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The Spirit Photographer: A Novel
Boston, 1870. Photographer Edward Moody runs a booming business capturing the images of the spirits of the departed in his portraits. Despite the whispers around town that Moody is a fraud of the basest kind, no one has been able to expose him, and word of his gift has spread, earning him money, fame, and a growing list of illustrious clients. One day, while developing the negative from a sitting to capture the spirit of the young son of an abolitionist senator, Moody is shocked to see a different spectral figure develop before his eyes. Instead of the staged image of the boy he was expecting, the camera has seemingly captured the spirit of a beautiful young woman. Is it possible that the spirit photographer caught a real ghost? When Moody recognizes the woman in the photograph as the daughter of an escaped slave he knew long ago, he is compelled to travel from Boston to the Louisiana bayous to resolve their unfinished business—and perhaps save his soul. But more than one person is out to stop him . . .
With dramatic twists and redolent of the mood of the Southern Gothic, The Spirit Photographer conjures the Reconstruction-era South, replete with fugitive hunters, voodoo healers, and other dangers lurking in the swamp. Jon Michael Varese’s deftly plotted first novel is an intense tale of death and betrayal that shows us how undeniably the ghosts of the past remain with us, and how resolutely they refuse to be quieted.
With dramatic twists and redolent of the mood of the Southern Gothic, The Spirit Photographer conjures the Reconstruction-era South, replete with fugitive hunters, voodoo healers, and other dangers lurking in the swamp. Jon Michael Varese’s deftly plotted first novel is an intense tale of death and betrayal that shows us how undeniably the ghosts of the past remain with us, and how resolutely they refuse to be quieted.
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2018
41 people are currently reading
953 people want to read
About the author
Jon Michael Varese
5 books23 followersJon Michael Varese (J.M. Varese) is an American novelist and literary historian whose first novel, The Spirit Photographer (2018), was published to critical acclaim. He has also written widely on Victorian literature and culture, and has served in various capacities, most recently as Director of Outreach, for The Dickens Project at the University of California for over two decades.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
December 24, 2017
Written accounts of the Civil War have been further enhanced by photographic documentation provided by Matthew Brady. In this historical fiction novel, Brady has sent an apprentice, Edward Moody, to photograph the carnage at Antietam in 1862. After viewing the photos of dead bodies and horse carcasses, woodcuts and other likenesses started to appear in newspapers. Why not raise up the dead through spiritual communication? Brokenhearted wives and mothers felt hopeless. Communicating with a lost son or husband by capturing his spirit could often promote inner peace.
In 1870, Edward Moody claimed to capture the ghost of a deceased loved one. A spectral image appeared in a photo created in his studio. Customers from all walks of life frequented his business in the hope of reconnecting with a shadowy loved one faintly appearing in the background. His fame spread despite the naysayers who tried to expose him as a fraud.
Abolitionist Senator James Garrett tried to placate wife Elizabeth by sitting for a spirit photo despite his abhorrence of Moody's methods. Elizabeth had been informed in writing, by Moody, that her son William, who died eighteen years ago, had communicated from the spirit world and she must sit for an immediate photo to be reunited with him. Development of the photo is troubling. In lieu of William's likeness, the shadowy image of a young woman appears. Moody knows her, but so does James Garrett. Garrett must obtain the negative, and soon.
"The Spirit Photographer: A Novel" by Jon Michael Varese is a novel about spirit photography, fact and fiction. A journey undertaken to the bayou interjects Reconstruction Era thinking, bounty hunting, and the practice of voodoo. For this reader, of greatest importance is continued recognition of all aspects of the Civil War Era through the medium of photography. An excellent Southern Gothic debut novel I highly recommend.
Thank you W. W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Spirit Photographer".
In 1870, Edward Moody claimed to capture the ghost of a deceased loved one. A spectral image appeared in a photo created in his studio. Customers from all walks of life frequented his business in the hope of reconnecting with a shadowy loved one faintly appearing in the background. His fame spread despite the naysayers who tried to expose him as a fraud.
Abolitionist Senator James Garrett tried to placate wife Elizabeth by sitting for a spirit photo despite his abhorrence of Moody's methods. Elizabeth had been informed in writing, by Moody, that her son William, who died eighteen years ago, had communicated from the spirit world and she must sit for an immediate photo to be reunited with him. Development of the photo is troubling. In lieu of William's likeness, the shadowy image of a young woman appears. Moody knows her, but so does James Garrett. Garrett must obtain the negative, and soon.
"The Spirit Photographer: A Novel" by Jon Michael Varese is a novel about spirit photography, fact and fiction. A journey undertaken to the bayou interjects Reconstruction Era thinking, bounty hunting, and the practice of voodoo. For this reader, of greatest importance is continued recognition of all aspects of the Civil War Era through the medium of photography. An excellent Southern Gothic debut novel I highly recommend.
Thank you W. W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Spirit Photographer".
April 15, 2018
4 glowing stars to The Spirit Photographer! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
It’s 1870 in Boston, and photographer Edward Moody’s job is to capture spirits of departed loved ones in photos. The word on the street is that Moody is a scammer, but at the same time, his popularity is spreading, and his work is in high demand.
Moody ends up developing a photo with a “real” spirit connected to himself instead of his paying client. As a result, he travels to Louisiana to resolve some of his past.
The Spirit Photographer is a southern Gothic mystery taking place during the fascinating time of the Reconstruction. It’s well-written with round characters and took me on quite the thrill ride! Just who was that spirit captured in Moody’s photo?
Another fabulous recommendation from my friend, Fran!
