Book Review: My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares

Photo taken from Goodreads

 Book Info

Title:  My Name Is Memory 

Author:  Ann Brashares
Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton
Language: English

Format: Paperback

Pages:  416 pages

ISBN-10:  0340953519

ISBN-13:  978-0340953518

Source:  Gift from The Boyfriend

Buy this book on Amazon

Summary

From Goodreads:

"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."

Review

I have always wanted to write a book.  I know that I have some really interesting plot ideas that would not just sell, but would also be a favorite of millions of readers - okay so that is just wishful thinking on my part.  The problem is that I do not have the patience to sit down and write a story worthy of a whole book.

The premise for My Name is Memory is actually one of those things that I used to think about that would make a really great book idea, and judging from what I have read from Ann Brashare's latest work, I am very right.  

The premise is this:  Reincarnation.  Soul mates.  Borrowed time.  How do you reach that one person whom you are destined to love forever across time?  In this novel by Brashares, the question of whether our souls could recognize other souls through lives and time is explored while set against a heart-wrenching love story.

I have to admit that there were some aspects of this story that I was not too crazy about:  First and foremost, is the seemingly never-ending cycle of living and dying - especially with Daniel - only to let that one important soul slip through his fingers.  He had been yearning for Sophia's love and forgiveness that he tends to throw away one life to get to another just so he could have another shot at being with her.  However, because fate could not care less, there has never been that good a time for them to get together.  That plot is interesting but it seemed that there was never a plan to bring this cycle to an end and finally give Daniel and Sophia the life together that they deserve.

But as disappointing as the never-ending cycle of living and dying is, the story still packed quite a punch.  The voices were very compelling and solid, realistic yet tinged with haunting magic akin to that of fairy tales.  The characters were highly sensitive and relatable.  I was so rooting for Daniel to finally have his chance with Sophia that I dreamed of talking to him and telling him what he should do, what he should look out for, and what he must do next.  On the other hand, Sophia was such a delicate but strong woman I so wanted to be like her - just not as vulnerable.  Because Brashares had ample experience writing young adult fiction, I would like to believe that it's because of that reason that she was able to write this whole novel without making it sound too heavy or sad or dramatic but at the same time still retaining the urgency and mystery in its tone.

Overall I would recommend to everybody to read this book.  However, be prepared to let this book control you, and not the other way around because I guess that's the only way that you would be able to accept wherever this book takes you and ignore its minor flaws and enjoy the big picture.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

All opinions expressed in this book review are my own and not influenced by any party in any way. 

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.  

A Stranger in the Mirror by Sidney Sheldon

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title: A Stranger in the Mirror
Author:  Sidney Sheldon
Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-10:  0446356573

ISBN-13:  978-0446356572

Buy this book on Amazon

Rating:

 

This book is amazing-blah-amazing.  I know it sounds confusing, but read on, and I'll explain to you as best as I can.

According to Goodreads

"Toby Temple is a superstar, the world's funniest man. He gets any woman that he wants, but under the superstar image is a lonely man. Jill Castle is a sensuous starlet. She has a dark and mysterious past and has an ambition even greater than Toby's. Together they rule Hollywood."

This story builds its momentum with meticulous precision, snappy dialogue, and slow-but-gripping pace.  The back story is a bit long, but necessary to understand the whole story, and in my opinion, it was the best part of this book.  I learned a lot about all the characters, that I was able to form an attachment for Toby and Jill for their similar struggles and sacrifices.  I laughed with them, cried with them, got mad with them, and dreamed with them.  I loved them.

Reading further, I thought it would deepen the connection I felt between these characters.  For Toby, it certainly did, seeing all his efforts finally paying off.  However, for Jill, I suddenly felt like I did not know her anymore.  Gone is the down-to-earth Jill full of hope.  Replacing her is a mean and vicious woman, out to get everyone that put her down in the past.  I'm afraid to say that although I was behind her every step of her struggles, I was not very pleased with this development in her character and really began to resent her.  Maybe that is what the author wanted, to have the readers really connecting with the characters and then either understanding or shunning this unfavorable change in Jill's character.  Maybe that means the author has really written a story with really relatable characters that have distinguishable personalities and definitive backgrounds. 

