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The Ghost In Love - Il Fantasma Che Si Innamorò (2013)

by Jonathan Carroll(Favorite Author)

3.47 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

La Corte Editore

review 1: If you were expecting a story about a ghost desperately and hopelessly in love with a living woman, be prepared to read something else entirely. The book’s jacket summary is a complete misnomer. In fact, the ghost’s love is barely even focused on.Instead the novel centers on the man the ghost is sent to “monitor” after he was supposed to die and didn’t. This man, Ben Gould, doesn’t even know what happened to him and continues to happily live his life with his two loves, his girlfriend and dog, until strange things begin to occur. With scenes that seem to be right out of The Twilight Zone, dogs begin to talk, the past takes physical form, and the Angel of Death watches all of these with the air of a curious scientist. Ben quickly learns that he is not alone in c... moreheating death, that he is part of a new wave of humanity taking back their fate from the forces above. But this radical shift is not without resistance and quickly threatens his relationship with the love of his life.But even that basic outline of the plot fails to fully capture the novel. That might be because the plot jostles the reader around like a badly paved road. Sections, such as long descriptions of dogs’ abilities, and aspects, such as the physical form of cancer, are simply superfluous and get in the way of the main story. These extra pieces make the path towards the book’s theme seem jerky and circuitous.There are certain parts though along that potholed road that make the whole book worth reading. Conversations about death and fate, musings about past experiences, and statements about the nature of love, are part of what saves this book.But what really makes this novel worthwhile is the ending. The novel literally personifies the conflicting forces that live in everyone’s mind. Hopes, dreams, and love fight desperately against regrets, doubts, and fears. Ultimately, that’s what the book does well. It takes the essence of living—that is the increasing baggage of our past and how it affects us our present—and brings it out into the light in a way that is deeply refreshing.So it may not be specifically about a ghost in love with a living woman, it’s about something more: a man and his personal ghosts and the love that keeps him living.
review 2: I have loved Jonathan Carroll since I first stumbled on him. I love magical realism, almost always. Neil Gaiman and Cory Doctorow and Jonathan Lethem love him too, so I am in good company....but for some reason this one did not do as much for me; it seemed a bit silly or pretentious at times. Too much about how Ben's love for his girlfriend and his dog and their love for him saved him from the nasty parts of himself. (which in this case manifested as actual separate people throwing rocks at him, etc.) The love thing just can't compete with A Wrinkle in Time. I love the weirdness of his books; maybe this one felt a bit too sentimental? But still liked it, and there were good moments like when the cop at the end was another member of the club of those who failed to die. less

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Reviews (see all)

dhruv

Judging by the title, you would think this is a story about a ghost that falls in love with a human and how they transcend their differences to be together in the end (kind of like City of Angels, but with ghosts instead of angels... or better yet Ghost). Based on those criteria, this book does not really live up to its expectations. To me, this was a more uplifting, you-can-take-control-of-your-life-and-get-past-your-demons-if-you-only-believe-in-yourself kind of book, which totally makes sense once I remembered my yoga teacher recommended it. Overall, a nice, easy read, just not really what I was expecting.

mard

Highly recommend! What a wonderful imagination this author has! Whatever you think this book is about, it's full of surprises. This is a book about love, including self-love. It's about accepting all parts of yourself- all of your different selves. This is a great book for dog lovers too- dogs play a wonderful role in this story. This is one of those books which I will never forget. I can't wait to read more of this author's novels.

chels

Quirky; a variation on the dead-people-not-ready-for-heaven-yet. I didn't get it.

Brandie_J

Lyrical and haunting. I simply adore it.

ylee_91

So far, fantastic.

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