booktravler101's review
5.0
Jenni, a Ghost writer goes to a wedding that leads to a new book and down memory lane. This story is about family ties and heart ache.
Isabel Wolff takes you down a road of memories of a family in a small beach town and stirs long forgotten memories.
Isabel Wolff takes you down a road of memories of a family in a small beach town and stirs long forgotten memories.
dragonqueen613's review
5.0
Jenni, a Ghost writer goes to a wedding that leads to a new book and down memory lane. This story is about family ties and heart ache.
Isabel Wolff takes you down a road of memories of a family in a small beach town and stirs long forgotten memories.
Isabel Wolff takes you down a road of memories of a family in a small beach town and stirs long forgotten memories.
thebooktrail88's review
5.0
A chilling and extremely moving account of what could have and probably did happen in Java during WW2 . Have a box of tissues to hand. The writing as well as the events described will move you to tears.
For pictures and a map of locations please follow the booktrail here Ghostwritten the booktrail
The novel has a remarkable sense of place, since the place is as much a character here as anything else. From the peace and calm of Polvarth in Cornwall – based on Rosevine – and transports you right to the heart of the tropical heat of Java. The blistering heat, ‘mountains swathed in jungle’ and the dangers….
Klara remembers how her mother first described it to her, to try and make her feel at home -
My mother told me, before we left Holland, that we were going to live in a faraway land that was warm and colourful – ‘an earthly paradise’.
There is a lot of history and harrowing facts woven into this story too. Not to mention the smallest detail with a huge impact -
"Jasmine and my mother were always cleaning because in the tropics, mould and mildew would take hold very quickly….Every week we had to disinfect the floor or the insects would move in”
However there are moments of childhood wonder – which gives a wider picture of the amazing life on the island before the trouble started -
"My earliest memory is of the little Tjik tjaks, dainty beige lizards that used to run along our living room walls.They were caled Tjik-tjaks because that’s the noise they made."
Booktrail recommended!
Isabel Wolff will make you cry-in a good way I hasten to add but this is a very poignant and moving account of life in a Java internment camp and it doesn’t make for very easy reading sometimes. There are real moral dilemmas, heartbreaking decisions and two remarkable women telling their stories.
The dual time line is ideal for the telling of this story – two parallel stories of a two women who have suffered hurt and loss. The ghostwriter certainly had a tough job and this book gave me new respect for what these writers actually do.
The relationship between Jenni the writer and Klara who is elderly and has decided to share secrets that she has only decided to share now. I could only imagine how this must have been a strange and moving experience for both women in different ways. Having said that the difficulties Jenni had when travelling to Cornwall and facing up to her own issues is also well explored.
However it is Klara’s story that is of course the main focus and for me the most harrowing and hard to read story that evoked so many emotions – very realistic and very hard to accept that it happened. There is so much emotion wrapped up in these scenes that you feel as if you are imposing on someone’s grief – but Klara is telling you the story that she wants to tell, has to tell and I for one felt privileged that she had seemingly chosen me to tell it.
The relationship between the two women and the end of the story – well I won’t spoil anything but this definitely had an effect which lingered.
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For pictures and a map of locations please follow the booktrail here Ghostwritten the booktrail
The novel has a remarkable sense of place, since the place is as much a character here as anything else. From the peace and calm of Polvarth in Cornwall – based on Rosevine – and transports you right to the heart of the tropical heat of Java. The blistering heat, ‘mountains swathed in jungle’ and the dangers….
Klara remembers how her mother first described it to her, to try and make her feel at home -
My mother told me, before we left Holland, that we were going to live in a faraway land that was warm and colourful – ‘an earthly paradise’.
There is a lot of history and harrowing facts woven into this story too. Not to mention the smallest detail with a huge impact -
"Jasmine and my mother were always cleaning because in the tropics, mould and mildew would take hold very quickly….Every week we had to disinfect the floor or the insects would move in”
However there are moments of childhood wonder – which gives a wider picture of the amazing life on the island before the trouble started -
"My earliest memory is of the little Tjik tjaks, dainty beige lizards that used to run along our living room walls.They were caled Tjik-tjaks because that’s the noise they made."
Booktrail recommended!
Isabel Wolff will make you cry-in a good way I hasten to add but this is a very poignant and moving account of life in a Java internment camp and it doesn’t make for very easy reading sometimes. There are real moral dilemmas, heartbreaking decisions and two remarkable women telling their stories.
The dual time line is ideal for the telling of this story – two parallel stories of a two women who have suffered hurt and loss. The ghostwriter certainly had a tough job and this book gave me new respect for what these writers actually do.
The relationship between Jenni the writer and Klara who is elderly and has decided to share secrets that she has only decided to share now. I could only imagine how this must have been a strange and moving experience for both women in different ways. Having said that the difficulties Jenni had when travelling to Cornwall and facing up to her own issues is also well explored.
However it is Klara’s story that is of course the main focus and for me the most harrowing and hard to read story that evoked so many emotions – very realistic and very hard to accept that it happened. There is so much emotion wrapped up in these scenes that you feel as if you are imposing on someone’s grief – but Klara is telling you the story that she wants to tell, has to tell and I for one felt privileged that she had seemingly chosen me to tell it.
