Very good book!January 23, 2007 I loved reading this book. I am only interested in reading stories like this one and this one was great! I recommend you get this book asap!!
A Glimpse into a Haunting and the Lives of those HauntedJanuary 6, 2007 9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Graves End is indeed a true ghost story told by a real person. Elaine Mercado is not a writer and this is not a descriptive, supernatural thriller...it is a factual story, written by a regular, everyday person. As such, it lacks polish and is somewhat dry reading, but it does provide a straight forward, non glamorized glimpse of what a haunting can do to one's life and one's family. Mercado takes the reader from pre-house buying all the way through to the cleansing of the house and beyond and gives us a detailed account of both the haunting (and all it's many phenomenon) as well as an open and honest account of her and her families life (the good, the bad, and the ugly). Graves End may not appeal to every lover of ghost stories because it is as much about Mercado's life as it is about a haunting...perhaps more so.
In the end, the reader is left with a vivid picture of THIS haunting, a bit of insight into the gambit of emotions and reactions that it brought to Mercado, her family, and others who visited the house during this 15 year ordeal...and yes ordeal is the word for it in this case as it was not welcome by Mercado herself, in fact if anything is stressed in this story, it is the fear that she felt. She never grew used to or become comfortable with the haunting and given the level of fear described in the book, one boggles that it took her 13...yes, that's right 13 years to DO anything, to be able to admit to others that the haunting was making them so miserable and the living situation so untenable that she finally asks her brother to help her...and it takes him MONTHS to find someone.
The entire last 1/3 of the book really begs the question of why she never went back to the parapsychology teacher who (early on) wanted to do interviews and a full investigation...why did he ask her brother and never once suggest the teacher or go back to ask his assistance. That bit really frustrated me...all the going on and on about how much trouble it is to find someone reputable...when she had someone very early on who would have helped and whom she could have gone back to. Once the brother finds some the story wraps up very quickly, all tied up neatly with a happily ever after ending, even.
Overall, it's a dry read that is as much about Mercado...her reactions and those of her family as it is about a haunting. Probably not a book for all fans of ghost stories (fictional or factual), I give it four stars because I just didn't get why it took 13 years to reach the point of doing something given the level of discomfort and fear that this caused for Mercado, for the almost constant comments about how unsupportive and condescending her ex was for about of the book, and the bit about not going back to her former instructor (whether it was sooner or later), it just struck me as making things more difficult than necessary when she finally did decide to get help.
My favorite book!December 1, 2006 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a fantastic and well written book. It is a great read if you are a believer or if you just want a good scare. You really begin to feel for Elaine and I would love to meet her and visit her home. From beginning to end, the story is great and the ending was perfect for those trapped in the home. It is great that she brought them to peace. My mother lived in a very haunted house as a girl, and she loved this book and she is a good judge of books for she reads about two per week. My father is currently reading this book, one who once did not believe, and is blown away by Elaine's long experience. Thank you for sharing your experience Elaine!
Not That FrighteningNovember 10, 2006 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This could have been a terrifying story, but Elaine Mercado did not know how to make you feel the dread that she obviously must have felt in that house !! She didnt stay on the stories of the paranormal experiences long enough, and she talked more about her family problems than anything !!! Besides this it is a great book !!!
Ma, look what I can do!October 27, 2006 4 out of 6 found this review helpful
"Grave's End" is a good ghost story, but for me it was too jumbled to have a substantial impact. I got the feeling that is book was part ghost story and part sticking it to anyone who didn't believe her. Any mention of her first husband (Mr. Not Even Good Enough For A Fake Name)is almost always followed by some insult about how he doesn't support or automatically believe her. This didn't need to be in the book. Like when she began her college courses and she claims her husband didn't believe she would make it through the first semester. It took her 13 years to finally do something about the haunting. Maybe this is a pattern with her. A brief mention of a rocky relationship to try to explain some of the hauntings was all that was needed. This was an overall theme for the book. She need constant reassurance or she falls apart. Her constant reminder that she was fearful. Instead of giving more detail about an occurance, she would delve into how scared she was after it happened. Two sentences spooky ghost happenings, ten sentences about what her level of fear was. This is why it is sometimes good to have a an actual writer write the book. I have to agree with some of the reviewers here, too much filler. Then there is the ending. It seemed like she was just trying to sweep the conculsion under the rug. "Here's what happened, but I don't really believe it, let's move on." And what about the video that Joe recorded when the medium was at the house? I guess we are left to speculate what could have been on it. Overall, it was an interesting story, but the book could have been complied better.
