- Spoiler warning: This review discusses the ending of the story.
I read The Ghost and Mrs Muir after watching the 1947 movie, and from what I remember, the film was actually quite faithful to the book. That probably helped because I already knew the characters and the general shape of the story, but I still enjoyed going back to the original novel and seeing where it all began.
Mrs Muir is a widow with very little money, and that is partly what makes Gull Cottage possible for her. The house is cheap because it has a rather inconvenient problem: it is haunted by its former owner, Captain Daniel Gregg. Most people would probably leave the moment they realised the ghost stories were true, but Mrs Muir does not really have that luxury. She needs somewhere affordable to live, and apparently sharing a house with an irritable dead sea captain is a problem she is prepared to deal with.
Captain Gregg has managed to frighten other occupants away, but Mrs Muir refuses to cooperate. She is stubborn enough to stay, and eventually he has to accept that she is not leaving. I think that is one of the things I liked most about their relationship. Neither of them gives in easily, and what begins as an argument over who has the greater right to the house slowly develops into companionship and affection.
I do not remember every detail of what happens in the middle of the book now, but I remember the relationship between Mrs Muir and the Captain very clearly. It is such an unusual romance because the problem between them can never really be solved while she is alive. They can talk, argue, care for one another and become important parts of each other’s lives, but they cannot have an ordinary future together.
That is what makes the ending so bittersweet. Mrs Muir eventually grows old and dies, and Captain Gregg has waited for her all those years. When he comes for her at the end, they can finally be together without the barrier that had always existed between them.
It is sad because an entire lifetime has had to pass first, but at the same time I cannot imagine the story ending any other way. There is something very moving about the idea that he simply waited until her life was finished.
Despite being a ghost story, The Ghost and Mrs Muir never felt frightening to me. It is much more about companionship, loneliness, independence and a love that has to wait far longer than most.
I watched the movie first, but reading the novel afterwards did not spoil either version for me. If anything, they complemented each other, and I can understand why this story has lasted as long as it has.
Rating: ★★★★★