The relationship between the two women and the end of the story – well I won’t spoil anything but this definitely had an effect which lingered.
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marinazala's review
4.0
** Books 227 - 2015 **
This books to accomplish New Author Reading Challenge 2015 and Booktubeathon 10
3,5 of 5 stars!
Klara and Jenni are thrown together by a twist of fate. Jenni works as ghostwriter who writes other people's memoir and Klara is an old women who had being interned in a camp on Java when the Japanese Occupation. Klara and Jenni are help each other to move on from ghost of their past.. Can they make it together?
Haha.. okay actually i've randomly picked up this books in Periplus booth sale and when i saw the blurb is OMG my country is included and being explained in this books. okay i will try to read this one since i also love Historical fiction books.
After i read this books, I really going through into Klara's world when she became an prisoner in japan concentration camp in Indonesia. I really adore the writer since the books is so well-written and i can put myself into klara's shoes. I have read non fiction books about a woman who survives in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation, Lise Kristensen told her true story in [b:The Little Captive|24661921|The Little Captive|Lise Kristensen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427684568s/24661921.jpg|44275962]. I love in Ghostwritten every single detail being told very precisely.
I just wanna give some applause to Mrs. Isabel Wolff since she is an british Writer but she can really explore more about Japan occupation in Indonesia. there are 12 books became her resources and i know it uneasy task to memorizes and write down into became a new story.
Thank you to writes about my country, Indonesia. I hope there will be another author will writes about another perspectives of my country. :)
BOOKTUBEATHON 10 CHALLENGES:
Day 1 - Read a book with blue on the cover (DONE)
[b:Ghostwritten|20910086|Ghostwritten|Isabel Wolff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393343788s/20910086.jpg|26564187] by Isabel Wolff
Day 2 - Read a book by an Author who shares the same first letter of your last name (DONE)
[b:The Great Gatsby|4671|The Great Gatsby|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438728255s/4671.jpg|245494] by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Day 3 - Read someone else's favorite books (DONE)
[b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234] by Lois Lowry
Day 4 - Read the last book you acquired
[b:Calico Joe|13078402|Calico Joe|John Grisham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380213631s/13078402.jpg|18245549] by John Grisham (DONE)
Day 5 - Finish a book without letting go of it (DONE)
[b:Hatta: Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman|9368029|Hatta Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman|Tim Buku TEMPO|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1285249710s/9368029.jpg|14251553] by Tim Buku Tempo
Day 6 - Read a book you really want to read (DONE)
[b:Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika|25603546|Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika|Stanley Harsha|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432636829s/25603546.jpg|45412438] by Stanley Harsha
Day 7 - Read seven books (DONE)
[b:Ghostwritten|20910086|Ghostwritten|Isabel Wolff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393343788s/20910086.jpg|26564187],[b:The Great Gatsby|4671|The Great Gatsby|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438728255s/4671.jpg|245494],[b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234], [b:Unravel Me|13104080|Unravel Me (Shatter Me, #2)|Tahereh Mafi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340287622s/13104080.jpg|18276967], [b:The Queen of the Tearling|18712886|The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)|Erika Johansen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417685148s/18712886.jpg|24267689], [b:Hatta: Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman|9368029|Hatta Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman|Tim Buku TEMPO|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1285249710s/9368029.jpg|14251553], [b:Calico Joe|13078402|Calico Joe|John Grisham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380213631s/13078402.jpg|18245549], [b:Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika|25603546|Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika|Stanley Harsha|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432636829s/25603546.jpg|45412438]
This books to accomplish New Author Reading Challenge 2015 and Booktubeathon 10
3,5 of 5 stars!
Klara and Jenni are thrown together by a twist of fate. Jenni works as ghostwriter who writes other people's memoir and Klara is an old women who had being interned in a camp on Java when the Japanese Occupation. Klara and Jenni are help each other to move on from ghost of their past.. Can they make it together?
Haha.. okay actually i've randomly picked up this books in Periplus booth sale and when i saw the blurb is OMG my country is included and being explained in this books. okay i will try to read this one since i also love Historical fiction books.
After i read this books, I really going through into Klara's world when she became an prisoner in japan concentration camp in Indonesia. I really adore the writer since the books is so well-written and i can put myself into klara's shoes. I have read non fiction books about a woman who survives in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation, Lise Kristensen told her true story in [b:The Little Captive|24661921|The Little Captive|Lise Kristensen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427684568s/24661921.jpg|44275962]. I love in Ghostwritten every single detail being told very precisely.
I just wanna give some applause to Mrs. Isabel Wolff since she is an british Writer but she can really explore more about Japan occupation in Indonesia. there are 12 books became her resources and i know it uneasy task to memorizes and write down into became a new story.
