Miramont's Ghost

By: Elizabeth Hall

Narrated by: Emily Durante

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

Miramont Castle, built in 1897 and mysteriously abandoned three years later, is home to many secrets. Only one person knows the truth: Adrienne Beauvier, granddaughter of the Comte de Challembelles and cousin to the man who built the castle.

Clairvoyant from the time she could talk, Adrienne's visions show her the secrets of those around her. When her visions begin to reveal dark mysteries of her own aristocratic French family, Adrienne is confronted by her formidable Aunt Marie, who is determined to keep the young woman silent at any cost. Marie wrenches Adrienne from her home in France and takes her to America, to Miramont Castle, where she keeps the girl isolated and imprisoned. Surrounded by eerie premonitions, Adrienne is locked in a life-or-death struggle to learn the truth and escape her torment.

Reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, this hauntingly atmospheric tale is inspired by historical research into the real-life Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

©2015 Elizabeth Hall (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Just not good.

What disappointed you about Miramont's Ghost?

The story was thin, the writing was repetitive and expected. The climax was dull and I just didn't buy it.

What was most disappointing about Elizabeth Hall’s story?

The pace lagged and was predictable.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Emily Durante?

I have no issue with the narrator - she can only read what was written.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not really. The epilogue didn't save it.

Any additional comments?

I hate it that you sell these books at a less than credit price so I buy them for cash and then can't return them. You lose credibility when you promote books like these.

A Ghost's story

Would you listen to Miramont's Ghost again? Why?

I will probably revisit this novel in the future. Its unique in that it is a ghost's story. Not about the haunting itself but about the life before its after life.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I was actually confused about this being a ghost story. This is the story of Adrienne's fictional life in the Miramont Castle in Colorado. She had a complex life of happy memories of a wonderful grandfather, loss, abusive relatives and her abilities as a clairvoyant and how her perceptions molded her life.

Which scene was your favorite?

The interactions of her with the grandfather.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was very sad for the abuse she had to endure. I wanted horrible things for the characters who were hurting her.

Any additional comments?

I recommend this for a listen. Narration was well done and the story plot did well also. I usually rely heavily of reviews left here and in this case I ignored the negative notes and took a chance. I was pleasantly surprised and you maybe too. Give it a try.

Depression smashed between two slices of despair

The story started out interesting. Soon it spiraled into a sad disgusting debacle of misery and despair, served with a side of irritation, and topped with a slather of white hot injustice. Buy a pack of Rolaids if you intend to listen to this one!

Slow first half, then picks up

I felt like the first 1/2-2/3 of this book was long, boring, pointless "details", and could have easily been condensed to half of what it was. It doesn't even pick up and get interesting until the main character heads to America.

The rest of the book was good, and I definitely didn't see coming what happened. I'd suggest this as a read if you get it free or on sale. Definitely not worth full price!

too dark

I was disappointed to find pedophilia and rape so prominently featured in what I expected to be a castle ghost story. Also much time was spent in the back story that really never went anywhere. I'd have been more satisfied if the author had left out all that creepy (not in a good ghost story way) religious pedo stuff. Stuck it out til the end hoping for some payoff that absolved the storyline, but no. I do not recommend this book at all... to anyone. Ever.

The story of an editor who should have said no. SPOILERS

I was really excited to listen to this book because the idea of this story sounded so neat. I was sadly mistaken. The story itself, at over 10 hours long, doesn't actually get to what it purports to be about until literally half way through the book. The entire first half of the book is slow and tortured, none of which added any quality to the narrative as a whole. Had her editor been looking out for the author's best interest, they would have told her to cut this way down. As the saying goes, size doesn't matter; this book would have been greatly improved by focusing the narrative on the end goal: to tell the story of the life of a ghost. As it stands now, the story is slow and laborious for the first 8 hours, and really only interesting for the last 2.

In terms of the narrator chosen for this story, she was atrocious. As a fluent speaker of French, it was almost painful to listen to the way she tried to say the French names as if she could speak French. Spoiler: she can't and it's awful. Her overall performance was unenjoyable and just added to the disaster that was this story.

In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, even someone I hated due to the unfortunate convergence of a narrative gone far overboard and a narrator helping to sink it even further with her lackluster portrayal of the story.

Blew the Ending

I was really enjoying this book until the big secret reveal and horrible ending. It was so disappointing! If it was a work of fiction, she could have come up with a much more satisfying ending.

They chose the wrong person to narrate this story.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It's hard to say. I really didn't like the fact that the main character was so powerless to change events in her life because she valued obedience over her own safety. However, I realize that many women of the time held the same attitude, so it was probably not out of place to write a character with such a weak mindset.

Would you be willing to try another book from Elizabeth Hall? Why or why not?

Perhaps. It depends on the story.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Her tone sounded far too light and uplifting, almost as if she was reading a young adult or children's novel. It just didn't go well with the content of the story.

Was Miramont's Ghost worth the listening time?

For the most part, yes.

Any additional comments?

The story was interesting, but I felt disappointed and deflated at the end. I felt angry because there really wasn't any retribution for the her cousin and aunt. I recognize that perhaps I'm just used to modern stories with stronger female characters and a sense of justice at the end of the story. :-)

Moody, depressing, but haunting!

I certainly didn't like this book, but it has stuck in my mind for the past week, and I had trouble stopping the audio while I was listening to it! Miramont Castle is open for tours, and it has a depressing, strange atmosphere, that certainly explains the inspiration for this novel. During the tour, the docent told of a maid that committed suicide in a little room on one of the upper floors, and retold many strange incidents that might indicate a haunting, so that was obviously the basis for the novel. The book also has a haunting, bleak atmosphere. If you are looking for a happy story, or one that has any uplifting or positive aspects, this is not a book for you! I read it because I have never been able to get the depressing atmosphere of Miramont out of my mind. Now I have a depressing book to add to that memory. Worth reading? Maybe...generally, it seemed to be well-written, and had complex characters. The portions that spoke of New Mexico and Colorado seemed to be a little like a travelogue - for example, I'm not certain why the story of the miraculous stairway at Loretto Chapel was included. I'm not certain that I recommend this one!

Loved it!

Reminiscent of Bronte's classics like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

Not for everybody, but great first book.

Heartbreaking story

I did enjoy this story but found it broke my heart the more it unfolded

great story,

narration wasn't up to the standards I expect from audible enjoyed reading the book though

Whoops

The author needs to do a lot more research. The correct form of address for people in France was completely wrong. The distances people went for minor jobs were impossible. You don't send someone 500 kilometres to send a telegram. Aa fairly good story but the ending was flat.
I was disgusted to see mention of the real family. Mud sticks and this family are now marked.
The narrator needed to learn the correct pronunciation of french words.

Dreadful

This has to be one of the worse books I have ever listened to . I really tried and I even forced myself to complete it as I kept on telling myself something would happen .