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The Hungry Ghosts (Hardcover)

by Anne Berry (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Blue Door (28 May 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007303408
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007303403
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.3 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 16,948 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description

A novel for those who loved Behind the Scenes at the Museum, The Poisonwood Bible and The Lovely Bones. Raped then murdered in Japanese occupied Hong Kong, 1942, Lin Shui's 'Hungry Ghost' clings tenaciously to life. Holing up in a hospital morgue, destined to become a school, just in time she finds a host off whom to feed. It is 12-year-old Alice Safford, the deeply-troubled daughter of a leading figure in government. The parasitic ghost follows her to her home on the Peak. There, the lethal mix of the two, embroiled in the family's web of dark secrets and desperate lies, unleashes chaos. All this unfolds against a background of colonial unrest, riots, extremes of weather and the countdown to the return of the colony to China. As successive tragedies engulf Alice, her ghostly entourage swells alarmingly. She flees to England, then France, in a bid to escape the past, only to find her portable 'Hungry Ghosts' have accompanied her. It seems the peace she longs for is to prove far more elusive that she could ever have imagined.The Hungy Ghosts is a remarkable tour-de-force of the imagination, full of instantly memorable characters whose lives intermesh and boil over in a cauldron of domestic mayhem, unleashing unworldly spirits into the troubled air.


About the Author

Anne Berry was born in London in 1956, then spent much of her infancy in Aden, before moving on to Hong Kong at the age of six, where she was educated. She worked for a short period as a journalist for the South China Morning Post, before returning to Britain. After completing a three-year acting course, she embarked on a career in theatre, playing everything from pantomime to Shakespeare. She now lives in Surrey with her husband and four children. 'The Hungry Ghosts' is her first novel.

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Customer Reviews

69 Reviews
5 star:
 (39)
4 star:
 (17)
3 star:
 (11)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (69 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Original story, couldn't put it down!, 27 Mar 2009
By S. D. Williams "shilo115" (North Wales, GB) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is such an original piece of work, I am not sure how to describe it. It is a ghost story but then again, it isn't a ghost story.

This is a story about a family growing up in Hong Kong during British rule. It is a story of how parents relate to their children and how they can have a profound affect on their lives without even realising it.

Each chapter is narrated by a member of the family or the "Ghost" herself and provides a compelling read. I liked reading about life in Hong Kong, about the traditions and the culture as well as the story itself. The only thing I was disappointed about was that fact that the main character herself "Alice" did not have any narrative and I would have like that, it would have given me a better understanding of her character.

Each page was an adventure and right the way through the book I found myself surprised at the twists and turns.

Anne Berry's writing was a joy, lyrical and flowing a wonderful debut novel.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and very unusual, 19 Jun 2009
By Lincs Reader (Lincolnshire, England) - See all my reviews
The Hungry Ghosts in the title of this debut novel are part of Hong Kong culture.

In Hong Kong, the Hungry Ghost Festival is a major Buddhist and Taoist event. Hungry ghosts are the restless spirits of people who did not have a funeral. There is no one visiting their graves and they do not receive the gifts that Chinese people would take to their ancestors to pay respects. They miss out on food and spirit money.

To stop the ghosts causing problems for the living, many communities provide them with food to appease them. The ghosts feed first but the food does not disappear. Then the living eat the offerings and pray for good luck.

Every year the Chinese people believe that the gate of hell will open and ghosts are allowed to roam the earth during the lunar month. During July / August , Hungry Ghost festival or "Yue Lan" takes place in many areas in Hong Kong. In each area, it lasts three days.

The novel opens in Japan occupied Hong Kong in 1942 when a young girl is raped and murdered by a Japanese soldier - her body is pushed over a cliff and never found - she then becomes a Hungry Ghost and for many years she hovers around a morgue before finding her `host' - Alice, the daughter of a British Government official. Alice is something of a lost soul too - her Mother has never loved or cared for her, her two older sisters are more interested in their social lives and her brother more interested in food.

Alice is accompanied by Ghost throughout her life - as she struggles with school and family relationships, as she watches the break-down of her parent's marriage and eventually when she flees the island to live in England.

Along the way - Ghost is joined by other demons from Alice's.

Each chapter of the story is narrated by a different character including Alice's parents, siblings and Ghost. Often each character will tell of the same event but with their own take on it.

The Hungry Ghosts is more a story of dysfunctional family life and the effects of certain behavior on a whole family. At times, I felt a little overwhelmed by the different characters but at other times I was almost moved to tears by the description of mental illness, trauma and life in general.

This is a very well written book and is extremely hard to catergorise. I found it a very compelling read.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Took me by surprise..., 29 April 2009
By Cee-Gee (Northants, UK) - See all my reviews
  
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
I thought the idea of parasitic, hungry ghosts unleashing chaos was really interesting, but I wasn't expecting great things from a ghost story. I was really taken by surprise, because the more I read, the more I was hooked!

For me, Mrs Safford was the star of this show. She hates her youngest daughter, Alice - the haunted one, and is utterly hostile to her throughout, jealous of the loving relationship between her and her father. This was what really kept me turning pages.

I liked the ghosts too (although I thought the later ghosts that attached themselves to Alice were a bit ridiculous). The ghost of the murdered Lin Shui was very well written. She was determined not to cross over to the other side and be with her ancestors and clings to Alice desperately. Her struggle to reconcile herself with her death was really engrossing.

Definitely one to read!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing - well worth a read
This book is truly beautiful and well worth every one of the hours that I devoted to reading it from cover to cover. Read more
Published 14 days ago by J. L. Wood

5.0 out of 5 stars very unique novel
This book cleverly intertwines the stories of several characters together to create an enaging and perception story of a troubled family life. Read more
Published 15 days ago by R. Harris

4.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait for the next book
You can read the other reviews for an idea of subject matter. I found it troubling, thought-provoking but most surprisingly a "good read" considering the subject matter and the... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Warp

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hungry Ghosts Review
This novel brings the claustrophobic doom laden colonial Hong Kong to life. It is colourful evocative and gripping. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Mrs H

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
The Hungry Ghosts is an exceptionally well written book set in Hong Kong spanning 5 decades. It really brought to life colonial Hong Kong before the handover back to China. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Mrs. Christine A. Hewson

5.0 out of 5 stars do we all have ghosts?
having visited Hong Kong this book is so evocative not just in terms of description but of the many communities living within such a small area with such disparate views of life... Read more
Published 29 days ago by J. Biglin

4.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful and gripping tale.
From its shocking begining, Lin Shui's disturtbing rape and murder to her after life as 'the hungary ghost' hosted by 12 year old Alice Safford, this book keeps you engaged with... Read more
Published 29 days ago by C. P. Kavanagh

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read
This is a book that is riveting throughout and encompasses many emotions. The beginning of the story, although horrific is written with depth and power. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Hilary Lovestone

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinated by myrtle.
This is a captivating book that leads you through the lives of the Stafford family. Amongst the myriad of characters, Myrtle stands out as the mother that should never have had... Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Perkin

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe this is a debut novel!!!
Anne Berry's The Hungry Ghost is a gripping novel! Tackling such issues as rape, murder, abortion, ghosts, family disfunction and colonial unrest with ease and style. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. Jane Hamer

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