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40th out of 49 books
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1,421 voters
The Ghost's Child
The sky was pitch, and gashed by lightning; loutish waves rose and slumped heavily as mudslides. At a moment when she was filled with desperation, Maddy opened her mouth and yelled for Feather. And half-expected him to appear, because she wanted him so much.
Maddy yearns for life to be mystifying, to be as magical as a fairy story. And then one day, on the beach, she meets...more
Maddy yearns for life to be mystifying, to be as magical as a fairy story. And then one day, on the beach, she meets...more
179 pages
Published
2007
by Penguin Group
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Permit a philosophical review, for it is a philosophical book. It is a superbly written story that immediately submerges the reader in lyrical prose. The style is perfectly suited to the poetic theme which has the echo and poignancy of an age-old fable. Style and structure gradually build the narrative and leave the reader in anticipation of some great event, of some significant and completely transforming act.
My hope was that it would glorify complete selflessness, and show the beauty of giving...more
My hope was that it would glorify complete selflessness, and show the beauty of giving...more
What does it mean to love someone very deeply, and then lose that love? And what does it mean to love someone deeply, but still yearn for something more? Once again, Harnett illuminates the hidden places of the human heart with truth and beauty.
I'm reading this for Contemporary Children's Lit and according to my Prof, this is "simply divine and unlike anything you have ever read." It sounds exquisitely painful.
For a novel its length, A Ghost’s Child is surprisingly heavy where the themes are concerned. The book deals with self-discovery in a multitude of ways. Before the story of Maddy and Feather even begins, Maddy sets off on a journey of self-discovery with her father. Maddy and her father travel around the world together, seeing wo...more
For a novel its length, A Ghost’s Child is surprisingly heavy where the themes are concerned. The book deals with self-discovery in a multitude of ways. Before the story of Maddy and Feather even begins, Maddy sets off on a journey of self-discovery with her father. Maddy and her father travel around the world together, seeing wo...more
Matilda, an old woman, enters her sitting room to find a mysterious young boy waiting there for her. His smoky colored eyes are familiar and though he has surprised her with his arrival, the two share tea and conversation for an afternoon.
Maddy's life unfolds in a lyrical recollection told to the young boy, swinging from scenes in the present in her sitting room back to the distant past when she was girl and first fell in love.
This is a gorgeous story that reads like a dreamy fairy-tale, a fev...more
Maddy's life unfolds in a lyrical recollection told to the young boy, swinging from scenes in the present in her sitting room back to the distant past when she was girl and first fell in love.
This is a gorgeous story that reads like a dreamy fairy-tale, a fev...more
I am not generally a big fan of Sonya Hartnett. It's not that I don't appreciate the skill of her writing, I just never feel emotionally connected to her books. (Apart from "Forest", which was about cats, not people. I think I have a problem with her oft-times misanthropic take on humanity.)
Anyway, I didn't expect to care for "The Ghost's Child" any better than I had (most of) her other novels, and it's true that when I started the book, I felt quite disconnected, as much as I—yes—admired the wr...more
Anyway, I didn't expect to care for "The Ghost's Child" any better than I had (most of) her other novels, and it's true that when I started the book, I felt quite disconnected, as much as I—yes—admired the wr...more
Gorgeously written and managing to be at the same time both warmly human and puzzlingly mythical, this book is not easy to categorize. It will probably be of most interest to older teens and adults, as the main character is an old woman named Maddy looking back at events - and a relationship - that happened to her as a teen and young woman.
