Night Sisters

by Sara Lindsay Rath

Nell Grendon never thought about communing with the dead when she was growing up in Little Wolf, Wisconsin; she was more concerned with slumber parties, boys, and the Lord’s Prayer Ring she won (dishonestly) in a Methodist Bible Bee. But when a chance visit to the eccentric but charming Wocanaga Spiritualist Camp brings the adult Nell face-to-face with the elderly medium Grace Waverly, she cannot resist the temptation to learn more about spirit mediumship.

            Nell intends to fake her intuitive talents, but soon she spontaneously channels Angella Wing, an actress from the 1920s once known as the “Woman of a Thousand Voices.” Nell attempts to conceal her occult interests from skeptical friends, including George, a handsome jazz musician who rents an apartment in her historic home, and Polly, a childhood friend with buried anguish of her own. But soon Angella’s mischievous presence begins to make Nell’s life more and more difficult, eventually attracting shadows of Nell’s past. As she tries to free herself from Angella’s influence, Nell is forced into an investigation of a mysterious death at the very heart of her childhood—and the revelation of surprisingly dark secrets.

Genres: Fiction

320 pages, 6 x 9 Cloth

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

A widow returns to her family cabin looking for relief from the sorrow of losing her husband. Soon she is caught up with a neighbor's quest for lost treasure, the dispute over wolf reintroduction, and an errant granddaughter's visit. For anyone that has spent time in Northern Wisconsin this book can be fun. The descriptions of the lakes, woods, and cottages return one to summers in the North. The treasure hunt is for Dillinger's lost cash on the night he was rousted from the Little Bohemia. Again, for anyone acquainted with the area this is a fun side adventure.

All in all, the book is rather loosely written. Only certain sections kept my interest and even then I did not think it was especially well done. A gruesome description of a bear cub's death negatively affected me and my view of the author. This scene could have been a very powerful ecological message but because of the writing it just seems to be here for shock value.

Holly S. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this because Sara is a local author from Spring Green. She writes this novel based on the spiritualist camp known as 'spook hill' in Wonewoc (name changed). It started off great for me explaining in detail this well known spot where mediums read your fortune. Nell goes back to visit her childhood community as a journalist to write a story. I was completely absorbed by the explanation of Nel's childhood friend that was Catholic. The description of all the symbols and behaviors of her traditional religious beliefs was spot on. The plot however took a weird turn. In the end there is a seance & holograms.

[Kari Koehler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly enough - I was walking through the library with a dif book that I was all set to start diving into. I was walking past and put that book down and randomly checked out this book!

It is a great book - I am just on the verge of finishing it! It is based right here in my home state and at a spiritualist camp that I have been meaning to visit! Now I will make that an even higher priority! Funny - that life plans for us!

[Margee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A diverting Halloween read: Wisconsin native Nell Grendon visits the Wocanaga Spiritualist Camp, interested in learning about mediumship. When she decides to fake her intuitive talents, she inexplicably sees the ghost of a murder victim from long ago, and finds herself channeling a 1920s movie actress--unforeseen complications.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Daylight in the swamp!” Growing up in central Wisconsin, that would be my dad’s wake up call! This story took me back to my early years. Enjoy the smell of the pines and feel the moss under your feet. Cringe at the creepy spiders and the well-remembered stench in the outhouse! Fun characters and nicely woven story!

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first 2/3 of this book. The last third seemed scattered and rushed to get to the conclusion.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

[Sherry (sethurner) · Rating 3 out of 5]

sthurner

o Rated 3 stars

“"May I come to you?"

According to Spring Green author Sara Rath, this is the question that a medium should ask of her subject before delivering a spirit message. Rath, whose first book Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages is also set in Wisconsin, has penned a novel that cannot decide if it is spooky, romantic or slapstick. By trying to be all three, it fails to be any of them.

