A Fine and Private Place

★ 3.8 avg 16 votes

About this book

This classic ghost story from the author of The Last Unicorn follows Jonathan who’s been living in a cemetery with a raven as his only friend amongst the newly dead until he discovers a pair of ghostly lovers bearing an extraordinary gift—the final chance for his own happiness.For nineteen years, Jonathan Rebeck has hidden from the world within the confines of a Bronx’s cemetery, making an abandoned mausoleum his secret home. He speaks with the newly dead as they pass from life to wherever spirits finally go, providing them with comfort, an understanding ear, and even the occasional game of chess.But Mr. Rebeck’s reclusive life is disrupted. An impossible love has blossomed between two ghosts at Yorkchester Cemetery. Helped along by a cynical, talking raven and a mysterious security guard, these four souls must learn the true difference between life and death and make choices that really are forever.Told with an elegiac wisdom and beauty, Peter S. Beagle’s first novel is, “One of literature’s most beautiful works about ghostly times and places...told with wit, charm, and a sense of individuality” (The New York Times Book Review).

3.8 ★★★★☆ average of 2 sources · 16 votes
Open Library 4.0 1
1★2★3★4★5★
Hardcover 3.9 16

Reader Profile

Enjoyment77Difficulty60Influence36Popularity40Classic66

3.8/5 · 16 readers · 256 pages · ≈ 4 h 44 m · Moderate

How long does it take to read A Fine and Private Place?

About ≈ 4 h 44 m — 256 pages, assuming roughly 250 words per page at 225 words per minute.Typical novel≈ 5 h 56 mA Fine and Private Place~4 h 44 m

How many pages is A Fine and Private Place?

256 pages in its most-read edition.Typical novel320A Fine and Private Place256

What genre is A Fine and Private Place?

It sits on the Ghost Stories, Horror, Fantasy shelves.

Is A Fine and Private Place in the public domain?

No — it is still under copyright.

Who wrote A Fine and Private Place?

Peter S. Beagle.