Scan barcode
ckmeyer's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
aggie2010's review against another edition
2.0
I thought that this was an okay book. The book takes a while to get interesting but the characters aren't very engaging and the story is so so. I wouldn't recommend this book.
carolpk's review against another edition
3.0
I love the opportunity to read debut fiction. I love the thrill of discovering a new and up and coming author ahead of the pack. When I was offered an ARC of The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead by Paul Elwork, I jumped at the chance. That it was published by Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, a publisher I respect, was the icing on the cake.
Do you believe in ghosts? At the heart of this book, there are certainly those that do. Emily Stewart and her brother, Michael, thirteen year old twins, are the prodigy of a wealthy Pennsylvania family living on an old estate bordering the Delaware River. With little to occupy her brilliant mind, Emily perfects a tic she calls spirit knocking and is soon entertaining the neighborhood children with her ability to contact the dead. What starts as a game soon snowballs and propels both twins on a course they could not have imagined.
Paul Elwork has potential as evidenced in this first venture, loosely based on true events. I liked the dreamy quality of the story and it's dealing with the possibilities of the afterlife. Family secrets, our basis for faith, the lost innocence of youth, are aptly explored. A solid debut with hopes for more to come.
Do you believe in ghosts? At the heart of this book, there are certainly those that do. Emily Stewart and her brother, Michael, thirteen year old twins, are the prodigy of a wealthy Pennsylvania family living on an old estate bordering the Delaware River. With little to occupy her brilliant mind, Emily perfects a tic she calls spirit knocking and is soon entertaining the neighborhood children with her ability to contact the dead. What starts as a game soon snowballs and propels both twins on a course they could not have imagined.
Paul Elwork has potential as evidenced in this first venture, loosely based on true events. I liked the dreamy quality of the story and it's dealing with the possibilities of the afterlife. Family secrets, our basis for faith, the lost innocence of youth, are aptly explored. A solid debut with hopes for more to come.
rainmisoa's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes with little knowledge in a book can go a long way. I won this book off of GoodReads FirstReads and I was so excited and super pumped up because this was the first book I ever won off of GoodReads. When I read the synopsis, I knew that this book was going to be some ride. The premise of a girl who can make a cracking sound with her ankle and then start using that to fool other people into thinking that she can contact the dead was just a unique concept. I just had to read it. (I tried to get this review up in time of the publication but I think I may be a day late so... bare with me.)
Let me start off by saying that the writing in this book is amazing. Paul Elwork has a way with language and it just amazes me how well he can write a female perspective. That's another thing I want to mention. This book is written in third person (with the exception of the last chapter) which I find to be a great relief! So many books today are written in first person that it drives me insane! Not to say I don't like them; I just like seeing diversity. Anyway, the writing was very good. Elwork knew how to get his point across without much effort. One thing negative I feel I must point out about his writing style has to be the way he moves from one subject to the next. He has this habit of starting one thing then completely changing it to something entirely different without much transition. This happens quite a few times in the book which it made it hard for me to get through. But I feel this is just something very minor to how the majoroty of his writing style is.
His characters are what I feel made the book. Emily, female lead and twin sister of Michael, was very strong and intelligent. At the beginning of the story she starts off gullible and willing to please everyone but I feel she grows from that throughout the remainder of the book. Michael, male lead and twin brother of Emily, was a bit more introverted. He was reserved throughtout the story and cynical. I found I connected more to him because his views on life and people in general are much like my own. I really appreciated him. He was my favorite out of the twins. However, I enjoyed the side characters a whole lot more than I did the main. The side characters felt more troubled, more passionate, more real to me. They have this drive to do things that is so rare to see in books. My favorite being Stan and Donald because of the relationship they had with Naomi. They were so involved with her and did what they felt was right in order to make things continue to flow. Man, I love those two... but I'll stop there because I don't want to say any spoilers.
Now, even though I love the characters and I felt the writing style was good, I did find this book to be slow at times. At the beginning of the book, I found it really hard to pay attention to what was going on only because it seemed to have nothing to do with the story. I did mangae to stay focus and I understand why it had to be there but it still felt flat to me. I feel that Elwork wanted us to fully undertsand everything and put those slow parts in for a reason but I think the way it was executed to be a bit poor. It was just too many things far and in between for the story to really take effect on the reader. The premise is amazing! However, the execution needs a bit more work.
But don't let this setback dissuade you from picking up this book and reading it. Yeah, it has a lot of slow parts and the transitions are a bit choppy but it's still a fantastic and unique read! I truly do think that because a story like this is so rare that it is worth the read. Besides, just because I found some parts not to my liking doesn't mean that you will. Others will love this story for it's richness in language and interesting backstory! Go ahead and pick it up. You may just fine it to be one of your favorites.
