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There are currently 21 member reviews
for The In-Betweens
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Carol T. (Ankeny, IA)
A little disappointing.
Mira Ptacin is a better writer than this subject turned out to be, unless you're really entranced with spiritualism. Apparently, I'm not.
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DMS - Bloomington, Indiana
American Spiritualism Camp
Fascinating. A whole world that I had no idea even existed - American Spiritualism as a religion - complete with a campground in Maine that has been in existence non-stop since 1878.
I received this book free from BookBrowse, as an early release in exchange for writing a review. I'd recommend it to anyone who has an interest in alternative religions, new age spirituality and rural Maine life and history. It was a fun read, a bit slow in spots but enjoyable...
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Nancy L. (Staunton, VA)
In-Between
The In-Betweens The Spiritulista, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna by Mira Ptacin is a pretty comprehensive history of Spiritualism in America, including the Spiritualist camp in Etna, Maine. The best parts for me were the interviews with present day Mediums and Spiritualists who reside at or visit Camp Etna. Their stories, told so well by Ptacin, were what held my interest the most. The history parts of the book felt a bit bogged down with too many names and dates and there were parts throughout that would benefit from additional editing. All in all, this was an appealing story.
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Dorothy G. (Naperville, IL)
Interesting but...
I felt very optimistic upon starting this book. I found it interesting that there were communities that were dedicated and committed to Spiritualism. I also enjoyed the fact that the writer was a neophyte, which boded well for me because I also had no prior knowledge. My interest quickly waned however. As soon as I started, I felt disconnected from the writer. I felt like it was a lot of superficial information regarding Spiritualism repetitively presented. Overall I cannot recommend this book, but feel that others who are more interested in the historic background of Spiritualism may find it more appealing.
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Daryl B. (Poolesville, MD)
Disappointing
I have always been interested in Spiritualism. I have a long time friend that is a medium (unofficially, doesn't sell her services) so a lot of what I read was familiar. I just could not get engrossed in this book. It piqued my interest enough to google Camp Etna and if I am ever up in Maine, might even check it out, but the book was just plain boring. I would not recommend this book to my book club as I don't think anyone in my group would enjoy it. Sorry, I really wanted to like it.
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Clare M. (Naperville, IL)
Felt way too dry
As you can guess from my review title I was not a fan of this book. I felt that the topic had so much interest and potential. However, the book was not engaging and felt like a school history lesson. It seemed to me that the author was trying to provide an unbiased and open view of Spirituality, but I think in doing so she lost her connection to the reader. Going into this book I had no knowledge of the history of Spiritualism and was excited to learn. 30 pages in and I felt bored and bogged down with a plethora of dates, names, and facts. I think this book would appeal to a history buff or someone with a better beginning knowledge of Spiritualism, just was not for me.
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Christine B. (Lilydale, MN)
:::;;;
I don't think I have ever read a book that used so many colons and semi-colons. I got so overwhelmed by her questionable writing style that I had trouble enjoying what the author was trying to say. She definitely needs a new editor. I did find the history of spiritualism and Camp Etna somewhat interesting, but again the author's transitions were dubious. I would have enjoyed more personal experiences that some of her protagonists had- such as Karlene's assertion that she could see inside people before they even had their MRI ?? I would not recommend this book to others. It really goes around in circles and leaves the reader needing a "medium".
