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Laying The Ghost - Judy Astley

Description: ISBN 0552773212 / Author: Judy Astley / Genre: Fiction / Publisher: Black Swan / Have you ever wondered what your ex is up to? When Nell ... more

Laying The Ghost - Judy Astley ... was a student, she and Patrick were a serious item. They were inseparable, and she really thought he was The One. But then Alex came along...the safer, more restful option, and thanks to her over-controlling mother she opted for him instead. Now nothing is going right. Alex has left her to live in New York with a younger, blonder woman. Escaping to the Caribbean for a recuperative holiday, she is mugged at Gatwick and her bag is stolen. It's crisis time - and she makes two decisions: First - she will take lessons in self-defence. Second - she will try and find Patrick again. Is she trying to put the past behind her- or setting out to ruin her future?

Newest Review: ... didn't particularly add anything to the basic plot and seemed more of an excuse to fill the book out a bit more as her ... more

... feelings towards the departure of her father are never really explored. In essence, I don't feel that the book would lose much if all of her individual parts were removed altogether. Steve - After being mugged at the airport, Nell takes self defence lessons, where she meets Steve, the instructor. He unwittingly plants the seeds for finding Patrick. He is a very enthusiastic character, and somewhat annoying at times in his pursuit of Nell. His character definitely livened the book up no end and for that reason I quite enjoy...more

Read Reviews for Laying The Ghost - Judy Astley

Laying The Ghost - Judy Astley: Got any niggling 'what ifs' that need putting to bed? (687 words)
by - written on 13/11/09 (Very useful, 15 readings)
Rating:

***The Plot*** After husband Alex leaves her and a mugging at the airport shatters her fragile confidence, Nell decides to track down her ex, Patrick, to see if the grass really is greener on the other hand. ***The Characters*** Nell - Reeling from her husband's decision to leave her and their two children, Nell can't shake the feeling that she let 'the one' slip through her fingers when she broke up with Patrick. As a character, she is likeable enough and there was nothing that particularly irritated me about her as such but I found myself not caring either way whether she eventually found Patrick and whether he'd give her the time of day if so, so ... Read the complete review

Move On, Well Maybe Backwards (541 words)
by - written on 13/08/08 (Very useful, 189 readings)
Rating:

For Nell her marriage seems to have run its course, a good job really as her Husband has just left her to go and live in New York with a much younger, much blonder woman. Of course Alex had been the safe option that her mum had approved off, rather than Patrick, the one that got away and former love of her life. They had been inseparable when they were together but rather than follow her heart, she followed her mum's advice. Now having been mugged coming home from a Caribbean holiday she decides to take self defence lessons and also that it may be time to find Patrick once again. I'd never read any of Judy Astley's books before until a friend of mind ... Read the complete review

Laying The Ghost - Judy Astley: A light but insubstantial read! (736 words)
by - written on 06/03/08 (Very useful, 139 readings)
Rating:

I have read many books by Judy Astley and have just finished reading her latest 'Laying the Ghost'. I suppose this author would be classed as writing 'chick lit' novels which are very light and easy reads and obviously mainly appealing to women. If you accept that this is what it is, it's not a bad read! Just a quick word about the story first of all. At the start of the book we meet Nell who has recently been left by her husband of twenty years - Alex. She does not seem unduly upset by this as the marriage seemed to have reached an inevitable end, but is a bit peeved by the fact that he has gone off with a much younger, glamorous American woman! On returning ... Read the complete review