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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
I just picked this up and read about it and am WAY excited by the concept and praises on the back. "A tour de force, a remarkable feat of visual and verbal storytelling, as playful as it is serious, as haunting as it is delightful." -Michael Chabon
Part gothic history (Civil War era) novel, part ghost story, part scrapbook -- includes interspersed illustrations (scrapbook pages) done in black, white, red, and pink.
p. 23 - dislikeable
Part gothic history (Civil War era) novel, part ghost story, part scrapbook -- includes interspersed illustrations (scrapbook pages) done in black, white, red, and pink.
p. 23 - dislikeable
3.5 stars rounded up*
There was a definite creep factor to the ghostly side of this tale, but what really gripped me were the last 100 pages or so of intrigue between Quinn and Jennie. I wish there would have been more time and story devoted to that.
I liked this story a lot and probably would have liked it more without the accompanying "letters" and illustrations. They were distracting (I personally didn't like the style), and the letters were hard to read- to the point that I gave up and ended up skipping over them as I progressed further in the story.
My only other criticism would be that I felt Quinn's shift at the end was a little rushed. I would have liked more nuance throughout the story to hint towards his nature other than Jennie's descriptions- kind of a case of telling versus showing?
Overall, this was well written and immersive! I love a good ghost story with a historical twist.
There was a definite creep factor to the ghostly side of this tale, but what really gripped me were the last 100 pages or so of intrigue between Quinn and Jennie. I wish there would have been more time and story devoted to that.
I liked this story a lot and probably would have liked it more without the accompanying "letters" and illustrations. They were distracting (I personally didn't like the style), and the letters were hard to read- to the point that I gave up and ended up skipping over them as I progressed further in the story.
My only other criticism would be that I felt Quinn's shift at the end was a little rushed. I would have liked more nuance throughout the story to hint towards his nature other than Jennie's descriptions- kind of a case of telling versus showing?
Overall, this was well written and immersive! I love a good ghost story with a historical twist.
We meet Jennie Lovell, a 16 year old girl who has suffered more than her fair share of tragedy in her short life. No parents, a brother who has passed on, and an Aunt and Uncle who ignore her very existence. Life for Jennie isn't easy and now, with her fiancé dead, she's a burden that might be put out into the street. What's a girl to do?
Jennie is a completely fabulous female protagonist. As my readers, you all know by now how I feel about female protagonist. Love them, or hate them, there's not really an in between for me. Strong in spirit, intelligent, and unwilling to take no as an answer, Jennie makes the story. Although she is in a Civil War era setting, there is a fire in her that would make "today's woman" proud! Following her through this haunting story was pure magic.
I can honestly say that being thrown straight into Jennie's tumultuous family relationship was a little hard to deal with at first. It seems at first as if there isn't much time to get to know her at all. However, reading on I realized that we do get to know Jennie quite well, just in bits and pieces throughout the book. I do believe this is the first book I've read where there is such a slow progression of character building, but in the long run I loved it! My absolute favorite part about this slow uncovering of her character were the scrapbook pages. Jennie keeps a scrapbook of mementos, and each chapter begins with a page. Lisa Brown did such a wonderful job on these, they will completely draw you in!
Reading through this book was a bit of heaven for me, because I am extremely interested in the Civil War era. A time where men provided, and women were dainty. Will and Quinn were brothers in blood, but war tainted them into two entirely different men. That fascinates me to no end. The setting is what drew me to this book in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The era is written about perfectly, showing readers clearly the precarious position that women of the times were often in. Women were well taken care of, as long as their men were alive.
The twists and turns in this book are amazing. It is the type of book that will leave you audibly gasping and resisting the temptation to turn ahead to see what happens. Picture the Dead stands out in my mind as one of the most interesting and unique books I've read this year! I can honestly say that I'll be purchasing a copy of this book for my very own quite soon. Its haunting storyline is still with me almost a week after reading it, and I feel the need to dive back in to this unique world.
Jennie is a completely fabulous female protagonist. As my readers, you all know by now how I feel about female protagonist. Love them, or hate them, there's not really an in between for me. Strong in spirit, intelligent, and unwilling to take no as an answer, Jennie makes the story. Although she is in a Civil War era setting, there is a fire in her that would make "today's woman" proud! Following her through this haunting story was pure magic.
I can honestly say that being thrown straight into Jennie's tumultuous family relationship was a little hard to deal with at first. It seems at first as if there isn't much time to get to know her at all. However, reading on I realized that we do get to know Jennie quite well, just in bits and pieces throughout the book. I do believe this is the first book I've read where there is such a slow progression of character building, but in the long run I loved it! My absolute favorite part about this slow uncovering of her character were the scrapbook pages. Jennie keeps a scrapbook of mementos, and each chapter begins with a page. Lisa Brown did such a wonderful job on these, they will completely draw you in!
Reading through this book was a bit of heaven for me, because I am extremely interested in the Civil War era. A time where men provided, and women were dainty. Will and Quinn were brothers in blood, but war tainted them into two entirely different men. That fascinates me to no end. The setting is what drew me to this book in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The era is written about perfectly, showing readers clearly the precarious position that women of the times were often in. Women were well taken care of, as long as their men were alive.
The twists and turns in this book are amazing. It is the type of book that will leave you audibly gasping and resisting the temptation to turn ahead to see what happens. Picture the Dead stands out in my mind as one of the most interesting and unique books I've read this year! I can honestly say that I'll be purchasing a copy of this book for my very own quite soon. Its haunting storyline is still with me almost a week after reading it, and I feel the need to dive back in to this unique world.
I just loved this historical fiction novel set in Civil War times, with a touch of ghosts, Spiritualism, honor, betrayal, and the dawn of modern photography. Griffin acknowledges that a lot of what is portrayed is pretty factual. The societal mores of upper Bostonian life is on display as well.
There's a mystery involving Jennie's fiance and his brother, woven around a scrapbook she is keeping. All of the clues lead to the truth, which kind of turns her world upside down, and threatens her life.
Well done, I loved the artwork, and the fact that it is based on artifacts from the Library of Congress and elsewhere. Plus I love Civil War stuff.
There's a mystery involving Jennie's fiance and his brother, woven around a scrapbook she is keeping. All of the clues lead to the truth, which kind of turns her world upside down, and threatens her life.
Well done, I loved the artwork, and the fact that it is based on artifacts from the Library of Congress and elsewhere. Plus I love Civil War stuff.
Spooky and fun! I loved the way the book was put together and the cover is beautiful. :)
vistorian style writing, interspersed with letters, photos referenced in the story. too bad they weren't more authentic-looking, but rather juvenile drawings. good story, though.
jennie has already lost her entire family and just found out her fiancé has passed away in the war. but he’s not gone entirely, as she can still feel his presence. the story follows jennie as she seeks answers surrounding his death.
i did not like this from the start. there is no character development whatsoever which aggravated me. i just felt plopped in the middle of some very confusing family drama. the lack of background also made the plot a bit confusing at times. not my fave.
i did not like this from the start. there is no character development whatsoever which aggravated me. i just felt plopped in the middle of some very confusing family drama. the lack of background also made the plot a bit confusing at times. not my fave.