3 out of 4 stars
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Samyann’s Yesterday weaves a tale of timeless love and reincarnation. Amanda is on her way home from work when she witnesses a horrific train derailment. Seeing a police officer in danger, she instinctively runs to him, saving his life and instead is injured herself. Officer Mark Callahan carries her into a nearby antique shop, and as he lays her on a sofa he swears he’s seen this woman before, but where? There is a strong attraction and familiarity are there, like déjà vu or a distant memory he can’t place. While waiting for an ambulance to arrive, Amanda is lulled in and out of consciousness by the chimes of a clock in the store. After her recovery, Amanda is drawn back to the antique shop, where she buys the intriguing clock and takes it home.
The connection between Amanda and Mark is undeniable, and the two set out to find out why they both feel they know each other. But Amanda has lived a life of loss and fears that getting close to Mark will only cause more heartache. As they begin regression sessions with Mary, Amanda’s aunt, the story of Amanda’s past life as young Bonnie begins to unfold with her family fleeing to Chicago to escape the atrocities of the Civil War. As Amanda gets to know her past self, she wonders where Mark fits into her previous life- and what is it about chimes of the antique clock that make it so familiar and hypnotic?
Yesterday is full of Civil War-era history, and the author makes the extra effort to ensure historical accuracy. The book is a relatively easy read, and the dialogue between the characters flows naturally. There were only a few spelling or grammatical errors, but it doesn’t hinder the reader. There are a few terms related to the nineteenth century that I had to look up to understand context, but the author adds a nice bonus at the end of the book. Samyann has included a large section of author’s notes, giving us excerpts of history that she drew from for this book. She also gives the readers recipes for the foods she mentions, and a history on confederate candles with instructions on how to make them. That was a very nice touch.
Despite the overall story being interesting, I also felt the transitions between past and present were a little choppy. The story was also very slow to start, making me question a few times what direction the story was going- but not in the good way. The terms not covered in the author’s notes were also a little frustrating, as there were times I had to stop reading to look them up. Samyann provided no context or descriptions of the unusual items; it was as though she expected that the reader should already knew them, causing some difficulty.
If you are intimately knowledgeable in Civil War history, you won’t have any problems and will enjoy the effort of the author. However, if you aren’t an expert, there are terms you will need to take the time to look up for proper context. For this reason, combined with the uneven flow of the story, I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The concept and overall story are very good, and despite the extra work on the reader’s part I think it’s worth reading.
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Yesterday
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