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34th out of 84 books
—
253 voters
Beating Heart: A Ghost Story
by
A.M. Jenkins
This house
is mine
and
I am
its beating heart.
She is a ghost: a figure glimpsed from the corner of your eye, a momentary chill, and a memory of secret kisses and hidden passion. He is 17 years old: Evan Calhoun, warm and alive, and ever since moving to this big abandoned house, he has dreamt of her. Ghost and boy fascinate each other-until her memories and his desire collide i...more
is mine
and
I am
its beating heart.
She is a ghost: a figure glimpsed from the corner of your eye, a momentary chill, and a memory of secret kisses and hidden passion. He is 17 years old: Evan Calhoun, warm and alive, and ever since moving to this big abandoned house, he has dreamt of her. Ghost and boy fascinate each other-until her memories and his desire collide i...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
January 3rd 2006
by HarperTeen
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An interesting not-love story between a live boy and a dead girl. Evan's just moved into an old house with his family and starts having dreams about a beautiful girl, the ghost. The book alternates between his perspective, in prose, and the perspective of the ghost, Cora, in verse. It actually works. Cora's sections give just the right sense of being insubstantial, and Evan does sound like a real teenage boy. Not that many of those in paranormal YA anymore. They all sparkle and stuff.
Beating Heart is a short, haunting novel with left me equal parts disturbed and impressed. This is not your average YA novel: there is no garunteed happily ever after, and no love-conquers-all message. This might look like a book about love, but it is not.
Beating Heart is all about sex. The lies we tell to have it, the lies we tell ourselves to keep having it, and the serious damage it can do to a person's life. Not pregnancy or STDs, but the psycological consequences of sex. And it is not a pre...more
Beating Heart is all about sex. The lies we tell to have it, the lies we tell ourselves to keep having it, and the serious damage it can do to a person's life. Not pregnancy or STDs, but the psycological consequences of sex. And it is not a pre...more
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This is another one of library finds; I sat down on Sunday afternoon to read this and to my great surprise I was done this book in like an hour. This is incredibly short book but it was 244 pages long. Before you go and say that makes no sense, let me explain.
When I first started to read the book, I was saying to myself oh no it’s a poem. I do not like book where the story is told through a poem. To tell you the truth I am not big fan of poetry. So I leafed through the book to make sure that it...more
I guess i mostly like this book because of it's simplicity. Most readers probably don't like for 75% of the pages to contain only few sentences, (not even complete ones at that, just jibber jabber. Example: "arm flung wide in sleep careless his breath draws soft and deep slow, untroubled sighs"). However, I enjoy how simply and quickly I got through this book. The thing that I did NOT like about this book, is that because it flew by so quickly, it didn't really have much of a chance to present a...more
A haunting tale of a restless ghost, this story captured my attention with its beautiful writing and what was seemingly an unlikely romance. My first impression of this slight book was that it would explore a love story between the living and the dead. But I was wrong. It was a love story, all right. But one that did not have a fairy tale ending.
Evan Calhoun and his family moved to a historic house after his parents just got through a divorce. What they didn't know was that the house was alive....more
Evan Calhoun and his family moved to a historic house after his parents just got through a divorce. What they didn't know was that the house was alive....more
Eww, this book sucked and it was a literal waste of paper. There was so much wasted paper going on!! Like, 3 words on a page at some points! And I get that it was a ghost and all, but why??
Evan is a rude horndog who moves into a Victorian house with his mom and little sister after his parents split. Meanwhile there is a ghost in the house, too, of a girl who died in the 1890s. Evan dreams about screwing some strange girl who turns out to be the ghost and his girlfriend is clingy, but oh does he...more
Evan is a rude horndog who moves into a Victorian house with his mom and little sister after his parents split. Meanwhile there is a ghost in the house, too, of a girl who died in the 1890s. Evan dreams about screwing some strange girl who turns out to be the ghost and his girlfriend is clingy, but oh does he...more
I'm all about stories involving ghost haunts, flashbacks, and past and present colliding, but this book did not have the depth and strength I was expecting beyond the opening chapter. The cover is beautiful and the premise is good: new folks move into haunted house, teenage boys has intense (in emotional & physical terms) dreams about an unknown girl, and the house embodies the spirit of a dead young girl ("What happened?" is the driving question here). But the follow-through did not allow f...more
First reading this book I thought it was dull. I didn’t feel like it was interesting and then it got kind of confusing. Evan who is the protagonist of this book is moving into this new house that has a past. He doesn’t know what it is, but he feels as if there is someone else living with him, his mother, and his sister in this house. Things are being rearranged in his room and he doesn’t know how. Now every few pages you get a random perspective on a situation and it is somehow linked to the hou...more
I just finished this book and WOW! It is a fast, lyrical read that had me engrossed. i HAD to know what happened throughout the whole story. It is a ghost story but not a scary one, it has you connected to the dead girl and living boy centered in the book. I loved how the author wrote from the ghost's perspective, almost like poetry. There is mystery shrouded in the girls death that is slowly opened up as the boy comes to self discovery and a bit of maturity. I love how there is realization and...more
This book was so pedestrian. It alternates between 3rd person narration from the point of view of Evan, and "verse" from a point of view of a ghost in the house.
