The pacing in the first half of the book was far too slow for me. I expected to really enjoy the book and I nearly abandoned it. Once I crossed the half way point it picked up quite a bit and I found it much more enjoyable but I'm on the fence as to whether to give Carol Goodman another shot. Reading the descriptions of many of her books I expected to be a quick fan but I am a bit reluctant to plod through another if it starts out at a similar pace.Below is the reader advisory I wrote for this book for grad class:Summary:Ellis Brooks and Corinth Blackwell are the leading characters in this book. While they live in different centuries their stories run parallel and begin to intertwine, as they both are guests at Bosco estate in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. Ellis is an invited author to this exclusive artists colony housed in the former home of the Latham’s, and also the daughter of an accomplished medium, though Ellis wishes to distance herself from this fact. Corinth was invited into the Latham’s home as a medium to contact the restless spirits of the deceased Latham children. In alternating chapters, wach woman tells her story of her time at Bosco supporting characters are developed in both the physical and ethereal world. As Ellis writes her novel, based on the visit of Corinth to Bosco, she begins to hear voices and see things that we begin to realize are from Corinth’s life. Ultimately, Ellis needs Corinth to help her solve the mystery of what happened and to finish her book as Corinth needs Ellis to help the spirits rest in peace.Appeal:True to the genre, the unsettling feeling the reader has that something is amiss in this seemingly peaceful setting grows with each chapter as Ellis becomes more in tune with the psyche and spirit of Corinth. Each chapter adds a new layer and twist to the convoluted plot and keeps the reader wondering how the characters in the present will understand the events of a century ago. As the reader approaches the mid-point of the book the Bosco estate itself seems to be an independent character causing havoc in the lives of people in both centuries, as the house and garden begin to grow in their mysterious independence. The pacing left a bit to be desired. While the storyline from the past kept the reader intrigued throughout the course of the book, the constant interruption between each chapter to return to the present was a hindrance until more than half way through the book. While both the present and the past become intricate, revealing, and fast paced as you reach the conclusion, the present storyline is lacking in suspense and even interest in the first third to half of the book. The style of the book is to be admired. This story is far more than a ghost story to be puzzled out, although at its heart it is indeed just that. Characters in both time frames are multi-faceted. We see only their stereo-typed facades when we are introduced to each character, but by the end of the story the characters are as complex as the plot line itself. The author takes great care to build a story and characters that twist in upon itself multiple times yet all comes together in a mysterious and surprising conclusion. Personally, I’m torn as to whether or not I will pick up another Carol Goodman. When I read the summaries of her works I believed I would enjoy them all and assumed this would be the first of many titles I would read by Goodman. Instead, this is the first book I have read for this course that I have had to make myself pick up. Had I been reading it simply for leisure it would have taken me a great deal longer to finish it, and I may have even abandoned it in the first half of the book. Once I got past the half waypoint the pace picked up and I was happy to find excuses to keep reading. I will likely give her one more shot and hope that I find the next novel more intriguing earlier in the storyline.
There is something different about listening to a story versus reading it for yourself. Sometimes those differences can be the difference between enjoying a book and not. I often have a problem with tone of voice when I'm reading. If you get the wrong tone of voice in your mind it completely changes the meaning of the written word. One of the things I like about listening to an audio book is that you don't have to figure out the tone of voice for each character, the reader does it for you. I really enjoyed Jen Taylor's reading of this book, she brought all the characters to life with a variety of voices and hit the exact right tone.Ellis Brooks is working on a novel at the artist's retreat, the Bosco Estate, in upstate New York. Several other writers are staying in the mansion as well. Ellis is working on a historical novel based on events that took place at Bosco back in 1893. Corinth Blackwell was a medium who came to Bosco in 1893 because the mistress of the house, Aurora Latham, wanted to communicate with her three dead children. The séance that was supposed to reconnect her with her children turned deadly and resulted in the kidnapping of the Latham's only surviving child.There are so many things I liked about this book, I liked the reoccurring imagery the author uses: water, bondage, blackbirds, Native American lore. I liked the parallel story lines between the past and the present, it added to the complexity of the story as a whole. I liked the sense of adventure that threads through the story with the character David researching the gardens at the Bosco estate. And there was an element of fun that reminded me of listening to spooky ghost stories as a child.I also liked the setting, being a resident of upstate New York and hearing all the places Goodman refers to gave me a little thrill. She mentions Lily Dale the spiritualist community in western New York which I drove past many times on my way to college at SUNY Fredonia, though I never visited. She also mentions the place of my birth and does so in a way that is perfectly fitting for this story. The legend of how the city of my birth was named fits hand in glove with the fiction Goodman has created for her characters.This is a story where I could actually suspend my disbelief and just enjoy it for what it was, a fun well thought out ghost story. I highly recommend the audio book version, I listen to audio books while driving but found myself so hooked into this story that I had to bring it inside to listen to while I was baking.
What do You think about The Ghost Orchid (2007)?
I read this book on the recommendation of a co-worker. I bought it used for one cent and I'm glad I didn't spend a penny more. This is not to say that the book is horrible- not by any means.It is simply that my expectation far exceeded the actual story itself. I am not a big fan of ghots mysteries which is essentially what this book is. There is not a lot of character development before you are launched into the "boo!" plotline. I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters at all. The protagonist is a young woman who we find out is a. psychic but doesn't like to talk about it. B. Is the daughter of a hippie mother who she resents. and C. who is thin and tall. That's about all we ever reaslly know about her and the story suffers for it. I never discourage anyone from reading something they are interested in so I say go for it if you'd like but don't expect a huge pay off.
—Ameerah
The Ghost Orchid, by Carol Goodman is part mystery novel, part historical romance with just a touch of spiritualism thrown in. The novel jumps back and forth between two narrators in two different time periods: Ellis Brooks, a novelist in the present day and Corinth Blackwell, a medium in the 1890s. Both are guests at the opulent Bosco Estate in upstate New York, both are struggling with their feelings for two different men and trying to solve a mystery.This sounds like the perfect formula for a book I would adore: history, mystery and ghosts! I do love the idea of the book, but the execution fell short for me. Repeatedly throughout the book both Ellis and Corinth think they see something but upon closer inspection that thing turns out to be something completely different. Ellis mistakes so many statues for people, that I worried she needed to see an eye doctor for a new prescription and at one point Corinth mistakes a girl’s black hair for a lit fireplace. I think that this writing technique was used to add atmosphere and make the Bosco Estate appear haunted, but it happened so many times that it felt like a crutch, rather than a tool. It annoyed me so much that I was often distracted from the story. I did enjoy the botanical and historical tidbits about the crumbling Bosco gardens, they would be fun to explore!My mom, sister and I read this for our long-distance book club.
—Courtney Denning
So I read this book over Thanksgiving and had totally forgotten to review it. Then today I received a notification on Goodreads that Carol Goodman had answered my question about this book, which I had forgotten I asked her as well! How neat to hear from one of my favorite authors! This is the eighth book of hers that I've read, and believe me when I tell you that no one writes about upstate New York better than she does. This story of Ellis Brooks, a young writer who goes to a writer's retreat at a crumbling historic estate and finds more than she bargained for is broody, atmospheric, and a compelling page turner to boot. If you like literary fiction full of beautiful imagery, gorgeous prose, and a wonderfully eccentric cast of characters, then Goodman is the author for you. To be honest, I'd read anything she wrote!
—Laura
