Review of "Once-Told Tales of Old New England," from the Berkshire Traveler

 Review of

Once-Told Tales of Old New England, from the Berkshire Traveler

Four out of five stars

Some ghost stories with a couple that are true

 All regions have their specific ghost stories, in the United States there are those of the Native Americans as well as those of the people of European ancestry. There are six short stories in this collection. The first three are basic ghost stories that are similar to those of other locations. There is the murdered traveler that is never identified, the mysterious horse-drawn carriage that never reaches its destination and a ghost boat with a literal skeleton crew.

 The fourth story adjusts the mythical story of Pocahontas to what is more historically accurate. Story number five is a brief history of Sgt. Robert Shurtleff, a brave soldier in the American revolutionary army. That soldier was in fact Deborah Sampson, a woman that fought well and was honored for her gallant actions. The last story is a letter from Philip Ashton to his grandson. In that letter he described his experiences that were similar to those depicted in the book “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe.

 These stories are good ones, with three fiction and three fact, there is a good balance. Quite frankly, the factual stories were the best of the six.