The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story
- Downloads：7019
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-01 08:51:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kate Summerscale
- ISBN：052555792X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
London， 1938。 In the suburbs of the city， an ordinary young housewife has become the eye in a storm of chaos。 In Alma Fielding's modest home， china flies off the shelves， eggs fly through the air; stolen jewellery appears on her fingers， white mice crawl out of her handbag， beetles appear from under her gloves; in the middle of a car journey， a terrapin materialises on her lap。 Nandor Fodor - a Jewish-Hungarian refugee and chief ghost hunter for the International Institute for Psychical Research - reads of the case， and hastens to the scene of the haunting。 But when Fodor starts his scrupulous investigation， he discovers that the case is even stranger than it seems。 By unravelling Alma's peculiar history， he finds a different and darker type of haunting: trauma， alienation， loss - and the foreshadowing of a nation's worst fears。 As the spectre of Fascism lengthens over Europe， and as Fodor's obsession with the case deepens， Alma becomes ever more disturbed。 With rigour， daring and insight， the award-winning pioneer of non-fiction writing Kate Summerscale shadows Fodor's enquiry， delving into long-hidden archives to find the human story behind a very modern haunting。
Reviews
Alex Platt
，
This book did not disappoint。
Genevieve Paquette
，
Good grief！ I was so looking forward to this， for almost a year， even， after seeing it in the upcoming section on Audible。 Something about it， or， rather， about the title， the cover and the very brief blurb， appealed to me。 I pre-ordered。It came in today。 What a miss。This has to be the slowest， driest "ghost story， true or not， I have ever heard。 Ten minutes in and I was regretting it。 But I stuck with it。 And continued to regret it。It wasn't a ghost story at all。 It was the account of guy first Good grief！ I was so looking forward to this， for almost a year， even， after seeing it in the upcoming section on Audible。 Something about it， or， rather， about the title， the cover and the very brief blurb， appealed to me。 I pre-ordered。It came in today。 What a miss。This has to be the slowest， driest "ghost story， true or not， I have ever heard。 Ten minutes in and I was regretting it。 But I stuck with it。 And continued to regret it。It wasn't a ghost story at all。 It was the account of guy first believing and trying to prove， and them suspecting and trying to disprove， a woman who claimed ghost possession and psychic powers。 Who was so obviously a fraud that it was actually painful to read about the poor people desperate to believe in her。 （I mean， the same could be said for any belief system， I suppose， but still。 She wasn't even a little bit convincing！） Then it gets Freudian， with said guy getting into psychologically based theories （particularly （view spoiler）[ trauma stemming from childhood sexual abuse （hide spoiler）] ）。 That's it。Some of the information presented was interesting enough， but as far as the story goes？ It was a bore。 。。。more
Kimberly
，
London， 1938。 In the suburbs of the city， an ordinary young housewife has become the eye in a storm of chaos。 In Alma Fielding's modest home， china flies off the shelves， eggs fly through the air; stolen jewellery appears on her fingers， white mice crawl out of her handbag， beetles appear from under her gloves; in the middle of a car journey， a terrapin materialises on her lap。 Nandor Fodor - a Jewish-Hungarian refugee and chief ghost hunter for the International Institute for Psychical Research London， 1938。 In the suburbs of the city， an ordinary young housewife has become the eye in a storm of chaos。 In Alma Fielding's modest home， china flies off the shelves， eggs fly through the air; stolen jewellery appears on her fingers， white mice crawl out of her handbag， beetles appear from under her gloves; in the middle of a car journey， a terrapin materialises on her lap。 Nandor Fodor - a Jewish-Hungarian refugee and chief ghost hunter for the International Institute for Psychical Research - reads of the case， and hastens to the scene of the haunting。 But when Fodor starts his scrupulous investigation， he discovers that the case is even stranger than it seems。 By unravelling Alma's peculiar history， he finds a different and darker type of haunting: trauma， alienation， loss - and the foreshadowing of a nation's worst fears。 As the spectre of Fascism lengthens over Europe， and as Fodor's obsession with the case deepens， Alma becomes ever more disturbed。 With rigour， daring and insight， the award-winning pioneer of non-fiction writing Kate Summerscale shadows Fodor's enquiry， delving into long-hidden archives to find the human story behind a very modern haunting。REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kimberly NUMBER OF HEARTS: 3 HeartsREVIEW:Review featured at www。books-n-kisses。comI am so on the fence about this one。 The story was interesting。 I found the investigation interesting too。 But the writing！ Holy crud that is hard to read。 I love ghost stories。 And I expected this to be more of the ghost story than an oversized article with facts。Honestly， I am still trying to figure out what I just read。 Disclaimer:I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mark Farley
，
