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Ghosts of Acadia
Following in the tradition of his first collection of ghost stories, Dark Woods, Chill Waters, Marcus LiBrizzi has researched and written a collection of 21 true ghost stories from the Acadia/Mount Desert Island region of Maine. All the stories stand out due to their frightening elements and legendary qualities, combined with historical background and eye-witness accounts. The collection also provides a kind of gothic tour guide, recounting stories in settings that readers can go and visit.
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 23, 2022
3.5 stars. Super fun to read while visiting Acadia National Park, and on the way home. We visited several of the places mentioned, and I didn’t see any ghosts, but there were some eerie spots for sure! I wish the book had updated pictures of a lot of the mansions listed, as I enjoyed looking them up to see if we passed them on town and while hiking. Overall, a fun read.
October 11, 2020
This book is the perfect companion on any trip to Acadia and Bar Harbor. The stories were more interesting than all the informational signs peppered around town.
One recommendation would be for this book to have a mapped accompanying the table of contents, so as you travel around you can read the stories for the area you are visiting.
One recommendation would be for this book to have a mapped accompanying the table of contents, so as you travel around you can read the stories for the area you are visiting.
November 28, 2018
This book has twenty-one true ghost stories that were from Mount Desert Island/Acadia region of Maine. The stories told in this book stand out due to the frightening and horrific elements, combined with historical background. If you are into this author in particular or any of his horror in general then I would definitely recommend reading his other book "Dark woods, Chill waters."
August 29, 2019
This was a very interesting collection of ghost stories of this small island in Maine, which I am very familiar with. I really enjoyed hearing about stories from long ago and the sightings seen by many. The one thing I wish this book did was add more personal accounts, sometimes the stories were so vague and had little detail or real story to them. Overall, I enjoyed.
October 4, 2011
I preferred LiBrizzi's first book, Dark Woods-Chill Waters, but this one is worth reading too. Recommended!
July 21, 2023
Ghosts of Acadia by Marcus LiBrizzi is an awesome collection of spooky tales from the Acadia region.
This collection has such an awesome range! There’s a ghost of a jilted bride, shipwrecks and ghost ships, a haunted lighthouse, a ghost cat, lots of cursed land and murders, ghostly caretakers that continue to watch over the properties, haunted trails, caves with horrific histories, water spirits, and more!
I had an absolute blast with this collection! If you enjoy reading a good ghost story based on local legends and stories, then this is a must-read for you!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/ghost...
This collection has such an awesome range! There’s a ghost of a jilted bride, shipwrecks and ghost ships, a haunted lighthouse, a ghost cat, lots of cursed land and murders, ghostly caretakers that continue to watch over the properties, haunted trails, caves with horrific histories, water spirits, and more!
I had an absolute blast with this collection! If you enjoy reading a good ghost story based on local legends and stories, then this is a must-read for you!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/ghost...
November 14, 2017
I think that Marcus LiBrizzi should write more ghost books and make them from other places that aren’t in Maine. I really like this book because it gave me the chills thinking that there are ghosts that actually are in Maine I think you should really read this book because I think it will give you the chills and it is really interesting
August 1, 2018
I purchased this book in a gift shop in Bar Harbor. Having just been there, the ghost stories were all the more interesting, as I had just seen many of the locations the author writes about. While this book is never going to win a Pulitzer, it was a fast, enjoyable read.
November 29, 2021
Took my time reading this one and thoroughly enjoyed! After being up in this area at the end of September this was the perfect companion to the trip. LiBrizzi is an excellent writer and this one gave me all the chills. Very interested to read other books by this author.
July 13, 2024
Not the best ghost story book I’ve ever read but I enjoyed reading it this week while we were on vacation in Bar Harbor and exploring Acadia. We happened to pass by and visit many of the haunted sites mentioned in the book so it was cool to make the connection to the stories.
December 5, 2019
I love ghost stories and loved the new to me area - Good ghost tales that will leave you a little unsettled and wishing for eyes behind you head.
