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Ghostwritten
She listens to everyone else's story, but can she find her own?
Jenni is 'ghost' writing the lives of other people. It's a job that suits her well - still haunted by a childhood tragedy, she finds it easier to take refuge in the memories of others rather than dwell on her own.
Klara was a child in the Second World War, interned in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation. She has never spoken of her experiences there, but as she turns eighty, she knows that the time has come to share her extraordinary story of survival.
As Jenni helps Klara to shed light on her childhood, and a neglected part of world history, she is forced to explore her own past, too. Can Jenni and Klara help each other to lay the ghosts of their pasts to rest?
Gripping, poignant and beautifully researched, Ghostwritten is a story of survival and love, of memory and hope.
Jenni is 'ghost' writing the lives of other people. It's a job that suits her well - still haunted by a childhood tragedy, she finds it easier to take refuge in the memories of others rather than dwell on her own.
Klara was a child in the Second World War, interned in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation. She has never spoken of her experiences there, but as she turns eighty, she knows that the time has come to share her extraordinary story of survival.
As Jenni helps Klara to shed light on her childhood, and a neglected part of world history, she is forced to explore her own past, too. Can Jenni and Klara help each other to lay the ghosts of their pasts to rest?
Gripping, poignant and beautifully researched, Ghostwritten is a story of survival and love, of memory and hope.
374 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 2014
65 people are currently reading
2372 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Wolff
36 books632 followersIsabel Wolff's ten bestselling novels are published worldwide. 'Ghostwritten', set in present day Cornwall and on wartime Java, was published in the UK in March 2014 and will be published in the US in February 2015 as 'Shadows Over Paradise'. 'The Very Picture of You' was published in the UK and the US in October 2011. 'A Vintage Affair', was an Amazon.co.uk 'Best of 2009' title and was shortlisted by the American Library Assocation for their Reading List awards (Women's Fiction). Isabel lives in west London with her family. Visit her 'Isabel Wolff Author' Page on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @IsabelWolff or visit her website, IsabelWolff.com. Thank you...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 231 reviews
May 2, 2019
This is a very interesting and moving novel of two different stories intertwining through a twist of fate. It includes themes of survival, guilt, recollections, love, and hope. Wolff is a gifted storyteller and researcher as she describes Java (now Indonesia) and the Dutch/English women and children in the POW camps. Great read if you like historical fiction novels with dual timelines like The Baker 's Daughter, The Secret Keeper, and The Bungalow.
December 1, 2021
Jenni is a ghostwriter haunted by a tragedy in her past. She and Rick, her partner, are experiencing a relationship crisis over disagreement about whether or not to have children. They attend a wedding, where Jenni finds out about an opportunity to ghost-write a memoir for the mother of one of the wedding guests. She decides to take the commission, which brings her to the location of her past tragedy.
Her subject, Klara, was interned by the Japanese in Java, Indonesia (then called Dutch East Indies), during WWII. Klara and her family experience tremendous suffering. Through interviews, Jenni serves as a sympathetic listener, as Klara gradually discloses memories she has never discussed with her family. In talking through their mutual tragedies, they find a measure of solace.
Klara’s story serves as the primary focus of the narrative, and it is set in Java. Jenni’s backstory is discussed during breaks in the interviews. The book is obviously well-researched. The fictional Klara is based on historic truth and the sources are included in a bibliography at the end.
It is multi-layered and well-crafted. The author has done a great job with the intertwined stories. We gradually learn more about the people and what happened to them. I found myself engrossed in the story and looked forward to picking it up.
I often tell people that there are so many lesser-known stories of WWII, and this is an example. We get a grounding in what was going on in Indonesia at the time – the Dutch colonial residents, the landscapes, the local people, the racial prejudices, the Japanese occupation, the transports, the aftermath leading to Indonesian independence, and all of it told through an emotional story of one family. Add to that the sympathetic character of the ghostwriter, and it is just a wonderful reading experience.
It reminds me a bit of The Garden of Evening Mists, which is set in Malaysia during the Japanese occupation and is another book I highly recommend.
Her subject, Klara, was interned by the Japanese in Java, Indonesia (then called Dutch East Indies), during WWII. Klara and her family experience tremendous suffering. Through interviews, Jenni serves as a sympathetic listener, as Klara gradually discloses memories she has never discussed with her family. In talking through their mutual tragedies, they find a measure of solace.
Klara’s story serves as the primary focus of the narrative, and it is set in Java. Jenni’s backstory is discussed during breaks in the interviews. The book is obviously well-researched. The fictional Klara is based on historic truth and the sources are included in a bibliography at the end.
It is multi-layered and well-crafted. The author has done a great job with the intertwined stories. We gradually learn more about the people and what happened to them. I found myself engrossed in the story and looked forward to picking it up.
I often tell people that there are so many lesser-known stories of WWII, and this is an example. We get a grounding in what was going on in Indonesia at the time – the Dutch colonial residents, the landscapes, the local people, the racial prejudices, the Japanese occupation, the transports, the aftermath leading to Indonesian independence, and all of it told through an emotional story of one family. Add to that the sympathetic character of the ghostwriter, and it is just a wonderful reading experience.
It reminds me a bit of The Garden of Evening Mists, which is set in Malaysia during the Japanese occupation and is another book I highly recommend.
July 14, 2017
‘This was Polvarth, a place I’d vowed never to return to, yet which I saw, in my mind, every day.
It was my idea.
I closed my eyes as the memories rushed back.
We did it all by ourselves.’
Jenni Clark is a ghostwriter that takes the ghosts of a person's past and molds them into a story. Her most recent commission is Klara, a woman that survived after being confined as a child in a camp in the midst of World War II. Klara currently resides in a town called Polvarth, a town that Jenni spent time there and where the ghosts of her own past currently reside. The opportunity presented to her in this job though is enough to make her willing to finally face those ghosts after all these years.
Jenni has run into trouble in her relationship with Rick; he wants to have children and she does not. The two agree that maybe this trip to Polvarth will give each of them a chance to reflect on their lives together and hopefully help them to work things out. The issue behind her refusal to have children stems from a childhood incident that she’s never told him or anyone for that matter. The tragedy is one she blames herself for and it isn’t until Klara shares her own story does she realize how similar the two are, and how both women need to find it in their hearts to finally forgive themselves in order to truly move on. Jenni’s story may have been mostly a side-story but it was still a vital piece of the whole story that was interwoven and resolved beautifully.
Stories about World War II, especially when they are centered around a concentration camp, are some of the hardest stories for me to read yet I’m completely incapable of passing one up. They are typically all stories about general devastation but Klara’s story adds a piece of history to WWII that I didn’t previously know much about concerning the Japanese invasion of the Dutch colony of Java where Klara grew up. The natives of the island were left in peace but any and all European residents of the island were forced into concentration camps. Her story details being separated from family, the incessant degradation, the back-breaking work, the hunger, the sickness, and inevitably the death. They were constantly forced to travel on foot to new camps which were generally worse than the camp they left behind. Even after the war was finally over and they were no longer being held against their will in the camps, they were forced to stay when the natives wished to cause them harm for what happened to their country at the hands of the Japanese. It was of course incredibly painful to read but Shadows Over Paradise did a brilliant job at bringing this unforgettable time in history to life.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
It was my idea.
I closed my eyes as the memories rushed back.
We did it all by ourselves.’
Jenni Clark is a ghostwriter that takes the ghosts of a person's past and molds them into a story. Her most recent commission is Klara, a woman that survived after being confined as a child in a camp in the midst of World War II. Klara currently resides in a town called Polvarth, a town that Jenni spent time there and where the ghosts of her own past currently reside. The opportunity presented to her in this job though is enough to make her willing to finally face those ghosts after all these years.