A great book about the spiritually macabre and people's obsession at the beginning of the last century with mediums， spooks and hauntings。 There are seances， psychic evaluations and poltergeists aplenty。 Certainly a fascinating an engaging story it is。 My only criticism is that， like The Suspicions on Mr。 Whicher， this left me with more questions than I started with and affirmed answers to the chosen story the author presents。 But I guess this is why this subject is still a mystery to most。 Crac A great book about the spiritually macabre and people's obsession at the beginning of the last century with mediums， spooks and hauntings。 There are seances， psychic evaluations and poltergeists aplenty。 Certainly a fascinating an engaging story it is。 My only criticism is that， like The Suspicions on Mr。 Whicher， this left me with more questions than I started with and affirmed answers to the chosen story the author presents。 But I guess this is why this subject is still a mystery to most。 Cracking read though。 。。。more
Sasha
，
I complained about Kate Summerscale's previous book （"The Suspicions of Mr。 Whicher"） but at the end read it twice and even bought one copy as a gift。 She has a meandering way with storytelling but her subjects are fascinating so I will continue to go on with her work， even though sometimes I wish she go on with the story instead of trying to explain the social contest and background of each character mentioned along the way。 It's not so much about ghosts or horror itself， as much as pre-war Bri I complained about Kate Summerscale's previous book （"The Suspicions of Mr。 Whicher"） but at the end read it twice and even bought one copy as a gift。 She has a meandering way with storytelling but her subjects are fascinating so I will continue to go on with her work， even though sometimes I wish she go on with the story instead of trying to explain the social contest and background of each character mentioned along the way。 It's not so much about ghosts or horror itself， as much as pre-war Britain and possible explanation about spiritualism fad。 Quite a few interesting observations and food for thoughts。 I might even turn into Summerscale groupie。 。。。more
Emma Dargue
，
Listened to this on audio as was recommended by a book tuber I watch on YouTube。 This was informative however I went into this thinking that stuff would be resolved and it wasn't。 Also really didn't like Fodor as I thought he took advantage of alma whether or not she was mentally ill or not。 Also what actually felt creepy was fodors treatment of alma rather than any poltergeist that may have been possessing alma。 It just left with a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth and not even david Morrissey's Listened to this on audio as was recommended by a book tuber I watch on YouTube。 This was informative however I went into this thinking that stuff would be resolved and it wasn't。 Also really didn't like Fodor as I thought he took advantage of alma whether or not she was mentally ill or not。 Also what actually felt creepy was fodors treatment of alma rather than any poltergeist that may have been possessing alma。 It just left with a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth and not even david Morrissey's excellent narration helped。 。。。more
Evelyn Hall
，
I am a big fan of Kate Summerscale so I was thrilled to receive and arc of her upcoming nonfiction book， The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story。 In London in 1938 a woman begins to experience possible supernatural phenomena in her home。 Could it be a poltergeist？ Enter Nander Fodor the chief ghost hunter for The International Institute for Psychical Research and so begins this most unusual tale。 This is not just the story of Alma， but of a country just beginning to recover from the sc I am a big fan of Kate Summerscale so I was thrilled to receive and arc of her upcoming nonfiction book， The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story。 In London in 1938 a woman begins to experience possible supernatural phenomena in her home。 Could it be a poltergeist？ Enter Nander Fodor the chief ghost hunter for The International Institute for Psychical Research and so begins this most unusual tale。 This is not just the story of Alma， but of a country just beginning to recover from the scars of WWI amidst a new threat of war。 Spiritualism and seances have become popular and women are transitioning from homemakers to entering the work force。 All of this is the back drop for Fodor’s investigation。 And what began as the investigation of a possible haunting， soon turns to the investigation of the human psyche and how it can be molded and shaped by trauma and loss。I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I found the exploration of the social context in which the events took place fascinating as well as the examination of the rise of spiritualism during this time。 What begins as an investigation of the paranormal becomes a study in abnormal psychology and the real demons that haunt human kind。 It is a clear that a lot of research went into this book， but it manages to avoid the usual pitfall of feeling like an academic journal。 Instead it reads with the ease of a novel and I devoured it in a day。 。。。more
Sue Lang
，
I wanted to like this， i tried。 I know what the scenario was and what to expect but I hate to say it， I just kept falling asleep。 I will try again but at this precise time I am obviously not in the frame of mind to read it。 Needless to say it I left it unfinished
Malia
，
