little more of a great story.

The weird happenings at Kerfol are sure to give chills to any reader.

Susan says: Noyes has written 5 short stories that are based on a short story Edith Wharton wrote. The stories are all related to Kerfol, an estate that becomes haunted by the ghosts of murdered dogs (and others) in the 17th century. The stories are from different centuries, and all of them are related as other murders happen under the guise of the ghosts. This book is definitely suspenseful and has light horror. It was originally in the youth department, but Karen suggested it be moved to teen, and after reading this I definitely agree. There is sex in the book as well as cruelty towards the dogs and others. Creepy, but for a book of short stories that is under 200 pages, I felt like the first half of the book dragged a lot.

Over the centuries, the inhabitants of author Edith Wharton's fictional mansion, Kerfol, are haunted by the ghosts of dead dogs, fractured relationships, and the bitter taste of revenge.

Beautifully written and sophisticated.