Let me start off by saying that the writing in this book is amazing. Paul Elwork has a way with language and it just amazes me how well he can write a female perspective. That's another thing I want to mention. This book is written in third person (with the exception of the last chapter) which I find to be a great relief! So many books today are written in first person that it drives me insane! Not to say I don't like them; I just like seeing diversity. Anyway, the writing was very good. Elwork knew how to get his point across without much effort. One thing negative I feel I must point out about his writing style has to be the way he moves from one subject to the next. He has this habit of starting one thing then completely changing it to something entirely different without much transition. This happens quite a few times in the book which it made it hard for me to get through. But I feel this is just something very minor to how the majoroty of his writing style is.
His characters are what I feel made the book. Emily, female lead and twin sister of Michael, was very strong and intelligent. At the beginning of the story she starts off gullible and willing to please everyone but I feel she grows from that throughout the remainder of the book. Michael, male lead and twin brother of Emily, was a bit more introverted. He was reserved throughtout the story and cynical. I found I connected more to him because his views on life and people in general are much like my own. I really appreciated him. He was my favorite out of the twins. However, I enjoyed the side characters a whole lot more than I did the main. The side characters felt more troubled, more passionate, more real to me. They have this drive to do things that is so rare to see in books. My favorite being Stan and Donald because of the relationship they had with Naomi. They were so involved with her and did what they felt was right in order to make things continue to flow. Man, I love those two... but I'll stop there because I don't want to say any spoilers.
Now, even though I love the characters and I felt the writing style was good, I did find this book to be slow at times. At the beginning of the book, I found it really hard to pay attention to what was going on only because it seemed to have nothing to do with the story. I did mangae to stay focus and I understand why it had to be there but it still felt flat to me. I feel that Elwork wanted us to fully undertsand everything and put those slow parts in for a reason but I think the way it was executed to be a bit poor. It was just too many things far and in between for the story to really take effect on the reader. The premise is amazing! However, the execution needs a bit more work.
But don't let this setback dissuade you from picking up this book and reading it. Yeah, it has a lot of slow parts and the transitions are a bit choppy but it's still a fantastic and unique read! I truly do think that because a story like this is so rare that it is worth the read. Besides, just because I found some parts not to my liking doesn't mean that you will. Others will love this story for it's richness in language and interesting backstory! Go ahead and pick it up. You may just fine it to be one of your favorites.
karieh13's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first book I’ve read on my Kindle – so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to write the same kind of review that I normally do. I tend to mark the pages that I know I will refer to – and at the end – flip back to those to refresh my memory. The highlight feature worked great, though, so here goes.
Because of the aforementioned Kindle aspect of this book, I didn’t know what to expect from “The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead”. I had no dust jacket to read, no quotes from other reviews on the back to create some sort of expectation in my mind. I know that I expected more of a supernatural aspect to it – but I was pleasantly surprised. This book touches on love and loss – and the way grief affects not only those left behind, but those who come after someone has died. It is about the enduring nature of our world and the brief time that each human has to spend upon it.
“In the bathroom at Ravenswood, Emily looked into the mirror and tried to stand on the cool sand with her father, tried to see the ocean as it had been, and knew her memories of the dream she believed to be a memory were fading pictures and sensations of something that had passed on.”
The main character is Emily, and through her eyes…or more accurately, through the access she gives the reader to her family and history, many stories unfold. As she learns about the secrets and legends surrounding her family and their home, Ravenswood, she grows up and realizes what an effect each person’s life has on another. Stories, both true and those imagined, have great impact on not only those who hear them, but those who tell them.
“The twins sat there, not knowing what to say. Just as he had built the story around them in his way and brought them into it, he gently took them out of the story and folded it up with one gesture.”
Emily and her twin brother Michael, tell their own stories one summer…stories that touch on the past and ultimately change the future. “The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead” draws a haunting picture of the brief flash of life given to each human – but the timeless impact we each can have.
Because of the aforementioned Kindle aspect of this book, I didn’t know what to expect from “The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead”. I had no dust jacket to read, no quotes from other reviews on the back to create some sort of expectation in my mind. I know that I expected more of a supernatural aspect to it – but I was pleasantly surprised. This book touches on love and loss – and the way grief affects not only those left behind, but those who come after someone has died. It is about the enduring nature of our world and the brief time that each human has to spend upon it.
“In the bathroom at Ravenswood, Emily looked into the mirror and tried to stand on the cool sand with her father, tried to see the ocean as it had been, and knew her memories of the dream she believed to be a memory were fading pictures and sensations of something that had passed on.”
The main character is Emily, and through her eyes…or more accurately, through the access she gives the reader to her family and history, many stories unfold. As she learns about the secrets and legends surrounding her family and their home, Ravenswood, she grows up and realizes what an effect each person’s life has on another. Stories, both true and those imagined, have great impact on not only those who hear them, but those who tell them.
