Ghosts

by Antonia Barber

Book Overview

A TIMELESS CHRISTMAS SKY ORIGINAL FILM, STARRING MARK GATISS, SIMON CALLOW AND TAMSIN GREIG 'Charming, magical and life-affirming, Antonia Barber's clever and moving tale has become a much-loved... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671527630
• ISBN13: 9780671527631
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

I recommend this book, I LOVE IT!!!

This book which is Titled "The Ghosts", Is a COMPLETELY Best Loved book for me. I've already read it 34 times front, and back, and counting. I read it in school, at home, while traveling, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and any time I want, and can. My copy of the book is Copyright 1969, published by: Pocket Books. The author of course is Antonia Barber. This book is INCREDIBLY a deeply, atractive, and therefore loved book you'll want to read again, and again, and again. - Jean-Luc

A truly "haunting" tale

This book truly did start to "haunt" me within the past year or two. I read it as a twelve-year-old, and as my elder son began to approach that age and seemed to appreciate time-travel fantasy (Susan Cooper and Madeleine L'Engle in particular), vivid details from "The Ghosts" kept popping into my head. I was sure my son would like it, but every time I tried to find a copy, searches for "The Ghosts" (as I thought it was called, though 30 years can tend to dull the memory) didn't turn up anything like the details I recalled. Finally a week ago, I found it on-line and ordered it immediately! It arrived yesterday and I've been able to quickly reread it. What a treat, especially to verify some of those details that managed to get embedded in my brain -- and conversely to find that details I'd long forgotten tended to play themselves out in my life. Following graduation from college, I moved to an area of London not too far from Highgate Hill and Camden Town, mentioned in the book, where I met an American who is now a vicar (Anglican priest). When I read the book as a twelve-year old, I'm sure that word, "vicar," was one of the most baffling in the book -- so it's just a little ironic that I married one! Some of the inconsistencies mentioned by another reviewer are, I think, caused by the fact that the movie based on the book (The Amazing Mr. Bluden) recast the time period from the 1960s/1860s back to 1918/1818. If you expect that the "modern" children live in 1918, then of course references to television, etc. are bound to cause confusion. As to other criticism about illogical details: the whole point of time travel novels is that things WILL change by traveling through time. If you can't suspend disbelief at all, then stick with non-fiction!

The Ghosts also known as The Amazing Mr Blunden

The story starts in Camden Town, London at the end of World War One. It is Christmas & an old mysterious man knocks the door of the Allen family, the recently widowed Mrs Allen,and her children Jamie, Lucy & baby Benjamin. The old man claims to be a solicitor & offers Mrs Allen a job as a caretaker of an old run down country house. Due to their impoverished situation Mrs Allen accepts the old man's offer. Mrs Allen & the children move into a caretaker's cottage in the grounds of the old house. They soon discover that the old man is not what he seems & that he sought them out to help him. Soon, it becomes apparent to Jamie & Lucy that they are there to help two children from the past to put right a terrible wrong. However, in order to do this they have to travel back through time exactly 100 years.....This is a wonderful & magical children's book, more appropriate to the over 10's. I first read it in 1972 & have loved & treasured my copy ever since (sorry, it is not for sale as it is of great sentimental value). I would urge any child (or adult) to read it. The story takes us from 1918 back in time to 1818, with many adventures on the way & a lovely "twist" ending.This is a brilliant book, I've had my copy 31 years! It will enthral you. Truly enchanting.

From the Past Into The Future

I first ran across Ms. Barber's story in my middle school library - in 1972. I was 12 years old. Almost 30 years later some of the story's images linger yet, subtly influencing choices I make. I've finally found and purchased my very own copy of The Ghosts - and it's probably one of the best gifts I've given myself in a long time. Lucy and Jamie started me thinking about Past, Present, and Future in ways that most of the kids in my class couldn't quite grasp at that time, not to mention how to look at things from other points of view - small lessons at the time that became whole way of thinking for me even now.I'm so happy to have found this book, to be able to bring this piece of my past into my present and hopefully into my nephew's future.

Wonderful read, well-remembered

I read this book years ago, when I was in grade school, and it's stayed with me all this time. I can't wait to buy another copy -- I lost the one I had so long ago -- just to curl up and renew my acquaintance with these wonderful characters. I highly recommend this book for any young reader with an active imagination.