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charmainelim's review against another edition
4.0
I FINALLY FINISHED THIS!
Full review here - https://charmainelimen.wordpress.com/2016/12/31/review-the-extraordinary-journey-of-vivienne-marshall-by-shannon-kirk/
Full review here - https://charmainelimen.wordpress.com/2016/12/31/review-the-extraordinary-journey-of-vivienne-marshall-by-shannon-kirk/
ryinwonderland's review against another edition
5.0
This book is heart-achingly sweet from the very first page.
As Vivi lies dying in a hospital bed after being hit by a bus, her childhood sweetheart, Noah, (taken from her too soon) plays spiritual tour guide as he leads her on a tour of Heaven to draw inspiration for her own slice of the afterlife. Vivienne relives important moments from her life as she traverses the Heavens of people she knew, either intimately or in passing, with Noah, who just might be her soulmate.
Filled with beautiful descriptions and bittersweet memories, "The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall" is just that: extraordinary. Throughout this extraordinary journey we, the reader, experience life, death, grief, sorrow, joy, and love and love and love.
This novel is sweet and uplifting and will make your heart grow with too much love. Keep some tissues nearby when you read this one.
As Vivi lies dying in a hospital bed after being hit by a bus, her childhood sweetheart, Noah, (taken from her too soon) plays spiritual tour guide as he leads her on a tour of Heaven to draw inspiration for her own slice of the afterlife. Vivienne relives important moments from her life as she traverses the Heavens of people she knew, either intimately or in passing, with Noah, who just might be her soulmate.
Filled with beautiful descriptions and bittersweet memories, "The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall" is just that: extraordinary. Throughout this extraordinary journey we, the reader, experience life, death, grief, sorrow, joy, and love and love and love.
This novel is sweet and uplifting and will make your heart grow with too much love. Keep some tissues nearby when you read this one.
readswithdogs's review
5.0
Sometimes I need a little break from horror, and thrillers and The Extraordinarily Journey of Vivienne Marshall was the perfect book for that break!
Shannon Kirk was kind of enough to send me a copy to review and man, she can write sweet just as well as she writes spooky!! 💐🌅💓⚰️
⚰️🌅💓💐
I'm going to come right out and say I don't believe in heaven or hell or any of that, so I was a little skeptical about this journey. However, The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall isn't actually super religious, it's really a love story. The whole book is filled to the brim with love stories that make your mouth ache like you just ate too much candy.🍬
I fell into this cotton candy magical world of love and loved every page of it!
I was reminded of A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and the storytelling reminded me a bit of Wally Lamb's writing.
Also, why isn't this a movie? It'd blow The Notebook right outta the water!
I didn't know I needed such an uplifting story until I finished it. The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall was a wonderful breath of fresh air and I'd encourage you to seek it out and read it for yourself.
💓💐⚰️🌅
. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 for this lovely romp of magical realism.
Shannon Kirk was kind of enough to send me a copy to review and man, she can write sweet just as well as she writes spooky!! 💐🌅💓⚰️
⚰️🌅💓💐
I'm going to come right out and say I don't believe in heaven or hell or any of that, so I was a little skeptical about this journey. However, The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall isn't actually super religious, it's really a love story. The whole book is filled to the brim with love stories that make your mouth ache like you just ate too much candy.🍬
I fell into this cotton candy magical world of love and loved every page of it!
I was reminded of A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and the storytelling reminded me a bit of Wally Lamb's writing.
Also, why isn't this a movie? It'd blow The Notebook right outta the water!
I didn't know I needed such an uplifting story until I finished it. The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall was a wonderful breath of fresh air and I'd encourage you to seek it out and read it for yourself.
💓💐⚰️🌅
. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 for this lovely romp of magical realism.
dilema's review
3.0
The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall/Shannon Kirk What if you could choose your heaven now? Go on a celestial shopping trip of sorts? Thirty-five-year-old Vivienne does just that, as she lies in the ICU; a fatal walk into the path of a truck. In her final week of life, Vivienne treks through the Heavens of a priest, a best friend, a homeless child, and a lover who never was. Vivienne's guardian angel, Noah, who may just be her soul mate, escorts her through selections of Heavens and through the confusion Vivienne experiences as she flounders between a doubt of life and the certainty of death. Although her visits to varied afterlives provide peace and beauty, choosing proves not so easy: Vivienne's love for her young son and her earthly father pull her from her colorful journey—and from the divine love of Noah.The nature of love, the variety and magic of life, unending hope, and the importance of saying goodbye are central to this uplifting tale.
I wasn't quite as in love with this book as I expected that I'd be.
While I still enjoyed the concepts of love and eternity this made me think about, I wasn't completely excited about the way this seemed to promote an idea of there being one true love, and I really didn't like how people could only be in one other's heaven at the same time.I really enjoyed the characters the author created in this book. Vivi chose to visit the afterlifes of people who might not necessarily be obvious choices, but they were heartwarming choices and definitely made me think about the impact that people can have on others, even in the smallest of ways.
