Vanessa [Paperback]

David L. Howells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

Past, present and future blend into a supernatural suspense thriller of ghost boosters and the American Civil War.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Protea Publishing Company (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931768013
• ISBN-13: 978-1931768016
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,732,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique and surprising, July 31, 2002

By 

Esther (Essex) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vanessa (Hardcover)

This unique and challenging work is in part a mirror held up to the worst of which humanity is capable, and, in part, a joyous celebration of the best we have to offer.

Set in the not-too-distant future, with society functioning pretty much as we recognise it, but with the addition of some convincing next-generation technological devices, 'Vanessa' equally manages to be a historical novel, a love story, a ghost story and a moral tale, all deftly woven into a cohesive whole.

A family - mother and son - are rebuilding their lives after the tragic loss of the boy's father in a traffic accident. They are strong, intelligent and loving people, and, despite some resentment towards the new stepfather on the part of the son - and, more subtly, on the mother's part, too - they are coping well. But a wildcard is thrown into their existence in the form of a still-living ancestor, his long dead but ever-present wife, his tough, ingenious, feisty secretary and their cheerfully unscrupulous, steadfast lawyer. Their meeting changes everything, revealing that the boy, currently pursuing a perfectly conventional college education, is chosen for a destiny of which he never would have conceived.

The future and past are strongly entwined in this novel, and the parallel plot introduces us to a woman who was raped and murdered after seeing her children killed by Yankee soldiers during the American Civil War. Her desire for revenge extends beyond the grave, and beyond sanity, decency or maternal love.

Enter our intrepid family of assorted heroes, determined to set right what went wrong hundreds of years ago, and has been going wrong ever since.

Themes of war, peace, slavery and prejudice are touched upon as the plot progresses, and themes of loyalty, courage and love are ever-present. There is abundant humour and much tragedy (I challenge you to read this book with dry eyes, or without laughing out loud). But the most powerful and abiding theme of the novel is a demonstration of forgiveness and reconciliation that, to my mind, transcends humanity and approaches the sublime.

Despite Vanessa's 'first novel' status, its authorship displays confidence and mastery. A convincing dual plot line, much suspense, lively attention to detail, exceptionally realistic dialogue and a refreshingly honest take on human emotion kept me enthralled and increasingly breathless from the very first page to the very last. Don't let this one pass you by.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Vanessa" by Dr. David Howells, July 8, 2002

By 

Jon Tichenor (Hurley, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vanessa (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed "Vanessa" by Dr. David Howells. The concept was an original twist on the typical 'ghost' stories currently available by other authors.

I particularly enjoyed the way the characters interacted and their sense of humor with each other. The puns in the book were good and they made me laugh out loud.

I also liked the way the Ryan and Vanessa acted with each other. I've known married couples who talk and act very much like them.

I hope that Dr. Howells will share more adventures of the Fitzgalen team with us. I'm hoping that Allen's girlfriend Melissa is back to continue her growth to become another member of the team.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ghosts from the distant past, May 11, 2002

By 

Charles L. Fontenay (st. petersburg, fl United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vanessa (Paperback)

"Vanessa" is built around a unique idea: survival of a Civil War ghost to the present-objective, revenge. Along with this theme go the ghosts of a group of Civil War soldiers, stuck in time. Attempting to resolve the contretemps with the collaboration of his great, great grandson is a man (not a ghost) who has survived and can see and communicate with ghosts due to a Navy experiment aimed at making ships invisible to radar (somewhat reminiscent of "The Philadelphia Experiment"). The book's pace is leisurely, as the dialogue realistically deals quite a bit with day-to-day matters and interpersonal relationships. There is also a good deal of internal debate by the various characters. Since there are so many, a cast of characters at the end is helpful. The book is the first in a series of four.