I was so excited for this book because The Suspicions of Mr。 Whicher is one of my all time faves， and I love nonfiction about paranormal phenomena。 While this book did a good job setting this poltergeist phenomenon amid the anxiety in the runup to WWII， I don't think it contextualized Alma's story with our current understanding of what might have been going on with her。 I felt quite icky reading the details of the obviously toxic relationship between Alma and Fodor， who was the person studying h I was so excited for this book because The Suspicions of Mr。 Whicher is one of my all time faves， and I love nonfiction about paranormal phenomena。 While this book did a good job setting this poltergeist phenomenon amid the anxiety in the runup to WWII， I don't think it contextualized Alma's story with our current understanding of what might have been going on with her。 I felt quite icky reading the details of the obviously toxic relationship between Alma and Fodor， who was the person studying her， because he was indulging her illness while knowing the paranormal aspect was not real， but relying on her to keep up the pretense nonetheless。 And the book did show the pop culture ripples caused by Alma's case and those similar， which was my favorite aspect about Mr。 Whicher， but I don't feel like we ever got to the root of it all。***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review。*** 。。。more
Christine Best
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is an account of the investigation by Nandor Fodor， a psychic investigator， of poltergeist activity surrounding a young married woman - Alma Fielding - during the thirties。 Some phenomena seem to be genuine， some definitely fraudulent and Fodor tries to make sense of events and how they may be instigated by Mrs Fielding's troubled psyche。This should have been a much better book。 The subjects are interesting and the possible interplay of the paranormal， abnormal psychology and fraud intrigui This is an account of the investigation by Nandor Fodor， a psychic investigator， of poltergeist activity surrounding a young married woman - Alma Fielding - during the thirties。 Some phenomena seem to be genuine， some definitely fraudulent and Fodor tries to make sense of events and how they may be instigated by Mrs Fielding's troubled psyche。This should have been a much better book。 The subjects are interesting and the possible interplay of the paranormal， abnormal psychology and fraud intriguing。 However the writing is just DRY。 The ending too is rather muted。 Fodor suspects the paranormal phenomenona are the result of dissociation caused by a sexual assault on the young Alma Fielding， which she has obliquely suggested may have occurred。 But there is relatively little about this compared with the exhaustive description of faking mediumship。 I'm not quite convinced by the dissociation due to abuse angle。 I wonder if Mrs Fielding was just a flamboyant personality who felt confined in the role dictated by society and found in the paranormal investigation some stimulus for her mind。This might actually have been a great topic for a novel。 Maybe someone will give it a go。 。。。more
Helen
，
I’ve had mixed experiences with Kate Summerscale’s books so far: I loved The Suspicions of Mr Whicher， liked The Wicked Boy and gave up on Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace after a few chapters。 I didn’t know what to expect from The Haunting of Alma Fielding， then， but I hoped it would be another good one！Like Summerscale’s others， this is a non-fiction book based on a true story， in this case the story of an ordinary thirty-four-year-old woman， Alma Fielding， who becomes the centre of paranormal activity I’ve had mixed experiences with Kate Summerscale’s books so far: I loved The Suspicions of Mr Whicher， liked The Wicked Boy and gave up on Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace after a few chapters。 I didn’t know what to expect from The Haunting of Alma Fielding， then， but I hoped it would be another good one！Like Summerscale’s others， this is a non-fiction book based on a true story， in this case the story of an ordinary thirty-four-year-old woman， Alma Fielding， who becomes the centre of paranormal activity in her London home。 The book follows Nandor Fodor of the International Institute for Psychical Research as he investigates Alma’s claims， desperately hoping that this time – after being disappointed by a long line of frauds – he has finally come across a genuine haunting。At first， having witnessed for himself the smashed glasses， spinning teacups， moving furniture and broken eggs， Fodor is convinced that a poltergeist is at work in the Fielding household。 The more he learns about Alma’s abilities， which include producing live animals out of thin air and transporting herself from one area of London to another， the more intrigued he becomes…until， eventually， he begins to have doubts。 Is this a real paranormal phenomenon he is investigating or is Alma haunted by something very different？I found some parts of this book fascinating。 Although I was sure Alma must have been involved in some sort of elaborate hoax and that there must have been logical explanations for the things she claimed were happening to her， I didn’t know exactly what she was doing or how she was doing it。 I was amazed to see the lengths Alma went to in her efforts to prove that her psychic abilities were real and the lengths Fodor and the other ghost hunters went to in their efforts to verify them。 Some of the methods they used to investigate Alma’s claims were quite harmless， such as conducting word association tests， but others were intrusive and cruel， and although I didn’t like Alma it made me uncomfortable to read about the way she was treated – particularly as Fodor believed that her powers were the products of various traumas she had suffered earlier in life。