Jenni has run into trouble in her relationship with Rick; he wants to have children and she does not. The two agree that maybe this trip to Polvarth will give each of them a chance to reflect on their lives together and hopefully help them to work things out. The issue behind her refusal to have children stems from a childhood incident that she’s never told him or anyone for that matter. The tragedy is one she blames herself for and it isn’t until Klara shares her own story does she realize how similar the two are, and how both women need to find it in their hearts to finally forgive themselves in order to truly move on. Jenni’s story may have been mostly a side-story but it was still a vital piece of the whole story that was interwoven and resolved beautifully.
Stories about World War II, especially when they are centered around a concentration camp, are some of the hardest stories for me to read yet I’m completely incapable of passing one up. They are typically all stories about general devastation but Klara’s story adds a piece of history to WWII that I didn’t previously know much about concerning the Japanese invasion of the Dutch colony of Java where Klara grew up. The natives of the island were left in peace but any and all European residents of the island were forced into concentration camps. Her story details being separated from family, the incessant degradation, the back-breaking work, the hunger, the sickness, and inevitably the death. They were constantly forced to travel on foot to new camps which were generally worse than the camp they left behind. Even after the war was finally over and they were no longer being held against their will in the camps, they were forced to stay when the natives wished to cause them harm for what happened to their country at the hands of the Japanese. It was of course incredibly painful to read but Shadows Over Paradise did a brilliant job at bringing this unforgettable time in history to life.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
April 12, 2014
The story begins with a prologue from 1987 before the story starts in the present time, where two small children, Evie and Ted are playing on a beach. From this, is it is clear that something terrible has happened, although nothing is actually confirmed.
In the present day we meet Jenni, a ghostwriter. Jenni’s relationship with her boyfriend Rick is in trouble and after a chance introduction at a wedding, Jenni accepts a commission to ghostwrite the memoirs of an elderly lady, Klara. The only problem is she has to travel to a place that she has tried desperately to avoid all these years, Polvarth in Cornwall.
Once Jenni meets Klara and gains her trust, Klara’s memories of her young life spent in the Japanese internment camps during the war years start to spill out. These memories are hard for Klara to share, she has never spoken of them before and they are so painful to remember. However as Jenni becomes more involved in transcribing Klara’s words, it is clear that the two women have more in common than they might at first have thought and it is just possible that they might be able to help each other to come to terms with past events.
I’ve read and enjoyed books by Isabel Wolff in the past but this dual time frame story was something a little different. I read it over a few days and was completely engrossed in the story. Often with time slip novels, I find one era more interesting than another and it was the case here. Whilst Jenni was a likeable enough character, it was Klara’s story that I found the most compelling. Klara was a very strong character and the memories of her time in the internment camps in Java made for harrowing reading. I have read previous books about the Japanese prison camps and of course many years ago there was a TV series called “Tenko” (which means ‘roll-call’ by the way - I didn’t know this) but the needless cruelty shown by the Japanese soldiers still makes for difficult reading. Klara’s memories of the torture, deprivation and starvation suffered by the women were very powerful – you had to be very strong, both physically and mentally to survive.
Isabel Wolff has written a wonderfully well researched novel which is not only very interesting to read but also extremely moving and poignant. Excellent characterisation and a sense of place made this a 5* read for me. I loved it and would certainly recommend it.
In the present day we meet Jenni, a ghostwriter. Jenni’s relationship with her boyfriend Rick is in trouble and after a chance introduction at a wedding, Jenni accepts a commission to ghostwrite the memoirs of an elderly lady, Klara. The only problem is she has to travel to a place that she has tried desperately to avoid all these years, Polvarth in Cornwall.
Once Jenni meets Klara and gains her trust, Klara’s memories of her young life spent in the Japanese internment camps during the war years start to spill out. These memories are hard for Klara to share, she has never spoken of them before and they are so painful to remember. However as Jenni becomes more involved in transcribing Klara’s words, it is clear that the two women have more in common than they might at first have thought and it is just possible that they might be able to help each other to come to terms with past events.
I’ve read and enjoyed books by Isabel Wolff in the past but this dual time frame story was something a little different. I read it over a few days and was completely engrossed in the story. Often with time slip novels, I find one era more interesting than another and it was the case here. Whilst Jenni was a likeable enough character, it was Klara’s story that I found the most compelling. Klara was a very strong character and the memories of her time in the internment camps in Java made for harrowing reading. I have read previous books about the Japanese prison camps and of course many years ago there was a TV series called “Tenko” (which means ‘roll-call’ by the way - I didn’t know this) but the needless cruelty shown by the Japanese soldiers still makes for difficult reading. Klara’s memories of the torture, deprivation and starvation suffered by the women were very powerful – you had to be very strong, both physically and mentally to survive.
Isabel Wolff has written a wonderfully well researched novel which is not only very interesting to read but also extremely moving and poignant. Excellent characterisation and a sense of place made this a 5* read for me. I loved it and would certainly recommend it.
April 10, 2014
I really enjoyed this book:) although i did have to stop reading and start again because it kept on making me cry. I couldn't stop thinking about this book for quite a while after I stopped reading it. It made feel very grateful for what I have and that hopefully our generation will never have to go through that.
December 30, 2014
Also posted on This Chick Reads
*Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review*
I'm so ashamed to admit that this is the first book by Isabel Wolff I have read. I simply can not believe it took me so long to find out about her books, but boy..am I grateful to twitter and all my friends' recommendations. However, right after reading 'Ghostwritten' I got two more of Ms Wolff's books because that's just how much I love her writing style and how much I LOVED this book. Sometimes, all it takes is just one book for an author to become an auto-buy for me, however this particular book has to blow me away! 'Ghostwritten' sure blew me away, completely!
Utterly brilliant, fantastically written, well researched, 'Ghostwritten' is a true masterpiece. The subject is pretty heavy, it goes back and forth in time, following two stories. The complexity of the story and the many layers a reader needs to peel to find out the truth about the characters, left me absolutely speechless. Jenni, the MC is someone I got so strongly attached. I remember having such a major book hangover when I finished reading this book. Simply put, it's THAT AMAZING.
Jenni is a ghost writer, having her own insecurities but with a reason. It takes us a while to understand the real reasons why she's so insecure and why she's not a 'proper' author. She ghost writes biographies, and is given the opportunity to write Klara's story. However, she doesn't jump at the opportunity since she has to go back to a place where some of her greatest secrets are buried. After much persuasion she decides to take the job, however she has to fight her own demons. Learning the painful story and the horror Klara went through in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation, makes her open up before this lovely lady and true survivor and start telling her own painful story.
Wow! Indeed wow! I remember that right after reading the blurb I said to myself to get prepared for an emotional roller coaster. However, I was definitely NOT prepared for this story. Don't get me wrong, I loved it to bits, I love everything about it, from the story, to the characters, even the cover which suits the story brilliantly. But I wasn't prepared for it to be so emotional! I cried and cried, and then cried some more. Ms Wolff knows her characters so well, the descriptions of the camps were so vivid I honestly felt like some mad soldier was gonna show up behind my back telling me to move and kicking me in the head. Honestly, everything felt like watching a movie and so so REAL!
Klara and Jenni are wonderful characters, and their stories and courage make them true heroines for me. The more I think about this book, the more I fear I won't do it justice with my review. It's not just because I loved it so so sooo much, but because there are so many layers to this story, I honestly don't know how to fully describe it's brilliance. I can only imagine how long it took Ms Wolff to research this story, there are so many places, camps, people mentioned and everything in this story simply flows. It's literally flawless, from any perspective and will definitely stay with you long after you read it.