The writing felt like an outline for a book rather than a whole book. It's very shallow and has no creativity. The verse has just a few words a page and makes this a quick read. The reveal is stupid. blech.
Here is when we meet his girlfriend, "They've always been crazy about each other, and back when they first started going out, he coul...more
The writing felt like an outline for a book rather than a whole book. It's very shallow and has no creativity. The verse has just a few words a page and makes this a quick read. The reveal is stupid. blech.
Here is when we meet his girlfriend, "They've always been crazy about each other, and back when they first started going out, he coul...more
This is one of those books that usually are found collecting dust in the library, and from my experience with this book, that's exactly where it should stay.
What was the point of that? I read this in under an hour, because there is literally only twenty words to a page from the first page to about the fiftieth, and then it is so in random intervals from the ghost's perspective.
There's no interaction between the ghost and the main lead. It just ends abruptly and there's no relief. Well, there's...more
What was the point of that? I read this in under an hour, because there is literally only twenty words to a page from the first page to about the fiftieth, and then it is so in random intervals from the ghost's perspective.
There's no interaction between the ghost and the main lead. It just ends abruptly and there's no relief. Well, there's...more
When his mother forces him to move with her to a new house, Evan Calhoun doesn’t expect much. Sure, he’ll have to move all his stuff, but he’ll still go to the same school and have the same friends.
Little does he know that there’s a spirit occupying his new room, a spirit who will mistake him for her dead lover and change his life forever.
BEATING HEART was really interesting, and my favorite part was the way the story is told. The point of view alternates between Evan and the ghost, and the ghos...more
Little does he know that there’s a spirit occupying his new room, a spirit who will mistake him for her dead lover and change his life forever.
BEATING HEART was really interesting, and my favorite part was the way the story is told. The point of view alternates between Evan and the ghost, and the ghos...more
When Evan's newly divorced mother quits her job to become a full-time author and buys a creaky old Victorian mansion, he is not thrilled. He soon begins having erotic dreams about a lovely blond girl and catching glimpses of...something, always just at the edge of his vision.
Intertwined with Evan's narrative are the thoughts of Cora, the ghost of a girl who died in the house nearly 100 years ago. Her poems are wispy and seem to float through the house, just as she does.
The ending is a bit abrup...more
Intertwined with Evan's narrative are the thoughts of Cora, the ghost of a girl who died in the house nearly 100 years ago. Her poems are wispy and seem to float through the house, just as she does.
The ending is a bit abrup...more
I guess the only good thing I can say about this book is that I read it in like an hour.
The gist of the story is that girls are too clingy and that all guys want is sex. I picked it up because the cover states that it's a "ghost story" well it was a story and it did have a ghost in it...honestly it should have been labeled "a teenage sexual escapade story" 'cause that was pretty much all it was about.
There was no real plot, no climax, or problem to be solved. I don't think that it really quali...more
The gist of the story is that girls are too clingy and that all guys want is sex. I picked it up because the cover states that it's a "ghost story" well it was a story and it did have a ghost in it...honestly it should have been labeled "a teenage sexual escapade story" 'cause that was pretty much all it was about.
There was no real plot, no climax, or problem to be solved. I don't think that it really quali...more
Evan moves into a new residence with his mom and little sister after his parents divorced. His new home dates back over a century and he is not impressed.
A young ghost who used to live in the home is still around. She mistakes Evan as her old lover and enters his dreams nightly.
In this haunting and mesmerizing tale, readers will enjoy A.M. Jenkin's beautifully poetic writing about young love.
I left this novel on my shelf for a couple of months with little interest because I never saw any reviews...more
A young ghost who used to live in the home is still around. She mistakes Evan as her old lover and enters his dreams nightly.
In this haunting and mesmerizing tale, readers will enjoy A.M. Jenkin's beautifully poetic writing about young love.
I left this novel on my shelf for a couple of months with little interest because I never saw any reviews...more
Jan 31, 2008
Christine
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
teens who might be thinking about having sex
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book was not that great, the writing was fine except for the authors use of an odd "poetry" style used when the ghost was....what....emotting, lol. This was more of a teenage boys diary. There was a beautiful little side story that made the book worthy of two stars and that was the relationship between the older brother and the little sister. That was honestly the best part of the whole book. The good news...I only spent an hour and a half reading this book so it wasn't to bad of a read.
