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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 against another edition
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
marhill31's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars.
As a reader, you notice what kinds of books that you keep gravitating towards. Even though I’m an eclectic reader, I keep gravitating recently towards novels that are about the creative process (books, art, food, or music). Human creativity has always been fascinating to me, because it showcases the power of imagination in interesting and unexpected ways.
Joplin’s Ghost by Tananarive Due presents creativity as a theme in the form of upcoming R&B singer, Phoenix Smalls. Phoenix is on the verge of stardom and recently got signed to rapper-entrepreneur G-Ronn’s Three Strikes Records. Throughout the novel, I thought of Phoenix as the late Aaliyah and G-Ronn as Master P of No Limit Records.
The story begins with Phoenix as a ten-year-old at her parents’ jazz club. She dreams of becoming of singer like Janet Jackson or Madonna. Phoenix’s hard-charging father, Marcus “Sarge” Smalls bought her a piano, and she wanted to go play something on it. However, Phoenix’s life would change after the accident with that piano.
The novel moves forward to Phoenix’s current life on a radio tour in St. Louis promoting her hit song, Party Patrol. Party Patrol is a summer dance hit but Phoenix is ambivalent about the song’s success. To get her mind off it, she goes to the Scott Joplin Museum to kill some time and learn some musical history. Joplin is known as the “King of Ragtime” music and one of America’s greatest musicians. While touring the museum, there is a mysterious presence that connects with Phoenix. That mysterious presence will become a part of Phoenix’s life from now on.
Due takes the story back to the early 1900s as we read how Joplin tried to make a living as a musician. Joplin seems troubled about everything in his life but music. The story captures his dilemma well and connects it to Phoenix’s current feelings about her music.
Phoenix and the mysterious presence are becoming linked in ways that will threaten her career and family. I will admit there are a lot of elements I liked in Joplin’s Ghost starting with Phoenix, her father Sarge, the relationship with her boyfriend, Carlos Harris. Those elements kept me reading. However, I don’t know if the ghost story element using Scott Joplin as a conduit worked for me. Due does an excellent storytelling job of making those two worlds connect. I guess I was more interested in Phoenix and her rise into becoming a singing star.
Joplin’s Ghost is part historical fiction, part urban drama, and part ghost story that creates an interesting mix unlike anything I’ve read in quite some time. While I may not liked the entire novel, there’s plenty I really liked and will recommend the novel for readers who are looking for something different to read.
As a reader, you notice what kinds of books that you keep gravitating towards. Even though I’m an eclectic reader, I keep gravitating recently towards novels that are about the creative process (books, art, food, or music). Human creativity has always been fascinating to me, because it showcases the power of imagination in interesting and unexpected ways.
Joplin’s Ghost by Tananarive Due presents creativity as a theme in the form of upcoming R&B singer, Phoenix Smalls. Phoenix is on the verge of stardom and recently got signed to rapper-entrepreneur G-Ronn’s Three Strikes Records. Throughout the novel, I thought of Phoenix as the late Aaliyah and G-Ronn as Master P of No Limit Records.
The story begins with Phoenix as a ten-year-old at her parents’ jazz club. She dreams of becoming of singer like Janet Jackson or Madonna. Phoenix’s hard-charging father, Marcus “Sarge” Smalls bought her a piano, and she wanted to go play something on it. However, Phoenix’s life would change after the accident with that piano.
The novel moves forward to Phoenix’s current life on a radio tour in St. Louis promoting her hit song, Party Patrol. Party Patrol is a summer dance hit but Phoenix is ambivalent about the song’s success. To get her mind off it, she goes to the Scott Joplin Museum to kill some time and learn some musical history. Joplin is known as the “King of Ragtime” music and one of America’s greatest musicians. While touring the museum, there is a mysterious presence that connects with Phoenix. That mysterious presence will become a part of Phoenix’s life from now on.
Due takes the story back to the early 1900s as we read how Joplin tried to make a living as a musician. Joplin seems troubled about everything in his life but music. The story captures his dilemma well and connects it to Phoenix’s current feelings about her music.
Phoenix and the mysterious presence are becoming linked in ways that will threaten her career and family. I will admit there are a lot of elements I liked in Joplin’s Ghost starting with Phoenix, her father Sarge, the relationship with her boyfriend, Carlos Harris. Those elements kept me reading. However, I don’t know if the ghost story element using Scott Joplin as a conduit worked for me. Due does an excellent storytelling job of making those two worlds connect. I guess I was more interested in Phoenix and her rise into becoming a singing star.
Joplin’s Ghost is part historical fiction, part urban drama, and part ghost story that creates an interesting mix unlike anything I’ve read in quite some time. While I may not liked the entire novel, there’s plenty I really liked and will recommend the novel for readers who are looking for something different to read.