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Ghost Children [Paperback]

Sue Townsend (Author)
2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


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Book Description

Adrian Mole Diaries July 1, 2003
The shocking new novel from the bestselling author of the adrian mole series.

This much beloved author and wry humorist makes a bold departure in her most recent work of fiction. Sue Townsend retains her biting wit and uncanny powers of observation to create a portrait of two English couples whose lives converge by way of a neglected child. Christopher Moore hasn't seen his beloved Angela for seventeen years, since she refused to marry him and aborted the child they conceived on a Paris holiday. He is now jobless and lives mostly in the past. Angela has since married and doubled her weight. They both still dream of their unborn child.

When Christopher makes the acquaintance of a drug addict and his unfortunate wife and baby, his unresolved feelings for Angela and the child he so desired resurface, setting in motion events that will lead to redemption for all four characters. Ghost Children is an unflinching look at the psychological aftermath of abortion, told with poignancy and a sense of hope.


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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This London novel, replete with distressing topics and disturbed characters, begins with the dumping of a bag of aborted fetuses on a heath and ends with the sale of a newborn baby to a childless couple. Christopher Moore happens upon the ghastly bag and takes a female fetus home for proper burial. For 17 years, he has mourned the daughter aborted by his ex-girlfriend, Angela, a woman whose memory he nonetheless still cherishes. The guilt of seeing Christopher so heartbroken by this loss led Angela to break off their relationship and eventually marry another man. When Christopher later seeks her out, their passion rekindles as Angela acknowledges the lovelessness of her marriage. Their lives intersect with Crackle and Tamara, a truly impoverished young couple who deal in drugs and Satan worship and whose stupidities contribute to the sickening neglect of their baby daughter. Townsend (The Queen and I, LJ 1/94) has a gift for stark, depressing narrative while depicting lower-class ignorance and championing the rights of children. This is a gripping story from start to finish. Recommended for large fiction collections.ASheila M. Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Chilling . . . gripping . . . I couldn't stop reading it." -- Detroit Free Press

"Disturbing and compassionate." -- The Boston Globe

Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Soho Press (July 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1569471517
  • ISBN-13: 978-1569471517
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,442,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
2.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Makes one experience joy and despair simultaneously., April 24, 1998
By 
Akoleson@aol.com (Bloomington, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ghost Children (Hardcover)
Sue Townsend takes on a morbid subject with style. Christopher is a sad character, but has a new beginning with Angela. To read of a reunited couple after so many years was a joy, even if they were brought together under morbid circumstances. Sue made me hate Crackle and feel deeply sorry for Tamara. I just wanted to take Storme in my arms and protect her from her parents. I am so glad I found this book in Amsterdam. I am not sure where the relationship to the Adrian Mole series comes from...could not be more different characters. Regardless, another delightful read from Sue Townsend!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars There's more to Townsend that Adrian Mole, April 17, 2006
By 
NedNedNed "Ned3" (Scotland UK Europe) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ghost Children (Paperback)
In Ghost Children, Sue Townsend creates believable characters that are recognisable and multi-faceted. The humour for which she's known is absent from this book - the fine prose style is present (although I do find some of her comma splices a distraction!) The book never demands of its readers that they should decode complex syntaxes: it is easy to read but no less powerful in its characterisation because of this.
The story is down-beat; set in the reality of everyday life. It sets out to explore the frailties of human existence: love, longing and loneliness. The four main characters are all damaged in some way, and although their actions seem reprehensible, they are created in a way that we can at least understand their motivations, even if we can't condone them.
This book is more like "Rebuilding Coventry" rather than Adrian Mole. Like RC, the book explores relationships and discovery. Like Adrian Mole, the book speaks of life's disappointments and vulnerabilities. But the truth is that this book is like none of her other novels - but it is well worth reading.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ, October 29, 2002
This review is from: Ghost Children (Hardcover)
I acquired the above book from my local bookshop, thinking that as it had been writen by Sue Townsend, it would be an extremly humourous tale. It is not a comedy - very much an entralling drama. It is a shocking book, at times one has to stop, put the book down and run over the events in your mind in order to grasp the overall picture. The characters are so real - i think that this is what makes this book so great. This book identifies abortion as what it truely is - and double-edged sword.
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