Thank you to Jon Michael Varese, Overlook Press, and Netgalley for the ARC. The Spirit Photographer releases on April 17, 2018!
It’s 1870 in Boston, and photographer Edward Moody’s job is to capture spirits of departed loved ones in photos. The word on the street is that Moody is a scammer, but at the same time, his popularity is spreading, and his work is in high demand.
Moody ends up developing a photo with a “real” spirit connected to himself instead of his paying client. As a result, he travels to Louisiana to resolve some of his past.
The Spirit Photographer is a southern Gothic mystery taking place during the fascinating time of the Reconstruction. It’s well-written with round characters and took me on quite the thrill ride! Just who was that spirit captured in Moody’s photo?
Another fabulous recommendation from my friend, Fran!
Thank you to Jon Michael Varese, Overlook Press, and Netgalley for the ARC. The Spirit Photographer releases on April 17, 2018!
April 17, 2018
!! NOW AVAILABLE !!
”Banner of Light
”Boston, Massachusetts Saturday, August 5, 1865
“A NEW PHASE of spiritual manifestations is exciting a great deal of attention and wonder in those who take an interest in the grand and beautiful subject of spirit communion. If this phenomenon in spiritual manifestation be genuine, it is the greatest and the best yet given to outside perception and bears incontrovertible evidence of the truth that spiritual communications are what they claim to be, viz.: actual manifestations of the ‘dead’ to the ‘living.’”
Edward Moody once apprenticed to famed photographer Matthew Brady, photographing the fallen.
”My subjects today did not make appointments for their sittings. They were photographed as they fell, their hands clutching the grass around them, or reaching out for help that never came. The red light of battle is faded from their eyes, but their lips are still set with that last fierce charge which loosed their souls from their bodies. The ground upon which they lie is torn by shot and shell, and the grass trampled down by the tread of hot, hurrying feet. Little rivulets that can scarcely be of water are still trickling along the earth like tears over a mother’s face.“
After the days of such scenes were behind him, the lure of offering peace, perhaps even hope, to the families of those who have lost loved ones. Moody, returned from apprenticing for Brad, has his own thriving photography business. While not all of his photographs include spirits, many do include those who have passed beyond the veil. Still, many consider him a fraud, but each time some person, some group tries to expose him as a fraud, scrutinizing each step of his work, his fame grows. As his fame grows, more grieving widows, and mothers mourning the loss of children flock to him as word spreads.
”I cannot shake from my thoughts the one side of these pictures that the sun did not catch…the one phase that has escaped our photographic skill. It is the background of widows and orphans…mothers, sons, daughters…torn from their natural protectors by the remorseless hand of battle. This war has made thousands of homes desolate, and has forever quenched the light of life in thoughts of hearts. Imagination must be the one to paint all this desolation, for I cannot – broken hearts cannot be photographed.”
Within these pages is a mystery beyond how Moody manages to capture the images of the departed, involving the image of a woman who appears in the photograph of a Senator, who agrees to sit for this photograph only to placate his still grieving wife, and the wife who is depending on their son’s image appearing. When a ghostly image appears that is not their son, each is struck by their own thoughts.
Getting to the bottom of this mystery sends Moody traveling to the bayous of Louisiana, while the Senator’s wife sinks deeper into her own thoughts pondering why this woman’s image would appear in their photo, and why now. The Senator only knows that public opinion is not only against the practice of spiritual photography, but also that if the photograph is leaked, too many questions would arise, and his political aspirations would be shredded.
Whispers of voodoo haunt these pages, as answers are sought, a journey to see if enough light is cast upon the darkness, will truth bring peace.
Pub Date: 17 APR 2018
Many thanks for the ARC provided by The Overlook Press
”Banner of Light
”Boston, Massachusetts Saturday, August 5, 1865
“A NEW PHASE of spiritual manifestations is exciting a great deal of attention and wonder in those who take an interest in the grand and beautiful subject of spirit communion. If this phenomenon in spiritual manifestation be genuine, it is the greatest and the best yet given to outside perception and bears incontrovertible evidence of the truth that spiritual communications are what they claim to be, viz.: actual manifestations of the ‘dead’ to the ‘living.’”
Edward Moody once apprenticed to famed photographer Matthew Brady, photographing the fallen.
”My subjects today did not make appointments for their sittings. They were photographed as they fell, their hands clutching the grass around them, or reaching out for help that never came. The red light of battle is faded from their eyes, but their lips are still set with that last fierce charge which loosed their souls from their bodies. The ground upon which they lie is torn by shot and shell, and the grass trampled down by the tread of hot, hurrying feet. Little rivulets that can scarcely be of water are still trickling along the earth like tears over a mother’s face.“
After the days of such scenes were behind him, the lure of offering peace, perhaps even hope, to the families of those who have lost loved ones. Moody, returned from apprenticing for Brad, has his own thriving photography business. While not all of his photographs include spirits, many do include those who have passed beyond the veil. Still, many consider him a fraud, but each time some person, some group tries to expose him as a fraud, scrutinizing each step of his work, his fame grows. As his fame grows, more grieving widows, and mothers mourning the loss of children flock to him as word spreads.
”I cannot shake from my thoughts the one side of these pictures that the sun did not catch…the one phase that has escaped our photographic skill. It is the background of widows and orphans…mothers, sons, daughters…torn from their natural protectors by the remorseless hand of battle. This war has made thousands of homes desolate, and has forever quenched the light of life in thoughts of hearts. Imagination must be the one to paint all this desolation, for I cannot – broken hearts cannot be photographed.”