With regard to the story, I really have no problem with it except that it dragged towards the middle and I had a bit of difficulty pushing through its slow pace.  I was rewarded, however, with an enriching experience when the story built into its climax and resolution.  I loved how it turned out, even if it does seem tragic and sad.  But for me, I was completely satisfied with how things played out in the end, I was totally vindicated with my sudden dislike for Jill, and not wanting to inadvertently put in a spoiler here, I am thoroughly content.  To understand what happened, you better grab a copy of this book.

 

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This will definitely be the last post for this blog this year, and ARGH and I would like to greet everyone a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!  We wish that 2011 will be a fabulously-awesome year for all of us!

 

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

(Photo taken from Pan Macmillian)

Title: Life on the Refrigerator Door

Author: Alice Kuipers
Publisher: Macmillan
Language: English
ISBN - 13: 9780330456456
Rating:







Telephone conversation with a mother and her daughter who lives overseas:


Mother: Hi honey, how was your birthday? Did you receive the present I sent you?

Daughter: Hello Mom! My birthday was okay. I went out with some friends. I miss the dinners you and Dad used to do on my birthdays though. Yeah, I got it yesterday morning. I'm going to read it later tonight. I did notice that it's got no plastic packaging anymore. Did you get it secondhand?

M: No hon, I just read it first before I sent it to you. I was supposed to buy it for myself but when I read it, I knew you'd love it, and I didn't have a present for you anyway, so...

D: Mom, you know you didn't have to do that! You might want to read it again and now it's with me. Wait, you're sure you did not send this to me because you think it sucks, did you?

M: Of course not! I loved the story and I just told you, I thought you'd love it. It's got those cute little drawings and I know how you love to draw. And it's one of those mother-daughter stories so we can both relate. Very poignant and moving. But it's not boring. Seriously, it's really good.

D: Yeah it does seem interesting. I just read the blurb and I can't wait to read it later. It does sound a bit emotional. Is this a tear-jerker Mom?

M: It has its moments. It's written in a really unique way, and the author did a terrific job at it. The style it was written would make you think its storytelling would be too limited, but it turned out really well, I couldn't put it down! I read and finished with it in an hour, but I felt like the story lingered in me for another week. Oh honey, I missed you so much after reading it.

D: Wow, now you've got my interest piqued. I miss you too Mom, but with work and stuff, it's not easy to just drop everything and go home.

M: I know. It's just that the book made me realize how much time we've been spending apart, and with your Dad gone... I've just been a bit lonely lately honey.

D: I miss Dad too. And lately, I have been feeling a bit sad too. I couldn't sleep much. Kept thinking of you...


Silence.


D: Mom? Are you still there? Are you crying?

M: I'm fine, honey. Make sure to read the book okay? And call me back and tell me what you think of it. I have to go, I need to go out shopping.

D: Are you sure you're okay Mom? I promise I'll read it and call you. And I think I'm going to ask my boss for a vacation. I do want to see you again.

M: Oh honey, you're really going to do that? You don't know how much that means to me! Call me back and tell me if your boss let you go on leave. And about the book too. I love you baby.

D: I love you too Mom. I'll call you.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Author: Kim Edwards
Publisher: Penguin
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0143037145
ISBN - 13: 978-0143037149
Rating:









Dear Ms. Edwards,

I hope you are well. I have read your book, The Memory Keeper's Daughter, and this letter was written to tell you what I think about it. You probably don't have much time to reply to letters to you, even read them, but I just wanted to get this off my chest.

I got a copy of your book because I was very intrigued by the premise of the plot: A young woman Norah, in the '60s, gave birth to twins with only her orthopedic surgeon husband, David, and Caroline, a nurse, to attend to her labor. The first child, a baby boy, was perfect and healthy; but the next child, a girl, was born with Down syndrome. David then made a hasty decision to ask Caroline to take the baby girl, Phoebe, to an institution. Caroline, however, decided to take care of Phoebe and disappeared. I liked what you wanted to do with the story, to show how one lie can insidiously destroy a family, the difficulties of having a child with Down syndrome in the 1960s, and a mother's pain in losing a child.

