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kraley's review
2.0
This book was strange. It was recommended by Amazon for people who liked Twilight and Blue Bloods, but there are no vampires or other things like that in this book. There are ghosts, but it was not really what I was looking for. The story is ok (I finished the book), but I was disappointed in the recommendation.
ameserole's review
3.0
Okay, so I most definitely dove into this because it was available from my library and it worked for a challenge. That being said, this book had some pretty interesting parts to it but others were just kind of weird. I'm not going to lie, I was confused about so many things but then I felt like it's so freaking lonely to be sort of tethered to someone who had no idea you even existed.
Whether you were a ghost or not.
Then there was just something about James and Helen that sucked me in as well. They were definitely two lost souls just wandering around on earth and when they met - something sort of magical happened. It was like they could finally heal themselves in a way because they were basically the same people going through the same thing.
In the end, it was an interesting and confusing book with a good ending. Not sure if I will dive into the next book but who knows.
Whether you were a ghost or not.
Then there was just something about James and Helen that sucked me in as well. They were definitely two lost souls just wandering around on earth and when they met - something sort of magical happened. It was like they could finally heal themselves in a way because they were basically the same people going through the same thing.
In the end, it was an interesting and confusing book with a good ending. Not sure if I will dive into the next book but who knows.
theangrystackrat's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
deedralapray's review
4.0
I have had this on my want to read list for quite some time now. I listened to the audiobook.
It's part love story, part sad story, a lot ghost story....but not scary ghost story...I guess it was more of a lost souls story. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I would recommend this book to many people. It was a little slow, and it took an incredible long time to develop the characters. That being said, I actually loved the book. It is not a typical read for me, but I'm so glad I did read it.
It's part love story, part sad story, a lot ghost story....but not scary ghost story...I guess it was more of a lost souls story. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I would recommend this book to many people. It was a little slow, and it took an incredible long time to develop the characters. That being said, I actually loved the book. It is not a typical read for me, but I'm so glad I did read it.
mbrandmaier's review
5.0
Could not put this down. I even walked around at work in a trance the couple days I was reading this, desperate to be off for the day or at least on lunch break so I could continue this story. No wonder it won awards!
nina_rod's review
5.0
This book was awesome. It was such an interesting read. I could hardly put it down and got little accomplished today.
It's a weird ghost story about two dead spirits who fall in love. The protagonist, a 130-year old female spirit falls for an 85 year old male spirit, who happens to occupy the body of an 16-year-old stoner. It's a fabulous tale of two old souls (pun intended) who try to live and love in the modern world.
Apparently it's a YA fiction, which surprised me. Adults would enjoy this and the only teenage link was that the characters occupy teenage bodies.
It's my best read of the year, and I can say this since it's only January.
It had a fabulous opening line: Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation when you are dead.
It's a weird ghost story about two dead spirits who fall in love. The protagonist, a 130-year old female spirit falls for an 85 year old male spirit, who happens to occupy the body of an 16-year-old stoner. It's a fabulous tale of two old souls (pun intended) who try to live and love in the modern world.
Apparently it's a YA fiction, which surprised me. Adults would enjoy this and the only teenage link was that the characters occupy teenage bodies.
It's my best read of the year, and I can say this since it's only January.
It had a fabulous opening line: Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation when you are dead.
twice_jordyn's review
2.0
The beginning was slow and the ending felt rushed. Plot points were left unanswered. I wish there had been more development with certain side characters. More than anything, the premise was enticing but the execution fell flat. Despite these pitfalls, the novel ended with a satisfying (and tear inducing) conclusion. Not a book I would read again, but a book I'm glad to have read.
meghan111's review
4.0
A spellbinding tale of the imagined afterlife, this lyrical, literary novel immediately propels the reader into a world where a nameless young female narrator exists as a ghost amid the daily existence of a high school. The constraints of this afterlife are perfectly described: while our narrator can see and hear, she is unable to affect or touch anything around her or remember details of her own past. The limited nature and horror of this existence come into stark relief when the narrator finds that at last, someone else is able to enter into her isolation and communicate with her. The subsequent quest to resolve her own identity and come to terms with her past and death will keep readers turning the pages as they empathize with her pursuit to express herself and find the meaning of her own existence in this afterlife.
Strongly developed characters and a gripping conclusion will help keep young adults entranced with the world of this novel, which could also easily be enjoyed by adult readers. Appealing mainly to girls, this ghost story also features a central romantic relationship and some non-graphic sexual scenes. Sensory details of daily existence which normally might be taken for granted are reconsidered in the contemplation of what it would mean to never experience them again, and the issues of mortality and the afterlife Whitcomb raises come to a satisfying conclusion.
Strongly developed characters and a gripping conclusion will help keep young adults entranced with the world of this novel, which could also easily be enjoyed by adult readers. Appealing mainly to girls, this ghost story also features a central romantic relationship and some non-graphic sexual scenes. Sensory details of daily existence which normally might be taken for granted are reconsidered in the contemplation of what it would mean to never experience them again, and the issues of mortality and the afterlife Whitcomb raises come to a satisfying conclusion.
writtenechoes's review
5.0
After getting this at least twice a year from the library and always returning it unread, I finally bought a used copy and sat down to read it. I wasn't disappointed. A Certain Slant of Light is gorgeously written, the insights into James and Helen's characters as "Light" are so beautifully thought out and well written that you feel like you're just like them. As a Christian, someone that was raised in that kind of household I found myself relating to Jenny.. the need to get away. Over all I'm glad I finally read this.
Also. I love that the title is derived from an Emily Dickinson poem. She's my favorite poet... so I'm glad the book did the line justice.
Also. I love that the title is derived from an Emily Dickinson poem. She's my favorite poet... so I'm glad the book did the line justice.