There are fairy-tale elements (Maddy's young man, whom she calls Feather, is an otherworldly sort of person) and moments when (as during the fight between the...more
There are fairy-tale elements (Maddy's young man, whom she calls Feather, is an otherworldly sort of person) and moments when (as during the fight between the...more
Maddy, an old lady now, arrives home to find a peculiar boy waiting for her. over tea, she tells him the story of her life long ago, when she wishes for her days to be as romantic and mysterious as a fairy tale .It was then that she fell painfully in love with a free spirit named feather, who put aside his wild ways to live with her in a little cottage, conceived with her a child never to be born, and disappeared-leaving an inconsolable Maddy to follow after him on a fantastical journey across t...more
Kāds to sauks par pasaku pieaugušajiem, bet es to dēvēju par stāstu, kas satur morāli. Soņas Hartnetas "Rēgu bērns" aizrauj ikvienu romantiskās literatūras cienītāju. Šī autore piesātina darbu ar metaforām un simboliem, savukārt tie veido atmiņā paliekošu mīlestību, vilšanos, cerības un emocijas tēliem, kas liek lasītājam ļauties gan asarām, gan nopūtai priekā, gan arī nesapratnē. Soņa pat atstāj iespēju pašam domāt par atbildēm, kuras neatklājas pat ar stāsta pēdējām lappusēm. Atļaušos teikt,...more
Hartnett, Sonya. (2008). The Ghost’s Child. New York: Candlewick. 192 pp. ISBN 978-0-7636-3964-8 (Hardback); $16.99
The title of this book is best understood upon completion of this finely crafted, musical book that is an excellent one to suggest to adults wishing for a taste of brilliant teen literature. While this book will not appeal to every reader, it will appeal to those teens who crave substance and do not mind scratching and clawing to find the buried pearls. The language of this book is...more
The title of this book is best understood upon completion of this finely crafted, musical book that is an excellent one to suggest to adults wishing for a taste of brilliant teen literature. While this book will not appeal to every reader, it will appeal to those teens who crave substance and do not mind scratching and clawing to find the buried pearls. The language of this book is...more
To sum up this book:
The cute, the dark and the weird- the really WEIRD.
There was a lot of philosophical elements to this; the search for the one most beautiful thing for example, and of course Feather and Mandy's relationship of heartache. This book relied on plenty- I can only assume- aboriginal mythology throughout its plot. There was hardly any dialog, anything anyone did say was extremely profound and quote worthy. My one problem with that is, it wasn't realistic and it seemed terribly forc...more
The cute, the dark and the weird- the really WEIRD.
There was a lot of philosophical elements to this; the search for the one most beautiful thing for example, and of course Feather and Mandy's relationship of heartache. This book relied on plenty- I can only assume- aboriginal mythology throughout its plot. There was hardly any dialog, anything anyone did say was extremely profound and quote worthy. My one problem with that is, it wasn't realistic and it seemed terribly forc...more
'The Ghost's Child,' starts off rather simply, with an old woman wrapped up in the comforts and the prison and constraints of the mementoes in her house receiving an unexpected visitor in the form of a rather recalcitrant young boy, who seems to want to be anywhere but there, listening to her tell her life story. Initially, not unlike the slightly spoiled boy, you sit there, wondering about this woeful tale that sounds as if it would be pretty mundane, aside from the ecelctic selection of souven...more
This was a fable :) I really liked Maddy, but with Feather I have some bones to pick. I do not get "Truth" from Feather the way Maddy did. I get isolation and omission. Maddy mentions that maybe it would have been better had she never met Feather. Personally, I'm in that camp. Maybe I'm too much of a realist. But come on! What did he bring to the table, really? He was mopey and impossible to communicate with, and dare I say it, PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE. And when she loses the Fay, what does he say? I'...more
I am quite ambivalent about this book. On the one hand it was lovely seeing Sonya Hartnett put her beautiful sentences in such a, well, nice book. But it didn't quite feel entirely authentic, maybe because I am so used to her bleakness (I find her bleak novels devastatingly beautiful as well). The true strength of this novel is how true its core is: it is a fantastic novel about what first love feels like, about how utterly consuming love can be, and yet how learning to live without love, whilst...more
I’d only read one of Sonya Hartnett’s books previously, Shadows of the Side-Step Wolf, which is a young adult novel I read in high school. I was curious to read more and with my track record with book covers to go by there was no way I could go past this one given it's lovely illustrations.