Within these pages is a mystery beyond how Moody manages to capture the images of the departed, involving the image of a woman who appears in the photograph of a Senator, who agrees to sit for this photograph only to placate his still grieving wife, and the wife who is depending on their son’s image appearing. When a ghostly image appears that is not their son, each is struck by their own thoughts.
Getting to the bottom of this mystery sends Moody traveling to the bayous of Louisiana, while the Senator’s wife sinks deeper into her own thoughts pondering why this woman’s image would appear in their photo, and why now. The Senator only knows that public opinion is not only against the practice of spiritual photography, but also that if the photograph is leaked, too many questions would arise, and his political aspirations would be shredded.
Whispers of voodoo haunt these pages, as answers are sought, a journey to see if enough light is cast upon the darkness, will truth bring peace.
Pub Date: 17 APR 2018
Many thanks for the ARC provided by The Overlook Press
May 2, 2019
I first encountered this author when he came to speak to us at a meeting of the local Dickens Fellowship last month. It was a joy to listen to and discuss Dickens with him. He’s the Director of Public Outreach for the Dickens Project at the University of California, so I wasn’t surprised that he knew his Dickens, and the time period. The most touching of his stories dealing with the Project had to do with their work with underserved high school students in the area, and the effect reading Dickens has had on their lives. When asked, he briefly spoke on his novel. I was so impressed with him, I went to a couple of the panels he was on that weekend at the Tennessee Williams Fest. Subsequently, I bought this book: not a book I would’ve bought otherwise. When I heard him say Beloved was one of its inspirations, I was intrigued, though cautious, as Beloved is one of my favorites. I needn’t have worried: happily, inspiration does not mean imitation.
Varese’s story moves from 19th-century Boston to Reconstruction New Orleans and beyond its city limits; and while I can’t speak to the authenticity of the former, I can to the latter and there’s not a false note. I now wish to ask him if he took a tour into the deepest of Louisiana swamps, as his characters’ journey into that heart of darkness is brilliant. I was reminded of the gorgeous prose of Constance Fenimore Woolson’s description of the St. Clair Flats (a place already lost before she wrote of it so vividly) in a short story of that name. Varese’s sentences are gorgeous as well; and there are scenes I don’t think I’ll forget, including one near the end.
In our meeting with Varese, he mentioned that in the French Quarter on a side wall of the Royal Orleans Hotel—formerly the St. Louis Hotel and Exchange— a word referring to the former hotel’s slave auction block is still visible. https://images.app.goo.gl/V8N5gjyu1s1... As with this novel (and there is a scene in that side street), the word on the wall is a chilling reminder of a past that was not so long ago, and of a heritage that is insidiously still with us.
*
Addendum (May 1, 2019):
Serendipitously, just today, our resident geographer extraordinaire Richard Campanella posted a photo from 1916 that captured the demolition of the St. Louis Hotel: https://twitter.com/nolacampanella/st... I asked him about the wall with the word on it. His reply: That wall was part of four stores built into the Chartres St side of the old hotel, which were left intact. I believe they were still in place until plans for the new hotel called for the full parcel. Architect Sam Wilson kept the facade and embedded it into the new building.
Varese’s story moves from 19th-century Boston to Reconstruction New Orleans and beyond its city limits; and while I can’t speak to the authenticity of the former, I can to the latter and there’s not a false note. I now wish to ask him if he took a tour into the deepest of Louisiana swamps, as his characters’ journey into that heart of darkness is brilliant. I was reminded of the gorgeous prose of Constance Fenimore Woolson’s description of the St. Clair Flats (a place already lost before she wrote of it so vividly) in a short story of that name. Varese’s sentences are gorgeous as well; and there are scenes I don’t think I’ll forget, including one near the end.
In our meeting with Varese, he mentioned that in the French Quarter on a side wall of the Royal Orleans Hotel—formerly the St. Louis Hotel and Exchange— a word referring to the former hotel’s slave auction block is still visible. https://images.app.goo.gl/V8N5gjyu1s1... As with this novel (and there is a scene in that side street), the word on the wall is a chilling reminder of a past that was not so long ago, and of a heritage that is insidiously still with us.
*
Addendum (May 1, 2019):
Serendipitously, just today, our resident geographer extraordinaire Richard Campanella posted a photo from 1916 that captured the demolition of the St. Louis Hotel: https://twitter.com/nolacampanella/st... I asked him about the wall with the word on it. His reply: That wall was part of four stores built into the Chartres St side of the old hotel, which were left intact. I believe they were still in place until plans for the new hotel called for the full parcel. Architect Sam Wilson kept the facade and embedded it into the new building.
April 6, 2018
The Civil War may be over, but it has left a lot of women mourning husbands and sons. This has seen an increase in spiritualism. And in Boston, there is a man, Edward Moody that is said to be able to take your picture and you dearly departed will appear as a ghost in the picture. Despite many people proclaiming he's a fake, so far no one has been able to expose him as a fraud. However, when he's taking the photographs that should show the ghost of the dead son to an abolitionist senator instead of boy there is a beautiful woman in the photograph, a woman Edward recognizes...
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
April 21, 2018
Varese’s debut novel was inspired by the life story of the real-life father of spirit photography, William H. Mumler. His fictional stand-in here is Edward Moody, who was a battlefield photographer under Matthew Brady and now owns his own photography studio in Boston. Moody considers himself to be doing a service to the bereaved by fabricating family photographs in which the ghost of a departed loved one appears. But his own loss looms large, and he must undertake a quest to the New Orleans bayou to find out what really happened. This all sounds rather more exciting than it actually is. Like Steven Price’s By Gaslight, The Spirit Photographer is too long and melodramatic, often requiring a major suspension of disbelief. The novel is capably written and plotted, but doesn’t stand out in the sea of historical fiction or live up to its exciting premise. What with Varese’s academic background, he may have been better off writing this as nonfiction.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
September 28, 2018
The title and cover photo drew me to this novel. I've been really into historical fiction lately and as a genealogist, this was my kind of story.
