Beth Kephart's writing has an elegance I envy. Graceful, lyrical and defiantly simple, her command of language is evident in her blog as well as her books. Well, I'm assuming it's evident in her other books; I'm a little embarrassed to admit that though I've been meaning to read Kephart's books since I found her blog, it took My Friend Amy's drive to get me to the bookstore to order it.In Nothing But Ghosts, narrator Katie has lost her mom to cancer and is trying to cope by taking a summer job for the reclusive old lady down the street, whose life becomes a mystery for Katie to figure out. Why did Miss Martine disappear? And when? How is it possible that no one has seen her in all those years?
The characters are so delightful I couldn't get enough of any of them--I wish the book had been longer so that I could have spent more time with them. Actually, come to think of it, the characters were almost too perfect. Katie's father, an art restorer, has infinite trust and patience with his daughter; his only flaw seems to be that he loses track of time and gets lost in his work and stays up all hours. And who doesn't love the fashion plate librarian, who's another mystery in Katie's life?
Seriously, I want more. (In the best sense of wanting more.)
5 comments:
I loved this book, too - the characters are wonderful and the writing is too. It was my first Kephart book, but it won't be my last - I hope to get to Undercover soon.
i bought this book at 'my friend amy's' suggestion--and LOVED it. it was realistic and had a good storyline. the book didn't promote false values (like some of the other YA books) and i love that. i work with teenagers on a daily basis and the last thing they need is to be manipulated. yay to beth kephart!
After reading your review, and the other comments, I think that this book sounds like something I could really get engrossed in. I love deep character portrayals,so this might make a perfect read for me. Thanks for the great review!
I want more too! I really loved this book.
My favorite Beth Kephart is House of Dance...but I loved this one too.
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