Perfect read for anyone, especially fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley and Diane Chamberlain...which again, means perfect for everyone. Highly recommended! 10/10
March 13, 2018
Review to come.
December 11, 2014
This is a beautiful and moving story about a part of WWII history I was not familiar with - Dutch and English women in Indonesian POW camps. As the author says at the end of the book, "What these women endured is not widely known."
I loved the relationship between Klara and Jenni. As Klara's story unfolded, Jenni started to view her own personal tragedy in a different way and they helped each other.
The first chapter was slow and heavy on dialog--I wondered if I was going to like the book. The relationships between Jenni and her boyfriend/friends seemed weak, but they aren't the focus of the book. Once Jenni started talking to Klara, I was hooked.
I loved the relationship between Klara and Jenni. As Klara's story unfolded, Jenni started to view her own personal tragedy in a different way and they helped each other.
The first chapter was slow and heavy on dialog--I wondered if I was going to like the book. The relationships between Jenni and her boyfriend/friends seemed weak, but they aren't the focus of the book. Once Jenni started talking to Klara, I was hooked.
Read
October 26, 2016DNF at the 10% mark. I know, I know, not very far in, but the choppy writing is getting to me. I can't. It's dull. I'm sorry. Maybe it's just me. My time is limited. I have better ways to spend it.
I'm going to forgo rating this one since I didn't finish it and after reading some of the reviews, I think that maybe it really is just me...
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
I'm going to forgo rating this one since I didn't finish it and after reading some of the reviews, I think that maybe it really is just me...
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
June 8, 2015
Plume fantôme signe donc le retour d’Isabel Wolff avec un roman contemporain très émouvant sur le passé et la culpabilité des souvenirs, mais aussi sur les réalités d’une seconde guerre mondiale que l’on connait bien souvent trop mal.
Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
March 21, 2014
As a ghostwriter, Jenni's job involves writing books for people who are unable or unwilling to do the writing themselves. Many of her projects include celebrity biographies and self-help guides, but some of her clients are ordinary people with extraordinary tales to tell. At a friend's wedding she is introduced to a man who tells her about his mother, Klara, a Dutch woman who survived the Japanese internment camps in Java during World War II. Klara has said very little to her family about her wartime experiences, but as she approaches her eightieth birthday she has decided that the time has come for her story to be told. Intrigued, Jenni agrees to visit Klara at her home in Cornwall and help to put her memories down on paper.
The only problem with this new project is that the little Cornish town of Polvarth where Klara lives is a place that holds traumatic memories for Jenni, but although she is not very happy about returning to Polvarth, the temptation of hearing Klara's story is impossible to resist. After meeting Klara and listening to her talk about her childhood, her family's rubber plantation in Java, and the unimaginable horrors of the internment camps, Jenni is both moved and inspired. She has been going through a difficult time with her boyfriend, Rick (he wants children and she doesn't), and she is still haunted by her own tragic past – but being with Klara gives her the strength to start facing up to her problems.
I enjoyed Ghostwritten and while I was initially drawn to it because of the Java storyline, I thought the balance of the contemporary and the historical was just right. I did prefer Klara's storyline to Jenni's, but ghostwriting sounds like an interesting career and I loved reading about Jenni's work. I was also curious to find out more about the secret Jenni had spent her whole life trying to hide and her connection with a little girl called Evie who visited Polvarth years earlier in 1987.
Klara's story, though, was fascinating, especially as I knew very little about Japanese internment camps and what conditions were like for people in Java during the war. As you would expect, some of Klara's tales of the suffering she and the other prisoners experienced are quite upsetting to read. There are descriptions of what it was like being packed onto an overcrowded train for twenty-eight hours to be transported from one camp to another, living crammed into a house with up to one hundred other women and children, being made to stand outside in the relentless heat of the sun for hours with no shelter and nothing to drink, and worst of all finding yourself separated from a parent, a spouse or a child with no idea where they are and whether they are alive or dead.
I've never read anything by Isabel Wolff before, but looking at her previous work it seems that this book is a bit different from her others. I was so impressed by it. It's not just a book about ghostwriting or Japanese internment camps, but also a book about friendship and love, about learning to forgive and to move on with life.
The only problem with this new project is that the little Cornish town of Polvarth where Klara lives is a place that holds traumatic memories for Jenni, but although she is not very happy about returning to Polvarth, the temptation of hearing Klara's story is impossible to resist. After meeting Klara and listening to her talk about her childhood, her family's rubber plantation in Java, and the unimaginable horrors of the internment camps, Jenni is both moved and inspired. She has been going through a difficult time with her boyfriend, Rick (he wants children and she doesn't), and she is still haunted by her own tragic past – but being with Klara gives her the strength to start facing up to her problems.
I enjoyed Ghostwritten and while I was initially drawn to it because of the Java storyline, I thought the balance of the contemporary and the historical was just right. I did prefer Klara's storyline to Jenni's, but ghostwriting sounds like an interesting career and I loved reading about Jenni's work. I was also curious to find out more about the secret Jenni had spent her whole life trying to hide and her connection with a little girl called Evie who visited Polvarth years earlier in 1987.
Klara's story, though, was fascinating, especially as I knew very little about Japanese internment camps and what conditions were like for people in Java during the war. As you would expect, some of Klara's tales of the suffering she and the other prisoners experienced are quite upsetting to read. There are descriptions of what it was like being packed onto an overcrowded train for twenty-eight hours to be transported from one camp to another, living crammed into a house with up to one hundred other women and children, being made to stand outside in the relentless heat of the sun for hours with no shelter and nothing to drink, and worst of all finding yourself separated from a parent, a spouse or a child with no idea where they are and whether they are alive or dead.
I've never read anything by Isabel Wolff before, but looking at her previous work it seems that this book is a bit different from her others. I was so impressed by it. It's not just a book about ghostwriting or Japanese internment camps, but also a book about friendship and love, about learning to forgive and to move on with life.
January 11, 2015
Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff.
Ghostwritten is a powerful and evocative book.
As the story unfolds the reader is plunged into an ever changing world where the old rules no longer apply and fear of the unknown becomes the norm.
Two people, two time periods, are interwoven throughout, with a common bond that unites them.
With characters that leap off the pages and straight into the heart, we share their journey and marvel at their strength, and their amazing resilience.
This is not a frivolous beach read but rather a book that transports the reader into the lives of the characters within the pages and resonates deeply. We are exposed to the depths of human suffering, where worlds’ are torn apart and depravity is a common bedfellow.
It is the strength and endurance of the human soul to overcome extreme adversity and suffering particularly in the name of love, that shines through and stays with the reader (me) long after the last page has been turned.
A thought provoking and memorable piece of fiction, bravo…
Ghostwritten is a powerful and evocative book.
As the story unfolds the reader is plunged into an ever changing world where the old rules no longer apply and fear of the unknown becomes the norm.
Two people, two time periods, are interwoven throughout, with a common bond that unites them.
With characters that leap off the pages and straight into the heart, we share their journey and marvel at their strength, and their amazing resilience.
This is not a frivolous beach read but rather a book that transports the reader into the lives of the characters within the pages and resonates deeply. We are exposed to the depths of human suffering, where worlds’ are torn apart and depravity is a common bedfellow.
It is the strength and endurance of the human soul to overcome extreme adversity and suffering particularly in the name of love, that shines through and stays with the reader (me) long after the last page has been turned.
A thought provoking and memorable piece of fiction, bravo…
July 30, 2016
I have had this book for over a year and I have finally been able to read it. I liked this one. I liked the characters. I liked the story. I liked the flashbacks.
This was about a ghostwriter who is writing the memoir of an elderly woman. I liked the family history preservation story line. I think everyone should do that for their posterity. Even the story of the ghostwriter was creatively woven in. This was a tender story about them both and showed how necessary healing is even when forgiveness was never extended.
