- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd (7 Oct 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0241142784
- ISBN-13: 978-0241142783
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 13.8 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,551,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Ghost Story
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Product Description
Product Description
When Agatha and Paddy decide to leave London and buy a house on the coast, they are full of hope for themselves and their growing family. Three months later, when the builders move out and they move in, things look very different. A personal tragedy threatens to destroy all they have carefully built up and only a small miracle, it seems, will save them ...Ghost Story is a book both haunted and haunting, which asks how we can ever mourn something that hasn't lived. Emotionally resonant, beautifully crafted and ultimately redemptive, it is Toby Litt's finest, most mature novel to date.
About the Author
Toby Litt is the author of Adventures in Capitalism, Beatniks, Corpsing, deadkidsongs, Exhibitionism and Finding Myself. He was named one of Granta's 20 Best of Young British Novelists, 2003.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
'YOU'LL see,' says the young man probably an estate agent coming through the front door of the house. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
'YOU'LL see,' says the young man probably an estate agent coming through the front door of the house. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant writing but emotionally lacking...,
By
This review is from: Ghost Story (Paperback)
Before the main part of this book, there's a brilliantly-written short story, and a (presumably) autobiographical account of Toby Litt's experience of his girlfriend's miscarriages. This I found harrowing and moving, along the lines of the outstanding Love Life by Ray Kluum. Then we get into the main fictional story, that of Paddy and Aggie, who have bought their dream house, but can not be happy there because Aggie has lost her baby and the bereavement is destroying their relationship. I admit to being prejudiced against men who try to write about specifically female issues from a woman's perspective. It hardly ever works and it didn't here. Because I couldn't believe in Aggie for a moment as a woman, the story wasn't worth reading.
Toby Litt is brilliant, but when writing about subjects as intimate and personal as this, I really think he should stick to the male perspective.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Wierd, Depressing & Boring,
By
This review is from: Ghost Story (Paperback)
What on earth was Toby Litt on ? The couple of chapters before the main story were quite honestly wierd and disturbing. How can you think that you are a hare (yes - as in big rabbit) and not be worried about your sanity ? I read on because I never give up on a book but rather wished I hadn't. The story never really got anywhere and because of the title, `Ghost Story' I expected a bit of spookiness - it didn't happen. The whole story revolves around a wife who has lost a baby and almost loses her mind. The author is writing about a very sensitive area and everyone deals with problems differently but the main character is depressing to read about. I have friends who have miscarried but they didn't start avoiding their friends, stop leaving the house and above all didn't abandon their existing child. Weird, depressing & boring.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Confusing, boring take on this emotive topic,
By
This review is from: Ghost Story (Paperback)
It's rare for me to dislike a book as much as I did this one. Admittedly, it's got to be hard to write a novel about miscarriage, let alone a novel that's readable, interesting and engaging. But this one was really quite dire. Not only would I never recommend this to a friend, but I'd actively suggest not reading this!
Split into two parts, the first takes the form of a short story that's an apparently autobiographical take on the author's own experience of his partner's miscarriages. It veers between an almost unreadably literary style and a poignant, more personal take on the situation. It's upsetting stuff, moving and well-written in parts. Having read the blurb on the back cover, I found myself confused by what this first section of the book was. It wasn't clear whether we were launching into the main part of the novel (not the case) or reading something else (in which case, what was it meant to be and why was it there?). Finally, the book gets to the main story: the tale of a couple (Paddy and Aggie) who have bought their perfect house, planning to bring up their family in it - only to find that it becomes a spooky, lonely trap because Aggie has lost the baby. As they both go slowly mad in their own unique ways, the house begins to haunt Aggie and becomes a symbol of their failing, haunted relationship. It's all pretty grim, upsetting stuff - yet I found it strangely boring and with little plot. I guess that is always the danger of a novel that centres largely around the main characters' mental states. Over-written and under-developed, Ghost Story is a novel that has taken an enormous, emotive topic - and has made it dull and distasteful. All in all, an awful book. I wish I hadn't read it.
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