Stephanie Alexander (2)

I like the world that the author built for this book. Instantly, I was sucked into the story due to the description of the world and the characters. Which really helped me as it was like a mini movie playing in my head while, I was listening to the audio version of this book. Speaking of the audiobook. the narrator did a really good job of portraying the various voices of the many characters. The narrator kept me intrigued.

When it came to Eleanor, I found that she had a strong personality that I saw grow as the story progressed. While Gregory may be the prince, it was Dorian that I feel like Eleanor. Gregory did come off as a bit more childish than Dorian. Additionally, it did seem like it took a long while for the story to really move forward.

Although, I do have to admit that this book read as a young adult to me. So, I found myself not as invested in the characters as I have found myself personally having outgrown most young adult books. This is just a personal thing for me, but this should not deter you from trying this book out for yourself.… (more)

A BookLikes friend read and rated this highly recently, and I’m always onboard for a ghost story-mystery set in Charleston. Her standards are far more exacting than mine, so I felt confident buying it and its sequel the other day

Unfortunately, I can’t say I loved it. I’m conflicted about even saying I liked it, although it was a good, well-written story, with the exception of a few formatting errors and at least a couple of grammatical ones, though still fewer of both than I normally find in most traditionally published books.

At first I thought the problem for me was the third person present POV. In my opinion it’s the least forgiving POV available to authors and as such very hard to get right. Done wrong, characters are flat and lifeless.

But the characters weren’t flat and lifeless. Except for the main one, Tipsy herself, and ultimately this was what held me back from completely enjoying this book. She was a dishrag, and not just because she’d just gone through a difficult divorce, but because she’d been something of a dishrag her whole life. Not a victim, not even a doormat, but just a non-entity. A time or two she caught fire and those moments were ones I enjoyed thoroughly, but they happened way too rarely to make up for all the rest of the book, where she just drifted through.

On the plus side, the ghosts were great, and I enjoyed the parts where Tipsy painted, likely because they were the only times she wasn’t passive. But I truly enjoyed the story behind the ghosts and the mystery of how they died.

I was prepared to jump directly into the second book, Haint Blue, but I flipped through it this morning, and caught a passage that’s completely turned me off. It’s obvious that the author’s need to write as true to life as possible means taking the reader on the same emotional roller coaster of relationships that most people would give a kidney to avoid experiencing in real life, but are bound to go through anyway. Bound to or not in real life, I’m not obligated to experience it again in my books, and the passage that caught my eye has Tipsy acting like a melodramatic teen. No, thank you. Maybe someday, but for now I’m stopping with Charleston Green and calling it good.

I read this because it looked good, but I’m also using it for Halloween Bingo 2021 on my Murder Most Foul square.… (more)

I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book - I love Southern fiction but don't like magical realism and ghosts. I took a chance and ended up loving it. The characters (both human and ghost) were well written and fun to read as the main character handled her own life during divorce as well as working on a mystery for the ghost couple who lived in her house. The story of Tipsy's current struggle with her soon to be ex-husband and her relationship with her kids shows one side of her personality but she also sees and talks to ghosts which it totally different than the rational part of her life. The ghost couple -Jane and Henry are humorous as they try to ignore each other - as they have been doing for over 100 years. Neither of them remembers how they died or why they are still stuck in the same house but their love/hate relationship is still apparent for both of them and to Tipsy.

This is a fun novel to read - full of Southern charm, family, love and marriage and ultimately life and death. It's got family friction, best friends, a little romance and a lot of magic. What more does a good book need?… (more)

Charleston Green by Stephanie Alexander is one of the wonderful books I read in the recent times. I can only imagine how beautiful this new color Charleston Green is after reading this book.
Tipsy Collins is a beautiful soul, an artist and strong and independent at heart. Tipsy arrives at her new home with her three kids to live at a new house after going through a rough divorce. She manages her work at her best friend's art gallery, paints and also takes care of her kids all by herself.
Tipsy gets to put her supernatural skill to use to help two new ghost friends that she found at the new house. Jane and Henry who have been stuck at that home for a long time find answers to the questions that have been hanging between them since their deaths.
The climax twist was unexpected. The pace is excellent. The story is witty, lovely, romantic and awesome. I must admit this is the funniest ghost story, didn't terrify me at all and made me think I might need a ghost friend for myself.

I don't want to mention Tipsy's ex-husband Ayers whom I thoroughly hated while reading the story.I also liked how the author used the divorce law in North Carolina and certain other states to explain the troubles faced by many women who tolerate emotional and physical abuse. I'm sure this story definitely gives hope to many a women to stay strong and do what their heart encourages them to do. Just stand up for yourselves! Author has smartly put the marital issues from a century ago and the present day in one story and takes the reader on a wonderful fictional ride.
I received the copy of Charleston Green from NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you BooksGoSocial for sharing the copy with me. The book is going to be published on 14th of April, 2020. I know you all are stuck at homes quarantining. Don't miss a fun ride to Charleston through this book.… (more)