At times， Summerscale widens the scope of the book to put Alma’s story into historical context， to discuss the influence of novels and films of that period， and to look at some of the other things going on in society at that time。 The ‘haunting’ and the investigation took place in 1938， when the world was on the brink of war and Summerscale suggests that people were turning to spiritualism as a distraction:The ghosts of Britain， meanwhile， were livelier than ever。 Almost a thousand people had written to the Pictorial to describe their encounters with wraiths and revenants， while other papers reported on a spirit vandalising a house in Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides， and on a white-draped figure seen gliding through the Hawker aircraft factory in Kingston upon Thames。 The nation’s phantoms were distractions from anxiety， expressions of anxiety， symptoms of a nervous age。However， although I found plenty of things to interest me in this book， I did have some problems with it。 I felt that it became very repetitive， with endless descriptions of Alma’s various manifestations and detailed accounts of the researchers’ experiments。 I thought Summerscale also devoted too much time to anecdotes about other alleged psychics and spiritualists， which didn’t really have much to do with Alma。 It seemed that Alma’s story on its own wasn’t really enough to fill a whole book， so a lot of padding was needed。I didn’t like this book as much as Mr Whicher or The Wicked Boy， but Kate Summerscale does pick intriguing topics and I’ll look forward to seeing what she writes about next。 。。。more
Hannah
，
Was Alma Fielding a charlatan or was she actually haunted by a poltergeist？ This book follows the investigation by a paranormal society， where they conduct seances and experiments to determine the validity of her claims。 The overall feeling is that Alma was haunted by her past which manifested itself in her belief that she was haunted。This book was slow and boring at times but did kept my interest， I wasn’t completely enamoured with it though！
Carolyn Drake
，
I enjoyed Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions Of Mr Whicher tremendously， so was looking forward to this， another 'non-fiction as fiction' book based on an historical 'mystery' （Although with it being about a famous haunting case， there obviously is no real mystery in this story， as 。。。ssshhh。。。 there's no such thing as ghosts）。 An interesting set-up introduced us to the various characters: the housewife who seems so convincing as the centre of supernatural happenings， the methodical 'ghost-hunter I enjoyed Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions Of Mr Whicher tremendously， so was looking forward to this， another 'non-fiction as fiction' book based on an historical 'mystery' （Although with it being about a famous haunting case， there obviously is no real mystery in this story， as 。。。ssshhh。。。 there's no such thing as ghosts）。 An interesting set-up introduced us to the various characters: the housewife who seems so convincing as the centre of supernatural happenings， the methodical 'ghost-hunter' whose love of evidence is hampered by his desire to believe， the tactiturn husband who must be in on the ruse if trickery is responsible。 What let this down for me， though， was the oh-so-long middle section， where each of Alma Fielding's visits to the International Institute for Psychical Research was recorded in monotonous detail， essentially just listing the very similar items Alma 'generated'， or 'moved'。 A psychically-draining slog。 。。。more
Annie
，
In the fantastic （in both senses of the world） The Haunting of Alma Fielding， Kate Summerscale brings us a strange case from the past。 （I really liked The Suspicions of Mr。 Whicher）。 This book sees Summerscale diving into the archives of Britain’s interwar spiritualist and paranormal societies and the news to tell the story of Alma Fielding。 In 1938， Fielding called the police to report that something was throwing and breaking things in the London apartment she shared with her husband and son。 T In the fantastic （in both senses of the world） The Haunting of Alma Fielding， Kate Summerscale brings us a strange case from the past。 （I really liked The Suspicions of Mr。 Whicher）。 This book sees Summerscale diving into the archives of Britain’s interwar spiritualist and paranormal societies and the news to tell the story of Alma Fielding。 In 1938， Fielding called the police to report that something was throwing and breaking things in the London apartment she shared with her husband and son。 The police couldn’t help。 There wasn’t anyone to arrest。 But Nandor Fodor wanted to investigate。 Fodor was not a detective—at least not a police detective。 At the time of Alma’s haunting， Fodor worked for the International Institute for Psychical Research。 He believed that the culprit was a poltergeist。。。Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley， for review consideration。 。。。more
Adrian
，
