Scan barcode
rosannelortz's review against another edition
5.0
Helen O'Neill has a gift, a lightness and quickness about her hands that seems otherworldly--a great contrast to the heaviness in her heart over her lost husband. When her talent for restoring artifacts is observed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Helen is whisked away to work at J.P. Morgan's personal library. The ornate building with its precious manuscripts is awe-inspiring, but even more jaw-dropping is the mysterious young woman who keeps appearing on Madison Avenue outside. Wearing an old-fashioned gown in the dead of winter, the girl seems invisible to everyone besides Helen. Who could she be? What connection does she have to J.P. Morgan? And what exactly is she wanting to communicate to Helen?
This Christmas novella is technically a ghost story, but it's no more in the vein of "horror" than Dickens' Christmas Carol. Richly atmospheric, the story displays middle-aged Helen, with all her past sorrows and present concerns, in the bustling world of 1912 New York. This is the perfect novella for a short and satisfying holiday read.
This Christmas novella is technically a ghost story, but it's no more in the vein of "horror" than Dickens' Christmas Carol. Richly atmospheric, the story displays middle-aged Helen, with all her past sorrows and present concerns, in the bustling world of 1912 New York. This is the perfect novella for a short and satisfying holiday read.
shyster's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
komet2020's review
4.0
When I began reading this novella, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the experience. It begins with Helen O'Neill, a widow of Irish American stock, who had been recommended for a prestigious position working in the library of the great and powerful financier J.P Morgan by its librarian Belle da Costa Greene, being locked in a room of the library after being found in Morgan's private study. The time is December 1912, shortly before Christmas.
But as I went on to read further into the book, the author did subtly reveal, by degrees, to the reader the nature of Helen's life with her family in their home in the Bronx (where she had gone to live after her husband had died from fever in 1898 as a soldier in the Spanish American War). Helen is a very sensitive soul with a kind of sixth sense, which the Irish call 'aes sidhe'. One wintry night after leaving the library to return home to the Bronx, she makes the acquaintance one night of a young woman dressed in clothes long out of fashion and unsuitable for the time of year. Helen is troubled by the experience and at first is at a loss as to how to make sense of it. She would encounter this woman a few more times, including once in the library itself! This is 'the ghost of Madison Avenue', a ghost with an interesting connection with one of the main characters which I won't reveal here. Indeed, there is so much more to this book that evokes mystery and wonder not unlike that one would find in Wilkie Collins' novel, 'The Woman in White.'
I was surprised - and amazed - by what I found from reading "THE GHOST OF MADISON AVENUE." It left me with a palpable feel for the New York City of 1912, as well as for the lives of some of the Irish Americans who resided and worked there. Thank you, Nancy Bilyeau.
But as I went on to read further into the book, the author did subtly reveal, by degrees, to the reader the nature of Helen's life with her family in their home in the Bronx (where she had gone to live after her husband had died from fever in 1898 as a soldier in the Spanish American War). Helen is a very sensitive soul with a kind of sixth sense, which the Irish call 'aes sidhe'. One wintry night after leaving the library to return home to the Bronx, she makes the acquaintance one night of a young woman dressed in clothes long out of fashion and unsuitable for the time of year. Helen is troubled by the experience and at first is at a loss as to how to make sense of it. She would encounter this woman a few more times, including once in the library itself! This is 'the ghost of Madison Avenue', a ghost with an interesting connection with one of the main characters which I won't reveal here. Indeed, there is so much more to this book that evokes mystery and wonder not unlike that one would find in Wilkie Collins' novel, 'The Woman in White.'
I was surprised - and amazed - by what I found from reading "THE GHOST OF MADISON AVENUE." It left me with a palpable feel for the New York City of 1912, as well as for the lives of some of the Irish Americans who resided and worked there. Thank you, Nancy Bilyeau.
chocolatelady1957's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually read fantasy or ghost stories, but how could I resist something from Nancy Bilyeau written just for this season? This one is sure to be a winner for lovers of this genre, and you can find out why through my review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2019/12/24/restoring-lost-loves/
charmedkim's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
librarianelizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked the Gilded Age/ Morgan Library setting. Wish this had been a longer story in the telling, because there were a lot of moving parts. I would have liked to linger on the events of the later part of the story, though the flashback format does a good job of creating the suspenseful mood right away.
margaretpinard's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting structure--start a few days before the end, and show everything in flashback. There was a lot to take in for a short story, but I enjoyed the milieu: historical New York City of 1912, mixing the immigrant hopefuls with the overstuffed corporate class, with a dash of fae and a surprising minor character based on a real figure! Lots for me to follow up on, intrigued...also, brava on the geography! The commute and the architecture descriptions were fascinating to me.
More...