Elenora Grendon, a divorced writer whose children and grandchildren live in far-flung locations, decides to write a magazine article about the Wocanaga Spiritualist Camp. Wisconsin has a long history of involvement in spiritualism, and the fictional camp is based on a real one in the Baraboo area. At any rate, skeptical "Nell" discovers that she has a talent for channeling, and a pesky spirit of an old-time radio actress causes havoc in her life. There is a back story from Elenora's girlhood involving a couple unsavory incidents, a subplot about a possible murder of a childhood friend, and some very silly romance with a jazz pianist. Overall I found the story to be unconvincing and the characters nobody I wanted to spend time with. The only thing that kept me reading was the author's descriptions of the UW Madison campus, State Historical Society, and western Wisconsin's beautiful scenery.

[Julie F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book because it is written by a local author (Spring Green) and based on the Spiritualist Camp in my hometown (Wonewoc - even though the name is changed in the book). It was fun to read the description of a familiar place through a visitor's eyes. I didn't know much about Spiritualism or the beliefs that it was based on, so it was interesting to learn more.
The main character is a writer who comes to the camp on assignment for a travel magazine. She finds herself more interested than expected and becomes a reluctant medium herself. The spirit world brings up memories of the past, including the unexplained death of a teenaged friend. Our middle-aged heroine must struggle with her new "skill", deal with a crush/romantic relationship and attend the dreaded high-school reunion. I enjoyed her flash-back stories from her childhood more than the current-day trials she was dealing with.
This was a pretty good book with a little murder/mystery mixed in. I have to say that I thought the last chapter was a weird afterthought thrown in that didn't really fit with the rest of the novel. Overall, a book worth taking a look at, especially if you have regional ties.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am interested in new ideas and the supernatural. However, this book was even a little out there for me. The protagonist, Nell, discovers that she has psychic powers when she is writing an article about a place called the Wocanaga Spiritualist Camp (loosely based on the Wonewoc Spiritualist Camp here in Wisconsin) and is encouraged to take classes by one of the practioners named Grace. During the course of the story, Nell begins to channel a spirit named Angella. Nell is simultaneously leading a "normal" life of falling in love, spending time with her best friend, attending a school reunion, and worrying about her grown children. Nell's childhood becomes an important part of the plot, too, because she is trying to solve the mystery of how a friend died. All the pieces are laid out and resolved but somehow I was left a little empty at the conclusion. Perhaps I was spooked?

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had an unusual plot from what I normally read, though having read a lot about the paranormal lately it kind of fits in too. The characters were interesting and so was the story. I liked that it wasn't really predictable, but the characters were consistent. I liked that there was a little bit of everything in this book. The author did a good job of weaving the past and present story of the main character with out seeming too choppy. I would give this a 3.5 stars if I could.

[Valerie Husom]

I happen to catch the 1st chapter on WPR's "Chapter a Day", and got a copy from my library, and zoomed through it! It was a great, fun story. A little love, a little mystery, some ghosts & spirit visits, a great story! I've researched the Wonewoc Spiritualist Camp at their website - http://www.campwonewoc.com/, and I'm excited about going on a weekend retreat next spring/summer.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly entertaining novel about a writer who, while investigating Spiritualism at Spook Hill, discovers her own psychic abilities. The novel tried a little too hard to be whimsical, with the author using way too many exclamation points and parenthetical asides. The story suffered from a lack of focus, never deciding if it was a romance, a comedy, or a thriller.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but there were long gaps in my reading progress. I had to renew it twice. Therefore, I had some trouble recalling some of the details. In general, I liked the back and forth story telling and loved the descriptions of both Madison and "Little Wolf". I also loved the dog named Henry.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a disappointing book...the story was interesting; enough so that I wanted to finish it, but the writing was disorganized and I found that I resented the protaganist's (and the author's?) attitude toward Spiritualism, something I don't even know if I believe in.

[Sara Kuhl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Portions of this book were just too unbelievable. Not the spiritualist references but the character actions. Overly written in places. I did, however, enjoy references to Madison and surrounding area.

[Roz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fictional look at mediumship ... the description of the Spiritualist camp that Nell visits is the most interesting part of the book. Seems she based it on a place that actually exists in Wisconsin (with a little of the amazing Lily Dale of New York mixed in!)

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. The writing was choppy; Nell and Polly sounded sophmoric and campy. I was expecting the author to delve more into the Wonewoc Spiritualist Camp.

[Liz Dannenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The (current hard back) cover is totally misleading! This book is hilarious & engaging. I loved Nell, the narrator. Great supporting characters too.