3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
“Yesterday : A Novel of Reincarnation” tells the story of how two young people, Mark and Amanda, living in modern day Chicago found the love that seems to follow them through centuries.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars as it is brilliantly written but still posses some features of a “slappy” romance book.
Mark, an attractive cop, and Amanda, a beautiful young woman met while she saved his life. Amanda’s life seemed to be marked by the deaths of her most loved ones. For that reason she desperately tries to avoid falling in love Mark in fear of losing him as she lost her parents, one of her brothers and later her fiancée. The story goes back to Civil War America and follows the life of Amanda’s and Mark’s predecessors.
What I liked about this book is the brilliantly descriptive style makes the reader live every scene as if he is present. The scenes are given life by the skilful use of literary devices as alliteration and onomatopoeia.
The thing I liked the most was the subtle message that we should not let our past determine our future ( or as was the case of Amanda) our fears that the past will re play itself when we are most happy thus having the most to lose.
The message is mainly delivered by Amanda’s Godmother, Mary. There are certain features that the writer gifted Mary’s character with that contribute to her wise demeanour. She being a “successful psychologist with a select clientele” leaves the reader with an impression of composed and intelligent elderly lady. As Mary said “ you can count on this: what you expect will usually happen. If you resign yourself to a life of tragedy, you can expect tragedy” . And this is the best message this books should send out for all of us.
The other character in the book that proves that we should never be scared of the future is that of Mark. The writer probably deliberately chose a cop’s profession for him, because this is a job where future is the most uncertain thing and one needs faith that things will work out in the best way.
What I did not like in “Yesterday : A Novel of Reincarnation” was the lack of the controversy in Amanda’s and Mark’s characters that could have made their relationship more interesting and appealing for the readers. Romanticism that veils their relationship and the easily predictable connection between their ancestors’ and their own life is the least likeable thing about the book.
Life is made up by uncertainty and as this story proves we human beings, being Civil War Americans or contemporary Chicagoans should do our best at all times so we have happy and fulfilling lives. If leaving that message was the author’s aim I can assure her that it successfully reached me
******
Yesterday
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Stanka Petrova's review? Post a comment saying so!
