Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful imagery, but certainly lacking...
Review: This novel lacked a quality which makes Ondaatje's 'In the Skin of a Lion' one of my favourite novels, and although I cannot place it, the book seem to interest me less than his former pieces.Although this can be said, I find myself unable to give Ondaatje less than four stars, because I am not looking at the novel objectively, but comparing it to his past works, which is hardly fair on any author. There is always going to be a novel which is more acclaimed, more enjoyed, and to demerit the others would be somewhat unfair. Anil's Ghost, as a novel, contains flashs of brillance, moments when I became swept away in the sheer poetic nature of the moment. This is perhaps the author's aim, thus this novel is a success. At points however, I found it equally dry, and only became really engrossed after some patient reading. I believe that this is often a style the author employs, beginning his books slowly and lifting them to a crescendo toward the close. I think the novel became less about the life of Sailor and the finds, but more about injustice and the lifes of the characters. Regardless of some faults, I would recommend this novel if you have sufficent time, but I would also reccommend his brillant 'In the Skin of a Lion'.
Rating: 
Summary: A very disappointing and uneven novel
Review: After 'The English Patient', I expected Ondaatje to write a worthy literary 'sequel'. 'Anil's ghost', however, is a forced and disappointing book, with very few redeeming qualities. Anil's story, from her relatively sucessful childhood to an affair with a married man to her development as a forensic anthropologist in the USA to her devotion for absurd details in movies, just fails to capture the reader: it is so uninteresting. Moreover, by the end, Anil disappears without much ado, leaving the reader wondering if she had some sort of epiphany--or if she was that relevant to what Ondaatje was trying to say. I found Sarath, Anil's collegue, and Gamini, his brother, much more compelling characters, both in their past and present. This is, in fact, one aspect that makes the novel so uneven. Another aspect that makes the novel fail is the language. There are, to be sure, poetic moments. I found, for example, the description of how the Buddah's eyes are painted highly poetic. But, for the most part, the language seems forced, wandering all over the place. I had the impression that Ondaatje could not decide on a style to write the novel. The political background is, perhaps, the most interesting aspect of 'Anil's ghost'. The terrible politics of Sri Lanka are relatively well described. At the same time, however, Ondaatje doesn't provide many insights--in fact, he appears naive. Yes, war is cruel; yes, there are innocent people being killed and maimed with impunity; yes, life is disrupted in the chaos of war... But don't we all know this? Do I recommed this novel? Not really, unless you are interested in Ondaatje as a writer or intend to write a thesis about him. I think that most people would probably appreciate his previous novels and do themselves a favor by skipping this one.
Rating:
Summary: English.com
Review: In Anil's Ghost, the author intertwines a vivid description of a gruesome civil war in Indonesia with an uninteresting illustration of the life of a confused forensic anthropologist. Throughout the book I was torn between not wanting to put the book down during the captivating accounts of the nature of the war and then wanting to fall asleep whenever the main character's name was mentioned. The author captured the horror, the mystery, and the corruption of the times flawlessly. In fact, once I was done with the book I was inspired to learn more about what has gone on in Indonesia. However, I didn't want to learn anything more about his main character, Anil. I thought the author tried so hard to make Anil a poetic character that he forgot to make her interesting. She lacks any qualities that make you want to feel anything for her, whether it be sympathy, hatred, or love. Beyond these two facets of the book, I found the novel easy to read. There was also some beautiful language and imagery throughout the book to delight the senses.
Rating: 
Summary: why did i read this?
Review: this has to be, quite possibly, the most boring, longwinded book i have ever read. was there even a plot to this mundane story? believe me, i would not have read this of my own free will and anyone who does is a sucker for punishment. sure, some would argue the underlying themes of suffering and the importance of laying bare the horrors of war. blah, blah, blah! in my mind, a book should be both enjoyable as well as have a point, two things which, in my opinion, this book is lacking. lest anyone think that i am just being too harsh, perhaps you should try and muddle through this tiresome piece of literary garbage and then post your own opinion. reading this book was a task that i did not enjoy and i warn everyone to not even bother with it. unless it is required, don't read it! to sum it all up, one star is being generous.
Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Mystery
Review: As we embark on the journey to war torn Colombo in Sri Lanka we are anesthetized by Michael Ondaatje's poetic lyrical voice. We are led through Anil's journey to Colombo and her finding of her "ghost" Sailor. Anil is a forensic anthropologist for a human rights group, looking for the truth of government participation in the atrocities of Sri Lanka during the 1980's. Reading the book in a sedated state we are never sure of the reality of life in this country. Even Anil a returning native or prodigal daughter is always off balance. Trust and truth are not necessary qualities for this time and place. Good guys and bad guys are difficult to distinguish. In the final anguish of the book we are still unsure of who Anil's ghost really is. This book is a compelling read. It provides insight into any place disrupted by revolution and violence.
Rating:
Summary: Anil's success
Review: When a male author can write beautifully and truthfully about a woman in a psychological manner I find it to be a true wonder, as well as a joy to read. Ondaatje does that and more. The inner emotions of Anil, a woman returning to her home country, Sri Lanka, are written with as much intensity as the scences about her forensic work. In a country filled with tension, the author manages to portray things beautifully,and serenly capturing the purest emotions of people in love,in panic, in saddness and in confusion.Her relationships with people in the present, as well as those in the past, develope to form other equally fascinating and layered characters. This book is easy to read, easy to fall into and easy to not put down.
