audiobook The Witch of Lime Street: Séance; Seduction; and Houdini in the Spirit World by David Jaher in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. scientists vs. spiritualists in the 1920sBy lisaleo (Lisa Yount)This nonfiction book describes the investigation of scientists from Scientific American magazine and several eastern universities—not to mention famous magician and anti-spiritualist crusader Harry Houdini—of probably the most famous medium of the early to mid-1920s; a woman generally known as Margery. Margery; whose real name was Mina Crandon; supposedly channeled her older brother; Walter; who had been killed in a train accident. She and Walter specialized in physical manifestations—moving furniture; ringing bells; and the like; along with production of filmy ectoplasm—rather than messages from sitters’ deceased loved ones; as some other mediums did.Margery was different from most other mediums of the era in other ways; too. First; she clearly was not putting on an act for profit: she was the wife of a prominent and wealthy Boston surgeon; and she did not charge for her performances. She also possessed intelligence; wit; refinement; and seductive beauty (according to the men wwho knew her; I didn’t feel that that came across in the book’s photographs); features notably lacking in most others of her ilk. Those features made the investigators all the more keen to determine whether her effects were truly supernatural or carried out by trickery: doing so became an attempt; not merely to expose a garden-variety fraud; but to answer the fundamental human question of whether life after death existed.The book is quite interesting in presenting not only the story of Margery versus the scientists; including numerous accounts of her individual performances; but in providing background on this iteration of the spiritualist craze in America and Britain; which involved such notables as Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (Doyle was originally a friend of Houdini’s; but they fell out because of their opposing views of spiritualism; Doyle was not directly involved in the Margery investigations; but he cheered her on from across the Atlantic.) It also shows a difference in scientific attitude between Margery’s time and ours; although the experts who investigated her and other mediums were not surprised to find most of them fraudulent; they were apparently much more willing to consider the possibility that spiritualistic phenomena might be genuine than most scientists would admit to being today. Finally; it emphasizes that scientists are human beings too; the investigators’ individual personalities and reactions to Margery; who repeatedly entertained them in her home; played a large part in their findings.The book does have frustrating aspects; however. One is repetitiveness; the seemingly endless accounts of various seances eventually blurred into each other. (Whatever her faults may have been; I had to admire Margery’s patience and stamina; she and Walter repeated their schtick night after night under physical conditions that were often as torturous as anything Houdini faced in his acts.) It also left key questions unanswered. Houdini insisted that Margery was a fake; and there seems no reason to disagree with him—but if so; how did she do it? For the most part; the book doesn’t tell us. I would also have liked to know why she did it; since it wasn’t for money. Fame? Power over men? Perhaps no one knows.In spite of these flaws; I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about this period in history; the spiritualist movement; or the people involved in the story—provided that the readers have a fair amount of patience.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Unreserved recommendation to read The Witch of Lime StreetBy Lisette ColyAuthor David Jaher helps us individually wrestle with the essential question asking what happens when we die? Against the historical backdrop of the Jazz Era with meticulous scholarly investigation we are left to draw our own conclusion. As the head of the non profit Parapsychology Foundation in existence for close to sixty-five years founded by my maternal grandmother; Eileen J. Garrett; herself a world famous medium looking into the complexities of ostensible psychic functioning I had difficulty putting the book down as it is a fascinating read. Apart from Garrett's own conclusions interacting with Margery and working with many of the book's cast of characters; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Hereward Carrington; Eric Dingwall etal. the author presents both sides of not only the magician's coin as utilized so well by Houdini but manages to also represent the actions and motivations of the various researchers and sitters in an even handed and completely reasonable manner. Several cases exist in the literature of similar personages as the Witch of Lime Street who deserve examination and similar treatment hopefully in future by David Jaher as he continues to shed light on a fascinating subject.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. "Catch her if you can."By Elspeth G. PerkinDo you believe? Throughout this supernormal themed work the author poses that tricky question while at the same time inviting the reader back to the 1920’s to investigate and witness feats of the: unexplained; miraculous; various bright show lights of amusement and the crimson rooms of possible hyperactive imaginations. In this bewitching book a little of everything is tossed in and Mr. Jaher juggles and conjures certain events from history to rise and overall this title became a rare treat for this excited reader of history.I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better escape for this month and in the end I eventually fell under the completed spell of this colorful narrative and impressive dedication of subject and history but first some patience was required on my part. Being a paced read; I was somewhat disappointed in the beginning as I was hoping for more razzle-dazzle but in a clever way this book used and perfected the slow reveal- building the suspense and inner storyline; touching on different topics to reach the grand finale that this work advertised but at the same time the jumping back and forth in years and names in chapters did create some annoyance and confusion for this reader. I was also disappointed in the lack of photographs and it became a little frustrating to try to correctly visualize the spirit snapshots or key portions of the storyline particularly the fascinating “Houdini Box” or the baffling early ectoplasm photographs. The final chapters were also a little uncomfortably odd and they repeated details that seemed there only for shock and disgust. On the other side of the coin and (thankfully) overbalancing the negatives; I loved how the author presented the lingering mysteries of the little known tale of Harry Houdini and the Blonde Witch of Lime Street. The excellently depicted cat-and-mouse games that play throughout these pages and the striking narrative paired with different final messages and questions along with good old-fashioned entertainment; made this a great escape and I think those who enjoy forgotten portions of history and mysteries of the past; present and future will eventually agree.