Thank you to writes about my country, Indonesia. I hope there will be another author will writes about another perspectives of my country. :)
BOOKTUBEATHON 10 CHALLENGES:
Day 1 - Read a book with blue on the cover (DONE)
[b:Ghostwritten|20910086|Ghostwritten|Isabel Wolff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393343788s/20910086.jpg|26564187] by Isabel Wolff
Day 2 - Read a book by an Author who shares the same first letter of your last name (DONE)
[b:The Great Gatsby|4671|The Great Gatsby|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438728255s/4671.jpg|245494] by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Day 3 - Read someone else's favorite books (DONE)
[b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234] by Lois Lowry
Day 4 - Read the last book you acquired
[b:Calico Joe|13078402|Calico Joe|John Grisham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380213631s/13078402.jpg|18245549] by John Grisham (DONE)
Day 5 - Finish a book without letting go of it (DONE)
[b:Hatta: Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman|9368029|Hatta Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman|Tim Buku TEMPO|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1285249710s/9368029.jpg|14251553] by Tim Buku Tempo
Day 6 - Read a book you really want to read (DONE)
[b:Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika|25603546|Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika|Stanley Harsha|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432636829s/25603546.jpg|45412438] by Stanley Harsha
Day 7 - Read seven books (DONE)
[b:Ghostwritten|20910086|Ghostwritten|Isabel Wolff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393343788s/20910086.jpg|26564187],[b:The Great Gatsby|4671|The Great Gatsby|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438728255s/4671.jpg|245494],[b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234], [b:Unravel Me|13104080|Unravel Me (Shatter Me, #2)|Tahereh Mafi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340287622s/13104080.jpg|18276967], [b:The Queen of the Tearling|18712886|The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)|Erika Johansen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417685148s/18712886.jpg|24267689], [b:Hatta: Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman|9368029|Hatta Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman|Tim Buku TEMPO|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1285249710s/9368029.jpg|14251553], [b:Calico Joe|13078402|Calico Joe|John Grisham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380213631s/13078402.jpg|18245549], [b:Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika|25603546|Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika|Stanley Harsha|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432636829s/25603546.jpg|45412438]
woolandbooks's review
4.0
Haunting and painful. The themes of responsibility and regret, and the pain of love set against the background of the vicious reality of a WWII internment camp in (then) Java is well done.
norma_cenva's review against another edition
3.0
I honestly would love to have half-stars for books like this. I think you were in this situation before as well, its not really a three starer but not a four starer neither...
I did like the story a lot, very well done research, believable characters, a lot of thought provoking details and a well done book journey all in all.
But then again there were minor minuses as well. I was forced to skip some parts of the book, for me it's a personal decision, and just confirms that the historically based writing was done with great care and love to detail, but as a reader, by doing so I lost the story in some way, may be just may be if thous segments would've been shorted but more frequent, the reading story for me would've been different.
So, if you don't have any problems with going through all of the cruelty of WWII, you probably would benefit immensely from this lovely story, if by any chance WWII theme when written with care and realism can be a personal and/or depressing topic for you, just take precautions when you read.
Story was finished up nicely, on both sides, and the interview with the author in the end of the book was a bonus!
I did like the story a lot, very well done research, believable characters, a lot of thought provoking details and a well done book journey all in all.
But then again there were minor minuses as well. I was forced to skip some parts of the book, for me it's a personal decision, and just confirms that the historically based writing was done with great care and love to detail, but as a reader, by doing so I lost the story in some way, may be just may be if thous segments would've been shorted but more frequent, the reading story for me would've been different.
So, if you don't have any problems with going through all of the cruelty of WWII, you probably would benefit immensely from this lovely story, if by any chance WWII theme when written with care and realism can be a personal and/or depressing topic for you, just take precautions when you read.
Story was finished up nicely, on both sides, and the interview with the author in the end of the book was a bonus!
bookish_wanderer's review
4.0
First read giveaway
Very interesting story, well researched. The plot involving Jenny was a little too obvious but I really liked Klara's story. I learned a little about what the Japanese did in the Pacific during WWII, through [b:Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption|8664353|Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption|Laura Hillenbrand|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327861115s/8664353.jpg|12946965], a few documentaries and most recently "Railway Man". But I didn't know anything about Java's story. Aside historical facts, this was also a great story about love, grief and acceptance. Heartbreaking, but great overall.
Very interesting story, well researched. The plot involving Jenny was a little too obvious but I really liked Klara's story. I learned a little about what the Japanese did in the Pacific during WWII, through [b:Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption|8664353|Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption|Laura Hillenbrand|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327861115s/8664353.jpg|12946965], a few documentaries and most recently "Railway Man". But I didn't know anything about Java's story. Aside historical facts, this was also a great story about love, grief and acceptance. Heartbreaking, but great overall.
readbyashleyd's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, a deeply moving read. A truy captivating story, absolutely loved it!
nanajo's review
4.0
The love story was sweet but I found it predictable and was generally indifferent to it. But, and it's a big but, I was fascinated by Klara's story of survival in the Indonesian internment camps. My father was a young British seaman on a British warship that transported survivors of these internment camps. The horror of seeing these women and children is something he has never spoken of. It is a special talent to be able to write of such horrendous cruelty in a manner that the sensitive reader can read.