It's set after the Civil War has ended and a photographer, Moody, has had his fill of photographing depressing battle field images. So he sets about doing photographs in which the deceased images show up in portraits of family members.
There was a big belief in spiritualism at that time and the author certainly did a good job at facts on that. Also how things were during that period in history. The part set in New Orleans was described very realistic. I could see the Spanish moss hanging from the trees from the descriptive words of the author. It was an interesting book that anyone into historical fiction would enjoy!
* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.
It's set after the Civil War has ended and a photographer, Moody, has had his fill of photographing depressing battle field images. So he sets about doing photographs in which the deceased images show up in portraits of family members.
There was a big belief in spiritualism at that time and the author certainly did a good job at facts on that. Also how things were during that period in history. The part set in New Orleans was described very realistic. I could see the Spanish moss hanging from the trees from the descriptive words of the author. It was an interesting book that anyone into historical fiction would enjoy!
* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.
January 10, 2019
be back for a review
May 11, 2018
I didn't love this. I recently read a great non-fiction on the subject of Spirit Photography. Varese has managed to take a spectacularly interesting subject, dumb it down, add a half-baked mystery, some dull characters impossible to connect with, a little bit of extra-marital drama and frustrated love, and package it up as a novel. The only saving grace was the language, which was quite lovely. This suffered from bad characterization, choppy pacing, and an uninspired plot. Shame.
January 22, 2018
The author of this book is a follower of my blog, and I got a preview copy. I'm so lucky to be in contact with such talented, intelligent people! I devoured this book in two days—I needed to know the truth about the spirit in the photograph!
The book jacket copy is practically a checklist of things I love in fiction: turn-of-the-century hijinks, cities I've visited, a flim-flam man, a ghost, secrets and betrayal, voodoo, court proceedings, and a story woven from the facts of history.
The cast of characters are very vivid, and while I dislike some of them for being just awful people, they feel true and real, which makes them compelling. Everyone has hidden depths and should not be taken lightly, especially Moody and his partner-in-crime Winter. And Mrs. Lovejoy, the landlady, is a true delight.
Jon does a brilliant job of putting the reader RIGHT THERE when Moody and Winter venture into the Louisiana bayou; I swear I could feel the humidity and see the ripples in the water myself. Through his characters' speech and his descriptions, he clearly illuminates the sometimes dramatic differences between the north and south during the crucial years just after the Civil War. "In New England, memories were locked behind brick walls and heavy doors. Here, the trees seemed to weep with them."
The book kicks off with plenty of energy and intrigue, and the ending is very satisfying. In between, there are plenty of high-stakes conversations and action, as well as some difficult discussions of race relations and sexism that feel particularly apt, given our current politics. (Warning: There's some tough language, so if you're sensitive, keep this in mind.) The ramifications of the central plot echo through all of the characters' lives and no one is left untouched by the beautiful and tragic experience of the spirit in the photograph... including me.
The book jacket copy is practically a checklist of things I love in fiction: turn-of-the-century hijinks, cities I've visited, a flim-flam man, a ghost, secrets and betrayal, voodoo, court proceedings, and a story woven from the facts of history.
The cast of characters are very vivid, and while I dislike some of them for being just awful people, they feel true and real, which makes them compelling. Everyone has hidden depths and should not be taken lightly, especially Moody and his partner-in-crime Winter. And Mrs. Lovejoy, the landlady, is a true delight.
Jon does a brilliant job of putting the reader RIGHT THERE when Moody and Winter venture into the Louisiana bayou; I swear I could feel the humidity and see the ripples in the water myself. Through his characters' speech and his descriptions, he clearly illuminates the sometimes dramatic differences between the north and south during the crucial years just after the Civil War. "In New England, memories were locked behind brick walls and heavy doors. Here, the trees seemed to weep with them."
The book kicks off with plenty of energy and intrigue, and the ending is very satisfying. In between, there are plenty of high-stakes conversations and action, as well as some difficult discussions of race relations and sexism that feel particularly apt, given our current politics. (Warning: There's some tough language, so if you're sensitive, keep this in mind.) The ramifications of the central plot echo through all of the characters' lives and no one is left untouched by the beautiful and tragic experience of the spirit in the photograph... including me.
March 29, 2018
What a wild ride!
The book is set just after slavery ends, the freed slaves are trying to find their place in the world and things are on the edge of heading back to how they were, whilst all this is happening there is a spirit photographer, named Moody, at the centre of a battle between scientists and the spiritualists. Mixed into all this action is a ghost story and a cracking mystery.
The research is first rate, in fact you get a nice list of books at the end if you want to look into things further. You get some fantastic characters in Moody, Winter and the demon-like Wilcox who is hunting them. Between some of the chapters are included newspaper cuttings showing both sides of the battle between the scientists and the spiritualists, these make a great addition. As things start to reach a crescendo one of the best part of the book happens, Moody's day in court and the interesting arguments between the prosecutor and defence lawyers.
I really enjoyed this thrilling book and can't find any fault, a wonderful debut. Not sure I can think of another writer to compare this to.
Blog review here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...
The book is set just after slavery ends, the freed slaves are trying to find their place in the world and things are on the edge of heading back to how they were, whilst all this is happening there is a spirit photographer, named Moody, at the centre of a battle between scientists and the spiritualists. Mixed into all this action is a ghost story and a cracking mystery.
