Ghostwalk in Around the World in 80 Books

Apr 25, 2008 Judy rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-finish

I enjoyed the start of this book, and was intrigued by the idea of a mix between a ghost story and detective story, with 17th-century events woven in with present-day ones. I was also attracted by the fact that it's set in Cambridge, a city I know.
However, I soon got fed up and gave up after about 80 pages. I didn't believe in any of the characters and found the plot too convoluted, so decided not to waste my time! ...more

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Sep 27, 2008 Kay rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery-suspense-crime, modern-fiction, haunted-strange-macabre

I picked this up at the library while browsing new materials, attracted by the idea of a ghost tale set in Cambridge, England, where I once lived. The New Yorker review sounded promising, too:

"A Cambridge historian dies under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind the nearly completed manuscript of a book on the alchemical experiments of Isaac Newton. Her son, a research scientist, hires his former lover, Lydia, to finish the book. Meanwhile, a shadowy group of animal-rights activists escalate I picked this up at the library while browsing new materials, attracted by the idea of a ghost tale set in Cambridge, England, where I once lived. The New Yorker review sounded promising, too:

"A Cambridge historian dies under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind the nearly completed manuscript of a book on the alchemical experiments of Isaac Newton. Her son, a research scientist, hires his former lover, Lydia, to finish the book. Meanwhile, a shadowy group of animal-rights activists escalate their violent attacks. As Lydia is drawn further into Newton's seventeenth-century world, she begins to believe that his ghost is haunting her and, perhaps, directing the murderous events of the present. Stott, a historian of science, deploys her research effortlessly and demonstrates great attention to detail, but the proliferation of themes means that none are explored in much depth."

I started listening to this on a two-hour drive on a dark, rainy night -- probably near-perfect conditions to hear it. The writing initially reminded me a bit of a cross between Daphne duMaurier and Penelope Fitzgerald, and the descriptions of areas in and near Cambridge brought back nostalgic memories. Alas, after that first near-hypnotic session, I found some of the plot devices wore thin. More to the point, I grew very weary of the particular reader chosen. It's hard to find a good female reader; in part because darn near every one seems to have a sibilant /S/ (or so it seems -- perhaps I'm just hypersensitive). At any rate, I found myself fast-forwarding through some sections done in a particularly grating "voice" that represented the elderly murder victim's journal.

The plot is rather convoluted, but suffice it to say that it spans both Newton's time and our own, with interwoven conspiracies past and present. Two murders -- one in the distant past and another in modern day Cambridge - bracket a tale of conflicting loyalties and thwarted passions.

The novel's strengths are its wonderful sense of atmosphere -- Stott writes lyrically and knowledgeably (she is a science historian). At times I wondered how much license she'd taken with Newton's life, but the post-script makes it clear that the essential points are factual, which made their incorporation into a rather fanciful tale something of a tour-de-force.

The weaknesses are (to my taste) a certain over-romanticizing -- I grew impatient with the protagonist's Lydia's repeated reflections on her love affair with the central male character. But, then, I confess to being very irritated by romance writing in general, and this probably wouldn't be the thing most readers singled out as a flaw. More striking, perhaps, are certain "leaps of faith" required at the climax, which in contrast with the rest of the book seems to go lickety-split over some important events. The climax seemed rushed and confusing to me.

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Dec 19, 2011 Susan rated it did not like it

Couldn't finish, got almost halfway through and couldn't pick it up anymore. Unless you are terribly interested in Newton and the town of Cambridge, forget this one. Author also makes it confusing with narrative in first person, third person, etc. Not sure what she was trying to achieve with that. ...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Neila rated it it was ok

The story always seemed to have potential but I got lost in the author's tendency to over describe everything. And I never quite got the connection between the past and the future. ...more

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Feb 10, 2008 Jessica rated it it was ok

Shelves: england, literary-mystery

From the description I thought this book would be right up my alley, but the execution didn't live up - the story never gelled for me. Too nebulous and underdeveloped, with a totally bizarre ending twist. ...more

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