A Certain Slant of Light

By: Laura Whitcomb

Narrated by: Lauren Molina

Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you’re dead. Though I could not feel paper between my fingers, smell ink, or taste the tip of a pencil, I could see and hear the world with all the clarity of the Living. They, on the other hand, did not see me as a shadow or a floating vapor. To the Quick, I was empty air.

Or so I thought. In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: For the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen - terrified, but intrigued - is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess.

©2005 Laura Whitcomb (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Company

Critic reviews

"The author's poetic prose, capturing the spirit and sorrow of the two unearthly protagonists, will likely have a mesmerizing effect." (Publishers Weekly)
"Whitcomb writes with a grace that befits Helen's more modulated world while depicting contemporary society with sharp insight." (School Library Journal)

A favorite since it's release in 2006

In 2006, I stumbled upon this book somewhere in Barnes & Noble. I was only 12 at the time, I absolutely fell in love with this book. The story never left my memory.
Now, I am getting to listen to the book from a different slant of light. ha.
Now at 24 years, the book means so much more to me. It is truly a beautiful story and will continue to be among my favorite books.

I never stopped listening

This book had depth I did not expect. It is a fantastic love story about death, living, and forgiveness. It seems a bit too mature for teenagers, to me. The sex in the book is not overly explicit or in bad taste, though. It reminded me a little of the Twilight books. The charecters were emotionaly very mature and noble, with some old fashioned type vaules.
The narrators voice and style were perfect. All around an awesome book. I sure wish there were more like this. I wonder if this author has any other treasures in her future.

WOW!!!!! Mesmerizing.

I cannot brag enough about this book. It got me by surprise actually. Read the synopsis and thought...looks like a good story. Little did I know I would be soooo caught up and mesmerized with this book. Totally obsessed with it. Went thru it in a day. AMAZING!!! You wont be disappointed at all. Great love story. Lots of suspense. LOVED IT!!!!!! Want more like this one. :)

Beautiful Story!

This is one of the best audiobooks I have listened to! Once I started, I went straight through, not stopping until I was done. No joke! Laura Whitcomb did a superb job with this story. I thought the narrator was spot on; her sweet and harmless demenor was a perfect portrayal of Helen. I didn't expect this story to tug at my heart strings, but it sure did. It is such a beautiful story and I would definitely recommend it. It was 100% worth the credit point. =)

favorite

This has been one of my all time favorite books since I read i don't even know how my times over the years..... the issue j had was the narration. If it wasn't one of my favorite books the narration would have ruined it. She pretty much whispers the entire book. hard to stay awake through that even when it is a really good book.

Lovely, unusual ghost story

A Certain Slant of Light is a different slant on a ghost story, and I really enjoyed watching the way it progressed. The two main characters are ghosts looking in on the living world, at first experiencing it without being noticed and later going unnoticed for what they really are. The prose is lovely and elegant, the story emotional, and once I got into this it was hard to stop listening. The story felt fully fleshed out, and yet I was left wanting a bit more at the end. That's probably a mark of a great book but for myself I would have prefered just a little bit more info in a couple areas, but overall this was a great listen!

This is very much a love story, so be warned to expect a bit of mush. I found that part of the plot a bit rushed, not in terms of pacing but for the characters, and there were several times I found myself aghast at the lack of foresight shown by the main characters in some ways. Let's just say that not all ghosts haunt Girl Scout meetings, where we were taught to tread through the forest so as to leave as little damage as possible! That's a thought that was with me pretty much throughout the whole book!

This is listed as a young adult novel, but it's one of the most adult ones I've come across and I wouldn't think of limiting this to a teenage audience. This is not at all a kiddie story. There's a good bit of sexual content, which, although never crude, might be something for which parents might want to prescreen for younger teens.

The narrator is just right for the part. She perfectly captures the hushed urgency of the gentle-souled Helen, a ghost desperate to communicate yet terrified of notice.

Loved it!!

I had already read this book many years ago, but I wanted to listen to it as well. It was wonderful.

Interesting, ghostly love story

This is a well written, unusual take on a "paranormal" love story. I found it engrossing and entertaining while I listened, throughout the course of the story. The narrator uses the softer range of her voice, which suits the ghotsly aspect of the main character and the story, ..though some listeners may find it a little too relaxing if they usually listen while working out or other more active activities. As other reviewers have noted, it may seem (depending on your taste or perspective) that the two main characters engage in a physical relationship quite quickly, but you have to remember that the people they actually are/(were) are not underage. Parents may want to preview and/or at least have a conversation with preteens or younger teens before enjoying this story. Overall, a very good story with fitting narration.

beautiful read

I enjoyed the book very much. I loved Helen and James. The story is beautifully written.

A ghost story.

Any additional comments?

I love a good ghost story! This book tells the tale of a ghost who, as she haunts a school teacher, discovers another ghost inhabiting one of the students. She hasn't seen this before...a ghost that could reside in the body of a live human. She has only followed her teacher and is very intrigued by this other spirit. The two spirits are drawn to each other and over time find a way to live out their love stories by inhabiting bodies of the living. The humans they inhabit are not living good lives, so the story makes you think about the morality of possessing a living person, taking life from them.

The story has a dark side and is edgier than I expected. A good YA read with some sexual and drug-related incidences...not for younger kids...