Rating:
Summary: Even better than The English Patient
Review: Very moving, very powerful, lyrical, simple / complex, and entertaining. I kept reading and re-reading, back and forth --not at all because the story was cloudy, but because it was so captivating and seductive... Because I wanted to savour the feelings it stirred in me again and again, like a mysterious malt in a glass you do not want to empty --and you keep drinking. A fantastic poem-novel. One of the best, most touching books I ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read and interesting social commentary
Review: Anil Tissera is a forensic anthropologist, specializing in human rights violations. At the behest of an international organization, she returns to her forsaken birthplace, Sri Lanka, to investigate political murders. These atrocities have been commonplace since sectarian unrest there escalated in the 1980s. Despite the inherent danger of such an investigation, Anil becomes consumed with uncovering the identity of one particular victim, whose remains are nicknamed "Sailor." Told poetically from various viewpoints, by the author of "The English Patient," this story is morality tale of sacrifice versus senselessness in a country caught between ancient tradition and political upheaval.
Rating:
Summary: Maths that don't add up
Review: There are some authors you can describe using an image. Oh, so-and-so is like a such-and-such, you might say. Paul Auster, for example, would be an abstract painting or a curious Chinese puzzle. Haruki Murakami would be an underground tunnel, or a cat playing with a ball of string. John Irving would be an overpacked holiday suitcase, the kind of thing you'd have to sit on to close. Michael Ondaatje, like Philip Roth, would involve stone - except, where Philip Roth would be busy constructing skyscrapers (skyscrapers? rows of skyscrapers! cities!), Ondaatje would be polishing pebbles. A Michael Ondaatje novel is like nothing so much as a pile of highly polished pebbles. You take up the book and examine a stone - feel its heft, hold it up to see how it catches the light. Turn the page, another stone. It feels differently in your hand. You replace it where you found it. It may be that you remove stones from the pile out of sequence because the chronology is a little dazed. As you read on, there is a kind of poetic accretion - to paraphrase Calvino, stratifications of rock, slabs of slate, shivers of schist - that can (and has, in the past) work to spellbinding effect. Torpid film aside, "The English Patient" is a beautiful book. "Anil's Ghost" is not a beautiful book. It wasn't ever going to be, dealing as it does (for the most part) with Sri Lankan civil conflict. That it lacks beauty is not a problem. That detail and character and plot are obscure is. Anil, the real ghost at the centre of the novel, is a forensic anthropologist (she can tell how a person died from performing experiments on their skeleton) sent to Sri Lanka, the place where she was born and raised, by a world aid organisation to investigate the troubles. She has been living in America and conducting an affair with a married man, a writer called Cullis. The affair is over. There is a sad scene in a bedroom with a knife. She has a friend called Leaf who is dying of AIDs in Mexico beside the satellite dishes that send signals into outer space. You learn enough about what Anil sets out to do in Sri Lanka - discover the identity of a badly burned skeleton she believes belonged to somebody murdered by the Government - to think that the identity of the skeleton, and the search for the identity of the skeleton, are important. From the outset, she is assisted by an archeologist called Sarath who she isn't sure she can trust. Sarath has a brother called Gamini who is a doctor. They don't get along. Gamini loved Sarath's late wife, wanted her for himself. He finds comfort in the hectic hospital regimen. We get the impression it is hard being a doctor, particularly in Sri Lanka, particularly during intransigence. By this point, however, it is hard being a reader of "Anil's Ghost". The identity of the skeleton is disclosed but it feels like an afterthought. An irrelevancy. You step back and examine Ondaatje's pile of stones to see what shape - if any - they make, to see what this is all about. You move stones aside, unsure of how they relate to each other, or if they relate to each other. You want to grip whatever is at the centre of the book, but - paraphrasing Yeats - the centre just wont hold (damn still). The novel is kaleidoscopic without settling on what truly interests it : is it the character of Anil, is it the troubles in Sri Lanka? You are left with a random assortment of smells and images straddling war photographs of a war you never heard about involving people you never knew. You don't know what happened, you can't tell good from bad, you don't know who to identify with or who to care about. Ultimately the book fails because there comes a point when a desire to understand becomes a frustrated appeal to make sense or compel. To just plain do something. There is no doubting Ondaatje's genius as a poet (as a certain kind of poet). He is a powerful wordsmith. Outside of poetry, though, words are like maths : sentences make paragraphs, paragraphs make chapters, chapters make sense. Ondaatje's maths just don't add up right.
Rating:
Summary: Run of the mill it ain't
Review: If you are a literalist or a reader of bestsellers, I suggest you stay away from Anil's Ghost. It's a book of subtle hues and textures, where implication is more prevalent than exactitude. Plot here is essentially a background feature, and complex and open-ended characterization is the key, highlighted by sensual imagery and evocative language. If this sounds interesting to you, go right ahead, buy this book, and enjoy it. Watch out, though. It's elliptical structure and juxtapositions of time and space leave much up to the reader to place the separate elements into a cohesive whole. I've only read this once, but I'll be reading it again to cull more from it than a first read--even a perceptive one--will allow. Oddly enough, the book that this brought most to mind as I was reading was Marguerite Duras's The Lover, where a universality of meaning can be found in the most mundane of events. In both Duras and Ondaatje, the substance of the particular is raised to greater eloquence in the arena of concepts: time, truth, love, death. It's the stuff poets have been struggling with since Day Two, and if that interests you, go for it. Read this when you have time on your hands and you are willing to check the pulse of your imagination and intuition.
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