August 2, 2023
Ghosts of Acadia was a very interesting book that provided both historical accounts as well as legends.
October 15, 2023
Really more of a 3.5, but worth the round up for those that enjoy folklore of the campfire ghost story variety.
October 26, 2023
Always enjoyed good ghost stories and this is a good one. Plus love Acadia NP.
November 2, 2024
My professor wrote this book. I like ghost stories so i thought it was good, and I grew up here so bonus points
November 16, 2016
I loved Marcus LiBrizzi’s earlier book, "Dark Woods, Chill Waters," so when I came across this later offering in a gift shop during a recent getaway Down East, I grabbed it, hoping for the same kind of magic. Unfortunately, “Ghosts of Acadia” falls a bit short of expectations.
The book opens strongly with “Phantoms of Ledgelawn,” in which a caretaker recounts his own experiences with the spirit haunting the inn he worked for. At one point, the specter turned her head and made direct eye contact with him – truly chilling. I was hoping this story would set the tone for the book, but it quickly disintegrates into tales of ghosts that “are rumored to be the spirit of …,” and that “people have seen.” Who? When? Just being rumors, there’s no way to tell. I counted only ten eye-witness accounts, most of these being only a brief paragraph, and even in these cases, it is not entirely clear if the stories were related directly to the author. This ambiguity takes away from what little first-hand accounts we do have.
There is a second very strong chapter later in the book about a contemporary haunting, entitled “Blue Willow,” which is quite eerie and convincing, and the history discovered about the former residents ties in nicely with the experiences of the home owner who recounted the tale. But in many instances, the author just reaches too high to impart "terror," a word he over-uses and reiterates ad nauseam, with no “meat and potatoes” to back up the stories. Often, the author goes back centuries to find evidence of hauntings and witnesses.
“Ghosts of Acadia” is a gem for recording local lore and history and successfully creates a visual topography of the area that almost makes you feel like you’ve been there, so maybe I’m being unfair. But I was so impressed by “Dark Woods” that I was expecting the same thing here, and thus ended up disappointed. This book just relies too heavily on coincidence and speculation to make for a truly chilling, or even eerie for that matter, collection of tales. Also, “Dark Woods” ended with a nice, neat concluding chapter, whereas this book just ends abruptly, with nothing to finish it off. While it must have taken a lot of digging to unearth these tales, most just didn’t satisfy my lust for a truly chilling tale that stays with you.
The book opens strongly with “Phantoms of Ledgelawn,” in which a caretaker recounts his own experiences with the spirit haunting the inn he worked for. At one point, the specter turned her head and made direct eye contact with him – truly chilling. I was hoping this story would set the tone for the book, but it quickly disintegrates into tales of ghosts that “are rumored to be the spirit of …,” and that “people have seen.” Who? When? Just being rumors, there’s no way to tell. I counted only ten eye-witness accounts, most of these being only a brief paragraph, and even in these cases, it is not entirely clear if the stories were related directly to the author. This ambiguity takes away from what little first-hand accounts we do have.
There is a second very strong chapter later in the book about a contemporary haunting, entitled “Blue Willow,” which is quite eerie and convincing, and the history discovered about the former residents ties in nicely with the experiences of the home owner who recounted the tale. But in many instances, the author just reaches too high to impart "terror," a word he over-uses and reiterates ad nauseam, with no “meat and potatoes” to back up the stories. Often, the author goes back centuries to find evidence of hauntings and witnesses.
“Ghosts of Acadia” is a gem for recording local lore and history and successfully creates a visual topography of the area that almost makes you feel like you’ve been there, so maybe I’m being unfair. But I was so impressed by “Dark Woods” that I was expecting the same thing here, and thus ended up disappointed. This book just relies too heavily on coincidence and speculation to make for a truly chilling, or even eerie for that matter, collection of tales. Also, “Dark Woods” ended with a nice, neat concluding chapter, whereas this book just ends abruptly, with nothing to finish it off. While it must have taken a lot of digging to unearth these tales, most just didn’t satisfy my lust for a truly chilling tale that stays with you.