This was about a ghostwriter who is writing the memoir of an elderly woman. I liked the family history preservation story line. I think everyone should do that for their posterity. Even the story of the ghostwriter was creatively woven in. This was a tender story about them both and showed how necessary healing is even when forgiveness was never extended.
May 4, 2019
An interesting story, well-told and moving.
April 30, 2014
Isabel Wolff - you made me cry myself to sleep!! What a moving and haunting account of how two women's lives are moulded by tragedy and loss.
I received a copy of this book to review, not knowing a great deal about it apart from the beautiful cover and the blurb above, and am delighted to say it really blew me away. Firstly, it's written in one of my favourite styles - a dual time story where there are 2 parallel stories one in modern day and one in the past which are very closely and cleverly interlinked by the character Jenni, the eponymous ghostwriter (OK the author has something to do with the expertise too)
In fact, its almost a triple time story as we begin it with a short section set around 20 years before the modern day story where children are playing on a beach and one tragedy begins to unfold before our eyes, although the full details are only revealed bit by bit throughout the book.
The parallel storylines are those of Jenni who ghostwrites books for people who have a story to tell, but no skill in writing, she can transcribe other peoples work but has little desire to write or even think about her own experiences and doesn't want her name in lights, she is quite a shy character, somewhat lacking in confidence although she is quite strong in her own way and I warmed to her, gently. She is commissioned to write the memoirs of an elderly lady Klara who has never before told even her own family, fully about her past when as a child she was incarcerated in a prisoner of war camp in Java, now Indonesia.
Jenni has accepted this fascinating commission before she realises that in order to take it she must travel to a small resort in Cornwall where she spent childhood holidays and hoped never to return to. I don't think anyone will accuse me of spoilers to say it is easily apparent that her reticence is in some way connected to the childhood event right at the beginning of the book.
It was with Klara I really connected, possibly because the main story is told in her words and we get more vivid descriptions. Told in the voice of an older woman but in the perspective of a young girl, the beautiful descriptions of life in Java before the occupation and the terrible deprivations in the camps draw you in and are amazingly and deeply realistic and moving, yet with a gentle innocence reminiscent of The Book Thief"The Book Thief" which makes it all the more haunting and harrowing yet never too graphic.
As the relationship between the two women develops as one tells her story and tries to get to know the author to whom she is baring her soul it becomes obvious that there is a kinship between them born of childhood tragedy and little by little the story builds to a rich and rewarding climax.
Readers of previous books by Isabel Wolff will be glad to hear there is just a little hint of romance in the story, but this does really take a back seat to the importance of the story, which deals with some truly harrowing issues sensitively and emotionally.
The joy is in the immaculately researched history this story is enriched with. You live 2 complete lives whilst reading it and if you finish it without shedding a tear or two you're made of harder material than I am.
I received a copy of this book to review, not knowing a great deal about it apart from the beautiful cover and the blurb above, and am delighted to say it really blew me away. Firstly, it's written in one of my favourite styles - a dual time story where there are 2 parallel stories one in modern day and one in the past which are very closely and cleverly interlinked by the character Jenni, the eponymous ghostwriter (OK the author has something to do with the expertise too)
In fact, its almost a triple time story as we begin it with a short section set around 20 years before the modern day story where children are playing on a beach and one tragedy begins to unfold before our eyes, although the full details are only revealed bit by bit throughout the book.
The parallel storylines are those of Jenni who ghostwrites books for people who have a story to tell, but no skill in writing, she can transcribe other peoples work but has little desire to write or even think about her own experiences and doesn't want her name in lights, she is quite a shy character, somewhat lacking in confidence although she is quite strong in her own way and I warmed to her, gently. She is commissioned to write the memoirs of an elderly lady Klara who has never before told even her own family, fully about her past when as a child she was incarcerated in a prisoner of war camp in Java, now Indonesia.
Jenni has accepted this fascinating commission before she realises that in order to take it she must travel to a small resort in Cornwall where she spent childhood holidays and hoped never to return to. I don't think anyone will accuse me of spoilers to say it is easily apparent that her reticence is in some way connected to the childhood event right at the beginning of the book.
It was with Klara I really connected, possibly because the main story is told in her words and we get more vivid descriptions. Told in the voice of an older woman but in the perspective of a young girl, the beautiful descriptions of life in Java before the occupation and the terrible deprivations in the camps draw you in and are amazingly and deeply realistic and moving, yet with a gentle innocence reminiscent of The Book Thief"The Book Thief" which makes it all the more haunting and harrowing yet never too graphic.
As the relationship between the two women develops as one tells her story and tries to get to know the author to whom she is baring her soul it becomes obvious that there is a kinship between them born of childhood tragedy and little by little the story builds to a rich and rewarding climax.
Readers of previous books by Isabel Wolff will be glad to hear there is just a little hint of romance in the story, but this does really take a back seat to the importance of the story, which deals with some truly harrowing issues sensitively and emotionally.
The joy is in the immaculately researched history this story is enriched with. You live 2 complete lives whilst reading it and if you finish it without shedding a tear or two you're made of harder material than I am.
March 5, 2015
"Shadows Over Paradise" is the story of two women affected by their pasts. Jenni is a ghostwriter and while she truly enjoys her job, she seems to use it to hide feelings of childhood trauma that are ever present in her mind. She meets Klara, who was in an internment camp in Java during World War II. Klara suffers from her own memories of childhood trauma. Together as they put together Klara's story, Jenni and Klara will both face their past and come to terms with the idea of forgiveness.
This was a very quick read for me. We see flashbacks of Jenni's childhood right away and it helped to set the tone for the book. I really liked how although Klara and Jenni's childhoods were quite different, the author is able to tie them together in a really interesting way. I fell for both of our main characters hard. The author did a great job of bringing the characters to life. I know that these are characters that I will be thinking about for a long time!
As with most time split books, my heart was really a little more into the historical story. The historical detail really helped to bring Klara's story to life for me. It was fascinating! I don't believe that I had ever read about the internment camps in Java before. The Japanese were incredibly brutal to those in the camps and some parts of this book are a little hard to take because they are so brutal but the details are definitely real and therefore worth reading. Klara and her family are Dutch and had lived in Java for a while It was truly home to them. The Japanese turn all of their feelings of security on its head. Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this book!
This was a very quick read for me. We see flashbacks of Jenni's childhood right away and it helped to set the tone for the book. I really liked how although Klara and Jenni's childhoods were quite different, the author is able to tie them together in a really interesting way. I fell for both of our main characters hard. The author did a great job of bringing the characters to life. I know that these are characters that I will be thinking about for a long time!
As with most time split books, my heart was really a little more into the historical story. The historical detail really helped to bring Klara's story to life for me. It was fascinating! I don't believe that I had ever read about the internment camps in Java before. The Japanese were incredibly brutal to those in the camps and some parts of this book are a little hard to take because they are so brutal but the details are definitely real and therefore worth reading. Klara and her family are Dutch and had lived in Java for a while It was truly home to them. The Japanese turn all of their feelings of security on its head. Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this book!
