Michael WeemsRezensionen

Certain books have certain "feels" or colors that they come in. Some are black or brown and "feel" claustrophobic. Some are yellow or pink and airy and "feel" light. Their colors and their "feel" motivate me to keep reading in many ways. So it was with When Emily Went Missing: My Haunted Garden Book 1 by Michael Weems. If I had to apply a color, it would be green. If I had to say what the "feel" was I would say "complicated."

The green is all about the garden that the main character has as "a friend." The word "complicated" is used in a good way. This speculative fiction story is one of those I would put in the literary fiction category. Ruth, injured in The Incident, is a strange girl growing up in the rather quaint but relatable, small town of Foxglove, Texas. After her injury, Ruth is able to hear and dream about the memories of the dead, which could in fact be a bit traumatic since she's living with her father in a graveyard.

The book moves at the perfect pace, not too fast and not too slow. With each chapter I found myself trying to unravel the mystery of her missing friend (the Emily in the title), and when it was revealed in the end, I was not disappointed. There are distinct themes within this book of coming-of-age, bullying, depression, and hope. It is the hope with which Weems leaves the reader and for that I am thankful.

When Emily Went Missing: My Haunted Garden Book 1 is one that I may return to again, and I really (sincerely) hope that Weems is working on Book 2. I would dive right back into Ruth's world in a heartbeat.

“It was the devil’s chicken. The Satan of poultry, the Lucifer of Leghorns, and that damn bird was ripping at me with its hell spawned claws…”

This book has sat on my Kindle for donkey’s years and I wish I had read it sooner. It was a heart-breaking story about family secrets, regrets, love and forgiveness. Although short, the characters were well developed and interesting. The story was engrossing and a true page-turner. The twist wasn’t much a surprise but offered good closure.

When I first started this book I was not expecting what it turned out to be. You discover an older man with the ability to see ghost and haunting. He is able to share emotions with them. He explains all of this in the beginning of the book so I dont feel like its a "Spoiler". You go back in time to learn more about his story and how all this came about. I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were well thought out and interesting. You got a good feel for the time frame and the community that this story takes place in. The author is descriptive without going overboard. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quicker and engaging read.

In the summer of 1909, Solomon Mayfield awoke to find his mother and sister had disappeared. Left with his alcoholic and abusive father, Sol lived his life believing the story he'd been told, the story all the people of Varner Creek believed about what happened that summer. But in a plot of twists and family secrets that will leave the reader reaching for their jaw upon the floor, Sol is taken back to his childhood by the spirits he knew in life when he passes away so many years later . . . it is only then he learns what secrets The Ghosts of Varner Creek have been keeping so many years Thought provoking. Not your general ghost story. I would have given this a 4star but the misspellings and format errors were very distracting.

Shocking Small Town Texas Mystery

I was thrown off at first by the retelling of ghostly experiences, but the novel soon circuitously winds its way from the present day reality of an 89 year old man in a nursing home who sees ghosts, to his childhood before the turn of the previous two centuries ( approx. 1895 ). From this vantage point, we are introduced to his parents as single young people before they even met. We are introduced to their families, the town of Varner, and their lives before and after the siblings are married and have children. Our protagonist is one of the children, Sol, of Annie and Abhram. Varner is a small religious and gossipy little town,like many small towns in Texas today. When tragedy strikes the family, Sol gets a paranormal vision that sets him on a road to a truly horrific discovery. But what really happened?

You won't know until the very end of the book. I didn't have an inkling of what the real story ending was going to be, and I was shocked when I read the last few pages of the book. Stories like these are common in small towns, and are still retold in modern times. The characters were well drawn, and I especially liked Sol, Sarah and their cousin Georgie. Emma, Annie's sister was also a very well done character, and for the smaller part he played, Marcus was excellent when he chose to engage.

The story is a fantastic mystery with mild paranormal overtones. It is more the story of broken people and family dynamics in a small God fearing town where the times dictated how people behaved - both good and bad. It was a completely different moral code back then, where marriage was more like ownership and women had few rights or privileges unless they were granted by her husband. But what happens when your husband is broken inside? This is the crux of the novel.

The pages flew past, as I could not stop reading this story. I just had to find out how Sol ended up seeing ghosts at 89 years old. Let me tell you, the journey is definitely worth it. Highly recommended!

Ghosts of Varner Creek is the debut novel of Michael Weems. It is a grim story of abuse within a small family.

The story begins in 1984 when Solomon is 87 years old and is told in a series of flashbacks. While ghosts do feature in the story, it's really more of a tale about the life and mysteries surrounding the family of our narrator, Solomon Wayfield, as a young boy growing up in rural America at the turn of the 20th century.

The plot and writing are decent, but the author meanders on a few occasions. The tenor of the story is rather subdued, so that the writing may appear slow at times. I found the transitions between the past and present day to be a bit clunky.

On the whole, Ghosts of Varner Creek is a decent, if dark piece of historical fiction.

Couldn't read beyond ch 2 --crazily overwritten & unedited...

This book was a surprise. Not normally my genre. What an emotional ride. Will capture you immediatly. Every emotion is touched. Great story. Highly recommend.