Friday, June 4, 2010

Book Review: My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Publish Date: June 1, 2010
Hardcover, 342 pages


My Review:

I found this book to be fascinating from the first page.  The story takes place taking turns telling it from Daniel's point-of-view in the past and present and also from Lucy's point-of-view mainly in the present.  I enjoyed learning about Daniel's life and something of the phenomenon he is part of, a type of soul rebirth through the ages.  Daniel is a wise soul and seems to know who he was in each of his lives.  And one there is one woman/girl that he is always in search of, his Sophia, Constance and now Lucy.  She goes by different names, but is the same soul whether she knows it or not.

The book is haunting as you read of Daniel's lives and how they interweave with Lucy's past lives.  The reader also gets in touch with Lucy and her uncertainty of whether she believes Daniel.  The plot was great to me and kept me hooked through the book.  The last 80 or so pages really took off, but I found the first part just as fascinating with the character development.  I kept wondering who Daniel would be next and what was going to happen.  I never felt bored by the plot line or the characters.  My Name is Memory was well-paced and a very enjoyable read.

If you like novels with a subtle paranormal twist, not too much world building, just the storyline, then this is a book for you.  It has a romance that spans the ages, a wounded hero, a woman who just wants to be normal and a storyline that will grip you from the first page.  Ms. Brashares has done a wonderful job on her second outing to adult fiction and I will be reading her more in the future.

My Rating:  4.5/5.0

About the Book:
Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short.

Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

A magical, suspenseful, heartbreaking story of true love, My Name is Memory proves the power and endurance of a union that was meant to be.

About the Author:
Ann Brashares was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area with her three brothers. She attended the Sidwell Friends School and then studied philosophy at Barnard College, part of Columbia University in New York City.

After college she worked in editorial jobs until 2000, when she began her first novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, published in 2001. Over the next five years she wrote three sequels-The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, and Forever in Blue.  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was made into a feature film and released by Warner Brothers in 2005. In June 2010 she will release her new novel, My Name is Memory.  (From Ann Brashares' website).

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FTC Information: I received this book from Lydia Hirt at Riverhead Books for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

 

Book Blogger Hop and What I'm Reading Friday

Wow - has it really been a week - I thought I just signed up for this yesterday, but no, it really has been a week.  I've been busy busy since last Friday, but able to accomplish posts.  I actually think this Book Blogger Hop really inspires me to post.  So do you want to join or visit blogs that have signed up?  It's simple, go and check out Crazy-For_Books.com for the Mr. Linky for the Blog Hop.  



ABOUT THE HOP:
In the spirit of the Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.


What I'm Reading on Friday Edition:

Kindle: Dangerous by Diana Palmer
I can't seem to get to this for the print books I have for review, but I'm going to try and read this over the weekend.

Audio in the Car:  Don't Look Twice by Andrew Gross 
I started the 6th Disc today, very interesting.

Review Book:  Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase
I am loving this one - so fun and cute.  I'm about 1/3 of the way through and should finish it quickly.  Review will be coming next week.

Library Book:  Burned by P.C. and Kristen Cast
Only a few pages into this but it seems interesting so far.  Hope to work on this one this weekend as well.



Dangerous (Long, Tall 
Texans) Don't Look Twice: A Novel  Strange Neighbors Burned (House of Night Novels)

Book Reviews:
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas

My Name Is Memory Welcome to Harmony

*****Check out my sidebar for giveaways going on right now and there are more to come very soon!*****

Other notes for today - It's Friday and I'm tired.  I did go to Buffalo Wild Wings with my hubby for lunch and that was good (ours just opened).  We had fun playing the trivia game and DH even won.  Plans to go workout after work and then do some reading when I get home and then a few episodes of Lost with the family.