I loved the writing and the way M.J. breathed life into such a diverse group of characters. The format of her flowing from one year/time to another. I enjoyed the style of writing and the fact she wrote this book long hand. There were events in the story I did not care for, but that is my personal opinion, despite how I feel about certain subjects, this book was a good read. Jac, the main character, is someone I could see as a friend that I'd say 'snap out of it' to, but that is the point. She is a somewhat tortured soul, the writing does her justice and you really get to know her.
In a nutshell Jac has visions of past lives. She finds herself surrounded by other characters that either have visions, believe in them, or are jealous because she has them so vividly. She travels to a friend's home on search of lost Victor Hugo journals. This story intertwines some truth about Victor Hugo and his connection to the spirit world and a modern day mystery, treasure hunt, seduction, romance adventure. I have some favorite quotes from the book I will post later!
I think I would give it 3 1/2 stars, but since I can't do that I am not quite comfy with just 3. There is sexual content and violence, although mild, some may be offended.
I will be passing it along to my youngest niece for her read and us to discuss later. :) 6/24/13 - I finished this book a few weeks ago and glad I did. I will admit when I started reading it, it was a bit slow moving, but once I got through the slower parts I found myself really liking it! It was a nice little escape, obviously an easy read, but fun.
The world created by Elizabeth Kay was magical. I would agree with some of the other reviews that said it seemed a bit 'text bookish' at times, but I think overall it helped the reader understand the world of Betony, her family and friends and how Felix reacts to it.
To summarize - Felix is a young boy with a heart condition and is diagnosed as terminal. His parents take him on vacation and he slips away to the "Divide" and has an episode and passes out...he typically wakes up to his parents hovering over him, but not this time. He awakes and realizes he is not on vacation in Costa Rica anymore, he wasn't even in his 'world'. He meets a few creatures he has thought of as myths, such a Brazzle (Griffin) and a Brittlehorn (unicorn). Finally, he meets Betony, calling herself a tangle-child (elf). The two start on a journey to find a cure for Felix. A friendship grows between him and Betony. Through the journey they meet interesting characters that help them find a book with a possible cure for Felix. Friendships between mythical beasts and the children develop as well. During the adventure they come across an evil japegrin (pixie) with a hidden agenda of selling untested potions that are harming those taking it. The twists and turns makes for a fun, interesting read.
I'm passing this on to my 10 year old niece and will update the review once she reads it.
For my novel this has been a great research book! The up to date and detailed information makes this a must have for anyone writing about or simply interested in antiques.
I recently joined a book club and we just finished The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. I liked this story. A great mystery/mild thriller. There is some sexual content, nothing graphic, but mentionable. Nancy is from Kansas and set the book in a small farming community in a fictional city in Kansas, but really did her research and describes is so well even mentions monument rocks that do exist just by a different name. The first 120 pages seemed a bit scattered to me at first; so many characters introduced, but then I realized I needed to know all of that to get the small town feel she describes so well. By the 125 page I felt I knew the Linder family, friends, workers, etc. very well. I like the detailed descriptions and twist.Jody Linder is primarily the main character and Nancy Pickard does a great job of giving the background story, leading up the night of Jody's father's murder and her mother's disappearance. Jody's uncle shows up on her doorstep to tell her the accused killer is moving back to Rose, KS; the story roller coasters from there with brilliant twists and turns. You get to know the entire family and most of the townspeople without feeling like it's too much information. I could imagine this entire town devastated by the murder of Hugh Jay Linder in the 1980s. The parents and siblings of Hugh Jay deal with the death differently, but all of them are changed by this horrible event. I will briefly say Jody's mother, Laurie, was my least favorite character; a character you love to not love. A recommended read!
J.B. writes a wonderful smart read with two 'draw you in' main characters, John and Zor. Zor seems to be the guidance we all seek, even if we don't want to hear everything he has to say, we still crave the information. I think sometimes we get so focused on daily routines and short term 'get through the day' goals we lose sight of our dreams. Zor has many explanations for this; negative energy, placing focus in the wrong place, deal don't dwell, etc. I liked his view of being like children. Zor explains when we are young we surround ourselves of what we want to be and where we want to go, but as we grow older we lose that focus and switch it to where we have been.John and Zor discuss many philosophies and philosophers while sitting in John's favorite escape/bar, Jakes. I don't believe John realized he was seeking Zor or needed to hear what Zor had to say, but he did. John states that Zor ruined his life, when in fact he made John live. I will read this story again and I'm sure I will realize new insights. This is not new information, but the way J.B. has Zor explain it clicked with me. It's simple; stop focusing on the gas gauge that is on empty and just put some gas in the darn thing.
I recommend reading this book in silence giving yourself plenty of space and time to reflect. I wrote down many quotes from this book, one of my favorites is "Mankind doesn't think in terms of creating happiness, we think in terms of eliminating unhappiness."
I am putting this book on my favorite list! This is one I could and will read again. The way Dr. Unterthiner describes his locations, feelings, characters is amazing to say the least. He makes you see each person, each location so clearly. The inner struggle the main character, Paul Reiter, has is universal. I think we can all find something in Dr. Reiter we relate to. The values and desires of Dr. Reiter and his struggle with doing what is right, but not necessarily right for him made for a touching read.Before reading this book the title alone was intriguing and after reading it made such sense. The transition from present to past is so smooth. Even with a number of characters introduced and having a story of their own was smooth and not confusing at all. I felt like I was a part of this world and knew the people personally. I have already told all my friends about this book and can't wait to read it again!