Before Ever After: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Samantha Sotto (Author)

Book Description

"A smartly written romance, mystery and historical adventure all wrapped up in a page-turner that will have you guessing until the very end." – Adena Halpern, author of The Ten Best Days of My Life
 
Three years after her husband Max's death, Shelley feels no more adjusted to being a widow than she did that first terrible day. That is, until the doorbell rings. Standing on her front step is a young man who looks so much like Max–same smile, same eyes, same age, same adorable bump in his nose–he could be Max's long-lost relation. He introduces himself as Paolo, an Italian editor of American coffee table books, and shows Shelley some childhood photos. Paolo tells her that the man in the photos, the bearded man who Paolo says is his grandfather though he never seems to age, is Max. Her Max. And he is alive and well.
 
As outrageous as Paolo's claims seem–how could her husband be alive? And if he is, why hasn't he looked her up? – Shelley desperately wants to know the truth. She and Paolo jet across the globe to track Max down–if it is really Max– and along the way, Shelley recounts the European package tour where they had met. As she relives Max's stories of bloody Parisian barricades, medieval Austrian kitchens, and buried Roman boathouses, Shelley begins to piece together the story of who her husband was and what these new revelations mean for her "happily ever after." And as she and Paolo get closer to the truth, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Melissa Senate Reviews Before Ever After

A former book editor, Melissa Senate is the author of ten novels, including her latest, The Love Goddess’ Cooking School, which Publishers Weekly says “reinvents comfort food.” She lives on the coast of Maine.

Before Ever After is my favorite kind of book: magical. It is a book in which the every day of life, of marriage, of calling a husband to ask him to pick up something on his way home, are forever changed by the extraordinary, the unexpected, the impossible.

Three years after the death of her quirky, wonderful husband, Max, Shelley is a young widow barely able to get through the day. Until a knock on the door brings a thirty-two-year-old man who claims to be her thirty-two-year-old husband’s grandson--yes, grandson--into her life. And he tells her that her beloved husband Max is still very much alive and living halfway across the world. It sounds impossible, but that is part of the joy of this novel: it is about a search for answers to the critical, and most basic, questions about life. It is about what should be impossible but because of the transformative power of love, isn’t.

Samantha Sotto takes readers on a journey--from London to the Philippines, and all over Europe--as Shelley and the grandson set off to track down Max. Along the way, Shelley recounts the package tour where she and Max met, years ago. Anyone who has booked a EuroRail pass or tried to live out of a backpack for more than a few days can relate to Shelley’s trip, and for those who have never had the chance, this is your next best shot. Most of us, bouncing about from Père Lachaise to St. Mark’s Basilica, return home with little more than a few tchotchkes and some great stories, but for Shelley, her life was changed from the moment Max’s tour-guide flyer caught on the heel of her shoe on a windy, what-am-I-doing-with-my-life kind of day. Had this flyer caught on my shoe, I would have been on that tour bus with Max in a heartbeat too:

Fancy Getting Lost? The Slight Detour: Veer away from the unexpected and lose yourself to the back roads of history on a road trip across Europe. Not for the prissy or the daft. Nutters most welcome. Good fun and excellent egg breakfasts included.

I went on that irresistible journey with Shelley and then on several more over the course of this remarkable novel. A journey of adventure, romance, history, magic. Long after the last page of this book, that beautiful journey has stayed with me.

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Review

 “I was floored by the gutsy scope of this highly unusual love story. Before Ever After is one of those books that challenges the natural laws of fiction writing, and Samantha Sotto pulls it off in a frisky and highly entertaining way.” – Anne Fortier, New York Times bestselling author of Juliet

“I was absolutely enchanted by Before Ever After. It's a highly original and engaging mix of romance, mystery and magic that will challenge everything you think you know about happily ever after.” – Jill Smolinski, author of The Next Thing on My List
 
"A smartly written romance, mystery and historical adventure all wrapped up in a page-turner that will have you guessing until the very end." – Adena Halpern, author of The Ten Best Days of My Life
 
“Exquisitely written and inventively told, Before Ever After is a beautiful, moving—and quite fun—exploration of what you think you know about your own life.” –Melissa Senate, author of The Love Goddess’ Cooking School
 
"In Samantha Sotto's high spirited debut, a young widow travels to a remote and distant island to answer the question, what price do we pay for eternal love. It is a mesmerizing journey transcending time and continents, all to remind that there are many ways to live on forever and to immortalize a marriage. Note to readers: Curl up with jasmine tea and savor the warm, rich writing, as delectable as the recipes for love found within every enchanting page."  -Saralee Rosenberg, author of Claire Voyant

