The Bell Witch: An American Haunting

Although the story isn't exactly based on truth (there was never a diary), the content of the story is factually based on what we know of the Bell Witch haunting. The movie, An American Haunting (which I loved for its actors and cinematography) was based on this book also. Keep in mind that this book is another spin on what may have caused the real-life haunting. I have my own theories... There have been many books written about the Bell family haunting, but this book had me hooked from the first page and was hard to put down. It's entertaining and spine-tingling for those who know anything about the original story...I highly recommend it!

In THE BELL WITCH: AN AMERICAN HAUNTING, Brent Monahan tells the remarkable story of the only documented poltergeist or spirit haunting to ever result in the death of a human being. True to its purpose, THE BELL WITCH delivers a suspenseful tale of the supernatural that has the mystique of realness - historical documentation corroborates the events described. Monahan delivers plenty of surprises, interesting characters, a couple of gasps and even a few laughs along the way. What is missing, however, is believability - not so much in Monahan's premise or in his ability as a writer, but rather in his packaging. The real weakness here is Monahan's implausible framework, which is the direct result of some rather transparent marketing schemes.In THE BELL WITCH, Monahan asks us to believe that what lies between the covers of his book is not a novel, but rather a recently discovered manuscript written by one Richard Powell for the edification of his daughter. His daughter, we are told, is the product of Powell's marriage to Betsy Bell, daughter of the haunted John Bell and target of some of the mysterious entity's most violent abuse. No less, we are lead to believe that Betsy Bell's daughter has never before heard this well-publicized story of her mother's torment and her grandfather's murder at the hands of a malicious spirit. For just a moment, set aside the fact that Monahan is the well-known author of several notable novels of the supernatural. Then ask yourself, "Do I smell a gimmick here?"Perhaps in an effort to make this book appear more journal-like, Monahan dispenses with the usual convention of chapters. He writes straight through, from the setting of the scene to its final conclusion, in one long Uberchapter. For me, however, this device was largely unsuccessful. As a rule, when reading any book, I try to finish each reading session at a logical break point. The lack of a conventional structure just made it all that much harder to find my place each time I picked up the book again. I guess this would not have bothered me so much if it were such an apparent gimmick.One thing that would have improved this book greatly in my mind is if the author had dispensed with at least some of the inherent racism laced throughout the length and breadth of the story. True, racism may have been en vogue in Kentucky in the early decades of the1800s, but Mr. Monahan - perhaps in a misguided attempt at period realism - took it too far. The constant references to "darkies" and, in particular, references to the "pungent odor of sweat" among the slaves, were not only overdrawn clichés, they also added nothing to the story. Even if one chooses to believe that this book is, indeed, the long, lost manuscript of Richard Powell, many, if not all of these offensive statements could have been stripped without affecting the end product in any way other than making it more palatable to a wider audience. If the desire had been to tell the complete and unedited story in Powell's own words, the alleged manuscript could have been published, as found, without the need for any involvement on the part of Monahan.While I've been largely critical of THE BELL WITCH, I would never tell anyone NOT to read this book out of hand. It tells a decent story, sheds some new light on an old legend and even has a significant amount of entertainment value. But if you are looking for a good example of Brent Monahan's best work, I would strongly urge you to start with THE BOOK OF COMMON DREAD. It's a great supernatural novel that doesn't try to be anything else.

This story is dull and slow-moving at times, it is a worthwhile endeavor to muddle through till the end. Written about a "haunting" of the 1800's, this book is written in the literary style of that time. Sometimes, that could prove trying to some readers. This book is worth the extra effort. Betsy is haunted by a ghost. The people of the time, the 1800's, believe it is a result of a curse placed on her when her father had a land dispute with a neighbor woman. Throughout the book we follow all the details of the haunting, as well as the town's reaction to it. It isn't until the very end, that the true reason for the "haunting" is revealed. The ending is a shocker, but satisfying. This narration, written by Betsy's husband to their daughter, reveals the details of her mother's haunting. With the text of this book, Betsy's father also left a statement explaining that the book must be opened and read if her mother began to again show signs of the "haunting". This serves as the prologue of the book. The haunting of Betsy is written vividly, with colorful descriptions and settings. The characters are well-developed, and the reader actually falls in love with Betsy's sweet and devoted husband.

Reading about the Bell witch always had me wondering was she real and who was she? I read about the Belll witch in some short stories, especially when she killed John Bell with poison,, but was that true or did somone in his family kill him or did he die of something else,, and does the Bell with still reside in thisi haunted cave, many Ghoust hunters went there felt some presence, but is it the Bell witth? It keeps you wondering, like who is it really? A great book to read and good for the imaginaton.

I wanted to read this account after having seen the movie that had been made of this story. This book purports to be the first hand narrative of the original author. It is edited by Brent Monahan into one long continuing letter from several letters written over time by the original author who is a family member. Because the story is about 200 years old the language is antiquated, and whatever violence or sexual content there may be is alluded to very gently. This book does give a pretty reasonable explanation for why the Bell family might have undergone this haunting. It is certainly a narrative that has lasted a long time and may very well have a ring of truth to it.

