Bibliography:  Cameron, Julia. (2008). Mozart’s Ghost. New York: St. Martin’s Press.  ISBN: 9780312369118

Plot Summary:   Thirty-something Anna moves from Ann Arbor to New York where she teaches elementary school, hangs out with eccentric Harold and man eater Stacy, dreads visits from her twin brother, eats in the Greek diner, does laundry while reading tabloids and, oh, yeah, talks to ghosts.  Anna is a medium who does readings for clients.  Mostly she can control the ghosts, but when Edward moves in to apartment downstairs and starts practicing for an important piano competition what seems like ALL THE TIME, one impertinent ghost won’t leave her alone.  Anna wants Edward to go away because his playing interferes with her ability to concentrate and talk to ghosts.  But then her opinion changes.  Could she be falling for him?  But what will happen when he finds out about her abilities?

Critical Analysis:  It really surprises me that this book is not more well known.  I suppose that again I have discovered a title that does not like to be pigeon-holed.  It features a young woman and is witty but is not really in the chick lit vein.  It features a budding romance but that is not the whole story.  It is paranormal, but not in the same way that most paranormal books are these days.  There are details about family and about trying to find your place in the world.  Perhaps it is a little too old fashioned for some tastes,  it does remind me of some of Madeleine L’Engle’s novels such as And Both Were Young, Camilla, and Joys of Love.  (Gay and bisexual characters aside…)

So then perhaps the question becomes, who is this book for?  Well, anyone who enjoys a good story about the human condition I think, for in addition to Anna’s story,  Edward’s take on events are shown through funny letters he writes to his benefactors back home, and glimpses of the lives, loves, and longings of others are seen through the sessions Anna conducts to reach loved ones who have died.  I think some teens might enjoy this story because in the end, it is really about people trying to make connections with other people so that they aren’t alone in the world.  And isn’t that a true teenage condition?

Review Excerpts:  “While this delightful novel has a heavy supernatural presence, it’s also about loneliness and fear, two things that many readers will understand—even if they don’t believe in ghosts.”–Publisher’s Weekly