The research is first rate, in fact you get a nice list of books at the end if you want to look into things further. You get some fantastic characters in Moody, Winter and the demon-like Wilcox who is hunting them. Between some of the chapters are included newspaper cuttings showing both sides of the battle between the scientists and the spiritualists, these make a great addition. As things start to reach a crescendo one of the best part of the book happens, Moody's day in court and the interesting arguments between the prosecutor and defence lawyers.
I really enjoyed this thrilling book and can't find any fault, a wonderful debut. Not sure I can think of another writer to compare this to.
Blog review here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...
October 3, 2019
I found this an interesting topic, something I have not seen in historical fiction. Edward Moody, based on an actual so called Spirit Photographer, tries to help grieving widows or mothers after the civil war with showing their loved one in a photograph. Until this scheme proves to find an actual spirit. This story isn’t quite what I expected but still proved to be an adventure to read.
April 17, 2018
GNab Jon Michael Varese brings us an excellent tale based on facts of the reconstruction years following the Civil War. We travel from Boston to New Orleans and into the cypress swamps with photographer Edward Moody and his black assistant Joseph Winter following the long cold trail of Isabelle, once loved by both men in their own way. And with Senator James B. Garrett and his wife Elizabeth we are exposed to the vague influence of Washington DC and the already looming spyglass of public awareness on all things political. Things legal greet us from the very public trial of Edward Moody for swindling many credulous persons, leading them to believe that his spirit photographs are true representations of the spirits of their lost love ones. In the process we find complete immersion into the spirit of life in this telling decade of American History, as the nation tries to heal and move onward from the devastation of the Civil War.
I found this novel very informative of many facets of life in the 1865 - 1870's America. Varese presents us with aspects of travel, police procedures, immersion of freed blacks into the cloth of civilization, and even Voodoo practices as well as the history of the Spiritualists and Scientists in America during those critical years.
But The Spirit Photographer: A Novel, is first and foremost an entertaining tale, hard to put down. I can happily recommend this novel to friends and family. It is difficult to believe this is a debut novel. I will look for more coming out by this gifted author.
I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Jon Michael Varese, and The Overlook Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
pub date April 17, 2018
The Overlook Press
I found this novel very informative of many facets of life in the 1865 - 1870's America. Varese presents us with aspects of travel, police procedures, immersion of freed blacks into the cloth of civilization, and even Voodoo practices as well as the history of the Spiritualists and Scientists in America during those critical years.
But The Spirit Photographer: A Novel, is first and foremost an entertaining tale, hard to put down. I can happily recommend this novel to friends and family. It is difficult to believe this is a debut novel. I will look for more coming out by this gifted author.
I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Jon Michael Varese, and The Overlook Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
pub date April 17, 2018
The Overlook Press
April 27, 2018
I really enjoyed this one. Having read Lincoln in the Bardo and not being able to quite engage with its creative narrative- this book shared similarities and delivered. It manages to weave many heavy plot threads and still keep your attention due to its pacy development. I felt that it’s emphasis on slavery, barbarity and the civil war made for an interesting story that helped me understand this time in history and how lives were affected. Perhaps more emphasis could have been made on emotions, but I get this didn’t fit the pacy/ actionlike approach. Loved all the southern flourishes. The swamp scenes were really eerie
April 26, 2018
Taking place in Boston in 1870 after the Civil War is over. Photographer Edward Moody sees all the stress and sadness from the widows and mothers of the departed. He promises to capture the ghost of ones dearly departed loved ones. After the Civil War interest in Spiritualism increases. This photographer takes pictures of live people but when developed a spirit from the person's past shows up in the photo with them. This Southern Gothic mystery takes you from the streets of Boston to the bayous of Louisiana during the fascinating time of the Reconstruction. You will not want to put this one down once you start it. It has many characters that may be confusing at first but these well written character's all come together at the end.
Pub Date 17 Apr 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by The Overlook Press through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Pub Date 17 Apr 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by The Overlook Press through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
May 14, 2018
4.5 what a ride, knew nothing when I started and was drawn in instantly, shocked to find this was historical fiction and thoroughly enjoyed ever minute. I think it's best to know nothing, then no expectations and everything is new and unfolding, right down to the historical events of the time. Creative story telling, enjoyed the angle from the supernatural to tell the story. Loved the ending.
January 6, 2018
Congratulations Jon Varese on a thoroughly enjoyable debut novel! Varese takes the reader on a journey from Boston, Massachusetts through to the swamp lands of New Orleans as we follow the main character, Edward Moody and his companion Joseph Winter as they travel through the post-civil war America in search of the elusive Isabelle.
The Spirit Photographer is a highly entertaining Southern gothic mystery novel that successfully blends fact with fiction. Varese has created dynamic characters who change and grow as the story unfolds although I would’ve like to have known more about Moody’s reason for creating spirit photography.
I look forward to reading Jon Varese’s next novel !
The Spirit Photographer is a highly entertaining Southern gothic mystery novel that successfully blends fact with fiction. Varese has created dynamic characters who change and grow as the story unfolds although I would’ve like to have known more about Moody’s reason for creating spirit photography.
I look forward to reading Jon Varese’s next novel !
April 3, 2020
I was initially really excited about this book, based on the back cover blurb. And there were moments of real brilliance. However, this book is densely written, marginally involving too many characters, that ultimately, I was left wondering if the conflict upon which the plot is based was really worth all the effort.