August 28, 2017
I have read quite a few of Isabel Wolff's books and though it took me a while to get to this latest one, it did not disappoint. The story jumps back and forth in time and points of view, which Wolff tends to do very well. The historical part of the story was my favorite, while the present main character left me a little cold (again, as tends to be the case with her books). The premise of a ghostwiter learning the story of an older woman was clever and well done. The subject of the Japanese Internment camps, was central to the story and it is sad and disturbing that I knew so little about them before, as shocking as they were and the way the people were treated at the time. It's strange and perhaps a relief that we can still be shocked at the depths of human depravity and cruelty, and this was certainly the case in this story. The book was really about Klara for me, and though Jenni's story wasn't boring, I was always particularly interested in the chapters telling the story of the past. I wonder whether Wolff will write historical fiction at some point, since she clearly relishes immersing herself in researching an era, I would definitely read it. Overall, an absorbing, well written story. I'm already looking forward to her next book!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
April 28, 2014
Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff for me was a brilliant read which brought together two women who were both hunted by ghosts of their past. I loved how the author brought Jenni a ghost writer into the life of Klara an elderly woman who spent part of her precious childhood in a Japanese prisoner of war camp - through their time together brought healing and forgiveness for them both. But what was unique about these two women was that forgiveness had to come from themselves which was proving impossible.
The author not only wrote a brilliant work of fiction but brought a horrific time of history into focus and showed what a mother would do to overcome the cruelty of the Japanese not only on themselves but to make sure their child survived another day. If you not only want a book filled with constant emotion but one which will bring you into the lives of two women who had their past lives controlling their future but between their friendship which grew showed the past could stay in the past and let the future take care of itself.
The author not only wrote a brilliant work of fiction but brought a horrific time of history into focus and showed what a mother would do to overcome the cruelty of the Japanese not only on themselves but to make sure their child survived another day. If you not only want a book filled with constant emotion but one which will bring you into the lives of two women who had their past lives controlling their future but between their friendship which grew showed the past could stay in the past and let the future take care of itself.
March 3, 2015
This is a somewhat heartbreaking, but wonderfully descriptive and emotionally engaging novel.
If you are a person who enjoys getting to know your main character and the life they led before you meet them in the current book you are reading, then this will be for you. The author has built a life for her main character that not only seems real, but draws the reader in and lets them feel close.
I love that there are dual stories being told in this book and that the author put so much time into research and historical accuracy. The two stories blend together so well that it is like hearing the old woman tell you about her life as if you were sitting right before her.
This book made me cry, made me think and overall was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon of reading. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an escape from daily reality. Warning though--it will be hard for you to let the characters go when the book comes to a close.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
If you are a person who enjoys getting to know your main character and the life they led before you meet them in the current book you are reading, then this will be for you. The author has built a life for her main character that not only seems real, but draws the reader in and lets them feel close.
I love that there are dual stories being told in this book and that the author put so much time into research and historical accuracy. The two stories blend together so well that it is like hearing the old woman tell you about her life as if you were sitting right before her.
This book made me cry, made me think and overall was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon of reading. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an escape from daily reality. Warning though--it will be hard for you to let the characters go when the book comes to a close.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
February 2, 2014
I was lucky enough to receive an advance reading copy. A wonderful book. Part set in Java during WW2, it's moving and beautifully written. For me it's one of those never to be forgotten books. I loved it. Prepare yourself with tissues.
March 27, 2014
Ghostwritten was intriguing throughout and presented a perfect mix of a modern contemporary and a historical memoir. Being much more enjoyable than I expected, I enjoyed every minute of this novel and was genuinely touched at various points in the story.
Jenni is a ghostwriter - she writes down other people's ideas and stories. Mostly self-help guides and the odd celebrity biography. But at a friend's wedding she's offered something different. The chance to record the untold story of a victim of Japan's invasion of Java in the Second World War is almost too hard to resist. The only problem is it involves going back to a place Jenni vowed never to return to again, for fear of unearthing a secret she's kept silent about her whole life.
The writing was really easy to slip into and quite quick to read. This meant that I could really focus on the actual story and all the emotions (and there are a lot of emotions). It also made it realistic when it came to the characters and how they thought. Although I usually like very complex characters that have strange thoughts and a poetic inner-monologue, I was still able to connect with these characters and therefore understand how they dealt with what was going on around them.
I suppose the down-side of this was that there wasn’t really anything particularly unique about the writing style, but with such a memorable and in-depth story, I don’t think that really mattered.
The story had some really good tension with Jenni’s secret, and also some of the choices Klara had to face during her time in the camps. However, I felt like some of this tension was released far too quickly. Jenni’s big secret is referred to so many times throughout the beginning of the book that, when it came out, it all flooded out and then seemed to have very little side-effects. I’m not entirely sure how realistic that is - but it lost a lot of fictional tension and consequences.
I’ve always been interested in history, but I didn’t know very much about Japan’s occupation of Java until I read this book. It actually encouraged me to go and look up some more information, as it really fascinated me. Right at the end of the book, it also talks about the attitudes the survivors from Java were treated with once they got to safety, and it made me question what we actually consider a serious event or horrible experience.
There was a really nice balance between the contemporary and historical genres, as well as the mix of very serious issues, and then some smaller ones. I, personally, was more interested in the events in Java, however Jenni’s own ‘smaller’ problems did fit in nicely with the story.
I really liked the end of the book. It was very touching and drew all the necessary strings together.
All of the major characters in Ghostwritten are very likable. This, again, made it very easy to slip into. The only issue I partly have was that the two main characters were very similar when I thought more about them. I suppose, by showing them in two very different situations, this didn’t affect the story too much, but I would have liked to see a bit more differentiation between the women to make them individual.
Jenni, the first narrator, is introduced quickly and shown as a very nice person. We learn a little bit about her early on in the story, and that secret is kept until around two-thirds through the book. I’ve already mentioned that being released a little too quickly. But she is a lovely character.
I found Klara’s story a lot more interesting, as it seemed a lot more important than Jenni’s. She, also, seems like a very lovely and thoughtful person.
The pace started off quickly, with an interesting prologue. Unfortunately, for me it lost its momentum half-way through, so I started to slack a little on the reading. It did, however, pick up again near the end.
Even so, it is quite a slow book that needs its reader to take its time and think about the story as they go along. It’s a comparison between two worlds that are actually more similar than they at first seem, and I think a reader really needs to be thoughtful when they work out what these aspects are.
I would recommend Ghostwritten to fans of historical fiction. It's extremely interesting from a amateur historian's point of view, and I think fascinating for anyone else. It's also a very lovely and touching contemporary and a nice simple read.
Thank you to HarperFiction for providing me with this Proof Copy to review!
Jenni is a ghostwriter - she writes down other people's ideas and stories. Mostly self-help guides and the odd celebrity biography. But at a friend's wedding she's offered something different. The chance to record the untold story of a victim of Japan's invasion of Java in the Second World War is almost too hard to resist. The only problem is it involves going back to a place Jenni vowed never to return to again, for fear of unearthing a secret she's kept silent about her whole life.
The writing was really easy to slip into and quite quick to read. This meant that I could really focus on the actual story and all the emotions (and there are a lot of emotions). It also made it realistic when it came to the characters and how they thought. Although I usually like very complex characters that have strange thoughts and a poetic inner-monologue, I was still able to connect with these characters and therefore understand how they dealt with what was going on around them.
I suppose the down-side of this was that there wasn’t really anything particularly unique about the writing style, but with such a memorable and in-depth story, I don’t think that really mattered.
The story had some really good tension with Jenni’s secret, and also some of the choices Klara had to face during her time in the camps. However, I felt like some of this tension was released far too quickly. Jenni’s big secret is referred to so many times throughout the beginning of the book that, when it came out, it all flooded out and then seemed to have very little side-effects. I’m not entirely sure how realistic that is - but it lost a lot of fictional tension and consequences.
I’ve always been interested in history, but I didn’t know very much about Japan’s occupation of Java until I read this book. It actually encouraged me to go and look up some more information, as it really fascinated me. Right at the end of the book, it also talks about the attitudes the survivors from Java were treated with once they got to safety, and it made me question what we actually consider a serious event or horrible experience.
