4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Told in multiple storylines Life Before by K. L. Romero is a historical fiction book that examines the concept of past lives. This book examines what it might be like to relive one. Elaine, the protagonist who starts it all, is an older women whose children have grown. She decides to start writing the novel she has always wanted to. As she sits down to write, she is transported to the early 1900s where she is Eliza Darling, a prostitute trying to reform herself.
While Eliza is trying to reform herself we learn of her past and how she became a "working girl", as she calls it.
We also learn the story of Millie, another girl, who becomes a prostitute as well. All of these stories intertwine to paint a picture of the sex trade in 1900s Dallas.
Interwoven between Millie and Eliza is the story of Elaine, the writer. She is trying to figure out what has happened and if she has lost her sanity. She visits the library where she discovers Eliza is a real person. All these stories work together to form a cohesive story line.
Life Before is a book that I found hard to put down, though I had to at times. I liked reading the multiple storylines in this book. I also enjoyed reading about a subject that few authors dare to broach. While, I enjoyed this book, due to the nature of the subject I would not recommend it to a young audience. There are explicit scenes in this book. If you have ever experienced sexual assault of any kind I would be careful in reading this book, as it may trigger symptoms of PTSD. Having said that, I have PTSD and was able to get through and enjoy this book. However, it does not mean that everyone who has had such experiances will be able to. Please read with caution if you have had such experiances and you choose to read this book.
This book was well edited and had very few errors. I could tell that the author did her research for this book. I was captivated by the lives of the characters, as well as the writing itself. The writing was well done and kept you wanting to read more. I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because of these things.
Overall, I liked this book. I think that if you are a fan of historical fiction you will as well. This would also be a good book for those wanting to learn about the horrors in the lives of prostitutes and gain empathy for "working girls" everywhere.
******
Life Before
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Insightsintobooks729's review? Post a comment saying so!
