Praise for The Ghosts of Kerfol:
"Noyes' talent as an editor of creepy ghost stories is evident in her anthologies, Gothic! and The
Restless Dead. This brilliant collection is comprised of her own original tales, which are all based
on Edith Wharton's 1916 story, "Kerfol".... The ghost dogs of the original story feature in each of these unique,
mesmerizing tales, as does the dark sensuality of the women. While curious teens will be motivated to seek
out the original Wharton story, Noyes supplies enough back matter to make that effort purely optional." -- Booklist (starred review)
"In five wonderfully chilling short stories, Noyes pays homage to Edith Wharton's ghost story 'Kerfol,' about the wealthy Anne de Barrigan--terrorized by a husband who murders her dogs and then is himself murdered by their ghosts.... Readers will be eager to know how next this house and its ghosts wreak havoc--and even death--on those unlucky enough to darken its doorstep." -- Publisher's Weekly
"Told from a variety of perspectives, each story builds on the last, drawing the reader deeper into the passion and misery that wind their way through the estate. Beautiful and genuinely frightening." -- Kirkus Reviews
"In true Gothic style, the darker sides of human emotions are exposed, explored, and sometimes punished in five tales that feature themes of love, betrayal, greed, artistic agony, and ennui set against the sensual and sumptuous backdrop of a once grand house haunted by mystery and grief.... As well as providing a creepy, hair-raising set of stories to enjoy on stormy nights, this could also set the stage for a creative writing assignment -- for instance, just how are things going in the Rue Morgue these days?" -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (recommended)
"A dream of haunting you won't regret, nor easily forget. Bewitching." -- Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and What-the-Dickens
"Noyes's reworking brilliantly uses phrases from Wharton's original while fleshing out the events into a more detailed tale of terror.... Edith Wharton--although a great writer of ghost stories herself--admitted that 'till I was twenty-seven or -eight, I could not sleep in a room with a book containing a ghost story, and that I have frequently had to burn books of this kind, because it frightened me to know they were downstairs in the library.' While I would not recommend burning this book, I would recommend reading The Ghosts of Kerfol for the same reasons Wharton gives. The fifth story about a deaf workman who 'hears' the ghosts scared me so much I had to put the book down and go eat a pickle to revive my sense of the ordinary. In my opinion, this is the highest praise one can give a ghost story. It captured my imagination enough to frighten me a little while I was reading it, but continued to haunt my thoughts long after I had finished the book." -- Sarah A. Wood, www.teenreads.com
"The setting is particularly successful as Noyes manages to ground each entry in its specific time period while maintaining the brooding gothic atmosphere throughout." -- The Horn Book
"Noyes makes it clear that when you brush close to something this unsettled -- to a permanently disturbed location -- even if you walk away from it, you are still altered by the experience. How altered is what she explores and the answers, as varied as life and death, make the original "Kerfol" story that much more compelling.... Readers who enjoy their ghost stories steeped in atmosphere will find much to like in The Ghosts of Kerfol. Noyes captures the periods she writes in quite well and using various plot elements to link them together (far beyond the location) creates an overall tale of murder and lost love that fits as perfectly as any novel-length puzzle. Bronte fans take note; this one is a solid entry in Wuthering Heights country." -- Colleen Mondor, www.bookslut.com
"Creepy ghost stories that are reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's work.... an exciting read." -- School Library Journal
"As the editor of two shivery short story collections, Noyes knows from scary....Is a place inherently evil, or do the people who inhabit it leave their psychic residue? While these dark tales stand alone, the author's faithful adherence to the themes of her source material make for lively discussion." -- Angelina Benedetti, "35 Going on 13: Teen Books for Adults," www.libraryjournal.com
"A great story.... The weird happenings at Kerfol are sure to give chills to any reader." -- www.teensreadtoo.com
For more information about The Ghosts of Kerfol, visit Candlewick Press. See also Deb's "author snapshot" on Cynsations.