She said that two mice materialised at Beverstone Road， one in the fur collar of her coat， and that she found a goldfish in her vest; while she was sitting in the dining room， a stick of rhubarb landed o her lap， on top of her dog Judy， and in the Croydon high street a butterfly broach attached itself to her scarf， as if it had sailed out of the jeweller's window。A Christmas present for Tania， this book is a wonderful look at the world of the spiritualists and mediums which saw a significant She said that two mice materialised at Beverstone Road， one in the fur collar of her coat， and that she found a goldfish in her vest; while she was sitting in the dining room， a stick of rhubarb landed o her lap， on top of her dog Judy， and in the Croydon high street a butterfly broach attached itself to her scarf， as if it had sailed out of the jeweller's window。A Christmas present for Tania， this book is a wonderful look at the world of the spiritualists and mediums which saw a significant increase in-between the two World Wars。 The main focus is on Alma Fielding and the investigation carried out by Nandor Fodor， a prominent member of the National Laboratory of Psychical Research。 His goal was to both prove the supernatural and to weed out the fake and the opportunistic。 In Alma Fielding he found a unique subject who appeared to be haunted by a poltergeist which threw items throughout the house， materialised objects and living beings from thin air， and caused physical damage to Alma herself。 Alma also participated in séances with the aid of a spirit guide。 The investigation would lead to Fodor to question his beliefs and to formulate new theories on the supernatural and on mental health and would ultimately lead him to discuss his findings with the great Sigmund Freud。Also included by the author is a wider look at the tensions of the era and how， perhaps， this lead to an increase in perceived supernatural events。 She touches upon the work of Harry Price， a rival supernatural investigator， and upon other infamous events of the time， including my favourite， Gef！: The Strange Tale of an Extra-Special Talking Mongoose。A really fascinating read which was presented in a very accessible way。 You don't need to have any prior knowledge and will leave the book with a good understanding of the events that occurred。 4 1/2 stars。 。。。more
Rennie
，
I think a lot of the cranky reviews for this one come from expecting an actual ghost story， when actually it shows how and why ghost stories exist in the first place。 The author did excellent work in showing what underlies every ghost or haunting story - trauma， memory， inability to cope with psychological pain， the layering of mental conflicts and emotional wounds - among other haunting， lingering horrors that are， to me， far more frightening than the supernatural。 I didn’t find it all that dry I think a lot of the cranky reviews for this one come from expecting an actual ghost story， when actually it shows how and why ghost stories exist in the first place。 The author did excellent work in showing what underlies every ghost or haunting story - trauma， memory， inability to cope with psychological pain， the layering of mental conflicts and emotional wounds - among other haunting， lingering horrors that are， to me， far more frightening than the supernatural。 I didn’t find it all that dry either， actually I couldn’t wait to get back to it every evening。 I guess if you don’t read a lot of nonfiction this could feel “dry”？ You could do worse for a history that retells a lot of complicated， subterfuge-filled events and quite a lot of information。 It manages to be entertaining and it had no shortage of lovely lines and poignant， or sometimes chilling， observations。But sure， if you’re expecting a “true” ghost story as the subtitle promises， this won’t be it。 But you know， life spoiler alert: none of them are， and this is a pretty good template for what’s going on in others。 The more you know！ 🌈🌟 。。。more
Jenna Michelle Pink
，
Very dry。 DNF about quarter of the way too because it just wasn't holding me attention at all。 Very dry。 DNF about quarter of the way too because it just wasn't holding me attention at all。 。。。more
Paperclippe
，
I'm gonna say it up front: This Review Is Full of Spoilers。 Here Be Spoilers。 Etc， Etc。 I'm a natural-born skeptic， and I'm also one of those people who has to get All The Facts whenever I get interested in a new topic。 I go into books like this expecting there to be a very factual breakdown of what was Really Happening， because obviously it's Not Ghosts。 And I know， I know， it was a different time， but I really wish half of the people in this book had gone in doing the same。The Haunting of Alma I'm gonna say it up front: This Review Is Full of Spoilers。 Here Be Spoilers。 Etc， Etc。 I'm a natural-born skeptic， and I'm also one of those people who has to get All The Facts whenever I get interested in a new topic。 I go into books like this expecting there to be a very factual breakdown of what was Really Happening， because obviously it's Not Ghosts。 And I know， I know， it was a different time， but I really wish half of the people in this book had gone in doing the same。The Haunting of Alma Fielding is a book very much in the tradition of The Witch of Lime Street， which took a specific case of Spiritualist phenomena and deconstructed it， looking at not just all the facts of the matter but also looking at it in the context of the time。 Women's lib and the deaths from the first World War and Spanish Flu played a big part there; in The Haunting of Alma Fielding， we're a little further on in time， and Alma's case is plagued by the specters of the second World War， psychoanalysis， and trauma。 And I have to say， for as much as the first third of this book made me narrow my eyes and say to the involved parties， "But you know it's not ghosts though。 You must know it's not ghosts，" I honestly really appreciated the way this book was set up， with the introduction and exposition taking Alma's claims at their face， before slowly but surely showing the cracks in the story along the way。The writing here is very un-ornamented and plain， which I think does it a great service in getting its point - and characters - across。 