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siria's review against another edition
2.0
Joplin's Ghost had the potential to be a fun, pulpy read, but it never worked for me—it felt like it needed a good editing session at the hands of a ruthless editor who'd be able to speed up the novel's pacing, deepen the characterisation and smooth out some of the clunkier passages of descriptive prose. The historical elements of the novel make for an interesting read, but they're at odds with the much more wooden scenes set in the present day (numerous references to Outkast and Beyoncé alone do not effectively conjure up the modern American musical scene), and the device linking past and present just... didn't work for me. As things moved towards the denouement, I was less and less able to suspend my disbelief. There may be a way to make an evil, possessed piano (yes, I know) work as the antagonist of a novel, but I don't think Due managed it here.
crochanqueen13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
remigves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
seeker1161's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the ebook. Im glad I did because of the special treat during interludes in the story. Excellent backstory for Phoenix before encountering her in Book 3 of the African Blood Stories. Interesting historical backdrop also. I learned a lot about Joplin in the story.
moodreadswithtasha's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
imperfectcj's review against another edition
The characters are difficult to like, and there's way more detail than I need (I guess it's modestly interesting to hear how much a music video costs to make and to see how the audition process works, but not interesting enough for how many words are devoted to it). And now that the love interest is kind of a stalker/pedo? Yeah, not really working for me and kind of ruins my picture of him from the later books.
mxsunny's review against another edition
5.0
Tananarive Due is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Check her out if you haven't yet.
verkisto's review
4.0
I've enjoyed Due's novels so far, but I wasn't expecting to read Joplin's Ghost so soon. I've been working my way through her African Immortals series, but when I started the fourth book, it felt like the characters in the beginning were supposed to be familiar, even though I hadn't met them before. Then, near the end of the prologue, there was a mention of Scott Joplin, and I realized that Due was pulling two of her stories together for this book. Since I like reading these things in order, I figured I needed to set My Soul to Take aside and read Joplin's Ghost to get caught up.
The story is about Phoenix Smalls, a singer who's on the brink of superstardom when she starts having visions of Scott Joplin, the early 20th Century ragtime composer. It's no spoiler to note that she's being haunted by Joplin's ghost, but how Due handles the haunting is pretty brilliant. The story shifts back and forth from modern times to Joplin's day, telling both their stories. There's a parallel between their lives that drives the haunting, but Due makes that parallel thematic as she examines how creators balance their desire to make art with their need to make money.
I prefer Joplin's story to Phoenix's, namely because Due includes a gangsta rap subplot in the modern day that doesn't do much for me. The story does better when it focuses on the two of them, and while the subplot plays an important role in Phoenix's story, it feels a little cliched and stereotypical. Due has shown over multiple novels that she eschews cliches and stereotypes, so it felt strange seeing them in this book.
I've enjoyed Due's African Immortals series, but I really enjoyed Joplin's Ghost. She notes in her afterword that she did a lot of research into Joplin's life, and it shows. She realizes his character well, as well as Phoenix's, and as their stories intertwine, she story shines its brightest.
The story is about Phoenix Smalls, a singer who's on the brink of superstardom when she starts having visions of Scott Joplin, the early 20th Century ragtime composer. It's no spoiler to note that she's being haunted by Joplin's ghost, but how Due handles the haunting is pretty brilliant. The story shifts back and forth from modern times to Joplin's day, telling both their stories. There's a parallel between their lives that drives the haunting, but Due makes that parallel thematic as she examines how creators balance their desire to make art with their need to make money.
I prefer Joplin's story to Phoenix's, namely because Due includes a gangsta rap subplot in the modern day that doesn't do much for me. The story does better when it focuses on the two of them, and while the subplot plays an important role in Phoenix's story, it feels a little cliched and stereotypical. Due has shown over multiple novels that she eschews cliches and stereotypes, so it felt strange seeing them in this book.
I've enjoyed Due's African Immortals series, but I really enjoyed Joplin's Ghost. She notes in her afterword that she did a lot of research into Joplin's life, and it shows. She realizes his character well, as well as Phoenix's, and as their stories intertwine, she story shines its brightest.
monty_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0