There was a really nice balance between the contemporary and historical genres, as well as the mix of very serious issues, and then some smaller ones. I, personally, was more interested in the events in Java, however Jenni’s own ‘smaller’ problems did fit in nicely with the story.
I really liked the end of the book. It was very touching and drew all the necessary strings together.
All of the major characters in Ghostwritten are very likable. This, again, made it very easy to slip into. The only issue I partly have was that the two main characters were very similar when I thought more about them. I suppose, by showing them in two very different situations, this didn’t affect the story too much, but I would have liked to see a bit more differentiation between the women to make them individual.
Jenni, the first narrator, is introduced quickly and shown as a very nice person. We learn a little bit about her early on in the story, and that secret is kept until around two-thirds through the book. I’ve already mentioned that being released a little too quickly. But she is a lovely character.
I found Klara’s story a lot more interesting, as it seemed a lot more important than Jenni’s. She, also, seems like a very lovely and thoughtful person.
The pace started off quickly, with an interesting prologue. Unfortunately, for me it lost its momentum half-way through, so I started to slack a little on the reading. It did, however, pick up again near the end.
Even so, it is quite a slow book that needs its reader to take its time and think about the story as they go along. It’s a comparison between two worlds that are actually more similar than they at first seem, and I think a reader really needs to be thoughtful when they work out what these aspects are.
I would recommend Ghostwritten to fans of historical fiction. It's extremely interesting from a amateur historian's point of view, and I think fascinating for anyone else. It's also a very lovely and touching contemporary and a nice simple read.
Thank you to HarperFiction for providing me with this Proof Copy to review!
August 8, 2015
** 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 The Little Captive. 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)
Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff
Day 2 - Read a book by an Author who shares the same first letter of your last name (DONE)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Day 3 - Read someone else's favorite books (DONE)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Day 4 - Read the last book you acquired
Calico Joe by John Grisham (DONE)
Day 5 - Finish a book without letting go of it (DONE)
Hatta: Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman by Tim Buku Tempo
Day 6 - Read a book you really want to read (DONE)
Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika by Stanley Harsha
Day 7 - Read seven books (DONE)
Ghostwritten,The Great Gatsby,The Giver, Unravel Me, The Queen of the Tearling, Hatta: Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman, Calico Joe, Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika
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 The Little Captive. 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)
Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff
Day 2 - Read a book by an Author who shares the same first letter of your last name (DONE)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Day 3 - Read someone else's favorite books (DONE)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Day 4 - Read the last book you acquired
Calico Joe by John Grisham (DONE)
Day 5 - Finish a book without letting go of it (DONE)
Hatta: Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman by Tim Buku Tempo
Day 6 - Read a book you really want to read (DONE)
Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika by Stanley Harsha
Day 7 - Read seven books (DONE)
Ghostwritten,The Great Gatsby,The Giver, Unravel Me, The Queen of the Tearling, Hatta: Jejak yang Melampaui Zaman, Calico Joe, Seperti Bulan dan Matahari, Catatan Seorang Diplomat Amerika
April 14, 2014
Review originally posted to my blog:
http://www.pagetostagereviews.com/201...
Jenni Clark loves writing but not being in the spotlight, so ghostwriting other people's stories provides the perfect creative outlet for her. It also gives her the opportunity to get up close and personal to the people she studies and learn something new along the way. Through an acquaintance she's put in touch with an elderly Dutch woman by the name of Klara with the opportunity to write the older woman's memoirs. Now living in South Cornwall, Klara spent her childhood years in the Dutch East Indies; first on a big plantation and later in various internment camps across Java during the Japanese occupation. Her story while incredibly harrowing is also a fascinating one.
Admittedly Ghostwritten wasn't on my radar until the author contacted me with the question if I'd like a copy for review, but this is exactly the kind of novel I enjoy reading (though perhaps, 'enjoy' isn't the right word to use in this instance). Author Isabel Wolff has taken a subject that I knew shamefully little about at the start of the book (and being Dutch myself I really should've been more informed about it) and turned it into a vivid piece of history that I can now not let go of.
The novel has an incredible sense of place, transporting the reader from rural England to the tropical heat of Java as soon as Klara starts telling her moving story. At the start of the novel I could see the lush plantation appear before my eyes, with Klara and her friends playing in the sunshine and enjoying this thus far idyllic exotic location. But of course their happiness doesn't last long and her family is soon torn apart as the Japanese occupy her home and she is sent to an internment camp with her mother and little brother.
The journey that follows is equal parts fascinating and horrifying. As so many children caught in a war she's forced to see and do horrible things and grow up far quicker than she should have otherwise, her childhood disappearing as soon as she sets foot in the first camp. Interspersed with Klara's recount of the Japanese occupation is the story of Jenni. Despite being decades and continents apart there is an eerie similarity between the two women's lives and not only are Klara's memories enriching for both Jenni and the reader alike, but they also help Jenni to finally face a horrible secret from her own past.
I'm in awe with this amazing novel. Hugely gripping both in the present and past storylines and incredibly realistic, Wolff's descriptions of Klara's life in Java are immensely detailed and vivid. Despite having never been there myself, I now feel a sense of connection to the place. I don't read a huge amount of historical fiction, but now and again I come across a gem like this and I ask myself, why not?
This beautiful, harrowing and ultimately extremely moving novel mesmerised me from the start. It was hugely educational as well and for that alone I cannot recommend it highly enough. If like me your history lessons in school have mainly focussed on how the second world war affected Europe, this will certainly be a heart-breaking eye-opener.
http://www.pagetostagereviews.com/201...
Jenni Clark loves writing but not being in the spotlight, so ghostwriting other people's stories provides the perfect creative outlet for her. It also gives her the opportunity to get up close and personal to the people she studies and learn something new along the way. Through an acquaintance she's put in touch with an elderly Dutch woman by the name of Klara with the opportunity to write the older woman's memoirs. Now living in South Cornwall, Klara spent her childhood years in the Dutch East Indies; first on a big plantation and later in various internment camps across Java during the Japanese occupation. Her story while incredibly harrowing is also a fascinating one.
Admittedly Ghostwritten wasn't on my radar until the author contacted me with the question if I'd like a copy for review, but this is exactly the kind of novel I enjoy reading (though perhaps, 'enjoy' isn't the right word to use in this instance). Author Isabel Wolff has taken a subject that I knew shamefully little about at the start of the book (and being Dutch myself I really should've been more informed about it) and turned it into a vivid piece of history that I can now not let go of.
The novel has an incredible sense of place, transporting the reader from rural England to the tropical heat of Java as soon as Klara starts telling her moving story. At the start of the novel I could see the lush plantation appear before my eyes, with Klara and her friends playing in the sunshine and enjoying this thus far idyllic exotic location. But of course their happiness doesn't last long and her family is soon torn apart as the Japanese occupy her home and she is sent to an internment camp with her mother and little brother.
The journey that follows is equal parts fascinating and horrifying. As so many children caught in a war she's forced to see and do horrible things and grow up far quicker than she should have otherwise, her childhood disappearing as soon as she sets foot in the first camp. Interspersed with Klara's recount of the Japanese occupation is the story of Jenni. Despite being decades and continents apart there is an eerie similarity between the two women's lives and not only are Klara's memories enriching for both Jenni and the reader alike, but they also help Jenni to finally face a horrible secret from her own past.
I'm in awe with this amazing novel. Hugely gripping both in the present and past storylines and incredibly realistic, Wolff's descriptions of Klara's life in Java are immensely detailed and vivid. Despite having never been there myself, I now feel a sense of connection to the place. I don't read a huge amount of historical fiction, but now and again I come across a gem like this and I ask myself, why not?