The （sometimes lengthy） side tracks into the other people involved in the case， most notably Fodor， our Hungarian psychical researcher， always pay off in the end （though at the time I had to admit I was ready to shout "YES BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HAUNTING CAN WE PLEASE GET BACK TO THE HAUNTING"）。 And the treatment of everyone involved， from Alma to Fodor to all of the side characters in Alma's family and Fodor's institute， is always understanding and kind， never judgmental， just the facts， ma'am。 In fact， books like this always risk falling into the trap of being too good to their subjects， as in the case of The Apparitionists and The In-Betweens; of being a bit too understanding， a bit too credulous。 The Haunting of Alma Fielding avoids that trap expertly。 It understand that Alma Fielding was an incredibly troubled woman with a trauma-filled past， a past that had a deep grip on her and expressed itself in ways that might understandably be mistaken for the supernatural。 But it also comes to a balance， an understanding: Alma Fielding was a liar， a con artist， and a thief。 Both of these things can be true at the same time。 Her trauma does not excuse her con， but neither does her con detract from her trauma; her lies do not belittle her truth。 It is perhaps sadder still， then， that the only way she felt like she could cope， to get the attention she needed， to shine a light on the terrible things which had happened to her， was to spin an elaborate web of supernatural phenomena， simultaneously distracting from and drawing attention to things of which she felt， either because of her class， her gender， or her era， she was unable to plainly speak。 。。。more
Katarine
，
was more like a non fiction - a relaying of lots of facts。 not my kind of book。
Jason Mullen
，
I didn't enjoy this as much as her previous books but it is still a fascinating true story that captures the period of uncertainty before the second world war。 A time when mediums were very much in fashion due to the huge loss of so many people in the previous one and furniture mystriously took on a life of its own。 Definitely recomend。 I didn't enjoy this as much as her previous books but it is still a fascinating true story that captures the period of uncertainty before the second world war。 A time when mediums were very much in fashion due to the huge loss of so many people in the previous one and furniture mystriously took on a life of its own。 Definitely recomend。 。。。more
Jen
，
While some of the historical notes were interesting， there are only so many flying teacups I can read about before wanting something meatier。
Jane Fenlon
，
I enjoyed The Suspicions of Mr Whicher but this book is far more disturbing。 It is a true story about Alma Fielding a 34 year old housewife from Thornton Heath who was haunted by a poltergeist in February 1938。 It follows the investigations of Nandor Fodor a Jewish-Hungarian journalist who was also chief ghost hunter at the Institute for Psychical Research in South Kensington。 He was desperate to find proof of the existence of a ghost to restore his reputation as he had sued the Psychic News for I enjoyed The Suspicions of Mr Whicher but this book is far more disturbing。 It is a true story about Alma Fielding a 34 year old housewife from Thornton Heath who was haunted by a poltergeist in February 1938。 It follows the investigations of Nandor Fodor a Jewish-Hungarian journalist who was also chief ghost hunter at the Institute for Psychical Research in South Kensington。 He was desperate to find proof of the existence of a ghost to restore his reputation as he had sued the Psychic News for libel as they had accused him of being cynical and unkind to mediums。 Fodor subjected Alma to a number of tests in the controlled conditions at the Institute and fairly quickly discovered that some events were being knowingly faked by Alma although he believed that some of them weren't。 One test was a trip to Woolworths where Alma was bizarrely asked to psychically remove items of jewelry from the store。 Fodor was a great believer in the theories of Sigmund Freud that poltergeists were kinetic forces unleashed by the unconscious mind， although this was not a popular view at the time。 Fodor realized that Alma had many psychological problems stemming from a number of miscarriages and the early death of one of her sons which he believed could be causing the poltergeist activity， but he still went on persuading her to under go the strip searches intimate examinations and the seances。 This was a different time and it is interesting to see how these "psychic events" were dealt with but I couldn't help feeling sorry for this poor woman who wasn't getting the help she needed。 。。。more
Colin
，
The 1930s were a haunted decade; Spiritualism hit a peak of popularity， mediums achieved celebrity status， several pseudo-scientific organisations competed for money and cases， Harry Smith made a name for himself investigating the goings-on at Borley rectory， and poltergeists were knocking and banging in an ever-louder clamour in the nation’s cupboards， kitchens and bedrooms。 At Alma Fielding’s house in Thornton Heath， a working-class district of Croydon， things were getting out of control as th The 1930s were a haunted decade; Spiritualism hit a peak of popularity， mediums achieved celebrity status， several pseudo-scientific organisations competed for money and cases， Harry Smith made a name for himself investigating the goings-on at Borley rectory， and poltergeists were knocking and banging in an ever-louder clamour in the nation’s cupboards， kitchens and bedrooms。 At Alma Fielding’s house in Thornton Heath， a working-class district of Croydon， things were getting out of control as the rattling and clattering were soon replaced by flying kitchen utensils and furniture。 Fighting off the claims of rival organisations， Nandor Fodor a Jewish Hungarian refugee， and full time officer of the International Institute for Psychical Research， takes on the case。What follows is a fascinating and revealing tale of fraud， gullibility and trauma that paints a vivid picture of an era still bearing the mental and physical scars of the Great War and slowly sleepwalking into a new nightmare。 That this is ultimately more a story of psychoanalysis than psychic powers （the newly exiled Sigmund Freud plays an important role in events） adds rather than detracts to the tale。 。。。more