This book probably intends to confuse you a little- it did me- by purporting to be a newly discovered diary of a known eyewitness to events in the historically-documented "Bell Witch" case. In fact, it's a very good novel. Monahan takes the basic facts (or claims) that we have and fleshes them out artfully, with a narrator, dialogue, and a point of view that work beautifully well. The gripping story takes the horror and suspense genres in a unique direction, and lives up to the incredible source material. A small complaint: he tries to wrap things in a too-neat 1990s package for us at the end- the only false note he strikes here.The book left me very interested in this case, and my interest increased recently when I discovered close family ties to many of the people depicted here, including Elias and Sugg Fort.

Written from diary entries At times unbelievable. The ending blew me away. If true - it makes one think of the power we all may have locked within.

I am amazed by this story. The fact that it's the only poltergeist haunting in history which directly caused a man's death is what makes it so unique and mesmerising. The first time I came across 'An American haunting' was not in book form it was when I watched the movie which was inspired by this same book. I sat through the movie in a less than excited state believing that this was a decent work of fiction and nothing more, although I was especially captivated by the beautifully radiant Rachel Hurd-Wood who plays the central character of Betsy Bell. It was quite an interesting movie and had a good story to it and I did enjoy it. I was in for a surprise when I read at the end of the movie a line saying 'this story was based on true events' and that it was inspired by 'The Bell witch: An American Haunting' by Brent Monahan. I was immediately interested in trying to find this book and purchasing it for myself. Guess what - I found it on Amazon!The book itself is just fantastic! There is an interesting and essential introduction from the author detailing the Bell family story and how this manuscript came into his hands. There are quite interesting notes at the back about the context of the period. There are copies of wood-cut drawings taken from early copies of the story from Nashville which appear throughout the book. The tale itself is one long chapter with no gaps or chapters in between, which makes it quite difficult to put down. It really reads like a true story being told rather than a work of fiction. Even though the movie is quite accurate and uses a lot of the details from the book (I was surprised how much actually), this book has far more detail and really takes you through every step of the haunting process, how it came about, the reason it appeared (eventually!) and the reason it finally disappears. The fact is if you really believe it and can truly absorb the whole legendary tale then it is far more terrifying than the movie version. It also comes across as much more dramatic and unbelievable and maybe that's why it was toned down for the movie. Obviously my first experience of the movie was before the book but after reading through the book and then very recently watching the movie again it made for much more interesting and compelling viewing where I could compare and contrast the true story with the big screen version. I believe that unless you know the whole tale/have read this novel, you can not appreciate the movie's hints throughout the story because a lot of it is implied rather than revealed (better for modern cinema audiences), compared to this book which doesn't keep you guessing and tells you straight.I think Brent Monahan has done a superb job of translating the manuscript of this true tale into what reads as almost a novel, which is gripping and truly powerful. It's a chance for all of us to get all the details about what really happened during the witch's haunting of the Bell family. As a result the legacy of this story lives on in a form which everyone can understand and is universally available. If the story of the Bell witch wasn't popular before anywhere further than the south USA there is absolutely no excuse why people all over the world shouldn't know this very true story now. It's one that is a genuine phenomenon and one we could all learn from. It's a unique piece of history!

The poltergeist that plagues this 19th century Tennessee family is less a haunting, more an obnoxious neighbour. After a "birthing period" in which it thumps around inarticulately, the 'witch' becomes a gossipy, show-off chatterbox, entertaining hoards of visitors with news about community bad behaviour, or earnestly debating theology with the town pastors. Sure, the 12 yr old daughter is plagued with fits and her father is tormented with a wooly tongue, but most of Monahan's time is spent recounting the disembodied parlour talk.Well, if small town evening conversations don't scare you, I don't know what will.The least spooky ghost story I have ever read. It works a little better if you read it as a social comedy. Still, a bland, dull, disappointing little book. Not worth the time.*Spoiler alert*The most interesting part of the book is the final revelation, under convenient hypnosis, that the poltergeist manifested following the 12 yr old girl's rape by her father; the spirit manifests to ward off and punish the father. As it says, it is "the spirit of one who was happy and has been disturbed." This is a disturbing and interesting interpretation of the association of poltergeists with young adolescent girls: an outpouring of fear, rage and despair as their nascent sexuality forces them into horrifying new experiences of patriarchal abuse.

I hoped to be scared by this book - and i wasn`t disappointed. Not really bedtime reading as it tends to stay with you and your mind runs riot. I`m enjoying this book and recommend it highly. Well written.( Tip - don`t skip any of the foreword, as i did - it does tend to drag on a bit - but if you skip it you won`t know who`s who when the story begins - and you will have to go back - as i did ! )

looking forward to reading this but looks really good

Excellent read! Product arrived on time no issues