Share <Embed>

Buy Used

$4.96

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used: Acceptable | Details

Sold by internationalbooks

Fulfilled by Amazon

Condition: Used: Acceptable

Comment: Standard used condition. Thousands of books shipped daily!

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

80 used & new from $0.95

See All Buying Options

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

The Ghost Writer Paperback – Bargain Price, June 1, 2005

by John Harwood (Author)

209 customer reviews

See all 11 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$8.77

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

—

$5.23

$0.01

Paperback

"Please retry"

$12.14

$2.68

$0.01

Paperback, Bargain Price, June 1, 2005

—

$1.26

$0.95

Audible, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

MP3 CD

"Please retry"

$29.95

—

This is a bargain book and quantities are limited. Bargain books are new but could include a small mark from the publisher and an Amazon.com price sticker identifying them as such.

In this tantalizing tale of Victorian ghost stories and family secrets, timid, solitary librarian Gerard Freeman lives for just two things: his elusive pen pal Alice and a story he found hidden in his mother's drawer years ago. Written by his great-grandmother Viola, it hints at his mother's role in a sinister crime. As he discovers more of Viola's chilling tales, he realizes that they might hold the key to finding Alice and unveiling his family's mystery-or will they bring him the untimely death they seem to foretell?

Harwood's astonishing, assured debut shows us just how dangerous family skeletons-and stories-can be.

The Ghost Writer [Bargain Price]

Available from these sellers.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

John Harwood

115

Paperback
$12.01
John Harwood

96

Paperback
$12.68
John Boyne

276

Paperback
$9.47
Wendy Webb

100

Paperback
$11.16
Wendy Webb

134

Paperback
$12.70
Sarah Waters

408

Paperback
$11.77

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Explore more great deals on thousands of titles in our Deals in Books store.

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Product Details

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books (June 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0156032325
ASIN: B000I5YUJE
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (209 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,462,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1274 in Books > Literature & Fiction > British & Irish > Contemporary
- #15278 in Books > Deals in Books
- #39133 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Suspense

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

209

3.6 out of 5 stars

5 star		28%
4 star		32%
3 star		21%
2 star		9%
1 star		10%

See all 209 customer reviews

Share your thoughts with other customers

Write a customer review

Top Customer Reviews

A page turner that may leave you feeling mentally deficient

By SGW on July 20, 2004

Format: Hardcover

I bought "The Ghost Writer" after reading several glowing reviews in my local newspaper and online. I'm a sucker for gothic ghostie stories, and was hoping this would be worth the hardcover price.

AND IT WAS...almost. Actually, I've never had this kind of reaction to a book before. This is my first Amazon review, and I'm writing it because this book elicited enough of a passionate, if completely confused, reaction in me. So maybe that does make it worth the price.

From the first few pages, I absolutely could not put this book down. I abandoned chores, evening television and my signifcant other in pursuit of discovering the next plot revelation and how everything would tie together. Others have relayed the details of the plot, so I won't go into them here. But I found all the characters to be completely attention-worthy; at least in within the gothic genre (okay, this isn't "Atonement" or "Madame Bovary"). The "stories within the story", that is, the ghost stories written by Gerard's grandmother, Viola, are also quite wonderful. They are able to stand alone as compelling and enchanting short gothic stories.

I was turning pages as fast as I could.

And then I got to the last chapter. I read it once. Then twice. Then I went back and read the two previous chapters. I didn't get it. Sometimes, when you have been lucky enough to find a real page turner, you may be reading a little too fast and miss important stuff. That's what I assumed happened to me. I put the book down and went back to it the next day, rereading the last quarter. I was still baffled. I reread the last quarter again. What happened? What did those last few mumbled remarks by The Character In The Last Chapter mean? Did they indicate insanity?Read more ›

5 Comments 197 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

One of my favorite books, EVER - (and YES the ending makes sense and has a fabulous twist that most people miss!)

By sb-lynn TOP 500 REVIEWER on August 10, 2004

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

This is an astounding book. It is multi-layered and moody. It is terrific fun.

The story is about a young man named Gerard, born in Australia to a very strange mother who tells the young boy stories of her childhood. When Gerard discovers a strange photo of a beautiful woman hidden in her drawer, his mother becomes horrified, and stops her stories, and the boy is left to wonder about her past and why she is so reluctant to share it with him.

This novel is full of intrique and deception, and we are told some truly frightening ghost stories written by his great-grandmother, Viola.

Okay, here is the thing....when I first read this book, I was confused as to the ending, like so many reviewers here. So I read it again, and I figured it out. This story does makes sense, the author doesn't cheat, and there are answers to most of the big questions. It is a brilliant story filled with twists and full of irony and chilling retribution.

Each ghost story has a relevance to the book, and the overall tone and use of layering and deception is stunning. This book will stay with you for a long time.

This is my favorite book this year, and I am going to recommend it to everyone. Read it carefully, and if you are still confused, read it again. I promise you it will be worth it, and you will agree with me that this is a brilliant, complex novel deserving of a big audience.