December 29, 2025
So many of the components of this book called to me. I like stories about conmen and spiritualism! I like Southern Gothics! And yet everything kind of fell flat. The first half of the book was lowkey a struggle to get through. I wasn't hooked until Moody and Joseph went to New Orleans. That was the story that I wanted to read; them investigating plantation houses and swamps and stuff. Unfortunately for me, they very quickly figured out what happened to Isabelle, therefore accomplishing their goal so they could return to Boston. Yay. For a book billed as a Southern Gothic, they hardly spent anytime in the South. And we have to go back to Boston for what? For Moody to get arrest and put on trial as a con artist? I can not understate how little I cared about the trial or what happened to Moody at that point. Throughout the whole book, I found him to be bland and boring. I'm not quite sure why Isabelle placed so much faith in him or even liked him, especially after he assaulted her. Literally all the women in this book were far more interesting and fun to read about then the men. Moody was so lucky that everyone around him was more capable than he was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2018
A friend’s first book about two con artist “spirit” photographers during the post civil war who hoodwink people into thinking they’ve taken pictures of ghosts, but who then surprisingly make an authentic spirit photograph of someone they both once knew. This book felt impeccably researched and hugely creative! Really impressed at the moodiness he was able to instill in the pages — definitely spooky and redolent of that Southern decay and swampiness. It was a little hard to keep the characters and their motives straight at times, but I liked the historical detail and I found the plot oddly resonant with what’s going on today in the media — ie, real vs fake news, and groups of people who aren’t willing to accept evidence against their beliefs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2019
May be a bit too literary for readers looking for something quick and breezy but great descriptive detail and interesting interpretation of the days of spiritualism and Reconstruction. Excellent sense of place, both North and South and good character development. Attracted initially by my interest in photography and enjoyed the description of the old procedures and processes but the story held my interest and served as my "lunch read".
May 30, 2018
Thanks Edelweiss for this ARC.
A epic saga that will have you jumping, outraged, and elated at different times. Loved reading about my home state of louisiana too.
A epic saga that will have you jumping, outraged, and elated at different times. Loved reading about my home state of louisiana too.
August 12, 2019
Spent more time reading Wikipedia pages about the premise of the novel than ACTUALLY being into the novel.
May 16, 2020
There were places in this book where it was a great storyline. But 310 pages was way too much for anyone to handle.
September 30, 2025
Good concept, but it really fell apart in the last 1/3
December 17, 2019
This wasn’t my favorite book but it was a good story. The historical fiction was a little much for me. The time period made the pace of the book seem slow even though it should have been faster. It wasn’t a bad read just not for me 🤷🏻♀️.
June 1, 2018
The premise was a good idea; however there is a back story that I wasn't suspecting. I enjoyed the novel although at times I was a little confused. I wasn't sure if he was in the present or the past.
I was hoping for a little more, but it just wasn't there.
Three stars for me.
I was hoping for a little more, but it just wasn't there.
Three stars for me.
October 24, 2024
Historically based fiction. Loved the author's take on it.
November 25, 2021
Set in 1870s Boston, this historical fiction wasn't as thrilling and ghost-filled as I was anticipating, but I still really enjoyed it! The historical line of the story was well-written and intriguing, the touches of Underground Railroad history was great to learn more about, as well as the different class structures.
Moody is a Spirit Photographer, who's business has been growing in popularity as the Upper Crust of society become interested in the idea. It's all the rage to sit for a spirit photograph, and have it displayed in your home for guests to admire. Only issue? Moody is a fake, using clever darkroom techniques and old photos of loved ones to create his photos. When an abolitionist Senator and his wife come for a photo of their dead son, Moody is shocked to find an image of his first love developing. The Senator is also shocked. Did they know her as well? What happened to her?
With the onset of this image appearing, you're wondering who this girl is, and how all the characters seem to know her. We gradually learn what happened to her as Moody and his assistant are on the run from the law for his fraudulent images. Ending up in New Orleans, more unexplainable things start happening around Moody. While we eventually learn the truth, it's a bit of a dense journey to get there. Going into this book thinking there would be more ghosts and thrills, this was somewhat disappointing, but still a great read!
Moody is a Spirit Photographer, who's business has been growing in popularity as the Upper Crust of society become interested in the idea. It's all the rage to sit for a spirit photograph, and have it displayed in your home for guests to admire. Only issue? Moody is a fake, using clever darkroom techniques and old photos of loved ones to create his photos. When an abolitionist Senator and his wife come for a photo of their dead son, Moody is shocked to find an image of his first love developing. The Senator is also shocked. Did they know her as well? What happened to her?
With the onset of this image appearing, you're wondering who this girl is, and how all the characters seem to know her. We gradually learn what happened to her as Moody and his assistant are on the run from the law for his fraudulent images. Ending up in New Orleans, more unexplainable things start happening around Moody. While we eventually learn the truth, it's a bit of a dense journey to get there. Going into this book thinking there would be more ghosts and thrills, this was somewhat disappointing, but still a great read!
November 19, 2023
"The charges against Mr. Moody are very serious, and if found guilty of these crimes he could go to prison for some time."
"I am aware of that, inspector."
"And you are aware that you are obligated, by law, to assist in the prosecution of this case, or you yourself could be held accountable for aiding criminal activity."
"Listen to me, inspector. I will say this to you one more time. I have committed more 'crimes' in my lifetime than you have seen in the entirety of your green years. As many of the residents in this city know, I was perhaps one of the greatest 'criminals' in Boston, before the war, when it was legal for a man to own another man as property. So I am not afraid of being a criminal, inspector, if being a criminal is the right thing to be. [...]"
