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tanyarobinson's review against another edition
3.0
3/1/11 Just won this on firstreads - lovin' it, lovin' it!
4/7/11
This rating would be a 3 1/2 if that were an option, though I wasn't impressed enough by The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead to give it a 4. I was intrigued by the whole idea of perpetuating a hoax on people who want so badly to believe. Grief is so overwhelming that we are sometimes willing to suspend reality in our search for comfort. I've always condemned those who take advantage of this, but in Emily I saw someone whose trickery came with the best of intentions. I like books that make me see things in a new way.
4/7/11
This rating would be a 3 1/2 if that were an option, though I wasn't impressed enough by The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead to give it a 4. I was intrigued by the whole idea of perpetuating a hoax on people who want so badly to believe. Grief is so overwhelming that we are sometimes willing to suspend reality in our search for comfort. I've always condemned those who take advantage of this, but in Emily I saw someone whose trickery came with the best of intentions. I like books that make me see things in a new way.
lizdesole's review against another edition
3.0
The story was engaging and kept me guessing whether the clairvoyance was supposed to be real or not. Unfortunately, it needed to be a lot more organized. Usually I'm ok with a narrative that toggles back and forth in time. Maybe it would be helpful if the main mother character didn't have a son and a brother both named Michael. Although it's not uncommon to have family names, it would make for a clearer narrative to have unique names for the characters. The character development was a bit weak as well.
lizzieinmt's review against another edition
4.0
This book has quite a few negative reviews but I feel it's because if falls into a very atypical category. Both haunting and beautiful this books follows the story of twins and their attempts to find and make sense of the world around them. Ultimately it deals with grief and lost love and really surprised me with its depth and incite on how complex life can seem when we are still young. It's not fast paced or your typical historical novel but is worth the time to read.
kyrki's review against another edition
2.0
A promising concept bogged down by extraneous character histories and a meandering tone. I was unclear about what Elwork was trying to get across in his work, what themes he was trying to evoke using the story of the twins and their spirit knocking. It seemed he had a lot he wanted to say, and so ended up not really delving into any of it. Or maybe I'm giving him too much credit.
The climax (that's generous to call it that) kind of came out nowhere, almost as if Elwork had a word cap and was getting close to maxing out. Real let down on that end, especially because there was so many directions and climaxes it could have built to and we didn't really get any.
There is a pulsing sadness under the novel though, just when you consider why people are so desperate to believe the spirit knocking. I liked that part.
The climax (that's generous to call it that) kind of came out nowhere, almost as if Elwork had a word cap and was getting close to maxing out. Real let down on that end, especially because there was so many directions and climaxes it could have built to and we didn't really get any.
There is a pulsing sadness under the novel though, just when you consider why people are so desperate to believe the spirit knocking. I liked that part.
audreyloopy's review
4.0
This book has probably less to do with the revival of Spiritualism in late 19th century America than you might expect, but it does not change the fact that it is a brilliant story about loss and letting go, and how sometimes the most persistent ghosts in our lives are the ones that are still alive.
whatsheread's review against another edition
Grief is a tricky thing. It can cause someone to give up, to barricade oneself behind closed doors and remove oneself from the world as a way to compensate. Conversely, it can cause one to romanticize the past, to view a relationship through rose-colored glasses and consider past situations as better than they actually were. Yet, no matter how one reacts to grief, the one overarching issue that everyone has is the lack of closure. It is this need for closure in which the Stewart twins find themselves ensnared.
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead explores this world of grief through the eyes of Emily, as she deals with the repercussions of her actions and understands just how far one is willing to go to obtain closure with a dearly departed. The story ultimately crosses generations, with Emily uncovering family secrets and the impact of grief on her own ancestors. These secrets are intriguing, but Emily's reactions to them are what make the story. Emily is an interesting character, seemingly heartless and yet filled with guilt. Watching Emily uncover the power she has over people and struggling with this guilt is at once horrifying and yet hopeful. She understands that she is fulfilling a need within people's lives, and her discovery of just how tenuous the line is between helping and hurting is fascinating.
For those who are have read about the Fox sisters in previous novels, like Deborah Noyes' Captivity, it would be easy to dismiss The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead. Yet, unlike these other novels, Mr. Elwork explores the deception behind the Spiritualism movement and how easy it would be to take advantage of grieving people with minimal effort. This approach is refreshing in its honesty, and yet, he writes in such a way that the line between fact and fiction is blurred, and what seems like deception becomes a form of therapy.
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead is one of those novels that sounds simple in its concept but ends up being so much more detailed in its execution. To describe it as a novel about grief is too simplistic, as is the idea that it is about deception. It is about that and so much more. When done poorly, something this complicated could be confusing and distracting. However, Mr. Elwork is able to bring together all the of the elements in a most effective manner, creating a story that is creepy and yet heart wrenching. Amy Einhorn Books has done it again with a novel that is fresh and immensely enjoyable in a psychologically uncomfortable way.
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead explores this world of grief through the eyes of Emily, as she deals with the repercussions of her actions and understands just how far one is willing to go to obtain closure with a dearly departed. The story ultimately crosses generations, with Emily uncovering family secrets and the impact of grief on her own ancestors. These secrets are intriguing, but Emily's reactions to them are what make the story. Emily is an interesting character, seemingly heartless and yet filled with guilt. Watching Emily uncover the power she has over people and struggling with this guilt is at once horrifying and yet hopeful. She understands that she is fulfilling a need within people's lives, and her discovery of just how tenuous the line is between helping and hurting is fascinating.
For those who are have read about the Fox sisters in previous novels, like Deborah Noyes' Captivity, it would be easy to dismiss The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead. Yet, unlike these other novels, Mr. Elwork explores the deception behind the Spiritualism movement and how easy it would be to take advantage of grieving people with minimal effort. This approach is refreshing in its honesty, and yet, he writes in such a way that the line between fact and fiction is blurred, and what seems like deception becomes a form of therapy.
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead is one of those novels that sounds simple in its concept but ends up being so much more detailed in its execution. To describe it as a novel about grief is too simplistic, as is the idea that it is about deception. It is about that and so much more. When done poorly, something this complicated could be confusing and distracting. However, Mr. Elwork is able to bring together all the of the elements in a most effective manner, creating a story that is creepy and yet heart wrenching. Amy Einhorn Books has done it again with a novel that is fresh and immensely enjoyable in a psychologically uncomfortable way.
hollowbook's review against another edition
5.0
Really good. I took my time reading it, because it was such a pleasure.