Thursday 29 May 2014

Review ~ Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff.

Title: Ghostwritten.
Author: Isabel Wolff.
Publisher: Harper Collins.
Genre: Historical Fiction.
Release Date: March 27, 2014.
Source: Review copy.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Purchase: Amazon UK

A childhood mistake. A lifetime of regrets.

Jenni is a ‘ghost’: she writes the lives of other people. It’s a job that suits her well: still haunted by a childhood tragedy, she finds it easier to take refuge in the memories of others rather than dwell on her own.

Jenni has an exciting new commission, and is delighted to start working on the memoirs of a Dutchwoman, Klara. As a child in the Second World War, Klara was interned in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation – she has an extraordinary story of survival to tell.

But as Jenni and Klara begin to get to know each other, Jenni begins to do much more than shed light on a neglected part of history. She is being forced to examine her own devastating memories, too. But with Klara’s help, perhaps this is finally the moment where she will be able to lay the ghosts of her own past to rest?

Gripping, poignant and beautifully researched, Ghostwritten is a story of survival and love, of memory and hope.







Ghostwritten is a stunner of a book. Nothing like any book I’ve read before, I thought the setting and characters were beautifully written and this made it a mesmerising novel. Ghostwritten is haunting, moving and a wonderful read.

Jenni is a ghostwriter, with a new commission to work on the memoirs of Klara. Klara is a strong woman, one who has survived the Japanese internment camps during World War Two. Jenni was unaware at the time that Klara’s life would take her to Polvarth – a place she never wanted to return to, but what unfolds is a beautiful journey with the intrigue of an untold secret and the emotion from Klara’s heart-wrenching tales.

Jenni and Klara are two of the strongest characters I’ve ever read. Klara in particular is one who will stay with me for a long time. Her story was very emotional and did move me to tears a few times. She’s also a character who was so brave and told such a powerful story, I felt like I could actually learn from her experiences and take strength from her. Jenni’s story was more mysterious and I was rooting for her to be impacted by Klara’s story, to be able to open up and overcome the obstacles she needed to in order to live her life.

This is a hard review to write because really you just need to follow the touching, fascinating story so you can get it and see the beauty in the author’s writing. The pace allows the reader to immerse themselves in the extraordinarily poignant story perfectly. There was never a moment for me that I didn’t feel something, that I felt it was uninteresting or I couldn’t take anything from the novel. Ghostwritten is truly beautiful and unforgettable.



Review also posted on Goodreads | Amazon UK



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16 comments:

  1. Anonymous29/5/14 15:45

    this sounds wonderful :-)

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  2. I love Isabel Wolff! A Vintage Affair is one of my all time favourites :) x

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    1. You'll love this I think Em! :) x

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    2. It sounds really interesting and I know Wolff can write so I don't see why I wouldn't love it :) Fingers crossed!!
      Great giveaway btw Soph, where did you get your hands on a signed copy? x

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    3. Isabel is sending me one to give away :) x

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    4. that's very nice of her :) I love authors like that x

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  3. This sounds unusual and interesting. I love discovering characters in books who stay with me long after the last page.

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    1. This is a great choice then! Good luck :)

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  4. I've bought this book a few days ago and now I can't wait to get started!

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  5. Sounds like a good book, will need to add to my TBR pile, thanks for sharing this great giveaway :)

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  6. The Book sounds amazing xxx

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