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angelamichelle's review against another edition
3.0
Found by chance at the library. About reincarnationists. At the end I'm not at all convinced of the viability of reincarnation. But an interesting story. BEGGING for a good editor. Oh my, the awful sentences I could have fixed!
noella_t's review against another edition
3.0
Started the book not realizing it was part of a series. It starts out slow, going from time period to time period, and character to character. It was difficult to understand until about a third of the way through. By then the characters are familiar enough to begin to know where one is in the story. Then about tw0-thirds through the book, another older time period is introduced.
Meer Logan is haunted by memories of the past, the ancient past, memories that aren't hers.
There is Beethoven, there is a flute that plays a melody that she can't quite grasp, especially when she returns to present day time. There is a terrorist and then there are people who are trying to steal the flute once it's found.
As I mentioned, the book started out very slowly, the middle began to make sense, but by the end I was tired of the story. There were 453 pages, and I began to skim the pages at around the 430th page.
I seriously doubt I'll read any of the rest of the series.
Meer Logan is haunted by memories of the past, the ancient past, memories that aren't hers.
There is Beethoven, there is a flute that plays a melody that she can't quite grasp, especially when she returns to present day time. There is a terrorist and then there are people who are trying to steal the flute once it's found.
As I mentioned, the book started out very slowly, the middle began to make sense, but by the end I was tired of the story. There were 453 pages, and I began to skim the pages at around the 430th page.
I seriously doubt I'll read any of the rest of the series.
tmleblanc's review against another edition
3.0
I actually enjoyed the 2nd novel in this series more than the first novel ([b:The Reincarnationist|678967|The Reincarnationist (Reincarnationist, #1)|M.J. Rose|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1260514366s/678967.jpg|665374]). I've always felt a connection to Beethoven and his music. I was drawn in by key piece of the puzzle throughout the book. However, unlike the first book in the series, there were fewer flashbacks and as a result less of a connection with the past life memories breathing life and mystery surrounding the memory object in question throughout the novel.
gaderianne's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second book in a series (the first was The Reincarnationist...which I did not read). I didn't realize this was the second book until I started reading the book. While the first book is referenced it isn't necessary although it might have helped understand some of the depths of the characters.
All in all, it's an interesting concept - memory tools exist in the world that help people tormented by past life experiences remember so they can move on with their lives. The memory tool at the center of this book was a flute connected to Beethoven and, in turn, connected to present day museologist/psychologist named Meer. Unlike so many books that shift back in time or through multiple perspectives through various characters, this one does it well. By the time they all come together in the end, it felt like is was supposed to....the souls of past lives reunited, lost souls found.
However, the book just wasn't as interesting as is could have been. It took me several starts to actually finish. Perhaps it just felt too lecture-y in parts....the history lessons too apparent, the research showing through not because it advanced the plot or the characters but almost as if the author researched said topic and needed to fit it in.
Over all, I loved reading about reincarnation theory and am interested in reading more - fiction and non-fiction alike!
All in all, it's an interesting concept - memory tools exist in the world that help people tormented by past life experiences remember so they can move on with their lives. The memory tool at the center of this book was a flute connected to Beethoven and, in turn, connected to present day museologist/psychologist named Meer. Unlike so many books that shift back in time or through multiple perspectives through various characters, this one does it well. By the time they all come together in the end, it felt like is was supposed to....the souls of past lives reunited, lost souls found.
However, the book just wasn't as interesting as is could have been. It took me several starts to actually finish. Perhaps it just felt too lecture-y in parts....the history lessons too apparent, the research showing through not because it advanced the plot or the characters but almost as if the author researched said topic and needed to fit it in.
Over all, I loved reading about reincarnation theory and am interested in reading more - fiction and non-fiction alike!
ldwcameron's review against another edition
4.0
I very much enjoyed the first book in the series, The Reincarnationist, and this was somewhat a continuation of the themes, albeit with different characters. Do you believe in reincarnation? Do you believe that people can remember scenes from previous lives? That souls that are linked find each other again and again regardless of the bodies they inhabit? Where does science end and mysticism begin?
serenaac's review against another edition
5.0
The Memorist is the second in a series of books about reincarnation, lost memory tools, and the struggle of Meer Logan to find herself through her past. Her father struggled to help his daughter call her past-life memories to the surface, but Meer found her life bearable only when she avoided the triggers that called those memories to the surface.
M.J. Rose's narrative technique easily transports readers to Vienna, the home of Ludwig von Beethoven, and to Vienna in the past when Beethoven lived and taught in the city. She carefuly weaves a suspenseful tale to find a lost memory tool once in the possession of Beethoven. Meer not only struggles with the surfacing memories, but with whom she should trust of her father's friends and how deeply she should not only confide in them, but lean on them when the memories flood her mind.
