Customer Reviews

Ghost Children

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

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This was a very believable book. Christopher and Angela live with the ghost of their never-born daughter. So many people go through life with the ghost of passed opportunities, long-gone love, chances they did not take. The baby was a metaphor for the despair we all go through at some point in our existence.

The characters were rich, and the contrast between the deadbeats Cracker and Tamara and Christopher and Angela gave a lot of color to the plot.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, which I read in just a few hours. Just don't let the clowns in front of Planned Parenthood find out about this novel, or they will interpret it all wrong.

I haven't read this book, but I just want to point out an error. In the listing, along with the title, it says `(Adrian Mole Diaries)'. This book is NOT from the Adrian Mole series, and going by the synopsis, anything but funny.

I got this book from a local bookstore and it took me so long to complete reading this book! Seemed like there were couple of loose strings at the end. What happens to Tamara? And what about Crackle and Ken?

Didn't enjoy reading this book too much. :-(

Sue Townsend is one of my favorite authors, I have read all of her books. This is not a typical book for her. Not funny and didn't like it very much. She needs to stick to humour/satire.