Ghost novel reviews Archives - Page 2 of 2

Ghost Novel Review: The Night Strangers

September 25, 2012 Deb Comments 4 comments

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian I LOVED this book. That is, I loved half of this book. Here are some of my notes to self–“right from the start I adore the style,” “this is refreshing after the last lackluster book,” and “Thank you, Crown Publishers for not italicizing the prologue!” (For more on the great prologue controversy, read my post on prologues here.) It begins so well. A goose-downed (as in a-gaggle-of-geese-downed-the) plane ends in a failed landing (notwithstanding…

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Ghost Novel Review: The Winter Ghosts

September 8, 2012 Deb Comments 11 comments

The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse In The Winter Ghosts, a despondent Freddie Watson mourns the loss of his favored brother who perished in WWI. Even ten years after the war, Freddie cannot rid himself of a paralyzing case of survivor’s guilt. After crashing his car in a snowstorm in the French Pyrenees, he hikes to the nearest village where some of the local denizens give him a cold reception. However, he soon finds himself invited to a fête, treated…

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Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan

August 16, 2012 Deb Comments 0 Comment

Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan With Ghost Month starting this week, this is the perfect time to review Water Ghosts. This book was originally published under the title Locke 1928, and until I neared the end of the book, I would have said Locke 1928 was a better title than Water Ghosts. This is one of those novels in which the town becomes a kind of character, similar to Empire Falls by Richard Russo. And indeed, author Ryan paints…

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Ghost Novel Review: The Séance

May 7, 2012 Deb Comments 2 comments

The Séance by John Harwood I decided to participate in a reading challenge run by Laura at Laura’s Reviews—my second ever! (The first was R.I.P. at Stainless Steel Droppings.) I recommend reading challenges to all you avid readers and writers out there. Anyhow, Laura’s challenge is Victorian related novels and movies, as in the setting takes place or the author lived between 1837 and 1901. Check it out here. Of course, me being me (or is it…

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R.I.P. Challenge for Readers and Writers of the Paranormal

October 18, 2011 Deb Comments 5 comments

R.I.P Challenge As writers we always hear, “Connect with others who share your interests.” Everyone tells you to do it, but no one tells you how to do it. In my case, I find it hard to connect with folks in the ghost fiction genre because, well, there is no ghost fiction genre. Some ghost fiction comes to us from top-drawer masters like Henry James and Toni Morrison and are shelved in Literature. I’ve found some ghost novels in the…

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Ghost Novel Review: The Turn of the Screw

June 26, 2011 Deb Comments 6 comments

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Publisher: Dover Thrift, 87 pages Format: Paperback Source: Purchased What it’s about: Perhaps you know the gist of the story: naïve, love-starved governess seeks countryside post teaching suspiciously angelic children who are wards of a handsome, mysterious, unavailable (emotionally as well as geographically) landowner. The novella opens in a fireside gathering of friends eager to share ghost stories. The women are particularly thirsting for bloody and gory narratives. The host explains the…

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Ghost Novel Review: Saving Fish from Drowning

April 4, 2011 Deb Comments 0 Comment

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan I so wanted to love this book. I loved the idea—a novice ghost follows her museum friends on an ill-fated tour through Myanmar. I loved Tan’s trademark fusing of myth to narrative, particularly the satiric vignette detailing how one goes about saving a fish from drowning. I loved the comforting heft of the book as I settled beneath my Tree of Life quilt and snapped on the bedside lamp. What I didn’t love…

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