Customer Reviews

Billie's Ghost

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Billie's Ghost" is a whopper of a love story, ghost tale, and mystery all wrapped up in a deceptively small package. Enter the tropical paradise of Naples, Florida, a Gulf of Mexico resort blending old, historic bungalows and fabulous high-rises. A young widower is struggling with his grief, virtually sinking into oblivion, when Eleanora appears, a sultry, salty, hard-drinking, beautiful black woman. Discover how she changes the life of this man forever and decide for yourself if she is real or not! You will be fascinated by her humor, allure, and compassion. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of ravishing southwest Florida, a region engaged in its own struggle to balance the conservation of wildlife habitats and the preservation of its history, against a burgeoning population. At the conclusion, you will rejoice and chuckle, and always wonder!

In Naples, Florida, one year has passed since young Casey Cooper lost his beloved wife Ginny. Stunned and feeling guilt for living and culpability in his mind for causing her death, he remains in mourning as an urban hermit with only alcohol and jazz as his companions. His friends have written Casey off and his family is on the verge of excommunicating him as his depression overwhelms anyone who dares to enter his personal space. Only Ginny's cat Mashed Potatoes remains a companion though he often forgets to feed the feline.

Suddenly out of nowhere Eleanora enters Casey's life singing with a voice and a look that make her an identical twin of Billie Holiday. No one else sees this enigmatic Eleanora with even Casey wondering if it is the bottle, his mental state, BILLIE'S GHOST or a real person? Still Casey does not care as Eleanora with the jazzy voice moves in with him. She provides him with a reason to rejoin the living as she boosts his self esteem.

This is a very simplistic yet deep tale that provides several messages to the audience to include accentuating the positive in relationships because though mankind imposes but God disposes without warning and grieving is exclusively a lone act. The three key players, Casey, his deceased wife, and Eleanora are cleverly designed to provide insight into how far someone can fall when a loved one is lost early and abruptly in life and that grieving and recover are customized within a powerful character study.

Harriet Klausner

I enjoyed this novel very much. It was sad, or more accurately, melancholy like a John Coltrane song. But don't let that statement mislead you. It was well written and enjoyable. Mr. Haughton delivers a tale that is as unique as it is engaging. I will anxiously await his next novel.

After reading this book, and then reading the above Publisher's Weekly review, I can only wonder: What hungover grad student is doing that magazine's book reviews? This novel mixes humor and pathos in a way that mirrors real life. As Dickens, Twain, and now John Irving understand, tragedy and comedy walk hand-in-hand with us through each day. Hautmann realizes and conveys the same thing. This is a book that will linger in your soul for a long time. I've bought it for my friends who have everything, and I've heard no complaints.

Hautmann's lovely first novel is part love story, part ghost story and more than anything, a story of the narrator's own introspection and rediscovery of self. The novel never strays into schmaltzy love story or spooky ghost story, and Casey's grief and guilt don't become tiresome - all good things and all fine lines to walk. The end result is a sweet, sad, but ultimately uplifting read.