1 Comment 61 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

A Stylish, Atmospheric Ghost Story

By Debbie Lee Wesselmann TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on June 23, 2004

Format: Hardcover

In his debut novel, John Harwood creates an eerily psychological horror story with a nod (and a wave) to Victorian literature. As the novel begins in Australia, young Gerard discovers hidden away in his mother's possessions a strange photograph and a book. His mother swoops down on him with fury, snatching the belongings from him and hiding them away where Gerard cannot find them, refusing to tell him of her past. Soon thereafter, he begins a secret correspondence with a crippled English girl named Alice, and her letters rescue him emotionally from the bleak surroundings in his Australian home. As he matures, he falls in love with Alice, who won't let him see her for fear he'll feel sorry for her. As he learns that the book his mother has hidden away contained a ghost story written by his grandmother Viola, which Harwood presents in full, Gerard confides even more deeply in Alice. Viola's lengthy - and thoroughly creepy - stories seem like separate entities until Gerard discovers some disturbing connections. Upon his mother's death, he sets out to England to finally meet up with his almost-healed Alice and to settle family matters. What he doesn't count on, however, is that nothing, not even his own senses, can be trusted. Even if the reader solves much of the mystery before it is revealed, the ending has all the force it should, thanks to Harwood's highly visual description and talent with suspense.
Harwood does a marvelous job of embedding the mannered ghost stories within Gerard's story, and the stories-within-a-story works exceptionally well in his hands. The tales are so throat-grabbing by themselves that I forgot at times that they were but segments of the whole. The effect is truly eerie as details from them begin to surface in Gerard's plot.Read more ›

Comment 83 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

Superb Writing - Creepy!

By Alan M. Polansky on October 31, 2005

Format: Hardcover

"The Ghost Writer" by John Harwood is a return to the old fashioned supernatural stories of the romantic period. The plot is complex - but essentially deals on two parallel planes: the secret past of the main character's mother, and the relationship between the main character and a penpal that he falls in love with. More detailed information on the plot is available above and I will not rehash it here. This book is spellbinding as the main character ends up looking for clues into his family history in the old family house in England that has sat closed up for 50 years. A main element in the plot are a series of ghost stories written by his grandmother around the turn of the century. Several of the stories are included in the novel and hold clues to the past the main character seeks. These stories are well written and have a good period feel to them. They stand on their own outside the novel. The writing in this novel is superb - and creepy. I ended up reading this novel in one sitting because I could simply no put it down. The only complaint is that the ending is a little abstract. Read the last chapter very carefully - especially the last few pages - if you want to figure out what happened. If you want my take on what happened I will put it here - If you dont want to know STOP READING HERE. SPOILER: Here is my take on the ending (which may be wrong - but it is my opinion!). The woman in the room is Anne, Abigail and Alice all in one person. She wanted revenge on Filly so she started writing the letters to Gerald to manipulate him into never finding true love. since hers was stolen from her. When she says - "I saw no light and thought I was safe" she is referring to the floroscope.Read more ›

Comment 21 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

See all 209 customer reviews (newest first)

Write a customer review

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Dark and interesting.

A little disjointed and confusing, but very interesting! I feel like I need to read it again to fully understand all of the twists. Read more

Published 6 months ago by BookLovingMom

perfectly complicated

Finished this book twice, hoping to decode the literary figures used by the author. However, this book is perfectly written that the author made the plot complicated while giving... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Gloria Hunter

Just ok. But not a bad read.

It was ok. The ending was off putting and somewhat confusing. It was a relatively easy book to figure out. One of the sub ghost stories was very creepy. Read more

Published 8 months ago by A reader

Not a Page Turner

I'm afraid I did not like the book at all. The plot made no sense. I was bored and keept hoping things would get better but they never did. I felt as if I had wasted my time.

Published 9 months ago by Marion McCullough

WHO WAD THE GHOST AND WHY DID SHE HAUNT GERARD????

From the moment I began to read, I couldn't put it down. Harwood is a wonderful storyteller - quite the tease in leaving the reader panting for more. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Patti Harris

hmmm....

Well, just finished. Well-written and I was carried along with the tell. I felt the ending was abrupt and and unsatisfactory. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Cynthia Allred

I love ghost stories .

It was very interesting, kept my attention, rather like peeling an onion. Lots of juicy ghost stories held together with a loose ribbon.

Published 10 months ago by J. K. Clark

Three Stars

Way too many twists and turns and tangents to the point I kind of lost the plot.

Published 10 months ago by Kelly DeJongh

Excellent, engrossing, often creepy read

The Ghost Writer features stories within stories; it describes a young, lonely Australian boy named Gerard who grows up and attempts to uncover the mysteries of his past. Read more

Published 11 months ago by AJ.

Overly complicated and ludicrous plot

Overly complicated and ludicrous plot, with ending that just tapered off. The characters not engaging, and their behavior not believable.

Published 11 months ago by Holly A. Murphy