Dec 16, 2007
Shannon
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone over the age of 18
Shelves:
library-books
This book is about a 17-year-old boy named Evan who moves into an old house with his recently-divorced mother and five-year-old sister. The ghost of a 16-year-old girl who died a century ago occupies the house as well.
The chapters alternate between Evan and the ghost. Evan spends most of his time annoyed with his mother, annoyed with his little sister, or thinking about having sex with his girlfriend. At night, he dreams of having sex with a girl he doesn't know (the ghost).
The ghost's chapters...more
The chapters alternate between Evan and the ghost. Evan spends most of his time annoyed with his mother, annoyed with his little sister, or thinking about having sex with his girlfriend. At night, he dreams of having sex with a girl he doesn't know (the ghost).
The ghost's chapters...more
Great concept--mixing verse and narrative. But, the poetry is a lot better than any of the narrative or character dialogue. The verse is engaging with words of passiona and unfulfilled desire and a visual structure evoking the transitory existence of a ghost. As for the storyline, Jenkins creates a lot of reader interest as Evan unknowingly becomes involved with a ghost who yearns for him in the same way she did for a young man back at the turn of the 19th century.
The quick taste of the book on the back cover wasn't much but it interested me in finding out who or what this young male was.
So i finally finished the book and to be honest it was better than i thought it would be. The poetry in the book described the ghost and the events of the story. Even though it's a more mature book it still was able to get 5 stars from me i recommend this book to anybody who read this review.
So i finally finished the book and to be honest it was better than i thought it would be. The poetry in the book described the ghost and the events of the story. Even though it's a more mature book it still was able to get 5 stars from me i recommend this book to anybody who read this review.
A very quick read. I loved it. The book was told from the perspective of a ghost and a third-person perspective. I thought the use of verse as the ghost's voice was very good. It separated the character and made it a lot more atmospheric and wispy. I could clearly hear a more haunted voice in my head. It's also not a typical story, with at least one twists.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When BH says it's a ghost story, believe that it's a ghost's story. While Evan is presented as the other lead, the house's ghost is the one who changes and evolves.
BH is a really quick read. It feels as if it could stand to be drawn out a little more, but at the same time, the story belongs to your ghost, Cora, and her tale isn't long.
BH is a really quick read. It feels as if it could stand to be drawn out a little more, but at the same time, the story belongs to your ghost, Cora, and her tale isn't long.
A sexual relationship begins between a ghost and Evan whose family has moved into the broken, boarded-up house that she haunts. Well done, with the split narrations between the ghost and evan.
I remember the warmth of his skin... this secret this beginning.
And all I ever had to do was let go.
I remember the warmth of his skin... this secret this beginning.
And all I ever had to do was let go.
WOW!
i read this book in a couple of hours! i liked it a lot!
it is a little pg-13 rated with a lot of adult stuff in it, but
i still liked it, it ended alittle odd. left me hanging i guess you
could say.
if your into ghost and that type of stuff check this book out=)
i read this book in a couple of hours! i liked it a lot!
it is a little pg-13 rated with a lot of adult stuff in it, but
i still liked it, it ended alittle odd. left me hanging i guess you
could say.
if your into ghost and that type of stuff check this book out=)
Some of the poems are so beautiful and haunting. This was a very very quick read that was enjoyable. I really liked how it shows the family dynamics of a family trying to recover from divorce and how guys think about relationships along with the paranormal happenings.
It's no great leap in literature but I enjoyed the quick flow and shortness. I especially love the ghost girls parts very little description in the verse but full of information. I'd read it again, especially since it took me very little time to get through.
I read this on the beach and I forgot I was there. I cannot express how genius this book is - typographically the words match the characters, the mystery, it is sexy as all hell. What a wonderful book, I am going to read it again simply for study.
i abanded it even though it was my type of book,
i was just in a rush to read another book that i was dieing to read, i would advice someone to read it if their into scary kinda poemy type of books
i was just in a rush to read another book that i was dieing to read, i would advice someone to read it if their into scary kinda poemy type of books
It was very strange but interesting book. I like the way we can see the point of view of two people. Mainly because the boy is evan and he seemed so normal and at the same time he wasn't.
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Born in 1961. Have lived in TX all my life. Divorced with three sons, two dogs (Hobo and Tyson), two cats (Waldo and Smudge), and two gerbils (Nimbus and Gobi). Jobs throughout my life include pizza maker, ice cream dipper, day care worker, bookstore manager, aerobics instructor, high school math teacher, elementary reading tutor, and freelance writer (warning: this, kiddies, is what may happen to...more
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