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acacia_happy_hour's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lexiflora's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
rachelellyn's review against another edition
3.0
I waffled between giving this book 2.5 and 3 stars. I really like the stories within the story. I like the story. I hate the ending. Totally hate the ending.
oreolover15's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. I'm still not sure what I just read. Did it keep me curious until the end? Yes! Do I have any idea who did what to whom and what was real vs dream vs madness? Nope. Not. At. All. Other reviews here have helped me place a few more pieces in this mystery. I think.
I don't usually read horror but somehow this ended up being suggested to me by someone so I gave it a go. It had its superior moments and its moments when I thought "maybe I'll DNF".
My biggest complaint, however, is the ending. I'm not saying you can't end a book with a bit of mystery but ... this felt rushed, not well executed and confusing. As stated above, I'm still not sure who did what to whom, despite the reveals. I also want to know where the fire came from. It seemed pretty certain there was no remaining embers, and yet ...
I'm going to assume he gets out okay but even if he does ... he's wasted near 20 years of life. Poor guy.
I don't usually read horror but somehow this ended up being suggested to me by someone so I gave it a go. It had its superior moments and its moments when I thought "maybe I'll DNF".
My biggest complaint, however, is the ending. I'm not saying you can't end a book with a bit of mystery but ... this felt rushed, not well executed and confusing. As stated above, I'm still not sure who did what to whom, despite the reveals. I also want to know where the fire came from. It seemed pretty certain there was no remaining embers, and yet ...
I'm going to assume he gets out okay but even if he does ... he's wasted near 20 years of life. Poor guy.
erin_bowyer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
paperbacksandpines's review against another edition
3.0
I hated equally enjoyed Harwood's previous work, [b:The Asylum|15814529|The Asylum|John Harwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348098664l/15814529._SY75_.jpg|21540965] and [b:The Seance|3218327|The Seance|John Harwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327249838l/3218327._SY75_.jpg|3252272] but this book didn't match up to my enjoyment of his previous work.
The structure of this book wasn't for me. There were two separate stories within a story and the reader was being pulled back and forth between the stories. Besides the desire to discover how the stories were interconnected, I kind of found myself thinking that the main character was a fool who had wasted much of his life on a catfish. It was difficult for me to be emotionally invested in the characters, who flitted in and out of the story and didn't quite seem three dimensional.
The structure of this book wasn't for me. There were two separate stories within a story and the reader was being pulled back and forth between the stories. Besides the desire to discover how the stories were interconnected, I kind of found myself thinking that the main character was a fool who had wasted much of his life on a catfish. It was difficult for me to be emotionally invested in the characters, who flitted in and out of the story and didn't quite seem three dimensional.
caitpoytress's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderfully spooky tale - tales actually, as there are more than one. However, I did end up knocking off a star by the time the book was over. Damn you, ambiguous endings!
carolpk's review against another edition
3.0
What to make of this book. I really had to think about it. I really liked the first chapters, the middling’ part found me a bit bored, and then came confusion, and then I got back into the story full swing. It’s difficult to rate The Ghost Writer. I wouldn’t say “you have to read this” but liked it well enough. Perhaps this is a bit vague but something didn’t quite work for me in the end.
The Ghost Writer is a moody story, gloomy, dark and a bit gothic in tone. I don’t think I’m giving anything away in saying it is a ghost story. The things that I loved about the book are that there are actual short stories or pieces of manuscript as part of the story, like reading a book within a book. I felt immediate sympathy for the main character, Gerard Montfort. He first appears as a young boy, living a very sheltered life, in his homeland of Mawson, South Australia. Gerard’s mother won’t let the poor kid do anything. One day Gerard is snooping in his mother’s bedroom, and finds a portrait of a woman in her locked dresser drawers. The portrait is hidden amongst a bundle of papers. It is just at this time that his mother catches him in the act and gives him the beating of his life. “Prying into other people’s things is a terrible sin, she said finally—‘sin’ was word she seldom used—‘like opening their letters or reading their diaries or listening at doors. Promise me you’ll never, never, never do anything like that again.” Of course he does and this begins the quest for the truth of his mother’s past. Having few friends and few outlets for any pursuits out of his own, Gerard, against the wishes of his mother, starts a correspondence with a young English woman, Alice. Alice is a few years his senior and is confined to a wheelchair. Alice has tons of secrets of her own. The two begin a relationship that will span many years. The relationship between Gerard and Alice was one of the best parts of the story for me.
I liked Harwood’s descriptive passages, particularly those describing the countryside and things that Gerard encounters in his travels. The plot with its many twist and turns too ambitious is where I had problems. I truly had trouble following the story. I learned a few new words, like “pleached”, always fun.
The Ghost Writer is Harwood’s debut. I heard about it while reading a review by Gary Niebuhr of Harwood's latest book, Séance. I will read this at some point but hope I understand it better. My overall feeling of perplexity may have been no fault of the author and perhaps my own distracted reading. I still intend to give Harwood another chance, even given my reservations.
The Ghost Writer is a moody story, gloomy, dark and a bit gothic in tone. I don’t think I’m giving anything away in saying it is a ghost story. The things that I loved about the book are that there are actual short stories or pieces of manuscript as part of the story, like reading a book within a book. I felt immediate sympathy for the main character, Gerard Montfort. He first appears as a young boy, living a very sheltered life, in his homeland of Mawson, South Australia. Gerard’s mother won’t let the poor kid do anything. One day Gerard is snooping in his mother’s bedroom, and finds a portrait of a woman in her locked dresser drawers. The portrait is hidden amongst a bundle of papers. It is just at this time that his mother catches him in the act and gives him the beating of his life. “Prying into other people’s things is a terrible sin, she said finally—‘sin’ was word she seldom used—‘like opening their letters or reading their diaries or listening at doors. Promise me you’ll never, never, never do anything like that again.” Of course he does and this begins the quest for the truth of his mother’s past. Having few friends and few outlets for any pursuits out of his own, Gerard, against the wishes of his mother, starts a correspondence with a young English woman, Alice. Alice is a few years his senior and is confined to a wheelchair. Alice has tons of secrets of her own. The two begin a relationship that will span many years. The relationship between Gerard and Alice was one of the best parts of the story for me.
I liked Harwood’s descriptive passages, particularly those describing the countryside and things that Gerard encounters in his travels. The plot with its many twist and turns too ambitious is where I had problems. I truly had trouble following the story. I learned a few new words, like “pleached”, always fun.
The Ghost Writer is Harwood’s debut. I heard about it while reading a review by Gary Niebuhr of Harwood's latest book, Séance. I will read this at some point but hope I understand it better. My overall feeling of perplexity may have been no fault of the author and perhaps my own distracted reading. I still intend to give Harwood another chance, even given my reservations.
night_of_the_living_dev's review against another edition
3.0
Since I’m a fiend for old style gothic horror, the most enjoyable part of this book by far were the short stories woven into the plot. Unfortunately I couldn’t quite get as invested in the main framing narrative, but I did still like the book overall.