Leah
，
Flying teacups…It’s 1938， a peak time for fake spiritualists and psychical research。 When poltergeist activity starts happening in her house， Alma Fielding contacts the Sunday Pictorial newspaper。 Nandor Fodor is a Jewish refugee from Hungary， a psychical researcher who has worked with the paper in the past， so he gets in on the case from the beginning。 The book tells the story of Alma’s “haunting” and of Fodor’s attempts to prove her story either true or false。I have enjoyed some of Summerscale Flying teacups…It’s 1938， a peak time for fake spiritualists and psychical research。 When poltergeist activity starts happening in her house， Alma Fielding contacts the Sunday Pictorial newspaper。 Nandor Fodor is a Jewish refugee from Hungary， a psychical researcher who has worked with the paper in the past， so he gets in on the case from the beginning。 The book tells the story of Alma’s “haunting” and of Fodor’s attempts to prove her story either true or false。I have enjoyed some of Summerscale’s previous books， but I fear this one is the exception。 It’s rambly and repetitive， with far too many descriptions of various frauds perpetrated on gullible “experts” like Fodor by Alma and other mediums。 I also felt that Summerscale’s research wasn’t as sound as usual – her casual mention that Alma was taking antibiotics （in 1938） set up warning flags at an early point。 She also lists the many breakages of glasses and cups flying through the air at Alma’s home – I found the concept of poltergeist activity marginally less unbelievable than the idea that a working class household in the 1930s would have possessed twenty-four wine glasses and thirty-six tumblers。 Not impossible， but unlikely， and I was surprised that Summerscale seemed to accept these figures without question， or even comment。In her usual style， Summerscale ranges beyond the mere facts of Alma’s case to look more widely at the society in which they happened。 She discusses the anxiety the country was experiencing as they waited for the now inevitable war to begin; the rise of spiritualism at a time when traditional religion was on the wane; poltergeist activity as a means for women to be transgressive in a restrictive society， consciously or unconsciously。 Fodor， she tells us， was intrigued by Freud’s ideas， and thought that such hauntings as Alma’s may be physical manifestations of psychological frustrations。 To bolster this， Summerscale suggests that the earlier death of one of her children may have been at the root of Alma’s “manifestations”。 The problem with this theory is that Alma was so clearly not having manifestations， nor could her actions have been subconscious since she was deliberately making elaborate physical preparations in advance of meetings with the researchers in order to fool them。 Alma was not a deluded woman， however much her loss may have affected her mental state – she was a deliberate fraud， making money out of her deception。 I felt that if Summerscale wanted to make the not unreasonable case that some “hauntings” may be the result of psychological stresses， then she picked the wrong subject。Where it is rather more interesting is in the description of the lengths gone to by the researchers to prove that manifestations were indeed true。 While they would probably have argued that they were unbiased， in fact Summerscale makes it clear that they were strongly incentivised to find “real” cases – continuing publicity and contributions to funding， and hence， in Fodor’s case， his income， depended on ensuring the public remained gullible and enthusiastic about such stories， and a constant stream of proof that it was all nonsense wouldn’t have helped with this。 Therefore， the researchers themselves were motivated， whether they realised it or not， to make allowances for subjects even when they caught them out in deliberate cheating。 I felt the physical lengths to which the researchers went， strip-searching subjects， investigating their intimate orifices for hidden objects， pinioning their arms during sessions and so on， had a direct kinship with the old ways of testing women to see if they were witches; and I found myself angry that Fodor could believe that Alma’s case was caused by mental trauma and yet treat her so inhumanely。 The fact that Alma was so clearly a fraud still didn’t justify the circus that they allowed to develop around her。In the end， I didn’t feel there had been enough of interest in it to justify the time taken to read through the repetitive descriptions of manifestations and research methods。 It might have made an interesting essay， but it needed far more substance and less waffle to make a worthwhile book。 A disappointment， I’m afraid。 2½ stars for me， so rounded up。NB This book was provided for review by the publisher， Bloomsbury Publishing。www。fictionfanblog。wordpress。com 。。。more