I’m so pleased to say the book lived up to its gorgeous cover by being an eerily beautiful story. I love how Sonya Hartnett turns the Australian bush and beach into a fairytale setting - unique and strange bu...more
I’m so pleased to say the book lived up to its gorgeous cover by being an eerily beautiful story. I love how Sonya Hartnett turns the Australian bush and beach into a fairytale setting - unique and strange bu...more
The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett is about a young boy who mysteriously shows up at an old woman's house when she returns home. They soon start to talk and the old woman tells her story of how her life was, which would answer whatever questions the young boy had for he even though HE was the one who came to her home uninvited.
I made a text to self connection while reading this book. Just like this old woman, I've tried to be kind and gentle, laughing and smiling all the time like my life is j...more
I made a text to self connection while reading this book. Just like this old woman, I've tried to be kind and gentle, laughing and smiling all the time like my life is j...more
Another deep one from Harntnett. It was a very quick read and I always wanted to pick it up and see what was going to happen next. I don't see too many teens enjoying it for plot or characterization. But I do think the writing is exquisite and teens can definitely enjoy that!
This book encompasses love and loss in a way that I didn't believe possible! Great for ages 12 and up I would suspect but could go a little lower. This is a must read for everyone and especially adults. Don't let the little book throw you off, it is packed full with a powerful impact! You will appreciate your life for what it is and be glad for even your littlest mistakes made along the way of life. Realization is the first step to accepting that life might not be as bad as you believe. Listen t...more
This book was genuinely captivating, it kept on urging me to pick it up and see what happens. The descriptions were so incredible, I think Sonya may now be one of the best authors in all of mankind!
I do have one complaint though, it's that the character Feather was just stupid! I know that's a very rude thing to say, but he was! If you haven't read the book, don't worry, I won't give too much away. He was okay at the beginning, but in the middle he just turned horribly, horribly wrong...Whatever...more
I do have one complaint though, it's that the character Feather was just stupid! I know that's a very rude thing to say, but he was! If you haven't read the book, don't worry, I won't give too much away. He was okay at the beginning, but in the middle he just turned horribly, horribly wrong...Whatever...more
An old lady comes home to find a strange boy in her lounge room and then she tells him her life story, only her life story has some fantasy elements to it, even though it would seem that she lives in the same world as us. I don't know if the reader was supposed to assume that the protagonist was going a little crazy at points, but then you think that that would have been explained, seeing as the story was being told by the lady after she had lived through everything.
I cried while reading this bo...more
I cried while reading this bo...more
What a journey! A boy appears on an old woman's sofa... over tea and biscuits, she tells him about her life. The pain, the love, the losses, the joy - all is exposed. Who is this boy? Why is he there to listen to this old woman relive her memories? This novel help will encourage you to think about your own life and the choices you've made, as well as the next road you will take. Sonya Hartnett is a brilliant Australian writer, and 'The Ghost's Child' is truly deserving of the CBCA Book of the Ye...more
3.5 Stars
I listened to this as an audio book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think Sonya Hartnett is an author that "speaks to me". She always manages to really put me in the character's head and feel what they feel.
This book is about love and love lost and while it got a bit crazy in the middle what with talking fish and a giant sea battle (kraken vs leviathan) I did get a bit misty-eyed at times in the car. I had quite a few theories on the strange boy who mysteriously appears in the old lady's l...more
I listened to this as an audio book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think Sonya Hartnett is an author that "speaks to me". She always manages to really put me in the character's head and feel what they feel.
This book is about love and love lost and while it got a bit crazy in the middle what with talking fish and a giant sea battle (kraken vs leviathan) I did get a bit misty-eyed at times in the car. I had quite a few theories on the strange boy who mysteriously appears in the old lady's l...more
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Very pretty writing, very out-of-the-ordinary and a really beautiful tale.
