It is 1967 and Kate and Frankie are sisters from America, growing up in Hong Kong while their father is a war photographer for Time Magazine. The girl’s mother, often overwhelmed with the war, and reality itself, seeks comfort in painting. In her paintings she created an alternative “now” and she fully embraces it and wishes her daughters would too.
The girls are watched mainly by their amah (a woman employed as a servant) and find it quite easy to escape beyond her attention, and do exploring of this world they live in on their own. While swimming they find a floating body of a Chinese girl and at that point their innocence seems to take a turn. As the summer progresses, Frankie becomes more reckless and an incident causes someone to die and younger sister Kate becomes the keeper of secrets.
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Taking a deep breath, I have to honestly say it took me a couple of times to get going into this book. While written in almost a poetic manner (page one was beautifully written), I found it to almost drone on and I was lost within the words – and not within the story.
The book is told by younger sister Kate. Kate is 12. The sisters left under so little supervision get into a lot of trouble, especially Frankie who lacks the parental attention she needs, starts to find it in the male friends of her fathers. I found myself on one hand angry at their mother for being so absent, buried in her paintings while her daughters strayed into dangerous areas, and on the other hand taking pity on the woman who was obviously overwhelmed by all that had become of her dreams.
While I never found the book riveting, in the end I have to say I am glad I read it. My favorite part of this read was the incredible detailing. Author Alice Greenway writes of a Hong Kong that I could see with vivid colors and descriptive smells that made me feel as thought I was standing outside the bakery myself peering in at two sisters, Kate and Frankie.
A poetic type read that I am glad I picked up and finished. In reality, a wonderful first novel.
My Amazon Rating
Book Journey has updated the 2010 reading calendar to include White Ghost Girls
When in Hong Kong, check out some of the trendy coffee shops
168 pages
Cover story: Very captivating. This is a book that tells a story from the first look at the cover.
I picked up this book locally at a sale. This is from my personal library
Book Journey 
I know what you mean. I’ve read books that are beautifully written but don’t captivate me. I find my mind wandering while my eyes go over the words. I’m not sure this one is for me.
It took effort to read Kathy and that is always hard for me this time of year…. I don’t have the patience required to wait for a book to grab me. 😀
This probably isn’t one I’d enjoy, but it sounds like an intriguing story.
Its hard to say where I am at with this Laurel. I love reading about other countries and historical fiction too… but…. yeah.
I love books that can transport me to another place and time. Sounds like this one hit the mark for you that way but not so much from the plot/story/character way.
Kathleen that’s pretty accurate. I didn’t really have a character I felt compassion for….
I think I might enjoy this one.
I think you might too Hannah, it may have been just the wrong time of year for me to read this. 🙂
Oh, I hate when that happens, when I feel like I could really enjoy a book, but not at the time I’m reading it. :p
I read this a few years ago and remember it depressing me and hating the ending. Specifics I don’t remember, other than something about lychee fruit…
Shelley I just didn’t feel anything for the characters and while that isn’t always important and still made for a good read (I rated it 4 out of a 5) it lacked something for me.
I love the cover, it is gorgeous. The story sounds interesting, but I’m not sure now that you say it wasn’t riveting.
Amy I was totally sold on the cover and the story line. I was sure it would be wonderful and maybe I set the bar too high. It was still a good read.
It always bothers me when an author seems more involved with telling a story than showing it to you. It sounds like Greenway was more worried about how it was written. Beautiful it may be, but if it drones like you say then it wouldn’t last long in my hands…
I picked it up and put it down twice before I actually sat down and read it. I had to know where it would go. 🙂
I think I’ll probably pass on this one, even though it has a beach on the cover. Thanks for sticking with it and providing us with a good review.
Jill you wouldn’t want to be in these beachy waters – there’s a dead girl in there. 😀
Yikes! You got that right! 🙂
😆
I couldn’t resist that one!
Your opening paragraph got me pretty excited about reading this book! What a shame it didn’t capture your attention more. But it sounds like, if it comes my way, I would try it out, but if it doesn’t, I won’t be too sad. The title and cover are very catchy, though!
Jill thats how the book first came into my hands…. I read what the book was about and was fascinated. If you do get a chance to read it let me know, I would love to hear other thoughts on this one.
The feeling that I got from your review was a bit odd. Your description of it – “Alice Greenway writes of a Hong Kong that I could see with vivid colors and descriptive smells that made me feel as thought I was standing outside the bakery myself peering in ” makes it sound more like you were viewing a painting rather than reading a book. Interesting since the mother in the book is a painter. I know the same is true of good descriptive writing, but my immediate feel was painting. The words need to pull you in, but you shouldn’t get lost in them and not the story they are telling.
Sounds like an interesting book.
Pat when I wrote that I wasnt even thinking about the mother being a painter….interesting. 🙂
For me it was a book that I never connected with…. so I guess describing it as a painting fits. It was vividly described – but no attachment within the pages for me.
I don’t know if its considered well writen but I was fascinated with the feelings , attmosphere and vivid pictures she made me feel. I have been to Hong Kong –thus may have made it so fascinating to me, I did have to reread it to truly FEEl it.. and be “mesmerized”