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Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

What we're reading

Has anyone read Sue Townsend's Ghost Children?

14 replies

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 02/08/2010 02:23

Stupid time of night to be asking, I know, I'll bump later.

Only, if you have, I need you to come and spoil it for me (you can whisper) because I'm halfway through and I've been in tears on and off for the last chapter, and I can't keep reading it unless someone tells me it ends happily.

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allstarsprincess · 02/08/2010 02:26

It was a long time ago but it does not end in a satisfactory way (at least it didn't for me.)

It is a very sad tale.

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tortoiseonthehalfshell · 02/08/2010 02:35

Oh, dammit.

Storme is pretty much exactly my daughter's age. I don't think I can keep reading it.

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BaggedandTagged · 02/08/2010 02:57

Sorry tortoise-have to agree with allstars on this.

However, still worth finishing- I do remember thinking she had really come into her own with that book.

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tortoiseonthehalfshell · 02/08/2010 03:05

I think Sue Townsend's a brilliant writer, I was so excited to see a non-Mole book from her (I've read the Queen and I, but a new one, I guess).

I think I'm going to have to finish it, actually, it's too late now. Just maybe not on a commuter bus - this morning I gasped, covered my mouth with my hand, and started crying. The businessman next to me was a bit .

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allstarsprincess · 03/08/2010 08:59

Are you still reading? How is it going?

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ComeWhineWithMe · 03/08/2010 10:48

I think the baby is ok in the end and is placed in foster care.

very odd and disturbing book.

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ComeWhineWithMe · 03/08/2010 10:49

The Queen and I has a second book now BTW.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Camilla

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sungirltan · 03/08/2010 10:51

omg comewhine with me you made my day. the queen and i makes me nearly wee with laughter - have read it 3 times

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sungirltan · 03/08/2010 10:51

op do you want to know the end?

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ComeWhineWithMe · 03/08/2010 10:53

I know I love it.

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tortoiseonthehalfshell · 04/08/2010 03:50

I finished it, and I'm really glad I did, because what I was concerned about was that the baby was given back to her parents. And she wasn't, and everyone ends up hating them, so, hooray!

I loved the ending. I mean, yes, it wasn't a happy ending at all, and you can see a whole lifetime of further problems for all of these deeply fucked up people, but it was narratively satisfying. Given the set up, a happy happy ending would have been irritating (you know, T Starts A New Life, G adopts a darling baby girl under proper channels, etc), and this felt true to itself.

Read Number Ten yesterday. Holy crap, that was described as a comic book?

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sungirltan · 04/08/2010 21:55

tort - i am wading through number 10 no wait i finished it - that good! sadly it wasnt a patch on ST others :-(

GC was too sad a\nd it has haunted me sincei read it 5 years ago

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LunaticFringe · 07/08/2010 21:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 09/08/2010 05:42

I haven't been able to get it out of my head, to the point where I keep wanting to charge onto the interminable welfare threads and wail about who cares where the taxes go, just won't somebody think of the children?

Lunatic, if you cried before having children, do not re read it now. As I said upthread, my daughter is around the same age as Storme. Dear oh dear.

Wasn't impressed with No. 10 in the end. Felt like she couldn't decide whether it was searing commentary or humorous farce. Could've done without the cross dressing altogether - and swapped it for a bit of narrative focus.