Sparrow Hill Road

Ghost Stories, Book 1

By: Seanan McGuire

Narrated by: Amy Landon

Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross - a man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn't ask Rose what she thought of the idea.

It's been more than sixty years since that night, and she's still sixteen, and she's still running.

They have names for her all over the country: The Girl in the Diner. The Phantom Prom Date. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Mostly she just goes by "Rose", a hitchhiking ghost girl with her thumb out and her eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to outrace a man who never sleeps, never stops, and never gives up on the idea of claiming what's his. She's the angel of the overpass, she's the darling of the truck stops, and she's going to figure out a way to win her freedom. After all, it's not like it can kill her.

You can't kill what's already dead.

©2014 Seanan McGuire (P)2014 Tantor

Enjoyed it

Would you consider the audio edition of Sparrow Hill Road to be better than the print version?

???

What did you like best about this story?

It was weird, but kept me interested.

Which character – as performed by Amy Landon – was your favorite?

The main girl

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

///one

Any additional comments?

Wish Book 2 would come out!

Great series of ghost stories compiled as a novel.

Is there anything that Seanan McGuire can't write, and write well? <em>Sparrow Hill Road</em> begins McGuire's take on ghosts.

There are legends of ghosts all over the country: The Girl in the Diner; The Phantom Prom Date; The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Though the stories have deviated and changed from the original tellings, they are all based on one story, one legend, one myth ... except that she isn't a myth. She's Rose Marshall and she died in 1952 in Michigan, at the sweet age of sixteen. She was killed by Bobby Cross - a former movie star who sold his soul to stay young forever. The catch is that he has to take life from the living in order to do it.

Rose escaped Bobby's clutches and now Bobby is trying to finish the job. It's been sixty years since Rose died and became a Road Ghost and she's determined not to let Bobby terminate her completely.

As with just about everything I've read from McGuire, she's a master at creating worlds with their own rules and sharing that world with the reader. Here we're in a shadow of our own world, traveling through time. This spirit world ... <em>these</em> spirit worlds ... have an incredible set of rules and McGuire helps us navigate those rules the way Bobby Cross navigates the roads.

In addition to her world-building, McGuire is just a great story-teller. Her characters (even her dead ones) seem so real; they feel like people you know (or want to know). Her stories build naturally and her way with words keeps you reading.

In her Special Edition Introduction, McGuire relates the story of how these Rose Marshall tales came to be. In essence this book is a collection of short stories that have been tied together to make it a novel. However, it still reads like a series of short stories despite the 'fix-up.' Still, I'd rather read a Seanan McGuire fix-up novel than most anyone else's work.

Narrator Amy Landon does a mostly fine job. Unfortunately her male characters all come across as Lenny-from-Of-Mice-and-Men stupid. At first I thought this was intentional character analysis but I later realized that when she tries to drop her voice to sound more masculine she tends to drag the dialog along, making her sound slow and dumb.

Looking for a good book? <em>Sparrow Hill Road</em> is a ghost novel by Seanan McGuire. By Seanan McGuire I said. That means it will surprise you and entertain you and you will be glad to have read it.

A Series of Interconnected Stories

The central character of this book is Rose Marshall. She's also known as the phantom prom date. She was killed in an accident in 1952 and since then has wandered the roads of this world and the spaces between. Sometimes she is helpful, sometimes she is not. But her world and the characters who inhabit her world paint and interesting picture of ghosts in America. While she does at time mention older creatures such as the Black Dog or Hellhound, most of the stories center around the American love of motor driven vehicles and the lore of the road.

Interesting book that should appeal to those who love urban fantasy. Probably wouldn't particularly appeal to hard core paranormal romance fans though. If you have to have a HEA tread carefully, although there isn't a cliff hanger at the end of this book. It appears to be the first in a series.

Narrator by Amy Landon. This is the first book by her I have listened to. She doesn't have the verve of Mary Robinette Kowal who reads the October Daye books, but she did keep me interested and entertained with no annoying mispronunciations or verbal tics.

Unique, funny, tragic and human

There's something very special about this book. I've been having some trouble writing the review, I think this is going to come out a bit more subjective and airy than I like.

This story is told primarily from the perspective of Rose, a dead girl who haunts the highways and truckstops of America. Her reality is the people she encounters in her drifting and intangible existence. The beauty in this tale is found in the humanity of the characters, their kindnesses and flaws and the joy taken in small, everyday things. The story is made up of a number of smaller tales, at times humorous, tragic, thrilling and strange, of Rose's encounters (or hauntings) of various odd characters both alive and dead whose only real connection is the road and their mortality. Along the way Rose is drawn toward a final confrontation with her own haunt, who is not nearly so nice as she is.

I loved this book so much, the nature of Rose's existence, the style used to tell her tale, the character of Rose herself and her insights into the world and people around her, it all comes together to form a unique and beautiful story.

Review

I read the books before I listened. was a little disappointed by the narrator but overall enjoyed the whole performance.

No spoilers

Seanan McGuire delivers again! This is a very different take on death after life—NOT your typical ghost story. It is exactly what I expect when reading anything by the author (regardless if she’s using her own name or writing under Mira Grant)—an original, innovative story that often pulls in familiar aspects of folk tales and urban legends. Keep it coming!

Seanan McGuire now an autobuy

Any additional comments?

At this point I've found something enjoyable about every single book she has put out.
This one is no exception, I love Rose Marshall and she's up against a genuinely terrifying villain.

A narrative that floats freely as would a ghost

I was underwhelmed by this book. I am a huge fan of Seanan McGuire's October Daye series and the Newsflesh series she writes under the Mira Grant pseudonym, so I had high expectations. However, true to any good author, this book is stylistically very different from her other works. Unfortunately, it was not what I was hoping to find.

Don't get me wrong, the book is not a bad book at all. I am just really a fan of her action and intrigue based writing. This is definitely not that type of story. It is a bittersweet ghost stories that meanders and floats in a manner that is eerily evocative of a haunting.

I suspect some readers might have issue with the nonlinear narrative. I actually thought this was very clever and appropriate for a tale about ghost girl. I just wish there had been more action. A nice ghost tale here and there would have been nice, but it felt like the snippets got a tad old as I waited for the story to circle back to the point. Instead, things slowly swirled into a standstill with tendrils showing where things could go in another book.

As always with Ms. McGuire, the world was richly built, with a lot of thought and detail. Seriously, this woman is gifted in her fantasy imagination and the results always seem so vivid and real. This, more than anything else will probably see my return for the next book in the series.

A true American ghost story.

Good narrator. Wonderful stories. I would like to hear more. The worldbuilding is breathtaking. Worth the listen. Perfect for road trips.

More please!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I loved this book! The world created by the author is amazing. I want more please!

What did you like best about this story?

Everyone has heard the legend of the vanishing hitchhiker - but this rendition of that legend has been carried out with fine craftsmanship. I want more please.

What does Amy Landon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator was perfect for this story. She sounded as if she could have been Rose - a young, earnest woman.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My extreme reaction to this book - is that I couldn't stop listening. All I wanted to do was put my earbuds in and listen to the next chapter.

Any additional comments?

Sequel, series please - I want more please.