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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Read, but Not What I Expected, April 20, 2008
This review is from: Across Time (Paperback)
START OF BACK COVER TEXT - Jessie Ferguson's life is going nowhere. She's tried drugs, alcohol, even sex to fill the void that has no name, but nothing seems to quench that dull ache that visits her nightly.
When she moves into a restored Victorian Bed and Breakfast, all of that changes the instant she hears a call from the past.
A call from her past...
A past life two thousand years ago from a place she knows nothing of, from a woman she's seen only in her dreams. It is a past that needs her, a past that has burst through the boundaries of time in order to ask for her help.
If you believe in soul mates, if you know you've had a past life, if you've ever wondered who you might have been long ago and who you might have loved, then join Jessie in the first of a series of adventures that takes her Across Time.- END OF BACK COVER TEXT
I really enjoyed this book after I got past the discrepancies between the back cover description and the actual book contents. I'd recommend it for younger readers. In fact, I passed it along to my 15-year old daughter to enjoy.
A few reasons why it wasn't what I expected:
- Jessie is a 17-year old girl. From the description on the back cover, I would never have expected this to be a book about a teenager.
- Jessie is constantly at odds with her parents, who don't trust her after her drug-filled past. This strife works in the story, but is a little out of place.
- This book is categorized as lesbian fiction. The only lesbian characters are the two ancient women Jessie is called to help. Although their love for each other is the reason Jessie has been summoned, their relationship is not emphasized in the story. In my mind, this is not lesbian fiction - this is merely a book with lesbian characters.
Here's is how I would rewrite the back cover to more properly describe the book.
Jessie Ferguson has never felt comfortable with herself. By the age of seventeen, she has turned to drugs, alcohol, and even meaningless sex to bring meaning to her life. At their wits end, Jessie's parents uproot their family to move from California to Oregon with plans to renovate and re-open a bed and breakfast. Their hope is that moving Jessie from the city to a small town will bring some peace to their lives.
Working hard, and still trying to find herself, Jessie discovers new mysteries about the house and gets help from some of the town's more unique inhabitants. These mysteries take her over 2000 years into the past. The only question is, will Jessie find her future in this past?
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So much more than just a story, April 10, 2008
This review is from: Across Time (Paperback)
Jessie Ferguson thinks her parents are totally destroying her life. They've torn her away from her friends and school in California to move to a small town in Oregon where they plan to renovate an old house into a bed and breakfast. They hope they are saving Jessie from the drugs and sex she was involved with, but all she can think about at first is getting out of the town. Then things begin to change. Jessie meets Madam Ceara, the town fortune teller, who seems to be able to read people's minds. Ceara not only isn't surprised when Jessie says that there is a room at the house that keeps appearing and then disappearing, but encourages her to explore what the room means. Jessie finds herself passing through a portal that carries her two thousand years into the past to meet Cate, a Druid priestess and a previous incarnation of the soul Jessie now possesses. Cate has been sent into the future by two powerful Druid leaders Maeve and Lachlan in a desperate search for information. The Romans are intent on destroying all of the Druids in Britain and Cate needs details from Jessie that will help them avert disaster. As Jessie and Cate reach out to each other, Jessie begins to grow in knowledge, maturity and power. She acquires a wisdom and courage that sets her apart from her peers and she learns from Cate and Maeve about a type of love that is not bound within a single lifetime or by gender. As Jessie tries to prove to her parents that she's not the same person, she also struggles with the new things she is learning. And always there is the sense of impending doom that hangs over all of them, the race to find information that Jessie has to win if she is to save people who have become friends.
Linda Kay Silva has created a book that has to be appreciated on two levels. There is a well crafted story about Jessie, Cate and the situation involving them. The reader could simply enjoy that and have a good read, but there is a much deeper theory expressed in this book. It poses interesting questions and proposes more interesting answers. What if time is not linear, but cyclical, with past, present and future lives all coexisting on different planes? The soul never dies, but moves from plane to plane inhabiting different bodies, but maintaining certain characteristics. If we could quiet the noise and distraction of the world around us, could we learn to tap into knowledge we possess in other lives? When a person has unusual artistic, mental or psychic abilities, could it be the memories from other lives surfacing at some level? Is it possible for souls to pass through the "seam" of time and visit other incarnations, perhaps appearing in those lives as "ghosts" or dream characters? If two souls are "mated," do they pass through time, constantly rediscovering each other in various relationships? These are just some of the questions the reader will find herself pondering as she works her way through the story. The reader doesn't have to spend time thinking about these issues, but they add a depth to the writing that isn't often found in fiction.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Truly thought provoking, March 12, 2008
This review is from: Across Time (Paperback)
Jessie Ferguson is what some people might consider a lost soul - to fill the void in her life she has turned to drugs, alcohol, and sex but nothing seems to ease the aching she feels deep within her soul. After all she has put her parents through, they feel the only alternative they have is to start over in a new town. Maybe a fresh start will be enough to help Jessie to shed the negativity that seems to surround her and give her a chance to lead a more normal life.
To Jessie, nothing sounds worse than leaving sunny California to go live in dreary, foggy Oregon. Who would want to live in a town where everything seems to move so slow and everything seems about 10 years behind the times? Even though her parents and brother seem excited at the prospect of running a Victorian B & B, she has a hard time feeling anything but angry and depressed - who moves their daughter when she is about to start her Senior year in high school, no matter what she may have done in the past?
Jessie's life is about to turn around in a major way, all thanks to the town "crazy" Madam Ceara. At first, Jessie isn't sure what to make of her, especially after it seems as if she truly is the psychic she proclaims to be. But after seeing a door that mysteriously vanishes and reappears in her house, she turns to the one person who may be able to help make sense of some of this. What Madam Ceara tells her is shocking, and would make most people shake their heads in disbelief. But Jessie has faith that not only is Madam Ceara right about the "magic" of the door, but also right when she tells Jessie that following the advice she gives will drastically change her life, even if it endangers it at the same time.
I must say this is one of the more fascinating books I have read. I don't like to delve into the plot too much as I want each individual to experience the story in their own way. I related to this book on a very deep level - one of my favorite passages was this:
"Dreams are powerful. No matter what the people think in your time, you must believe in their power. You must know without any doubt that this is a special place where souls meet and reflect on the wisdom of the ages."
Dreams and their meaning have been discussed for many years. Some people thing that they are just the minds way of "rambling", while others, like myself, feel that they convey a lot of information that could be helpful in leading a more productive and peaceful existence. It takes time and patience to study your dreams, but it really may be worth the effort, especially if you are struggling with problems in your life (and which one of us isn't).
The other passage that struck a chord with me was this:
" We believe that our anam cara always sees our light, our beauty, our very best traits. Our anam cara accepts us for who we truly are. The anam cara love awakens the fullness and mystery of life."
What is an anam cara? According to Celtic spiritual tradition, the soul shines all round the body like a luminous cloud. When you are very open - appreciative and trusting - with another person, your two souls flow together. This deeply felt bond with another person means you have found your anam cara, or "Soul Friend." Your anam cara always beholds your light and beauty, and accepts you for who you truly are. In Celtic spirituality, the anam cara friendship awakens the fullness and mystery of your life. You are joined in an ancient and eternal union with humanity that cuts across all barriers of time, convention, philosophy, and definition. When you are blessed with an anam cara, the Irish believe, you have arrived at that most sacred place.
What a beautiful thought!
Linda Kay Silva has written a thought provoking story, that leads you down a path not traveled often. Open your mind and heart, and pick up this fantastic read that will be sure to evoke thoughts and emotions that may have been buried deep within you.
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