Vivi's family seems to be riddled with entirely too cute love stories--those perfect relationships featuring people who met in their childhood and stayed together for years. While I do adore these, I felt like they were almost perpetuated too much. I love the idea of true love, but I don't enjoy the idea that one can only have one great love in a life time; it's limiting.
This was told from varying perspectives which I found to be a little confusing at points as I got lost as to who each character was in relation to Vivi, but this was probably due to my not being entirely invested in this book. I felt like it could have been more focused, although I did enjoy seeing what happened after Vivi's eventual passing and being able to be omniscient in that sense.
This book definitely had a brilliant premise. I was reminded a little of Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I just feel like I didn't entirely click with the way it was executed. However, I recommend this to people interested by the blurb.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't quite as in love with this book as I expected that I'd be.
While I still enjoyed the concepts of love and eternity this made me think about, I wasn't completely excited about the way this seemed to promote an idea of there being one true love, and I really didn't like how people could only be in one other's heaven at the same time.I really enjoyed the characters the author created in this book. Vivi chose to visit the afterlifes of people who might not necessarily be obvious choices, but they were heartwarming choices and definitely made me think about the impact that people can have on others, even in the smallest of ways.
Vivi's family seems to be riddled with entirely too cute love stories--those perfect relationships featuring people who met in their childhood and stayed together for years. While I do adore these, I felt like they were almost perpetuated too much. I love the idea of true love, but I don't enjoy the idea that one can only have one great love in a life time; it's limiting.
This was told from varying perspectives which I found to be a little confusing at points as I got lost as to who each character was in relation to Vivi, but this was probably due to my not being entirely invested in this book. I felt like it could have been more focused, although I did enjoy seeing what happened after Vivi's eventual passing and being able to be omniscient in that sense.
This book definitely had a brilliant premise. I was reminded a little of Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I just feel like I didn't entirely click with the way it was executed. However, I recommend this to people interested by the blurb.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
sof's review
5.0
NetGalley copy in exchange of an honest review.
Vivienne Marshall’s life takes a turn for the worse when she gets hit by a car. When she wakes up after the accident, she’s somewhere else, on a bridge, facing her first love, Noah, who died years ago.
He explains to her that she has the opportunity to create her own Heaven by visiting other people’s one, to figure out where to go, what to learn.
So Vivienne visits several people as her body is slowly dying back in the hospital. A priest, her best friend, her son’s father, a homeless child… in order to prepare herself for a whole new adventure.
***
Oh my God, I am a bundle of emotion.
I fell in love with this book.
And you’d better get ready for the same, because you won’t be able to put this book down. This is a true masterpiece, I am in awe, I just don’t know what to do with myself.
First things first, the concept is outstanding, and I love every element of the initial idea.
Let’s start with the writing style. It’s exquisite. There are beautiful (BEAUTIFUL) descriptions, I loved the bridge symbolism and there’s a true, beautiful poetry in Shannon Kirk’s words.
The story is filled with lessons, and strangely enough, it comforted me a lot, despite the heavy subject it tackles. We’re talking about death, people. I particularly liked the whole aspect of time, and how it has truly no bearing in this story, throwing the reader into past, present and future.
The characters are realistic and highly loveable, and I wish I could give them all a big hug. Probably as much as I wish I could get a hug to, truthfully.
I’m speechless. Everybody should read this book. the author manages to write about death and turn it into a celebration of life, and we should all learn from it. So thank you, Ms. Kirk, if you read me!
Vivienne Marshall’s life takes a turn for the worse when she gets hit by a car. When she wakes up after the accident, she’s somewhere else, on a bridge, facing her first love, Noah, who died years ago.
He explains to her that she has the opportunity to create her own Heaven by visiting other people’s one, to figure out where to go, what to learn.
So Vivienne visits several people as her body is slowly dying back in the hospital. A priest, her best friend, her son’s father, a homeless child… in order to prepare herself for a whole new adventure.
***
Oh my God, I am a bundle of emotion.
I fell in love with this book.
And you’d better get ready for the same, because you won’t be able to put this book down. This is a true masterpiece, I am in awe, I just don’t know what to do with myself.
First things first, the concept is outstanding, and I love every element of the initial idea.
Let’s start with the writing style. It’s exquisite. There are beautiful (BEAUTIFUL) descriptions, I loved the bridge symbolism and there’s a true, beautiful poetry in Shannon Kirk’s words.
The story is filled with lessons, and strangely enough, it comforted me a lot, despite the heavy subject it tackles. We’re talking about death, people. I particularly liked the whole aspect of time, and how it has truly no bearing in this story, throwing the reader into past, present and future.
The characters are realistic and highly loveable, and I wish I could give them all a big hug. Probably as much as I wish I could get a hug to, truthfully.
I’m speechless. Everybody should read this book. the author manages to write about death and turn it into a celebration of life, and we should all learn from it. So thank you, Ms. Kirk, if you read me!
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