turrean's review against another edition
3.0
sjgochenour's review against another edition
4.0
melwyk's review against another edition
3.0
bgstrong's review against another edition
3.0
I also liked (most) of the romance between Pat and Ruth and it was refreshing to see a romance between older adults.
But the dated parts were soooooo dated that I have a hard time ranking this more than 3 stars.
b0okcupidity's review against another edition
3.0
I'm sort of at a loss as to what to say. I don't have any deep feelings regarding the book other than I liked it fine. I was a completely horrible, awful buddy read participant. I started this yesterday afternoon and was so afraid of getting spoiled on any of it that I steered clear of all discussion. It was also such a breeze to read that I just pushed through full throttle to the finish. Perhaps if I were more in-tuned to everyone's thought's, I would have cultivated a couple of my own. ;)
As a ghost story, I thought it was well-written and eerily creepy. I particularly liked how all of my imaginings of the house, the events, the garden, all took on that particular color of daylight that early winter has - a sort of golden color that goes bluish once the sun sets. So many little things that could easily be overlooked, such attention to detail - from the papered walls to the laid out silver to the wind and overgrown garden - really pulled a time gone by forward to set a perfect stage.
*SPOILER* *SPOILER**SPOILER**SPOILER**SPOILER**SPOILER*
When it came to the characters and the mystery itself, I only had one small complaint - I really hate it when the reader sees the clear path while the characters are still dithering. It seemed obvious to me what would happen to Pat, from the first 'heart attack' moment when he clearly felt it more deeply. The thought to break down the cellar door took the long way around.
At the same time to give credit, I thought the bit about the bible working against the ghost rather than the crucifix due to Douglass' protestant belief to be rather clever.
There was some blatant social commentary about the 60's that I only really grasped because it was so obvious. That and my viewing of Hell House not a few days earlier had me grinning at some idiosyncrasies familiar to the time period - ectoplasm from the hands and the use of hypnosis in particular. Still, I'm sure I missed loads.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and am happy it was chosen as a buddy read as I'm not sure I would have discovered it myself otherwise.
jellicle's review against another edition
5.0
bookhero6's review against another edition
4.0
paperbackstash's review against another edition
3.0
The ghost story is solid, although I'm only rating it a three stars for overall enjoyment.
Ammie, Come Home is one of Barbara Michael's most liked and popular ghost mysteries. Ruth lives in a historical home in Georgetown, and has never been bothered by hauntings...until now, that is. The reasons for the hauntings showing up now rather than earlier is part of the mystery.
It's refreshing that Michaels doesn't only stick to young, perky characters to lead her books. Ruth is a forty-something year old woman with a bad divorce in her history, and the male lead is a fifty-year old something wearied teacher. Together they make a unique couple, and I think that Michaels put in some of the anticipation of romance/relationships more convincingly than some of her other stuff. Usually she doesn't have any making out type scenes, but she inched towards that line this time.
Her niece and boyfriend bring forth interesting complimentary characters - as is a usual trope with Michaels, you have two skeptics arguing, one young and more open minded with views, one older and a bit condescending of the other younger generation. Even if she uses this stereotypical pairing often, it always works as a good sounding board and a way to bring in different tensions for the haunting.
The supernatural element is high and I enjoyed the history and background for the 'ghosts', as well as the solving. Fans of hauntings and the paranormal should get a kick out of the story, although be warned this isn't meant to be horror-toned at all. Rich in atmosphere - both old day and new - Michaels weaves a potent spell of feeling the scenes when the ghosts appear and understanding the background of the haunting.
I think it's a little lackluster because it seems to be missing some of the urgency of some of her other novels, so pacing lags a bit. Also, while I always loved Michaels unique writing voice, here the sedateness of her tone is emphasized by story-line.
onthe_shore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5