Mrs. Lovejoy was one of the most respected women in Boston, and Bolles could see how she had earned that place.
~~The above photograph, complete with what appears to be an apparition standing behind the seated lady, closely matches my mental image of the photographs taken by our protagonist, Mr. Moody. Scientific men of his day (1870's) challenged the legitimacy of his photographs. Now--in our modern day world of Instagram filters, photoshop, and a plethora of other apps--there is even more reason to doubt the reality of paranormal pictures.
First two sentences: On the day before Senator Garrett's departure for Boston, news of impending storms had disrupted the city, and so by the time his brougham began climbing up Pinckney Street toward Louisburg Square nearly all of the windows on Beacon Hill had already been locked and shuttered. Up ahead, on the corner of Pickney and West Cedar, Garrett spied two lone figures, their hands firm on the brims of their hats.
Senator Garrott is one of the most respected men in Boston. Throughout his long career he has been instrumental in aiding the Abolitionist movement. Now, in the years immediately following the Civil War, he, along with like-minded political allies, are attempting to assist the former slaves. He does not want them to be free in name only. They need tools, education, and assistance to be truly independent. To his surprise, he is meeting strong resistance to many of his ideas.
Then his home life is severely shaken when his wife suggests that they visit Mr. Moody, the spirit photographer. Their son died many years ago, from fever, at the tender age of 3. Ms. Garrott still nurses a slow-burning grief. She's not sure whether there's any merit to Mr. Moody's technique, but if there's a chance of seeing her son again, she's willing to try.
When they arrive at Mrs. Lovejoy's silver shop, and head upstairs to Mr. Moody's studio, they are surprised to see another man assisting him--a young African American named Joseph who is eager to improve his own photography. They pose for the photograph, and then enter the dark room. Imagine the shock to all when a spirit appears...but instead of a young boy it's a young lady. And her expression does not look pleased. Mr. Moody, Joseph, and the Garrotts all had interactions with this young lady, Isabelle, before she disappeared from Boston. Where did she go, and what happened to her? Life was fraught with danger for young freed women in the early days of 1860, even in Boston. Mr. Moody and Joseph determine to solve the mystery of Isabelle's disappearance, even if it requires plunging the depths of the Louisiana cane fields and bayous. Perhaps in helping her spirit find rest they can also make peace with their own demons.
My two cents: Completely coincidentally, this is the second atmospheric book which I read around Halloween. Varese expertly weaves the paranormal world of spirits, mediums, and voodoo magic into a rich historical novel. See further reading for a few facts behind this novel. The first known "spirit photograph" was taken in 1861. We are given well-rounded characters, an interesting story-arc, and an intriguing mystery. The sheer number of quotes I flagged speaks to Varese's skill with prose. So maybe photographs don't capture ghostly spirits without artifice.
But they do capture the spirit of a moment. Fleeting emotions, glances, moods. A feeling of time and space. There's something magical about opening a box of pictures and glimpsing snippets of the past. Varese alludes to this concept in some of the quotes below. Given 4 stars or a rating of "excellent". Recommended!
Further Reading: An interesting article ruses behind spirit photography over the years. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna45406128
Other favorite quotes: During the first years of their marriage Elizabeth had won over the women of Boston, whose envy of her self-confidence surfaced as deference, rather than resentment. She was beautiful, intelligent, and circumspect with her opinions--progressive enough to sit comfortably with the abolitionists, yet conservative enough so as not to offend the other side. [...] Garrett, clearly destined for the Senate even then, had a natural ability to command rooms and crowds; but she could command people. There was such a fine distinction.
~~Fanny's house lay in a great meadow of lush, lilting grass--a field so vast that the house's windows appeared as mere stars to nighttime visitors.
~~All around Joseph and Moody, a suspicious silence lurked, as if the trees were conspiring to hide something.
~~"The photograph captures the fleeting moments of life," he had once told her...that same day in the meadow, before the honeybee had crawled up her skirt. "And it preserves what the mind sometimes cannot," she had responded. "It is the reminder of what we may forget." The logic had surprised him. It was--unromantic. He was the scientist, the teacher, the man of knowledge, the pioneer, but from the first she had demonstrated a kind of inexplicable authority. Now he was remembering. When she had listened to him talk about chemicals or lighting, he had sometimes felt as if he were telling her tings she already knew. Yes, she had listened to him attentively, devouring all he had to say, but it had often been with the earnestness of a mother listening to a small child.
~~Some of the Catholics said that she must have been "blessed"--that the Lord had placed a miracle in the center of the city's plague. But others leaned toward darker explanations: "There's no holy water protecting that girl," some said. "It's all blood and chicken feathers. And God only knows what else."
~~"She has things to do," Henriette said. "But she will be there to greet us. That girl is rarely where she doesn't need to be."
~~"We are the keepers of our own fates, Jenny," he said. "And while your meddling then may have been unkind, it was not responsible for the outcome. We all commit our crimes, Jenny...and in the end we must account for them."
~~He lifted the photographs out from their container. The faces--so many of them. Their eyes stared into his. There was something unshakeable in every expression--a defiance and an energy that no crime could subdue. They had been terrified in that tunnel...on their trains, and in their wagons. Those photographs recorded their fear--and their hope.
"eventually all is lost," she had said to him that day in the meadow. "It's why the photographs are important. They help us see things. Keep things."
"I am aware of that, inspector."
"And you are aware that you are obligated, by law, to assist in the prosecution of this case, or you yourself could be held accountable for aiding criminal activity."