I really don't know know quite yet what to think about this book. The language is beautiful and the story is thought provoking but I am not sure if a teen will pick it up or if they do, will they finish it to it's lovely but sort of heartbreaking conclusion. Teens (and adults) for whom language is the doorway will love it but others, hmmm, maybe not so much. At the very least it has given me a new favorite quote: "Yet how, she wondered, does one craft sturdy happiness out of something as importa...more
This was a very odd tale from the start. I began to question the book description after the first half of the book. I then fell into the actual tale, though it was a bit confusing and hard to follow. Matty is a very interesting character, but I did not feel as though I true knew her character in the story. It was just that, a story that I followed her throughout her journey. While this does not turn me away from the story I did not feel the emotion and heartfelt story that I believe this author...more
This is another of those books that make me wonder why they're classified as Young Adult. The protagonist is 75, visited one day by a boy who is described as very physically there, crunching biscuits he doesn't like, but who we know is supernatural. As Matilda remembers her childhood and youth as Maddy, he resists hearing about love ("It's stupid!") but listens anyway. The third-person narration makes it possible to forget that he is listening and she is remembering--we experience the events as...more
Okay, so I'm haunted. Why else would I be up at 1.10 writing this instead of sound asleep? (...although admittedly there is a mosquito buzzing around my room that's very annoying and if I spray it Scott will wake up and get cross.) The book is very good. Sonya's writing is artful and engaging, and her leading character very much so. The story is both unsettling and comforting. It doesn't have the answers but is about the searching for them and about the nature of 'peace' and 'peacefulness'. This...more
Beautifully written fable, a quick read about growing up and growing old, finding and losing love, finding the self. It was classified as YA in my local library, which clearly has as much trouble categorising Hartnett's books as everyone else does. My main quibble with it was Feather's choice to go and live on an island that represented eternal peace. Everything we had seen of him before that suggested wildness and freedom - I thought we'd find him floating on an air current somewhere with the b...more
This is about a lovely and matter-of-fact old woman recounting a past, and very intense, romantic relationship to a grumpy young boy who turns up at her house. Surprisingly gentle and unassuming at first, the story takes us on a story that blends almost surrealist levels of every emotion possible – love, hate, loneliness and loss – so that we feel it thoroughly through the wisdom of the old woman. And there are some on-the-money nuggets of life affirmations in this book too. It’s a short, but im...more
I'm not sure what to make of this novel, or what to take away from it. It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Love is fleeting for some but enduring for others? It's okay to pine after your great lost love for years and years?
The main character Maddy had two great loves in her life: her father and Feather. She did not love either of her parents until she and her father spent a year at sea. Her father became a different man when he was away from her mother, and she l...more
The main character Maddy had two great loves in her life: her father and Feather. She did not love either of her parents until she and her father spent a year at sea. Her father became a different man when he was away from her mother, and she l...more
Nov 12, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
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Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com
Matilda comes home one day to find a young boy sitting on her sofa. They have tea, and she tells him about her past. At that time, she went by Maddy, and she longed for a fairy tale life.
When Maddy finished school, she came home to her family's house by the sea. Her father asked her what she thought the most beautiful thing in the world was. She answered, "sea eagles." Her father decided that the two of them together would travel the world in search of t...more
Matilda comes home one day to find a young boy sitting on her sofa. They have tea, and she tells him about her past. At that time, she went by Maddy, and she longed for a fairy tale life.
When Maddy finished school, she came home to her family's house by the sea. Her father asked her what she thought the most beautiful thing in the world was. She answered, "sea eagles." Her father decided that the two of them together would travel the world in search of t...more
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Sonya Hartnett (also works under the pseudonym Cameron S. Redfern) is, or was, something of an Australian child prodigy author. She wrote her first novel at the age of thirteen, and had it published at fifteen. Her books have also been published in Europe and North America. Her novels have been published traditionally as young adult fiction, but her writing often crosses the divide and is also enj...more
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“Love is like moonlight or thunder, or rain on a tin roof in the middle of the night; it is one of those things in life that is truly worth knowing.”
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37 people liked it
“I want my life to be mystifying," she declared, although she didn't know what she meant.”
—
23 people liked it
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Sure, it could have been different;...more
Dec 17, 2010 07:01am
Mar 08, 2012 05:47pm