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Ghost Story (Hardcover)

by Toby Litt (Author) "'YOU'LL see,' says the young man probably an estate agent coming through the front door of the house ..." (more)
2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 225 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: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 600,838 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #17 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > L > Litt, Toby

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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.
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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
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
2.8 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A perceptive study of bereavement., 29 Jul 2007
This review is from: Ghost Story (Paperback)
A skilled narrative depicting the disintegration of a personality and relationship following bereavement. Accurately observed, perceptive prose.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A chilling look at motherhood and bereavement, 14 April 2007
By kimbofo (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Ghost Story (Paperback)
Agatha and Paddy move into a new house on the south coast. They have a two-year-old son called Max, but Max doesn't live with them. Instead, he is being cared for by Agatha's mother. Why? Because Agatha is grieving for the loss of her daughter Rose, who died in-utero, and is having trouble coping with day-to-day life.

While Paddy commutes to London each day to work, Agatha stays at home and begins to go slightly mad. The bereavement, which is a kind of unspoken pain between the couple, is the cause of Agatha's mental anguish. And in a Yellow Wallpaper type of way, she begins to think that the house is breathing...

Ghost Story is a harrowing read. It's a dark, brooding novel with little light or joy to be found within its 226 pages. But its perfect prose, it's clear-eyed portrayal of a married couple's relationship and it's realistic analysis of how bereavement can overshadow life, makes it worth the effort.

Coupled with the book's preface -- Litt's non-fiction account of his girlfriend's miscarriages -- this tale of love and loss is a particularly heartfelt one.

I wouldn't, however, recommend this to anyone thinking of starting a family or if you are recently bereaved: the pain in these pages might just be too realistic to bear.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving to the point of tears, 6 Aug 2005
By R. A. Collins "BeckyBendyLegs" (Oxfordshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I found the author's preface extremely moving, having suffered a recent miscarriage myself; it made me cry to the extent that I had to stop reading it! The book was worth buying just for the preface.

Ghost Story itself was also extremely well written and very poignant. It was a simple story, which felt very real and raw. This book isn't an easy read but the writing is so good and so intelligent that I couldn't put it down.

It's books like that this that make clear the distinction between people who write for a living (of which there are a lot) and good writers.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant writing but emotionally lacking...
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... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Love Books

1.0 out of 5 stars Wierd, Depressing & Boring
What on earth was Toby Litt on ? The couple of chapters before the main story were quite honestly wierd and disturbing. Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2006 by A. Rose

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay.
I'm not sure if I like this book or not. The character of Aggie annoyed me, and although most of the story came out eventually, there were still some things that I was left... Read more
Published on 5 April 2006 by Mandy

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius
I totally disagree with the other reviewers of this book. It seems to me a strange, brilliant, moving piece of work by a writer who continues to surprise and delight. Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2006 by owenbangor

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing
I have just finished this book and to be honest it was very boring and hard going. Twice I almost chucked it but at the price decided to continue. Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2006 by P. Vine

2.0 out of 5 stars poor
compared to the authors usual highly readable and highly enjoyable work, this is a chor.
Published on 5 Dec 2005 by gtveee

1.0 out of 5 stars Shallow Angst
Mmmm - have to admit that I stopped reading this when I was three quarters through it. Don't think I've ever done that before. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly good
This is a great novel, not too heavy but if you let yourself you can really be drawn into it. Certainly Litt's best from what I've read... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2005 by bmanicsa

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