Reviews

These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card

shelleydavis's review against another edition

3.0

While the heart of the story was good, there were parts that I felt made the book extremely weird and not really sure how to connected overall. The description didn’t really match what was actually happening in this book.

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

A tale of a Jamaican family...this story twists back and forth through time from NYC to Jamaica, uncovering various ghosts in the family's history.

At the core of the story is Abel Paisley who stole a friend's identity when the friend died on a job. By doing this, Abel abandoned his wife & family and went on to create a new life for himself. We see the ripple of this decision in the book. We go from the experience of Jamaican immigrants living in Harlem back to the time of slavery on Jamaica.

This was an impressive debut novel and I will definitely keep my eye out for future books by Maisy Card.

doublel11's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

2.25

The structure of this book was not really for me. It's basically a series of short stories that are sort of connected, and not chronologically. The short stories themselves were interesting albeit a bit too strange sometimes, and I was thinking that before I even read the last chapter. 

sydneythekydneybean's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

libbygranger's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

This should have been marketed as a short story collection! And because it felt more like a short story collection than a novel... I struggled. But I do think it's a great piece of writing, and each chapter is its own fascinating world of characters and themes. Go into it knowing it's a patchwork quilt, rather than a cohesive novel. 

booksamongstfriends's review against another edition

2.0

I randomly bought this book from my favorite bargain store and then heard good things about it. I was genuinely excited to read it and thought for sure I’d enjoy it. I usually live for a familial drama, or messy scandal book. Plus, with my own Caribbean ties I really thought I would quickly finish it.

But I just couldn’t connect

kaceyp14's review against another edition

4.0

4 stars until the last chapter. It didn’t ruin the book, but it had no cohesion with the rest of it. Very weird chapter. But the rest...really good. I’m debating starting again at the beginning and drawing out the family tree.

suzannemseidel's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

allbookedup1953's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

saraanneb3's review against another edition

5.0

Wow what a powerful book! It dragged a little at the end but then the actual ending was so evocative! It goes an entirely different way than you think it will and I enjoyed it because of that