The Time of the Ghost

This book is a difficult read. It is not easy sailing, though the writing is superb. This book is unconventional to the extreme. There are two confusing points in the book, one of which is the ghost's identity (which sister is it?), and the other is that fact that the ghost is NOT a ghost of a dead person. But you can figure out the ghost's identity fairly quickly if you pick up several obvious clues that many seem to miss, and this book is one of my favorites. I won't go into the plot--other's, such as the publishers, have done it already--save to say that it is not gory or freakshly disturbing. If you are zealosuly religions, then you may not like this book, as it does have a "dark, old, female something" (a goddess-like presence) and severe neglect from the parents regarding the four sister-protagonists. One of the sisters goes missing, and the parents doen't even notice after several days, even though the mother comes in to say good-night and the father throws a rage at them later, even going through all four names without noticing before leaving. This book is more like a window into a at-once familiar and fantastical world than a science-fiction/fantasy novel, a world where things that most people go through in childhood (such as a play-sceance using scrabble-letters or a belief that there is a ghost in the house) do not collapse into disbelief with time but are confirmed in a subtle, definite way. THAT is the whole of the 'horror and occult' in this book. The characters are exactly drawn. Perhaps others do not know people as unusual or interesting as the four Melford sisters, but they are the sort of people who are at the edge of the population, who turn into famous artists, writers, musicians--the sort of people who go into history books (the sort of people who are very unusual). They are disinctly portrayed, and you can feel that you would recognize them on the street after reading the book. The personalities are very vibrant, and the entire book is a pleasurable read. You may want to reread this book later, because it is one of those books that can be reread many times; not open and direct, but secretive, mysterious, and very well-woven. Five stars on this one. Diana Wynne Jones has done an excellent job and has not been afraid to step out of the borders of conventional fiction writing to turn out a novel of striking originality.

This was an awesome book. I would give a synopses or something, but I read it a long time ago and don't remember it that well. But I remember, when reading, it, that it was the mental imagery that really had the biggest effect. The descriptions in this book were exceptional, so as you could imagine so perfectly all the settings, the characters, etc. Not only that, but the plot was incredibly creepy, in a really awesome way. I loved the ending. A lot of books are really good, but are then ruined by a stupid ending. This book was not one of those books.So basically, this was an awesome book. It was creepy. It had a very well-developed plot and characters. It was good entertainment, and is definately worth the time it takes to read it.

I've read many books by Diana Wynne Jones, and this is definitely my favourite. Unlike some of her other books, the story makes complete sense once all the pieces come together in the end. The ending itself is very satisfying. The characters and situations in the book are quirky and original. Very nice, a great read!

I didn't find the book confusing, it does make you dizzy but no more so than any of her books. I think the book is very very funny in many ways, from the bowl of blood with all the boys queueing up for 50p with nose bleeds etc. The girls' father is also an amusing factor, not unlike the ogre in "The Ogre Downstairs" without the humour, and the way he constantly forgets their names, "Sally, Fenella er, Ingrid." and has to speak at least three before he gets the right one is entertaining. The book does have the underlying menace that Wynne Jones is famous for, and Monaghan is a creepy force. The end of the book is also slightly daunting, and one feels sorry for the 'sacrifice' in some ways. I enjoyed the book, it is a change from some DWJ's usual stuff and that may surprise readers and leave them disatisfied if that is what they expect, but if you keep an open mind I think you'll enjoy it.

The book opens with an un-named (female) protagonist becoming aware that she is a ghost, who appears to be haunting her three sisters who are the terribly neglected children of a couple operating an English private school (possibly in the 1950s). Much tension is developed by the ghost trying to find out exactly who she is, and why she is condemned to haunt this family. At the same time the characters and the lifestyles of the children are fascinating in themselves. But as the book evolves we learn about the evil that has been evoked and what the consequences are. Needs a mature reader (I'm 45!) but appealed very well to my 15 year-old, who is fond of all of this author's books