Thursday, December 27, 2018

"Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills" by Minakshi Chaudhry

"Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills" by Minakshi Chaudhry is a collection of ghost stories that originated in Shimla Hills.

Shimla - is a popular summer vacation spot loved by Indians as well as the British during their colonial rule. 

The city has many neo-gothic buildings, churches, bridges and temples that create a spooky antique atmosphere. I've never been to Shimla but I've heard about the good weather and beautiful views. 

"15 believable ghost stories collected from Shimla Hills, suitable for children."

There are 15 stories in the book and the book is about 140 pages. The stories are printed in a larger font and is meant for school students (I bought it in my daughter's school during the parents meeting). 

The stories are written in a very simple language and it's very easy to read for an adult. The author writes in the style similar to someone telling an actual story. The stories are not too scary or too disgusting (as in some horror genres), they're actually pretty believable and seem like true stories (I think they are true collected stories collected during the author's travels in Shimla). 

The stories include: "The Angrez Churail (The English Witch)", "The Spirit Takes Revenge", "Bhoot Bangla (Haunted House)", "Enduring Love", "The Grave of an English Lady", "The Lady on the Rikshaw" and the others.

As you can see, the book dwells of the British colonial spirit and most of the witches and ghosts are actually "angrez" (English). The book is nostalgic, cozy and suitable for younger children. 

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