This beautiful, harrowing and ultimately extremely moving novel mesmerised me from the start. It was hugely educational as well and for that alone I cannot recommend it highly enough. If like me your history lessons in school have mainly focussed on how the second world war affected Europe, this will certainly be a heart-breaking eye-opener.
November 30, 2014
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.
Share this:
April 6, 2014
There are so many books out there that left an impression in our lives the first book was The Colour Purple and now I can add this to my list the book is so beautifully written that I felt I was there at it has made an impact and everyone should read this book but warning you will need tissues....
In this book we meet Jenni and ghost writer who has kept a dark sercert for twenty fives years she doesn't even tell anyone not even her best friends or the love of her life Rick !!!!!
Rick and Jenni and rick are at a crossroads in there relationship Rick wants children but Jenni doesn't so when Jenni is approched at her best friends wedding by she and Rick decide sometime apart will do them good but when Jenni finds out where the job is she starts to panic but decides to face her demons head on.
When she arrives at Polvarth, Cornwall the place she vowed never return too as it was too painful and now everything she pushed to back of her head was coming rushing back over and over again.....
But Jenni was here to do a job and pushes throughout it to meet Klara her client for the next few days.
As Jenni starts to record Klara story she finds that they share the same grief for a lost brother and opens wounds that Jenni doesn't want to deal with from chapter five Klara starts to talk about her children hood and her family moving to Java on a plantation farm they are all close and family life is grand but as Klara opens up more about her family and the war moving to Java and book travels through the time of the war moving to Java, this book is beautiful written. Into great detail of the time Klara , her mother brother in war camps I really felt the I was there too as the story pulled me in I felt like I was Jenni listening to the detail but as the Klara story comes to and end Jenni opens up about what happen to her brother and Klara and Jenni find a bond that will never break and Jenni starts to heal and I not saying to much as this book needs to be read by your own eyes and I hope it leaves a mark in your reading history as a book that must be read. This is 10/10 book and should not be missed .
In this book we meet Jenni and ghost writer who has kept a dark sercert for twenty fives years she doesn't even tell anyone not even her best friends or the love of her life Rick !!!!!
Rick and Jenni and rick are at a crossroads in there relationship Rick wants children but Jenni doesn't so when Jenni is approched at her best friends wedding by she and Rick decide sometime apart will do them good but when Jenni finds out where the job is she starts to panic but decides to face her demons head on.
When she arrives at Polvarth, Cornwall the place she vowed never return too as it was too painful and now everything she pushed to back of her head was coming rushing back over and over again.....
But Jenni was here to do a job and pushes throughout it to meet Klara her client for the next few days.
As Jenni starts to record Klara story she finds that they share the same grief for a lost brother and opens wounds that Jenni doesn't want to deal with from chapter five Klara starts to talk about her children hood and her family moving to Java on a plantation farm they are all close and family life is grand but as Klara opens up more about her family and the war moving to Java and book travels through the time of the war moving to Java, this book is beautiful written. Into great detail of the time Klara , her mother brother in war camps I really felt the I was there too as the story pulled me in I felt like I was Jenni listening to the detail but as the Klara story comes to and end Jenni opens up about what happen to her brother and Klara and Jenni find a bond that will never break and Jenni starts to heal and I not saying to much as this book needs to be read by your own eyes and I hope it leaves a mark in your reading history as a book that must be read. This is 10/10 book and should not be missed .
April 15, 2014
I think the cover of Ghostwritten is absolutely stunning, as soon as I saw the cover I picked the book up and wanted to read it, and I was very intrigued by the description of the book too.
Jenni is a ghostwriter who writes the lives of other people. Still haunted by her childhood, Jenni throws herself into her work, losing herself in other people’s memories rather than her own. When Jenni gets a new commission – writing the memoirs of a Dutchwoman, Klara. Klara was a child in the Second World War, interned in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation, and she has quite a story to tell. As they work together on it and get to know each other, Jenni is forced to revisit her memories too…can Klara and Jenni help each other?
Wow, I REALLY enjoyed this. It’s clear that Isabel has done a lot of research for this book and it really shows, Ghostwritten is fantastically written and it flowed so well, and if I’m honest I just completely lost myself in everything that I was reading. I was SO ABSORBED in the lives of Jenni and Karla and I could picture every scene clearly in my head.
I particularly loved Karla as a character, I warmed to her straight away and I definitely formed an emotional connection with her whilst reading about everything that had happened in Karla’s life. Karla’s story is intriguing and at the same time terrifying, and I especially felt for her reading about the hardships and moments that she had gone through with the war and the camp too. I was just…wow, I was really moved by what I read and I really cannot recommend this book enough!
Ghostwritten is a compelling and very moving novel that touched me on many occasions. It is a story to be read slowly so that you can take in every little bit of feeling and emotion, and personally I cannot wait to read more from Isabel. Wow.
Jenni is a ghostwriter who writes the lives of other people. Still haunted by her childhood, Jenni throws herself into her work, losing herself in other people’s memories rather than her own. When Jenni gets a new commission – writing the memoirs of a Dutchwoman, Klara. Klara was a child in the Second World War, interned in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation, and she has quite a story to tell. As they work together on it and get to know each other, Jenni is forced to revisit her memories too…can Klara and Jenni help each other?
Wow, I REALLY enjoyed this. It’s clear that Isabel has done a lot of research for this book and it really shows, Ghostwritten is fantastically written and it flowed so well, and if I’m honest I just completely lost myself in everything that I was reading. I was SO ABSORBED in the lives of Jenni and Karla and I could picture every scene clearly in my head.
I particularly loved Karla as a character, I warmed to her straight away and I definitely formed an emotional connection with her whilst reading about everything that had happened in Karla’s life. Karla’s story is intriguing and at the same time terrifying, and I especially felt for her reading about the hardships and moments that she had gone through with the war and the camp too. I was just…wow, I was really moved by what I read and I really cannot recommend this book enough!
Ghostwritten is a compelling and very moving novel that touched me on many occasions. It is a story to be read slowly so that you can take in every little bit of feeling and emotion, and personally I cannot wait to read more from Isabel. Wow.
September 19, 2014
Java - WW2
Jenni, in modern day is ghost writing the memoirs of Klara, who looks back at her time of childhood on Java and subsequent internment in a Japanese POW camp. Jenni and Klara are ensconced in a beautiful part of Cornwall as they explore the story together. A mere child, Klara had to witness horrors that were imposed on the Europeans on Jave after the Japanese invasion. The degradation and sadism that Klara encountered is impressively rendered: the women are interred, with little food, hours of being counted (Tenko) under the stifling sun, and tackling the arduous task of eking out any rations that happen to come their way. Even having to endure a bread van touring up and down, exuding the wonderful smells of freshly backed bread, that the internees were never to savour – one of innumerable sadistic strategies devised to cow the inmates. And the women, cooped up together, had to find a way of co-existing and being mutually supportive.
Klara’s very personal and sad story is broken up by Jenni’s own story, she comes to reflect upon a traumatic event in her past and how it impacts on her adult intimate relationship now. It certainly gives the reader a bit of respite from the dire conditions of the camps. As their mutual stories continue, both women come to the realisation that they share similar and traumatic events in their lives, and by working together they can mutually ease their individual sense of loss. This is a poignant and captivating story that imparts a little history of Java, truly evokes the country, and beautifully renders the worlds of two women who happen to be thrown together with a common purpose.
The richness and vibrancy of the people and the country are beautifully brought to life by the author. It’s hot, it’s humid and the smells and the noisy animals and insects all filter into the reader’s consciousness.
