The Ghost's Child (2007) is a fantasy novel by Australian writer Sonya Hartnett. The novel was originally published in the Australia by Penguin Books.[1]
| Author | Sonya Hartnett |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
Publication date | 2007 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 178 pp |
| ISBN | 9780670029457 |
Abstract
editReturning home one day elderly Matilda finds a young boy sitting in her lounge room. At first a little wary of him, after he declares "I have bad news for her" she engages him in conversation and slowly begins to tell him the story of her life.
Publishing history
editFollowing the book's initial publication by Penguin Books in 2007 it was subsequently reprinted as follows:
The novel was translated into Swedish in 2008[3] and Penguin Books released a paperback version of the book in 2009.[4]
Critical reception
editWriting in Australian Book Review Rebecca Starford called the book "part fable, part love story" and noted that Hartnett's "tales brim with nuance and, though straightforward, are disarmingly sophisticated; her weighty symbolism, saturating the most desiccated of landscapes, is one of the finest in our national literature. In an attempt to catalogue her original voice, Hartnett has often been classified as a children’s or young adult fiction writer, categories that she has resisted, often vehemently, for many years. Although her novels continue to adopt child and teenage perspectives, her literary preoccupations span all ages."[5]
Victoria Flanagan at The Conversation called the book "a whimsical and poignant modern fairy tale that celebrates feminine experience and strength", and "a tender meditation on the life choices and experiences that mould and influence the people we eventually become."[6]
Awards
edit- CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award for Older Readers, 2008, winner[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett (Penguin 2007)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett (Walker Books)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b "The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett". Austlit. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett (Penguin 2009)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ ""Ghost's roads, ghost's lives by Rebecca Starford"". Australian Book Review, October 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "The case for The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett". The Conversation, 26 March 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ ""CBCA – Winners 2008"". CBCA. Retrieved 7 October 2024.