I was very intrigued that going through several pages, I had a false sense of excitement for this book, not noticing that the story was sort of imbalanced. You kept telling us about how David or Norah or Caroline feels, but never showing us how. I wanted to cry with Norah and with David, but I just can't because it felt like you were just telling me to cry, instead of showing me a reason to cry. It felt imbalanced when you kept telling me about how Caroline had to fight a lot to help Phoebe get a normal life, instead of showing me what those fights were. I can see that you are a good story teller, but I hope that in other books, you can prove that you are also good with story imaging.

As for the characters, I could not see much depth, except for Phoebe, which is probably because you decided that a girl with Down syndrome should be portrayed skillfully to become realistic - which shows that you do have talent for character creation, but you seem to become too engrossed with your storytelling than bother with the other characters. Somehow, it appears, that your sympathy for Phoebe's plight overshadowed your writing, that you felt you wanted to lash out on the other characters, especially David's family by making them appear unlikeable, stereotypical, and bland. There was no credibility in their characters, each of their actions and histories questionable: David's past should have made him more of a man instead of the coward you made him out to be; Norah's intentions when she agreed to marry David did not seem to be out of love, but more like she just married a man like him who could give her the stability she wanted. Paul, pining for how life would be like if his sister lived, felt like he's just reacting to whatever his parents did, not having his own personality.

But in spite of those flaws, I did enjoy your book and even felt as trapped as David in keeping those lies. But to say that I loved all of it would be a lie: for me, the first and last parts are the only good ones. The premise of the plot was unique and remarkable, but the plot itself, not very much. And as I got closer to the end, it did not bother me that much.

Please don't take this personally. I only wanted to comment on the story you wrote, and I hope this would help you in writing your next book. I look forward to another unique story from you, and when that time comes, I hope it will be way better than this one.

Sincerely,

Lynelle By the Sea by Laurie Lico Albanese

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title: Lynelle By the Sea

Author: Laurie Lico Albanese
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0525945369
ISBN - 13: 978-0525945369
Rating:









And buy it on sale I did. Ever since then, I have been alternating between satisfaction and regret. I cannot entirely say that this is a bad book, nor could I say for sure that this is a good one.

The story is about two mothers who lost a child. One loses a baby two days after its birth, the other one had her baby stolen from her. Their lives become intertwined as the author explores motherhood, loss, and forgiveness.

So now let me talk about my ambivalence in praising and/or hating this book: I have nothing against the story. I think it is very moving, poignant, and, although a bit sad, hopeful. The characters are lovable in their own way. Told through different points of view: Lynelle narrating her side in her working-class words, and Annie and her family's story described from a third person narrative, the story shifts from the hopeful, hopeless, pathetic, and almost dreamlike state of Lynelle to the regimented, tired, frantic, and forgiving life of Annie. This style of narration provided the reader with much insight into each characters and extracted the right amount of sympathy for each.

The story provided a myriad of symbols: Lynelle's attempt to reach her mother's spirit in a crucial time of her life, baby Dylan's appearance into her life, breastfeeding, and several others that provide insight into motherhood, the bond between mother and child, and the sense of loss when that bond is broken very early on in life.

The characters and imagery are also very believable and almost tangible. Unlike most novels and most stories of kidnapping children, this story provided an in-depth view of the kidnapper's mind frame, eliciting sympathy and understanding for what was done, in the most human way possible.

But on the other hand, while I could have enjoyed the story, I felt that the first part was a drag. While I could understand the drama and the gradual revelation of each character's personality, I could not help but get slightly bored in the first few chapters. Maybe I am just a very impatient reader, always excited to get into all the action, that I could not quite appreciate the meticulously-drawn background of the women and their lives. Or maybe the writer was actually too verbose. In this regard, I would like to ask those who have read this book, or are planning to read it, to give me their opinion: Is it the author, or is it just me?

So maybe the reason why I sort of do not like it is personal, but when I read past those dragging parts, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, with its simple plot, simple characters, and complex emotions. I say simple plot but complex emotions because not everyone can understand how a mother feels when she loses a child, but losing a child is something that happens everyday. I do not only mean that literally, but also in the figurative way that a mother loses a child to puberty, to other interests. If you can look past the drag I got myself into the first few chapters, this is a book that you will thoroughly enjoy, especially if you are a mother.