"Listen to me, inspector. I will say this to you one more time. I have committed more 'crimes' in my lifetime than you have seen in the entirety of your green years. As many of the residents in this city know, I was perhaps one of the greatest 'criminals' in Boston, before the war, when it was legal for a man to own another man as property. So I am not afraid of being a criminal, inspector, if being a criminal is the right thing to be. [...]"
Mrs. Lovejoy was one of the most respected women in Boston, and Bolles could see how she had earned that place.
~~The above photograph, complete with what appears to be an apparition standing behind the seated lady, closely matches my mental image of the photographs taken by our protagonist, Mr. Moody. Scientific men of his day (1870's) challenged the legitimacy of his photographs. Now--in our modern day world of Instagram filters, photoshop, and a plethora of other apps--there is even more reason to doubt the reality of paranormal pictures.
First two sentences: On the day before Senator Garrett's departure for Boston, news of impending storms had disrupted the city, and so by the time his brougham began climbing up Pinckney Street toward Louisburg Square nearly all of the windows on Beacon Hill had already been locked and shuttered. Up ahead, on the corner of Pickney and West Cedar, Garrett spied two lone figures, their hands firm on the brims of their hats.
Senator Garrott is one of the most respected men in Boston. Throughout his long career he has been instrumental in aiding the Abolitionist movement. Now, in the years immediately following the Civil War, he, along with like-minded political allies, are attempting to assist the former slaves. He does not want them to be free in name only. They need tools, education, and assistance to be truly independent. To his surprise, he is meeting strong resistance to many of his ideas.
Then his home life is severely shaken when his wife suggests that they visit Mr. Moody, the spirit photographer. Their son died many years ago, from fever, at the tender age of 3. Ms. Garrott still nurses a slow-burning grief. She's not sure whether there's any merit to Mr. Moody's technique, but if there's a chance of seeing her son again, she's willing to try.
When they arrive at Mrs. Lovejoy's silver shop, and head upstairs to Mr. Moody's studio, they are surprised to see another man assisting him--a young African American named Joseph who is eager to improve his own photography. They pose for the photograph, and then enter the dark room. Imagine the shock to all when a spirit appears...but instead of a young boy it's a young lady. And her expression does not look pleased. Mr. Moody, Joseph, and the Garrotts all had interactions with this young lady, Isabelle, before she disappeared from Boston. Where did she go, and what happened to her? Life was fraught with danger for young freed women in the early days of 1860, even in Boston. Mr. Moody and Joseph determine to solve the mystery of Isabelle's disappearance, even if it requires plunging the depths of the Louisiana cane fields and bayous. Perhaps in helping her spirit find rest they can also make peace with their own demons.
My two cents: Completely coincidentally, this is the second atmospheric book which I read around Halloween. Varese expertly weaves the paranormal world of spirits, mediums, and voodoo magic into a rich historical novel. See further reading for a few facts behind this novel. The first known "spirit photograph" was taken in 1861. We are given well-rounded characters, an interesting story-arc, and an intriguing mystery. The sheer number of quotes I flagged speaks to Varese's skill with prose. So maybe photographs don't capture ghostly spirits without artifice.
But they do capture the spirit of a moment. Fleeting emotions, glances, moods. A feeling of time and space. There's something magical about opening a box of pictures and glimpsing snippets of the past. Varese alludes to this concept in some of the quotes below. Given 4 stars or a rating of "excellent". Recommended!
Further Reading: An interesting article ruses behind spirit photography over the years. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna45406128
Other favorite quotes: During the first years of their marriage Elizabeth had won over the women of Boston, whose envy of her self-confidence surfaced as deference, rather than resentment. She was beautiful, intelligent, and circumspect with her opinions--progressive enough to sit comfortably with the abolitionists, yet conservative enough so as not to offend the other side. [...] Garrett, clearly destined for the Senate even then, had a natural ability to command rooms and crowds; but she could command people. There was such a fine distinction.
~~Fanny's house lay in a great meadow of lush, lilting grass--a field so vast that the house's windows appeared as mere stars to nighttime visitors.
~~All around Joseph and Moody, a suspicious silence lurked, as if the trees were conspiring to hide something.
~~"The photograph captures the fleeting moments of life," he had once told her...that same day in the meadow, before the honeybee had crawled up her skirt. "And it preserves what the mind sometimes cannot," she had responded. "It is the reminder of what we may forget." The logic had surprised him. It was--unromantic. He was the scientist, the teacher, the man of knowledge, the pioneer, but from the first she had demonstrated a kind of inexplicable authority. Now he was remembering. When she had listened to him talk about chemicals or lighting, he had sometimes felt as if he were telling her tings she already knew. Yes, she had listened to him attentively, devouring all he had to say, but it had often been with the earnestness of a mother listening to a small child.
~~Some of the Catholics said that she must have been "blessed"--that the Lord had placed a miracle in the center of the city's plague. But others leaned toward darker explanations: "There's no holy water protecting that girl," some said. "It's all blood and chicken feathers. And God only knows what else."
~~"She has things to do," Henriette said. "But she will be there to greet us. That girl is rarely where she doesn't need to be."
~~"We are the keepers of our own fates, Jenny," he said. "And while your meddling then may have been unkind, it was not responsible for the outcome. We all commit our crimes, Jenny...and in the end we must account for them."
~~He lifted the photographs out from their container. The faces--so many of them. Their eyes stared into his. There was something unshakeable in every expression--a defiance and an energy that no crime could subdue. They had been terrified in that tunnel...on their trains, and in their wagons. Those photographs recorded their fear--and their hope.
"eventually all is lost," she had said to him that day in the meadow. "It's why the photographs are important. They help us see things. Keep things."
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