Book Birthday Blitz: The Ghostly Father

Today I am part of the Book Birthday Blitz for The Ghostly Father  by Sue Barnard. Today is this book’s birthday and I absolutely loved this one! There is a bonus for those of you in the UK that I am quite envious of as I am in the US: There is a giveaway going on to win a signed copy!

Book Description:

Was this what really happened to Romeo & Juliet?

Think you know the world’s most famous love story?  Think again.  What if the story of Romeo & Juliet really happened – but not quite in the way we’ve all been told?

This part-prequel, part-sequel to the original tale, told from the point of view of the Friar, tells how an ancient Italian manuscript reveals secrets and lies which have remained hidden for hundreds of years, and casts new doubts on the official story of Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lovers.

If you love the Romeo & Juliet story but are disappointed with the way it ended, this is the book for you.

Author: Sue Barnard
256 pages

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: January 24-29, 2019
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars

Jessica’s Review:

Ever since we had to read Romeo & Juliet in ninth grade, I have been a fan of the story.  I don’t know why it resonated with me so much. We watched the 1968 film version in school which I also loved.  And while I was in high school, the 1996 version with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes came out and I loved everything about it, including the director’s new take on the ending! I have not watched either movie in years, but reading The Ghostly Father had me wanting to watch these films again!

The Ghostly Father is a very unique retelling of Romeo & Juliet: What if the story we all know was actually real and was very different in reality?  The Ghostly Father takes place in present day with Juliet Roberts translating a very old Italian manuscript for her grandfather.  Once she realizes this is the real story of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ she is transported into the past and has no idea how this ‘story’ will end.

I highly enjoyed that the manuscript takes place with a different character perspective: ‘Friar Lawrence’ (Brother Lorenzo) is our narrator!  I always liked him, but why was he so interested in these young people’s lives?  I enjoyed that we got to know him as a person. Barnard gives us her take on the story and it does not disappoint!  She is faithful to Shakespeare and the original characters and makes it her own including many twists; you really don’t know what will happen next or what Barnard will change from Shakespeare’s story. Will different people live and die? How will this version end?

If you are a fan of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, give The Ghostly Father a read. You will not be disappointed.

The Ghostly Father is very highly recommended!

About the Author:

Sue Barnard is a British novelist, editor and award-winning poet.  She was born in North Wales some time during the last millennium, but has spent most of her life in and around Manchester.  After graduating from Durham University she had a variety of office jobs before becoming a full-time parent.  If she had her way, the phrase “Non-Working Mother” would be banned from the English language.

Her mind is so warped that she has appeared on BBC TV’s Only Connect quiz show, and she has also compiled questions for BBC Radio 4’s fiendishly difficult Round Britain Quiz. This once caused one of her sons to describe her as “professionally weird.” The label has stuck.

Sue speaks French like a Belgian, German like a schoolgirl, and Italian and Portuguese like an Englishwoman abroad.  She is also very interested in family history.  Her own background is far stranger than any work of fiction; she would write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her.

Sue now lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.

Buy The Ghostly Father here.

Contact Sue:

Blog   G+   Twitter   Instagram   Amazon  Goodreads  RNA

 

**UK ONLY GIVEAWAY**

Win a signed copy of The Ghostly Father!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.