February 19, 2017
Decent, but every chapter is the same length and style. Nothing memorable in here.
November 23, 2015
Many people have been to Acadia, but little did they know there are spirits that lurk halls of hotels/houses, and even the woods.
There is one story that's creeps me out the most it is the first story of the book out of many. In the first story there is a lady they call "The woman in white" the woman in white supposedly killed herself, this all happened at Ledgelawn, this is a mansion in Acadia that contains more than one ghost according the this book. The lady in white is know for roaming the room 326 she will either in the middle of the night have a flying veil over the bed, or walking the halls with a creepy smile. There is another story in this book that is about a elder man and his cat seawater. Willie Cunningham (was the old man) his house broke into flames by a fire in 1947 which burnt down most of Acadia, but Willie's story has more to it than just a burnt house. This story is not really about Willie it's about his cat Seawater, Seawater ran back into the burning house and Willie ran after him so he could save his cat back, but died in the process. To this day his cat remains around the broken house with his glowing red eyes,
See with me I am normally not a fan of ghost books, but this book got my attention. I can also connect with this book because I have been to Acadia many time before and I have also been to some of the places in the book, yet I have not experienced any paranormal activity at any of these places. So in all reality I have no clue if any of these stories are real. But when I go back to Acadia I will will pay attention to these thing that I have read about in this Interesting book.
There is one story that's creeps me out the most it is the first story of the book out of many. In the first story there is a lady they call "The woman in white" the woman in white supposedly killed herself, this all happened at Ledgelawn, this is a mansion in Acadia that contains more than one ghost according the this book. The lady in white is know for roaming the room 326 she will either in the middle of the night have a flying veil over the bed, or walking the halls with a creepy smile. There is another story in this book that is about a elder man and his cat seawater. Willie Cunningham (was the old man) his house broke into flames by a fire in 1947 which burnt down most of Acadia, but Willie's story has more to it than just a burnt house. This story is not really about Willie it's about his cat Seawater, Seawater ran back into the burning house and Willie ran after him so he could save his cat back, but died in the process. To this day his cat remains around the broken house with his glowing red eyes,
See with me I am normally not a fan of ghost books, but this book got my attention. I can also connect with this book because I have been to Acadia many time before and I have also been to some of the places in the book, yet I have not experienced any paranormal activity at any of these places. So in all reality I have no clue if any of these stories are real. But when I go back to Acadia I will will pay attention to these thing that I have read about in this Interesting book.
February 13, 2017
The author has a way with words, spinning the sometimes thin facts/information into chilling tales - each of which make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. This book was a great combination of local folk lore and history (and I learned quite about the area) as well as well-told ghost stories. The only improvement I could suggest would be beefing up the history part of each tale to include more concrete info such as dates and being clear as to what is mere speculation and what is fact (for instance, did a slaver ship really sink off the coast of Mount Desert Island or is that only speculation as to the origin of the ghostly cries and wails that villagers here?). Other than that, I found this book hugely entertaining - and terrifying - and couldn't put it down.
September 26, 2015
Having just visited Bar Harbor and a few of the surrounding areas, I really enjoyed reading this book. Wish I lived closer, so I could walk some of those paths and visit some of those haunted establishments. I loved the photographs in the book, but some sort of maps would have been fantastic. All in all, a great easy read.
January 23, 2013
Very interesting. It was neat to read about places I had seen this past summer and to know their legends.
March 9, 2013
Kind of strange. Written like it is spoken on a cheesy TV show. Although I believe the apparitions are real, the author often gives theories about who the ghost might be.
August 16, 2015
Probably only of interest those familiar with the area. Fun read that retold several stories my sister and I heard on a haunted walking tour of Bar Harbor!
December 26, 2017
Fun quick read for those interested in the lord of Down East Maine and Mount Desert Island.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews