On the train back from the British Museum, I randomly started reading 'The Psychic Tourist' by journalist William Little. Yesterday, I finished it.
The journey begins when Little buys an astrological birth chart for his sister and her daughter as a gift. Unfortunately, they both predict a water-related death, something which terrifies his sibling and affects badly, making her avoid travelling on or over water at any cost and give up water-based hobbies. Upset that his gift has caused so much distress, Little decides to start and investigation into the world of psychics and prediction to find a way to undo the damage he's done.
Having enjoyed 'Will Storr vs the Supernatural', I hoped that this too would be an interesting and thought provoking read. It's also described as funny in a number of reviews, so I thought it would be entertaining too. Unfortunately, although it does start off in a similar way as Storr's book, it meanders quite a lot and doesn't always seem to stick to it's destination of the truth about predicting the future, often straying into a more general look at psychics instead. It's almost as if the author wanted to write a different book but couldn't control his own destiny.
By the end, the more lighthearted tone is all but out of sight. While it's interesting that Little takes his investigation to a new level, interviewing a combination of Physicists, Nobel-prize winners and experts in Quantum Theory, it means he has to resort to including long quotes from books and people. I can understand why. Many of these ideas are hard to understand for non-academics and it's safer to quote directly rather than try to explain it in lay language and lose meaning. Unfortunately, this style also gives the book an essay feel, and essays are not usually fun or amusing. Although if anyone knows of a funny, understandable and accurate essay on Quantum Physics, I'd love to hear about it!
Overall, 'The Psychic Tourist' was a bit of a disappointment. With a rewrite that tightens up the structure and maps out the science so it's easier to understand, it would be a better book. It's a shame as there are a lot of great and interesting ideas in here, many of which need to be shared with people like Little's sister to free them from excessive worry. Maybe in the future Little will have the opportunity to revisit this book and give it a polish. Who knows..!
Now, back to Groucho Marx!
Showing posts with label psychic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psychic. Show all posts
22 June 2014
13 June 2014
Reading Voices (Again)...
Before I start, I want to make one thing clear. I'm reviewing the book, not the author. I say this because I've just finished 'A Host of Voices' by Doris Stokes, which includes the third and fourth autobiographies written by the popular psychic medium, and understand her to be a controversial figure to some.
'A Host of Voices' is two books in one. 'Innocent Voices in My Ear' explores Mrs Stokes particular affinity with parents who have lost children, a connection she feels keenly due to the passing of her only child as a baby. 'Whispering Voices' is broader and covers a range of personal and public events, demonstrations and sittings that took place in around 1984-5.
There are three collections of Doris Stokes' autobiographies and I've now read all of them. Although I'm not sure I have an opinion on her beliefs, her books have a very easy style and before I've realised it I'm already 50 pages in. If only more books were like that! Although where would the challenge be then?
'A Host of Voices' was no exception to this. It has a charming style that made me feel like I was visiting an elderly relative and she was telling stories about her life and experiences. 'Innocent Voices in my Ear' was a bit of an emotional roller coaster because of the subject matter, so while the style was easy going, sometimes the lives described weren't. As such, it's not really for the faint hearted. Or those without hanky to hand.
My favourite chapters were where Stokes talked about her life rather than just relaying the stories of her sitters and celebrity contacts, in this world and the next. Unfortunately, these were quite few, although I suspect much of this was probably covered in her first to autobiographies.
'Whispering Voices' wasn't as much of a success. It felt a little as though Mrs Stokes' first three books had been so popular she was encouraged to write a third. Unfortunately, the source material seems to be running out by this stage and it almost feels as if it's being written as events happen, until there's enough text for a book. By the end, whole chapters are being devoted to reprinted articles about Mrs Stokes and poetry she's been sent by her admirers. The former would be more interesting as part of an analysis of Stokes in a socio-cultural context and the latter really only illustrate the author's respect for what her correspondents send her. Which is lovely, but doesn't make for a good read.
Overall, if you are interested in the popular culture of the 1970s and '80s or spiritualism, 'A Host of Voices' and its companions are interesting and, somehow, easy reads, despite being full of loss, crime and suicide. I think a certain amount of detachment helps the casual reader, although maybe I've just been hardened by reading so many sad stories. Anyway, I suspect you already know if this is your sort of read or not!
Now the days are longer, I'm hoping to get my teeth (or should that be my head?) into a few more titles. Although I'm not doing myself any favours at the moment - am part way through two paperpacks, one hard back, an ebook and an audiobook. But at least I'm reading (or listening!), so watch this space or follow me on Twitter for updates!
Related Posts
Getting into the Spirit of Things...
 |
| 'A Host of Voices' by Doris Stokes (Warner Books, 2000) |
There are three collections of Doris Stokes' autobiographies and I've now read all of them. Although I'm not sure I have an opinion on her beliefs, her books have a very easy style and before I've realised it I'm already 50 pages in. If only more books were like that! Although where would the challenge be then?
'A Host of Voices' was no exception to this. It has a charming style that made me feel like I was visiting an elderly relative and she was telling stories about her life and experiences. 'Innocent Voices in my Ear' was a bit of an emotional roller coaster because of the subject matter, so while the style was easy going, sometimes the lives described weren't. As such, it's not really for the faint hearted. Or those without hanky to hand.
My favourite chapters were where Stokes talked about her life rather than just relaying the stories of her sitters and celebrity contacts, in this world and the next. Unfortunately, these were quite few, although I suspect much of this was probably covered in her first to autobiographies.
'Whispering Voices' wasn't as much of a success. It felt a little as though Mrs Stokes' first three books had been so popular she was encouraged to write a third. Unfortunately, the source material seems to be running out by this stage and it almost feels as if it's being written as events happen, until there's enough text for a book. By the end, whole chapters are being devoted to reprinted articles about Mrs Stokes and poetry she's been sent by her admirers. The former would be more interesting as part of an analysis of Stokes in a socio-cultural context and the latter really only illustrate the author's respect for what her correspondents send her. Which is lovely, but doesn't make for a good read.
Overall, if you are interested in the popular culture of the 1970s and '80s or spiritualism, 'A Host of Voices' and its companions are interesting and, somehow, easy reads, despite being full of loss, crime and suicide. I think a certain amount of detachment helps the casual reader, although maybe I've just been hardened by reading so many sad stories. Anyway, I suspect you already know if this is your sort of read or not!
Now the days are longer, I'm hoping to get my teeth (or should that be my head?) into a few more titles. Although I'm not doing myself any favours at the moment - am part way through two paperpacks, one hard back, an ebook and an audiobook. But at least I'm reading (or listening!), so watch this space or follow me on Twitter for updates!
Related Posts
Getting into the Spirit of Things...
03 August 2011
Getting into the Spirit of things...
My latest book may not be the sort of thing that many people would read, but I hope you'll find my thoughts on it interesting. I've just finished 'Joyful Voices' by Doris Stokes, an omnibus of her last two autobiographies 'Voices of Love' and 'Joyful Voices'.
In case you're not aware of her, Doris Stokes was a famous medium in the 1970s and '80s. More specifically, she was called 'clairaudient' because she heard the voices of dead people rather than seeing manifestations of them. In this book, she talks about her day-to-day life and encounters with grieving families, celebrities and, of course, those in the Spirit World.
It can be easy to dismiss people's beliefs as ridiculous, but it's harder to dismiss the person. That's certainly true of Mrs Stokes. Whether you agree with her belief in the afterlife or not, it's hard to think her a bad person when she seems to just want to help people to come to terms with their loss. She comes across as quite a kind hearted person and the book is carried along by her constant optimism and hope for better to come.
I rather liked the style of the book. It's episodic and chatty and very easy to read, much like a magazine, so it wasn't at all hard going. It was certainly what I needed after my encounter with Ernest Hemingway!
While it may not be high literature, the book is still an interesting curiosity. It's fascinating to hear her normalise hearing voices and of particular interest was the transcript of her last sitting at the end of the book. It even led to me looking up some clips of Mrs Stokes on You Tube. It's genuinely fascinating to see how her at work and I would recommend the clips to anyone interested in finding out more about her activities.
If you want to know more about Mrs Stokes, however, I would suggest that you don't start here. I've read Mrs Stokes' first omnibus, 'Voices', which included 'Voices in My Ear' and 'More Voices in My Ear'. I enjoyed the book very much, so, when I saw this one, I snapped it up too. Unfortunately, it's not as good. It's not really the author's fault, she was ailing and in her late sixties by the time she wrote her last two books and as a result she just doesn't get about as much as she used to. As such, the stories become a bit repetitive and, in a strange way, mundane after a while. The celebrity name dropping becomes irritating too, particularly as I didn't recognise some of the names at all. There are even whole chapters dedicated to poems sent to her, which is both kinda sweet and irritating at the same time. Equally, although she's right to not to preach through her books, it's a shame that she avoids the bad press entirely, as it would be interesting to hear her side of the argument. It's almost as if she's saying "It's up to you love, but which is the nicer idea to live with?"
They say that if you open your mind too much, your brain will fall out, but you don't learn much by keeping it too closed either. If you're interested in this sort of thing, start with 'Voices'. If you're not interested in this sort of thing, I'd stay well away. You're probably not going to enjoy it as the best you can hope to do is insulting a harmless old lady. And that's a bit low, don't you think?
In case you're not aware of her, Doris Stokes was a famous medium in the 1970s and '80s. More specifically, she was called 'clairaudient' because she heard the voices of dead people rather than seeing manifestations of them. In this book, she talks about her day-to-day life and encounters with grieving families, celebrities and, of course, those in the Spirit World.
 |
| 'Joyful Voices' by Doris Stokes (Sphere 2007) |
I rather liked the style of the book. It's episodic and chatty and very easy to read, much like a magazine, so it wasn't at all hard going. It was certainly what I needed after my encounter with Ernest Hemingway!
While it may not be high literature, the book is still an interesting curiosity. It's fascinating to hear her normalise hearing voices and of particular interest was the transcript of her last sitting at the end of the book. It even led to me looking up some clips of Mrs Stokes on You Tube. It's genuinely fascinating to see how her at work and I would recommend the clips to anyone interested in finding out more about her activities.
If you want to know more about Mrs Stokes, however, I would suggest that you don't start here. I've read Mrs Stokes' first omnibus, 'Voices', which included 'Voices in My Ear' and 'More Voices in My Ear'. I enjoyed the book very much, so, when I saw this one, I snapped it up too. Unfortunately, it's not as good. It's not really the author's fault, she was ailing and in her late sixties by the time she wrote her last two books and as a result she just doesn't get about as much as she used to. As such, the stories become a bit repetitive and, in a strange way, mundane after a while. The celebrity name dropping becomes irritating too, particularly as I didn't recognise some of the names at all. There are even whole chapters dedicated to poems sent to her, which is both kinda sweet and irritating at the same time. Equally, although she's right to not to preach through her books, it's a shame that she avoids the bad press entirely, as it would be interesting to hear her side of the argument. It's almost as if she's saying "It's up to you love, but which is the nicer idea to live with?"
They say that if you open your mind too much, your brain will fall out, but you don't learn much by keeping it too closed either. If you're interested in this sort of thing, start with 'Voices'. If you're not interested in this sort of thing, I'd stay well away. You're probably not going to enjoy it as the best you can hope to do is insulting a harmless old lady. And that's a bit low, don't you think?
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