Rhode Island Legends: Haunted Hallows & Monsters' Lairs

by M.E. Reilly-McGreen

Prepare yourself to journey through the local tales of fright throughout Rhode Island. Rhode Island's ghostly heritage is as deep and profound as the history of the state itself. From the ghastly moaning bones of Mount Tom to the stately haunt of Judge Potter in a local library, Rhode Island's apparitions have been causing fear for centuries. Follow M.E. Reilly-McGreen as she reveals the ghoulish stories of the state's most haunted places. The author delves deep to unearth tales of fright little known to most as well as those that have helped define the state's supernatural history. From ghosts to monsters, this book is your guide to all things spooky in Rhode Island. So prepare to journey through the Rhode Island you didn't know existed, or does it?

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Short Stories

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

it'd have to be a total bomb for me to not enjoy something
a. rhode island
b. folklore/legend

so...
I liked it!

with all things rhode island I would prefer there be about 60% more Foster related stories, and since there was only a sentence about Ramstail Mill... erm.. I didn't like it as much as I could, but whatever.
there wasn't a ton of Burriville B.S. to deal with either, so I'll take it.

it def felt at points m.e. was -creating- the legend ... I mean like for sure, but again.. whatever... it entertained.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say I really enjoyed about 40% of the stories. Then there were a bunch that were interesting, and would likely mean more to me if I was from Rhode Island. Overall, a solid collection of local ghost/spooky stories.

[Tiffany Lynn Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a good little collection but each story fails to deliver.

[Justin Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully suprised by this one! I'm a sucker for all things local legends, and this book by M.E. Reilly-McGreen is one of the best quick reads i've come across.

While other local legend books are content to kind of throw out the basic info of these legends out and call it a day, McGreen puts in a lil more work to add some genuine drama. All of the accounts here are told with a dramatic narrative flair. Thanks to that, some of the stories ring true with drama and emotion. Take the unsettling tale of the Crying Woman of some bog...a normal account thats turned into an upsetting and thrilling origin.

Overall, a wonderfully spooky time!

[Walter Feeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice bit of RI folklore

I've lived in Rhode Island my entire life (52 Years). This book was full of stories I had never heard. A great book if you're into small town folklore or if you're from the area and just want to know more about it.

[Callie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about the folklore of Rhode Island.

[Korie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made a Google map list of these places

[Katherine Hebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wishing there were more to the stories.

[Sarah O'Donnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad. I was maybe expecting more of a guide book lol

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read just in terms of educating myself on some Rhode Island folklore. The one thing I had a hard time differentiating is which of the stories she may have embellished for creative purposes, and which are more accurate, which were written from pieces of different versions of the same tale, and which were well-known and fairly accurate. She had an explanation about this in the introduction, but I still would have preferred even a blurb at the end of each tale with a little explanation of the actual historical significance. It's probably just because I expected more of a historical nonfiction book versus a book of short stories. It was still fun to read, just not what I was anticipating. Also, some of the writing was a little more... melodramatic, I guess you could say? I know that was to make the stories more interesting and entertaining, but again it just bothered me in terms of not understanding what she had exaggerated for literary sake and what was actually historically accurate. It was a fun little book and a really easy read. I recommend it if you want to learn more about Rhode Island's folklore and what not, just be ready to suspend your disbelief a little bit.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read this again now that I’m back from our trip 🙂

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhode Island Legends is a collection of stories of Rhode Island monsters, witches, ghosts, vampires and devils, with some aliens thrown in for good measure.

M.E. Reilly-Green tells a good story, and the subject matter is interesting. I wish she'd included more information about how she came to learn about the story. She concedes in her forward that some of the stories are amalgamations of several versions. It would have been great to know which ones.

Many of the stories provide specific locations. It'll be fun to take this book along and find some of these places. Maybe we'll see a ghost or two ourselves!

[Diane Dunham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. Very interesting, especially if you live in R.I. and have seen these places not knowing there history.