The Ghost Orchid: A Novel
by Carol Goodman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Carol GoodmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-04-10
ISBN: 0345462149
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Ghost Orchid: A Novel
Book Review: "The spirits of the children have infected the place."
Summary: 4 Stars
Goodman has penned an eerie tale of the past merging with the present, a mansion haunted by the ghosts of three dead children and the twisted affection of a mother tormented by loss. In 1839, an upstate New York estate, Bosco, is legendary for its gardens and statuary, not to mention the engineering feat of water that runs upstream. The eccentric lady of the house, Aurora Latham, has recreated a setting of grand mourning for her three children who died of diphtheria, leaving one lonely sibling, Alice, behind. As a palliative against his wife's all-encompassing grief, Aurora's husband, Milo, a lumber magnate, has brought a popular medium, Corinth Blackwell, to Bosco; rather than bringing closure, however, Corinth's presence exacerbates the complicated relationships on the estate, resulting in a series of violent acts, a chilling effect that belies the beauty of the surroundings.
A century later, Bosco has become a writer's and artist's retreat, where a diverse group has gathered to work on their projects, a landscaper, a frustrated novelist, a biographer and a poet. Most notable is fledgling novelist Ellis Brooks, who is writing about Aurora Latham's tragic life. Although some of her scholarly companions are skeptical, Ellis feels a connection to this haunting place, overcome at times with an acute awareness of what occurred so long ago, the whispers of the children, the occasional appearance of Alice, who was kidnapped after Corinth's visit, and Corinth's increasingly frightened ruminations. How this is possible, whether hallucination or real, leaves Ellis in a quandary and in considerable danger as she tries to reassemble the events of the past and Aurora's relationship with her children.
Blending the otherworldly ambiance of an estate shrouded in mystery with long-held secrets demanding revelation, Goodman succeeds admirably in creating the mythology of a troubled past. At long last, Ellis facilitates the release of the restive souls who demand their story be told. Underground tunnels, secret chambers, the thunderous beating of bird's wings and the insistent, mocking voices of the dead- The Ghost Orchid is rich with ambiguity and a distant hum of menace, Ellis the conduit for the past to finally make peace with the present. Luan Gaines/2007.
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