“The twins sat there, not knowing what to say. Just as he had built the story around them in his way and brought them into it, he gently took them out of the story and folded it up with one gesture.”
Emily and her twin brother Michael, tell their own stories one summer…stories that touch on the past and ultimately change the future. “The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead” draws a haunting picture of the brief flash of life given to each human – but the timeless impact we each can have.
mallorykjorgensen's review against another edition
4.0
I was LOVING this book until the end. For me, it just fell a little flat. I would to hear what others think though!
melissa_parks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This is a beautifully written book; a slow, haunting, and mysterious tale of the summer of 1925 and the things children can get up to in their free time.
rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition
3.0
13 year old, well-to-do and precocious twins Emily and Michael are bored in the summer of 1926(ish). When Emily learns that she can crack the joints in her foot to make an eerie knocking sound, Michael decides it's time to start having seances to commune with the dead. It begins with their friends in the neighborhood, but it quickly expands to adults, grieving over their dead lost to age, disease, and war. Then, it isn't quite such a game any more.
Add to that the history of the family mansion, the mysterious relationship between their widowed mother and the old "family friend," and a few other characters who skitter across their lives, and it's a pretty good read. It certainly got me thinking about what would my reactions be if someone offered me the chance to communicate (however superficially) with any of my dear departed. Would I be tempted? Would the temptation be greater if I felt that there were unresolved issues between us? I'd ask if anyone in this modern age really had interest in communication with the spirit world, but ouija boards and psychics continue to do brisk business, so maybe.
Still: what was the point of Mr. Holt? Why introduce so many neighborhood children, just to have them fade out without ever making a mark? Emily and Michael seem to have a family history of depression a mile wide; what does the future hold for them?
And is the tunnel between the house and the garden shed/tea house significant in any real way, or just a narrative convenience.
Ultimately, I found the story more interesting than satisfying.
Add to that the history of the family mansion, the mysterious relationship between their widowed mother and the old "family friend," and a few other characters who skitter across their lives, and it's a pretty good read. It certainly got me thinking about what would my reactions be if someone offered me the chance to communicate (however superficially) with any of my dear departed. Would I be tempted? Would the temptation be greater if I felt that there were unresolved issues between us? I'd ask if anyone in this modern age really had interest in communication with the spirit world, but ouija boards and psychics continue to do brisk business, so maybe.
Still: what was the point of Mr. Holt? Why introduce so many neighborhood children, just to have them fade out without ever making a mark? Emily and Michael seem to have a family history of depression a mile wide; what does the future hold for them?
And is the tunnel between the house and the garden shed/tea house significant in any real way, or just a narrative convenience.
Ultimately, I found the story more interesting than satisfying.
meowmeowfood's review against another edition
1.0
Trite and overdone. I was bored through most of the book and there were several sentences where the descriptions were so dumb or just confusing I wondered how they made it past editors. Not worth your time.
tinabaich's review against another edition
4.0
So I think I'm hooked on Amy Einhorn Books. This is the third book from the imprint I've read, and I've yet to be disappointed. What I like most is that these book's aren't my typical fare. I like them not because of genre - and all three are very different on that count - but because they are so well-written and so personal. The stories they tell strike a chord with me. But enough about the imprint, let's get to The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead.
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead is the story of Emily Stewart, a girl who can make an eerie knocking noise with her ankle, and her twin brother Michael, who decides to use Emily’s ability to fool the neighborhood kids with a series of “spirit knocking” seances. Over the course of the summer, this innocent prank spirals out of control as adults begin requesting Emily’s presence and believing in her ability to speak to the dead.
Paul Elwork has created a slightly dark world in which it is hard to decide whether trickery is an acceptable means of assuaging grief. The events of this one summer have lasting effects on both the tricksters and the tricked. Like the other two Amy Einhorn Books I’ve read, The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead makes you think both about the world in general and the effects people can have on one another. Theses books make you reflect on your own actions and choices in life. I’m convinced that even if you don’t think The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead is your cup of tea, you’ll find it engaging and well worth the read.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-girl-who-would-speak-for-dead.html
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead is the story of Emily Stewart, a girl who can make an eerie knocking noise with her ankle, and her twin brother Michael, who decides to use Emily’s ability to fool the neighborhood kids with a series of “spirit knocking” seances. Over the course of the summer, this innocent prank spirals out of control as adults begin requesting Emily’s presence and believing in her ability to speak to the dead.
Paul Elwork has created a slightly dark world in which it is hard to decide whether trickery is an acceptable means of assuaging grief. The events of this one summer have lasting effects on both the tricksters and the tricked. Like the other two Amy Einhorn Books I’ve read, The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead makes you think both about the world in general and the effects people can have on one another. Theses books make you reflect on your own actions and choices in life. I’m convinced that even if you don’t think The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead is your cup of tea, you’ll find it engaging and well worth the read.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-girl-who-would-speak-for-dead.html