Nothing but Ghosts [Hardcover]

Beth Kephart (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–When her mother dies of cancer, 16-year-old Katie finds it painful to continue the patterns of her old life, so she makes the unexpected choice of taking a summer job in the gardens of the nearby estate belonging to reclusive Miss Martine. There she works under the caretaker with the other part-timers and stumbles upon a two-pronged mystery: Why are they digging so deeply near the river, and how does that relate to whatever sent the debutante Miss Martine out of society more than 50 years earlier? Katie's father, a brilliant art-restoration expert, contributes to the search for answers as he cleans an elaborate painting that he believes Miss Martine's father, a millionaire industrialist, created near the time of her seclusion. Research into some donated boxes of local lore at the library and assistance from the librarian and an intriguing boy who also works at the estate aid in her investigation. Meanwhile, Katie grieves: memories of a family spur-of-the-moment trip to Barcelona the summer before remind her of how her mother made an event out of everything and made her feel loved. Somehow it's easier for the teen to deal with Miss Martine's ghosts than with the aching absence of her mother. Nice writing and characterization can't quite compensate for a lack of suspense, a romance that never really gets off the ground, and a story that doesn't draw one in.–Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA
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From Booklist

Grief and all its anguish is at the heart of this story. Reeling from her mother’s death, Katie, 16, takes a summer job on a nearby wealthy estate as part of a work crew constructing a gazebo. As she bonds with her fellow teen worker, Danny, she stumbles across secrets about the beautiful, rich recluse who lives in the big house. Why has wacky Miss Martine not been seen for over 50 years? Is the hole that they’re digging really for the gazebo? With the help of the glamorous town librarian (yes, glamorous), Katie and Danny research local lore in newspaper files and microfilm. The connections between solving the mystery and Katie’s bereavement struggle are sometimes overstated. Her first-person present-tense narrative is clear and lyrical, though,especially in her portrayal of her genius dad, an artist who asks, “How do you paint regret?” and in her discovery that “beauty and sadness can both live in one place.” Grades 8-11. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006166796X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061667961
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #948,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gorgeous novel, November 22, 2009

By	Sara "The Hiding Spot" (Kalamazoo, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothing but Ghosts (Hardcover)

Nothing But Ghosts was absolutely beautiful. There was something so calming about this novel - I can't say that it was exciting necessarily; it is better described as engrossing.

The story unfolds so perfectly; I found the story to be compelling and engaging. There are two main plot lines in Ghosts: Katie's and that of the mysterious old woman Katie works for. Beth Kephart wove the two stories together perfectly to create just the right balance of past, present, and future.

I have never lost a parent, thank goodness, but I know many people my age that have. The closest experience that I can relate to losing a parent is losing my grandparents. Still, I could empathize with Katie's grief and confusion over the death of her mother; the disbelief that someone can be vibrant and full of life and then be gone forever. Even though my grandfather passed away a few months ago, I still forget that he is gone sometimes and when I remember and it hits me, I feel the pain of his loss all over again. I can only imagine that Katie, living in the house that she once shared with her mother, surrounded by her things, her room untouched, exactly the same as it was when she was living, and feeling distanced from her father, must feel. Kephart wrote this aspect of the novel particularly well.

I loved the mystery in this novel! Katie's quest to uncover the truth about the old woman who was a socialite in her youth, but has grown to be a recluse, was one of my favorite aspects of Nothing but Ghosts. I was amazed by the Kephart's skill as all the pieces of the puzzle slowly came together. I loved that I didn't figure out the secret until near the end of the novel, it is a bit anticlimatic when it is too easy to figure out the mystery. I love the fact that the mystery brings so many of the minor characters out of the background as well.

There is also a love story within Nothing but Ghosts. This aspect of the novel isn't really a main plot line, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. When I started the novel, I wasn't really sure that there would be a romantic plot line, so I was pleasantly surprised when one developed.

Nothing but Ghosts is an amazing novel and I will definitely be reading Kephart's other novels! Ghosts is a novel that I need to have a copy of on my bookshelf!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An uplifting story about grief, July 9, 2009

By	lenore531 (Wichita, KS United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nothing but Ghosts (Hardcover)

After the death of her mother, Katie takes a summer gardening job at the estate of town recluse Miss Martine who hasn't been seen outside since she was 16. Katie herself is burdened with grief, but she has to wonder what kind of tragedy would make you voluntarily disappear from life. With the help of two brothers and a glamorous librarian, Katie begins to decode the mystery and gain the strength to go on.

I admit, ever since the death of my own mother when I was 19, I tend to shy away from books where the mother is recently deceased or dying. I'm just always afraid they'll be too depressing, too sad to handle. But Beth has done a beautiful thing here - she takes us to the truth of what it's like to deal with loss (the too-big house that feels empty, the withdrawing from friends, the keeping busy to dull the pain) and then lets her characters (and her readers) find comfort and a renewed sense of purpose.

The story elements, the well-drawn characters (Katie's father, chic Ms. McDermott, and estate caretaker Old Olson were favorites), and spare, lyrical writing all contribute to making this a genuinely affecting reading experience. In fact, as far as books about grief go, I'd rate it up there with Kate DiCamillo's THE TIGER RISING.

3.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly Good, September 4, 2010

By	Galleysmith "Michelle" (Metro DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nothing but Ghosts (Hardcover)

There aren't words that can properly express how wonderfully poetic this book was. Anyone who knows me, or reads my reviews, knows that I take the father daughter relationship portrayed in books *very* seriously. It is important to me to see it handled with dignity and understanding and compassion -- this doesn't mean, though, that it can't be real and that the relationship always has to be one of positivity -- so the fact that Kephart has written Katie and her father in the way she has made this a must read book in my eyes right out of the gate.

Add to the above the fact that the story is beautifully written and I'll say outright that a reader simply can't go wrong. From the moment we meet Katie we feel her emotions; she longs for her mother, loves her father, and wants desperately to find that equilibrium she once had before everything changed. What's great about the story is that we see her slowly even out. She's shaky at first but then inches her way to a place of solid footing. This is all due to Kephart's expertly written prose -- not too flowery but just flourished enough that the reader navigates through the nuances to feel the stability in Katie's life increase.

Further, the mystery that she and her friends work through ain't half bad either! It's filled with history and hidden clues and just the right amount of information to keep the reader guessing without giving everything away until just the right moment. Working the angles with Katie is a wonderfully eclectic group of friends, each of them different and compelling in their own right. An excellent mix of people who we learn just enough about to want more but not too much to overwhelm the story.

If you've not read a Kephart book (and this was my first folks) I strongly encourage you to start here, it is certainly worthy of your time and attention. I know I'll be picking up the copy of House of Dance that I have on my shelves sooner rather than later.