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Hauntings

A Book of Ghosts and Where to Find Them Across 25 Eerie British Locations

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Hauntings

By: Neil Oliver
Narrated by: Neil Oliver
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

For longer than recorded history there have been tales of spirits and of places where our hackles rise and our skin turns cold.

Bestselling historian Neil Oliver travels the British Isles on a deliciously spine-chilling tour that spans several centuries and explores more than 20 sites - castles, vicarages and towers, lonely shorelines and forgotten battlefields - to unpick their stories...

Oliver invokes his family's history alongside that of kings and queens past as he probes why our emotions and senses are heightened in certain locations where the separation between dimensions seems gossamer thin. Our landscape is riven with these places, creaking from the weight of the secrets they hold, the echoes of tragedy and dark deeds . From Inverness to Devon, Co Dublin to Norfolk, Hauntings casts an enjoyably eerie glow with stories that, told generation after generation, are inextricable from place - and considers why they matter.

©2023 Neil Oliver (P)2023 Penguin Audio Travel Writing & Commentary Paranormal Inspiring Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

"A proper page-turner. Neil Oliver blends personal reflections with vivid stories, rooted in the culture and history of these islands - a fascinating tangle of witches and mermaids, drowned fishers and dead warriors, ghostly planes, spectral horses and the 'thin places' where this world touches the Otherworld." (Christopher Somerville, Walking Correspondent for The Times and author of Walking the Bones of Britain)

"Wonderfully evocative. One of the most enjoyable books on the paranormal I've read. Neil Oliver creates a bucket list of places to visit, perfect for both paranormal investigators and history buffs alike. I was particularly impressed with the way in which Oliver explores the fragility of life and death and our idea of what a ghost actually is." (Nick Tyler, author of Haunted Yorkshire)
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this has to be my favourite book by neil oliver, and it's always great when the author reads it, as how they knew it when writing. It is hauntingly beautiful, also sad in places, and yet hopeful in others, it evokes beginnings and endings. The history, the folk tales, the myth and stories within are all fascinating and I couldn't stop listening.

beautiful

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Very much enjoyed this audiobook. I now want to go to all the places the author writes about! Excellently read - love the accent - and it was quite moving in parts.

Excellent mix of history, geography, ghosts and the author’s own personal story

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really really good, not just a load of random ghost tales you also get so much hiatory about each subject. would highly recommend

awesome

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Fascinating thoughts and stories told in a rich Scottish accent. I found myself thinking of things my grandfather told me and the belief he's still with me now.

A rich Scottish accent

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This is a brilliant book it’s got all that you need to satisfy your curiosity and understanding of haunted British isles.
I listened to this whilst working as it seem to spur me on .Neil’s passion for the subject flows through from start to finish.

Words from the heart and soul

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I’m so glad Neil Oliver read his own book it made it so personal and moving, and as well as the ghost stories the history aspect was really interesting too. As someone who has experienced some unexplainable occurrences myself the book made me think of my own childhood and wonder if?. Great book which I will listen to again and highly recommend:)

So Good!

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Loved this — an eclectic mix of much explored exhibits threaded through with Oliver’s memories of his late father and both their experiences of thinner places,

He’s a very fine storyteller and an accomplished broadcaster not afraid to ask the difficult questions. Listening to him read his own words here is an absolute delight.

Beautifully woven together

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A haunting read, poetic, emotive, perhaps tragic, mysterious and thoughtful but also good historical writing as to be expected from an erudite historian.

Well researched, expertly written and well narrated, imbued with deep feeling and meaning.
My only critique might be a reflection upon my own inability to follow a complex narrative jumping between characters and stories past and present at a pace I often found a little challenging to follow but I resolved this by listening again to more complex passages and following along with the text of the book. I find I absorb more from reading than listening so I sometimes did both: be still my restless mind.
Leaves the reader/listener with a sense of mystery, unanswered questions and perhaps a haunting sense of loss, reflecting upon the brevity of life with Neil Oliver.
As a Christian I do feel less haunted by the fear of my own demise though.

Haunted by loss, a deeply felt emotive and poetic history of hauntings

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This is an astounding and very original take on ghosts and hauntings, beautifully interwoven with history, location, science and family. Listening to this wonderfully engaging, melodic reading by the author, I've been amazed at the breadth of history, poetry and literature in his account. I've been touched by the empathy he shows for tragic events of the past, never taking sides, but leaving the possibility of mystery intact. This is a truly wonderful book that combines top-notch writing and research with deep emotion, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. What an achievement!

Beautiful and poetic

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An interesting mix of paranormal storytelling and history read by a voice I could listen to for hours!

For lovers of great storytelling!

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