For a first book, this is a brilliant and impressive read that gives a new life to the old well-known love affair of Romeo and Juliet!
What a beautifully written novel. When you haven't read Romeo and Juliet you get a different story than the original tale was. If you already did read this classic love story by William Shakespeare than it just is a new great version of a traditional book. The rivalry between the Capuleti and Montecchi families still remains and the tragic of being in love with somebody you can't get either. I was enjoying the great characters and couldn't wait to discover how this re-telling was going to end. Next to this tragic narration of two people who fall for each other, is it the story of Fra Lorenzo. This Romeo and Juliet adaptation through a monk's eyes is original, written with depth and believable. Sue Barnard has used wonderful sentences for her narration and when I was reading this book I was catapulted in Italy. I really loved the finely drawn personalities and could imagine me the atmosphere of the fifteenth century. The Ghostly Father is Romeo and Juliet in an astonishing new way!
Incredible when I found out this was her first book. I would like to read more books of her with unforeseen situations and plot twists.