Molly Sanderson
，
This books looks into the eruption of poltergeist phenomena at the start of WW2， it seems thy in a time of crisis supernormal events took place a lot more commonly。 It focussed on one women and her family in particular， viewing her case from various angles。 For example， whether her experiences were real， fake or fraud。 Topics such as psychoanalysis are touched upon and you get an insight into the researchers lives。 Definitely worth the read， something not very common nowadays and is interesting This books looks into the eruption of poltergeist phenomena at the start of WW2， it seems thy in a time of crisis supernormal events took place a lot more commonly。 It focussed on one women and her family in particular， viewing her case from various angles。 For example， whether her experiences were real， fake or fraud。 Topics such as psychoanalysis are touched upon and you get an insight into the researchers lives。 Definitely worth the read， something not very common nowadays and is interesting to see how people responded in the past。 。。。more
Eva
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I know I shouldn't expect Kate Summerscale to tell me if ghosts are really true - or not - but she is strangely reluctant to delve into Alma's fraudery。 It's by far the most interesting aspect， to me - how on earth did she pull it off？ How does a suburban housewife make people think she can move a wardrobe？ In the end the book feels a bit too cautious - it goes into every detail， too much so， but doesn't seem to stand back from events enough。 I know I shouldn't expect Kate Summerscale to tell me if ghosts are really true - or not - but she is strangely reluctant to delve into Alma's fraudery。 It's by far the most interesting aspect， to me - how on earth did she pull it off？ How does a suburban housewife make people think she can move a wardrobe？ In the end the book feels a bit too cautious - it goes into every detail， too much so， but doesn't seem to stand back from events enough。 。。。more
Colleen
，
well researched and interesting。 the aspect that i found most intriguing was the idea that spiritualism was a way for women to get power。 the psychologically tricky interactions between spiritualists and those who were attempting to investigate also was intriguing 。 the connection with abuse was disturbing， though may well have had merit
Deb Lonnon
，
Book review 18/2021 'The haunting of Alma Fielding' Kate Summerscale。 I don't like ghosts。 Vampires， witches， aliens， werewolves， monsters， psychologically twisted humans - all fine。 No problems。 Human Caterpillar *with* vampires as an addition - shrug。 Ghosts give me the willies。 I chose to read this as a photo of Alma reminded me of my dead Mum。 I read the first third feeling physically sick at the description of poltergeist activity - sleep paralysis， things moving， things being flung， things Book review 18/2021 'The haunting of Alma Fielding' Kate Summerscale。 I don't like ghosts。 Vampires， witches， aliens， werewolves， monsters， psychologically twisted humans - all fine。 No problems。 Human Caterpillar *with* vampires as an addition - shrug。 Ghosts give me the willies。 I chose to read this as a photo of Alma reminded me of my dead Mum。 I read the first third feeling physically sick at the description of poltergeist activity - sleep paralysis， things moving， things being flung， things materialising， the weight of a cold for Ron your chest while you are asleep， you wake but cannot move。 I felt slightly more comfortable as the psychic investigator looking into this case started to have doubts and enjoyed the piecing together of theory， evidence， show-tricks and explanation of the range of items one can actually hide in one's vagina。 Finished it in bed， slept like a babyThen found an oily handprint on the wall next to my bed that I hadn't noticed before。 It's probably been there for days， right？ I just haven't noticed it before。 The fingers are longer than mine。 I'm sure there is a rational explanation。。。 。。。more
Ming Suan Ong
，
Very interesting read though there’s a lot of different personalities within those pages and I kept forgetting whose whose。 Good job there’s an index！ I found it a bit dull at first but it got creepier because there is nothing scarier than man and his/her psyche and what it is capable of doing。 The theory is that poltergeist activity is caused by the person and results from past trauma /unresolved angst/inner turmoil which can manifest itself physically through strong energies。 So sexual assault Very interesting read though there’s a lot of different personalities within those pages and I kept forgetting whose whose。 Good job there’s an index！ I found it a bit dull at first but it got creepier because there is nothing scarier than man and his/her psyche and what it is capable of doing。 The theory is that poltergeist activity is caused by the person and results from past trauma /unresolved angst/inner turmoil which can manifest itself physically through strong energies。 So sexual assault， death of a child， repressed sexuality， going through the trauma of wartime etc can cause all this。 Certainly there were more cases than normal reported in Britain during WWII。 There is also the thought that the attacked person can get carried away with the activity and start faking it which in turn can cause possession and more supernatural involvement。 Certainly Alma Fielding did her share of hoaxing。 A very interesting read - definitely gets better and flows better from halfway through the book。 。。。more
K
，