Jenni, in modern day is ghost writing the memoirs of Klara, who looks back at her time of childhood on Java and subsequent internment in a Japanese POW camp. Jenni and Klara are ensconced in a beautiful part of Cornwall as they explore the story together. A mere child, Klara had to witness horrors that were imposed on the Europeans on Jave after the Japanese invasion. The degradation and sadism that Klara encountered is impressively rendered: the women are interred, with little food, hours of being counted (Tenko) under the stifling sun, and tackling the arduous task of eking out any rations that happen to come their way. Even having to endure a bread van touring up and down, exuding the wonderful smells of freshly backed bread, that the internees were never to savour – one of innumerable sadistic strategies devised to cow the inmates. And the women, cooped up together, had to find a way of co-existing and being mutually supportive.
Klara’s very personal and sad story is broken up by Jenni’s own story, she comes to reflect upon a traumatic event in her past and how it impacts on her adult intimate relationship now. It certainly gives the reader a bit of respite from the dire conditions of the camps. As their mutual stories continue, both women come to the realisation that they share similar and traumatic events in their lives, and by working together they can mutually ease their individual sense of loss. This is a poignant and captivating story that imparts a little history of Java, truly evokes the country, and beautifully renders the worlds of two women who happen to be thrown together with a common purpose.
The richness and vibrancy of the people and the country are beautifully brought to life by the author. It’s hot, it’s humid and the smells and the noisy animals and insects all filter into the reader’s consciousness.
June 14, 2014
Jenni Clark is a young woman with a dark past – she holds herself responsible for your young brothers death when they were children. As an adult, she is a ghostwriter – she makes a living by writing other people’s stories. She is asked by an acquaintance to write the memoirs of Klara, an elderly Dutch woman from Cornwall who used to live on a plantation in the Dutch East Indies, and in an internment camp under Japanese occupation.
As Klara begins to unburden herself of long buried secrets and suffering, the reader is exposed to the incredible cruelty women and children suffered while imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp. Klara’s suffering slowly unfolds and is exceedingly disturbing, but also enthralling.
To say this novel has great depth would be an understatement. The plot and subplots unfold with rich layers, and is like peeling the skin from an onion – with every layer, come more dark secrets, surprises, and revelations. In between Klara’s tale, Jenni’s tale slowly unfolds. She draws some parallels from Klara’s story and compares them to her life. Through Klara’s pain, Jenni learns to accept the past and forgive herself, just as Klara had to do the same decades prior.
This is an amazing novel that will profoundly move you as it educates readeards about historic events during World War II but that happened beyond Europe’s borders. Incredibly raw, horrific, but lush descriptions make this novel one not to miss. Prepare yourself for a wonderfully complex plot, an emotional roller coaster ride, and plenty of jaw-dropping scenes that mesmerize. It culminates in one hugely satisfying ending! This is a definite must read for the summer!
As Klara begins to unburden herself of long buried secrets and suffering, the reader is exposed to the incredible cruelty women and children suffered while imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp. Klara’s suffering slowly unfolds and is exceedingly disturbing, but also enthralling.
To say this novel has great depth would be an understatement. The plot and subplots unfold with rich layers, and is like peeling the skin from an onion – with every layer, come more dark secrets, surprises, and revelations. In between Klara’s tale, Jenni’s tale slowly unfolds. She draws some parallels from Klara’s story and compares them to her life. Through Klara’s pain, Jenni learns to accept the past and forgive herself, just as Klara had to do the same decades prior.
This is an amazing novel that will profoundly move you as it educates readeards about historic events during World War II but that happened beyond Europe’s borders. Incredibly raw, horrific, but lush descriptions make this novel one not to miss. Prepare yourself for a wonderfully complex plot, an emotional roller coaster ride, and plenty of jaw-dropping scenes that mesmerize. It culminates in one hugely satisfying ending! This is a definite must read for the summer!
February 20, 2015
This story was much different than I expected. I don’t quite know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. It’s hard to put into words. I guess I thought this would be more about one woman’s tale of survival in a beautiful exotic location. I wasn’t prepared for the moving stories of two very different women.
I could identify with Jenni quite a bit actually. Part of me felt like she was a little too timid for me, but I could understand how she felt isolated from her friends. Here they all are having these ‘traditional lives’ while she is stuck in this weird limbo phase. Not married, no children and she’s basically living her life through her clients.
I don’t know something about Jenni just made me feel connected to her. She was tragically real, vulnerable, and I felt like I could relate to some of the things she was feeling.
Klara was a very strong character. Normally I prefer stronger characters to their weaker counterparts such as Jenni, but there was something about Jenni that I was more drawn to. Don’t get me wrong, Klara’s tale was powerful and heroic and I loved the Klara parts of the story, I just loved them in a different way than the Jenni parts.
When I first picked this book up, I thought it was going to be YA but it wasn’t. It’s not chick lit either. I would say women’s fiction/historic fiction.
This is a book about facing the past, friendship, and love. I really loved how this book came together. It was beautifully written and the settings were magical! I will definitely read more by this author in the future!
See my full review here
I could identify with Jenni quite a bit actually. Part of me felt like she was a little too timid for me, but I could understand how she felt isolated from her friends. Here they all are having these ‘traditional lives’ while she is stuck in this weird limbo phase. Not married, no children and she’s basically living her life through her clients.
I don’t know something about Jenni just made me feel connected to her. She was tragically real, vulnerable, and I felt like I could relate to some of the things she was feeling.
Klara was a very strong character. Normally I prefer stronger characters to their weaker counterparts such as Jenni, but there was something about Jenni that I was more drawn to. Don’t get me wrong, Klara’s tale was powerful and heroic and I loved the Klara parts of the story, I just loved them in a different way than the Jenni parts.
When I first picked this book up, I thought it was going to be YA but it wasn’t. It’s not chick lit either. I would say women’s fiction/historic fiction.
This is a book about facing the past, friendship, and love. I really loved how this book came together. It was beautifully written and the settings were magical! I will definitely read more by this author in the future!
See my full review here
February 20, 2015
enni is a ghostwriter, who works with other people to help them tell their stories, but she hates talking about herself. She is desperate to keep a childhood tragedy firmly in the past, and enjoy her current and apparently happy life. Her boyfriend is a deputy headteacher, and seems to have accepted that Jenni doesn’t want children, but he seems to be reconsidering.
Then Jenni is commissioned to work with an elderly Dutch lady, Klara, on an account of her experience of internment by the Japanese in Indonesia during WWII.
This dual narrative novel, combining stories of past and present, is a really good read, although Jenni’s story is overshadowed by Klara’s traumatic childhood experiences. Isabel Wolff clearly did plenty of background research and Klara’s story, drawing on several real life memoirs acknowledged at the end of the novel, is compelling and convincing. I’ve read several previous novels by Isabel Wolff, and she isn’t the first chicklit writer to combine the genre with a darker, more serious historical story. She does it quite effectively, and although Klara’s story is far more interesting and memorable, I did want to know how Jenni would come to terms with her past and resolve her own dilemma.
I received a review copy of this through the Amazon Vine programme.
Then Jenni is commissioned to work with an elderly Dutch lady, Klara, on an account of her experience of internment by the Japanese in Indonesia during WWII.
This dual narrative novel, combining stories of past and present, is a really good read, although Jenni’s story is overshadowed by Klara’s traumatic childhood experiences. Isabel Wolff clearly did plenty of background research and Klara’s story, drawing on several real life memoirs acknowledged at the end of the novel, is compelling and convincing. I’ve read several previous novels by Isabel Wolff, and she isn’t the first chicklit writer to combine the genre with a darker, more serious historical story. She does it quite effectively, and although Klara’s story is far more interesting and memorable, I did want to know how Jenni would come to terms with her past and resolve her own dilemma.
I received a review copy of this through the Amazon Vine programme.
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