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* [[Minor Characters in Samantha's Series (N-Z)#Mrs. Pitt|Mrs. Pitt]] |
* [[Minor Characters in Samantha's Series (N-Z)#Mrs. Pitt|Mrs. Pitt]] |
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+ | ===Present=== |
* [[Minor Characters in Samantha's Series (N-Z)#Horace Raven|Horace Raven]] |
* [[Minor Characters in Samantha's Series (N-Z)#Horace Raven|Horace Raven]] |
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===Chapter One: Fear at First Sight=== |
===Chapter One: Fear at First Sight=== |
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| − | The book opens with Samantha and Nellie looking in their house for Jenny, and it is explained that the family is going to stay in a hotel while their house is renovated. Samantha and Nellie find Jenny, who seems scared to leave the house, and Nellie seems nervous too, to be staying at Ravenscourt Hotel, but Samantha thinks it has something to do with how the girls have just settled into their new life. As it turns out, they have good reason to be nervous. When they arrive at Ravenscourt, Nellie seems visibly shaken. When Samantha asks her what's wrong, she points darkly to the stone raven on the building and says, "I've seen ravens like that before. They always bring bad luck." |
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===Chapter Two: Above the Trees=== |
===Chapter Two: Above the Trees=== |
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Latest revision as of 13:48, 29 June 2021
The Curse of Ravenscourt is a Historical Character Mystery that is part of Samantha's books.
Characters
From the Central Series
- Samantha Parkington
- Nellie O'Malley
- Gardner Edwards
- Cornelia Edwards
- Bridget O'Malley
- Jenny O'Malley
- Gertrude
- Mrs. Pitt
Present
Chapter By Chapter Summary
Chapter One: Fear at First Sight
Chapter Two: Above the Trees
Chapter Three: Cursed
Chapter Four: A Warning
Chapter Five: Sudden Departure
Chapter Six: A Dangerous Journey
Chapter Seven: Clues From the Past
Chapter Eight: A Familiar Face
Chapter Nine: Crash
Chapter Ten: A Midnight Visit
Chapter Eleven: Footsteps
Chapter Twelve: The Raven Flies
Chapter Thirteen: Detective Work
Chapter Fourteen: A Surprise Announcement
Looking Back
Discusses people's views on spiritualism and fears of technological advances in the turn of the century. Topics include:
- Fascination with mysteries and the supernatural
- Popular mysteries people might have read, such as the Sherlock Holmes novels
- How dishonest people took advantage of people's beliefs with the supernatural
- Kate and Maggie Fox, who played an important role in the spiritualism movement and popularized seances
- How ghost shows were performed, using a combination of actors and trick lighting -- these were usually performed by actors who wanted to show the audience how they were being taken advantage by fraudsters preying on their fears or beliefs
- How elevators were seen as a public anxiety and used only for freight, even with the invention of the safety elevator by Samantha's time
- The development of taller buildings and skyscrapers, with the advent of the safety elevator -- in newer buildings with elevators, upper story apartments commanded a high premium due to the dramatic views of the city and distance from ground-level street noise
- How property owners dealt with the number 13 in taller buildings -- some owners played around with the numbering system such as labeling the first floor "Ground" and the second floor "First", other owners simply omitted the number 13 altogether