Reviews

The Ghostlights by Gráinne Murphy

sailaranel's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

mapscitiesandsongs's review against another edition

I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing. I genuinely was bored the entire time I was reading this and had trouble picking the book back up. I essentially didn't like a single thing about this book. Neither the characters, the "plot" nor the writing. I tried pushing through because of the positive reviews but couldn't.

gray5217's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

kindle_and_crossstitch's review against another edition

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

seaswift14's review against another edition

hopeful medium-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? It's complicated

2.75

laurenleyendolibros's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

alannah712's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Accurate description on a small rural Irish village, dark but also funny and lighthearted in some ways

snoakes7001's review against another edition

5.0

The Ghostlights is a beautifully told story of life in a rural Irish community.

Twins Marianne & Olive grew up in Coolaroone, home to one of Ireland's famous moving statues of the mid eighties. Just as they were about to go to university, Olive discovered she was pregnant and ended up staying home to bring up her child and help her mother run the family B&B business. Marianne moved away and made a life for herself outside of Coolaroone and, as the story starts, has recently arrived home for Easter following a fight with her partner.

The sisters are chalk and cheese and regularly drive each other to distraction. They have a strong bond, but are equally defensive of their life choices, both believing that the other considers theirs the better path. Their mother's deteriorating mental health provides the family with a further source of tension. Then when one of the B&B residents is discovered drowned in a nearby lake, everyone is forced to take stock and try to work out what they really want from life and each other.

Gráinne Murphy injects just the right amount of dark humour to bring small-town Ireland vividly to life in this poignant novel of family, forgiveness and belonging.

awellreadlady's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

noreilly's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide