Publisher: Ballantine
Genre: Fiction
Format: Review Copy for TLC Book Tours
What a delightful book this turned out to be. I initially signed on to do it because I was gearing up to go to NYC last month. I was eager to absorb all things Big Apple. This was a simple, fun, clever little piece of fiction from a fresh voice.
Here is a brief description from the publisher's website:
For Eve Weldon, moving to Greenwich Village is a dream come true. She’s following in the bohemian footsteps of her mother, who lived there during the early sixties among a lively community of Beat artists and writers. But when Eve arrives, the only scribe she meets is a grumpy ghost named Donald, and the only writing she manages to do is for chirpy segments on a morning news program, Smell the Coffee. The hypercompetitive network environment is a far cry from the genial camaraderie of her mother’s literary scene, and Eve begins to wonder if the world she sought has faded from existence. But as she struggles to balance her new job, demands from Donald to help him complete his life’s work, a budding friendship with a legendary fashion designer, and a search for clues to her mother’s past, Eve begins to realize that community comes in many forms—and that the true magic of the Village is very much alive, though it may reveal itself in surprising ways.
A ghost as a main character? Hmm, it was a bit on the campy side but the author ties it all up quite nicely and you kind of forget that he is a ghost after awhile. I really liked Eve. She was refreshing, straight forward, smart gal just trying to get by in the big city. Her struggles with finding a job and a place were sincere and realistic. And when she does find a good gig, it's not perfect. There are more challenges and she bumps along trying to learn from them. You meet a whole host of side characters; her co-workers at Smell the Coffee (a TV show) where she is a writer, Klieg,a fashion designer she befriends on an assignment, her sassy PR friend Vadis and her father, who still thinks she needs to move back home.
Within the story of her daily trials and tribulations, you also get the story of Donald, the ghost and the life of her late mother, Penelope. Her mother had spent 2 years in NYC's Greenwich Village back in the 60s and always said it was the best time of her life. Eve digs for any news she could have picked up about her mother from that time. Her mother was a part of a group of writers and Eve wishes for just a simple mention of her in some story.
The story of Donald is a bit more complicated and it comes together in the end. Long story short; Donald was a writer who died unexpectedly in the 70s. He uses Eve to help him continue writing but hides many secrets about his former career, one that ties in to her fashion friend, Klieg.
Rating: 4/6
Overall, it was a easy, simple read that held my attention. I liked the characters. I liked the location. You can't go wrong with NYC, especially Greenwich Village. This would be a read to bring to the beach this summer. If you are a fan of Jane Green's books, you would like this one.
Author Info:
Lorna Graham was born in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from Barnard College. She has written for Good Morning America and Dateline NBC. She also wrote a short film, “A Timeless Call,” honoring America’s military veterans, that was directed by Steven Spielberg. She lives in Greenwich Village.
Connect with Lorna on her website, www.lornagraham.com, and on Twitter.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for having me on the tour.
Other Stops on this Tour:
Monday, June 20th: Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, June 22nd: Life in Review
Tuesday, June 28th: Knowing the Difference
Wednesday, June 29th: A Library of My Own
Thursday, June 30th: Truth, Beauty, Freedom & Books
Tuesday, July 5th: Well Read Wife
Wednesday, July 6th: Redheaded Book Child
Thursday, July 7th: Bookfoolery and Babble
Monday, July 11th: Amusing Reviews
Tuesday, July 12th: Books Like Breathing
Wednesday, July 13th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, July 14th: Book Reviews by Molly
Monday, July 18th: Peeking Between the Pages
Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!
red headed book child
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11 comments:
Sounds like such a fun book! I am usually afraid of ghost stories, but this book seems too good to resist.
I enjoy most ghost stories, this sounds like a cozy, not my favourite.
I hesitated on this one because I was afraid it would be too chick lit-y but this sounds fun without being a stereotypical gal-in-NYC read. I'll look for it now!
I'm so wanting to read thie one eventhough it's not my normal cup of tea.
I was expecting something different when I read the title, but your description and review makes it sound quite fun and interesting. I'm looking to give this one a try.
This does sound like a fun read for the summer. Thanks for the review and for being a part of the tour!
Sounds like a fun read about NYC...one that I could find myself enjoying!
Sounds cuter than I imagined but I might still like it especially with the NYC location. I would normally say I would NOT like a book with a ghost main character but I can think of two like that that I liked LOL... one was Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella and the other is Emily Nd Einstein (well that's not really a ghost but a reincarnated dog lol but close enough!)
I just put this on hold at my library after reading your review, sounds cute!!
I enjoyed this book as well
I think I would like this one too...
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