"Margaux's lovely home was filled with cleaver and important people, fine food and charming music. It was all a patina. The threads that held the partygoers' polite masks in place were fragile. Everyone in Vienna had an agenda and a plan for how the reapportionment of Europe would work best for them now that Napoleon was in exile. . . . So even here tonight, at what purported to be a totally social gathering, nothing was as it seemed." (Page 226)
This paragraph illustrates the facades built up around her father, her long-time confidant Malachai, and her father's sorrowful, new friend Sebastian. The face they present to one another does not represent reality; her father hides many things from her, just as she prepares speeches she believes he wants to hear. While this story is a thriller reminescent of The Da Vinci Code, it is much more, illuminating the relationship between Meer and her father and the secrets that lie beneath.
"'Yes, behind the facades of these elegant buildings are ugly secrets and dirty shadows. . . .'" (Page 297)
Readers will enjoy the shifting perspectives from chapter to chapter and the subplot that lurks beneath the surface and could change everything for the main characters and Vienna. Music, art, and mystery are the order of the day in The Memorist, and they are woven together beautifully.
"Lifting the plastic cover over the keys she put her fingers on the yellowed ivory and began. The piano had obviously been kept tuned and she was surprised at how differently this two-hundred-year-old instrument played from the ones she was used to. There was more power and feel to its sound, less control, less sustaining power and it seemed she could do more with its loudness and softness." (Page 252)
Meer underestimates her abilities, and readers will love the evolution of her character. The only drawback in the novel for readers may be the repetition of several descriptive lines as Meer enters her past memories and "a metallic taste fills her mouth." Aside from this minor annoyance, this novel is action-packed, thrilling, and absorbing. M.J. Rose has done her research and created a believable world in which reincarnation is a viable theory with the potential to be uncovered through the use of various tools.
M.J. Rose's narrative technique easily transports readers to Vienna, the home of Ludwig von Beethoven, and to Vienna in the past when Beethoven lived and taught in the city. She carefuly weaves a suspenseful tale to find a lost memory tool once in the possession of Beethoven. Meer not only struggles with the surfacing memories, but with whom she should trust of her father's friends and how deeply she should not only confide in them, but lean on them when the memories flood her mind.
"Margaux's lovely home was filled with cleaver and important people, fine food and charming music. It was all a patina. The threads that held the partygoers' polite masks in place were fragile. Everyone in Vienna had an agenda and a plan for how the reapportionment of Europe would work best for them now that Napoleon was in exile. . . . So even here tonight, at what purported to be a totally social gathering, nothing was as it seemed." (Page 226)
This paragraph illustrates the facades built up around her father, her long-time confidant Malachai, and her father's sorrowful, new friend Sebastian. The face they present to one another does not represent reality; her father hides many things from her, just as she prepares speeches she believes he wants to hear. While this story is a thriller reminescent of The Da Vinci Code, it is much more, illuminating the relationship between Meer and her father and the secrets that lie beneath.
"'Yes, behind the facades of these elegant buildings are ugly secrets and dirty shadows. . . .'" (Page 297)
Readers will enjoy the shifting perspectives from chapter to chapter and the subplot that lurks beneath the surface and could change everything for the main characters and Vienna. Music, art, and mystery are the order of the day in The Memorist, and they are woven together beautifully.
"Lifting the plastic cover over the keys she put her fingers on the yellowed ivory and began. The piano had obviously been kept tuned and she was surprised at how differently this two-hundred-year-old instrument played from the ones she was used to. There was more power and feel to its sound, less control, less sustaining power and it seemed she could do more with its loudness and softness." (Page 252)
Meer underestimates her abilities, and readers will love the evolution of her character. The only drawback in the novel for readers may be the repetition of several descriptive lines as Meer enters her past memories and "a metallic taste fills her mouth." Aside from this minor annoyance, this novel is action-packed, thrilling, and absorbing. M.J. Rose has done her research and created a believable world in which reincarnation is a viable theory with the potential to be uncovered through the use of various tools.
thursdaymouse's review against another edition
3.0
At times, this book made me sleepy, but I'm glad I read it.
margreads's review against another edition
4.0
2nd book in the series, but I did read it out of order, which I don't normally do.
cdbookly's review against another edition
4.0
I’m glad I read the second in the series and now understand what and who are the reoccurring themes and people. I do wish some of the past life interactions were more clearly drawn but maybe that’s not realistic? I tend to like stories tied in a bow at the end but that’s not life.
ann40's review
3.0
Better than The Reincarnationist, but not as good as The Book of Lost Fragrances.