From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1950 KB
• Print Length: 306 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0307719871
• Publisher: Crown (August 2, 2011)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004KPM1SK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,572 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, romance, and a surprising twist all in one! August 3, 2011

By G. Scott VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Before Ever After--the whole story is a journey, and it was one that I couldn't put down. Advertised as the story of a young widow as she travels with her husband's 32 year old grandson in search of the husband she had thought was dead, but the grandson claims is very much alive. Recounting how they had met as they travel towards the husband she thought lost, her husband's own story begins to unravel, until when you were sure you were going to find out the "rest of the story", there is yet one more twist to the tale.

From the first page to the last, the book hold's the reader's heart right in its hands, never letting go as it carries you through to the end (or is it a beginning, really?) of the tale.

It's a fantastic tale with history twisted with our modern mundane lives and seasoned by something older than time.

I'm not even a romance novel fan, and not much for mysteries either, but this was a fantastic story. I loved it, and honestly could not put it down. I lost my entire afternoon to the tale's telling, and don't regret a moment I sacrificed to it either. So grab a cup of tea (perhaps some jasmine?) and find a comfortable chair to read this book!

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and enjoyable read August 7, 2011

By Angel

Format:Hardcover

*Disclaimers: spoilers at bay.

I was amused on how Sam stuck to the entire theme of the story, which I think delved on the "journey". More than how Max became immortal, etc., I thought how each detail was strung together to develop the journey of Max and Shelley beautifully. Though I was thirsting more about the details regarding Max's immortality, I also thought how it was more important to expound on his journey after he became immortal and midway, he came to know and love a certain Shelley who took her own journey in confronting Max's immortality. I admit, I enjoyed the story 10000x better than The Time Traveller's Wife (which I think was one of Sam's inspirations for her story). I maybe a sucker for happy endings but more than this, I appreciate how the story conveys the importance of living in the "now" and how we sojourned rather than where we will end.

Other than that, I appreciate how the settings of each place were woven together to develop the story and characters. I remember Elizabeth Kostova who also has a knack of using vivid descriptions of places, etc. The difference with Sam and her is that in the former's story, the description of the places did not go overboard. It was not as superfluous as Kostova did it in her two books "The Historian" and "The Swan Thieves". With Sam, it was just right. Just the right amount of salt and pepper to allow the reader to use her own imagination in seeing the places each character has seen.

On the downside, I got more curious about Mihael. Somehow I wonder how he himself became immortal. For a while, I thought he was Max's maker haha. Thinking in hindsight, there was quite a missing link between the vial, him, and his "reconciliation" with Max. How did Shelley ended up with another vial anyway when Max supposedly gave it back to Marija as a "donation"? Mihael seems brooding and quite mystique. But that is his allure and surely, I wanted that more developed. =) I also felt sorry for Paolo. His exit was quite swift. Nevertheless, this is about Max and Shelley so I thought it was very forgivable.

All of these said, I would like to say that I enjoyed Sam's book very much. When I started to read the book, I got giddy and excited over how Max and Shelley fell in love and how Sam played the "elephant in the room" scene as well as the "black and yellow blur". Thus I coined my opinion as "I love the book...so far" but after finishing the story, it's not anymore of "I love the book..so far" but rather, I love it. Period. Sam's writing style and the way she told the story was truly refreshing, to say the least. It was unconventional, as other critiques have said, which gives it is exceptional appeal. For me, it was like Sam was right in front of me and telling me the story herself. It had that personal and chummy vibe. =)

That said, I honestly admit that I am looking forward to Sam's next project. I hope it is as refreshing as "Before Ever After". =)

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Before Ever After August 10, 2011

By Sandra Brazier VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Imagine the shock Shelley felt when, having been widowed for three years, she opened the door to see her husband! However, there is a plausible explanation. From this shocking opening of this book, the storyline meanders through breath-catching plots, through twists and turns, into the most wonderful and most cleverly skillful circuitous love story I have ever read.

Shelley had vowed never to fall in love. She had seen the pain that her mother had lived with since the death of her father. But it happened. Shelley loved Max, and there was no way around it! Then her ultimate dread became a reality! He died! Shelley lived as half of a person, daily mourning her loss, never figuring out how to go on without him. But the day she answers the door and sees Max's familiar face, everything changes.

This book is told in three main narrations. One narration takes place in the present day. Another is from five years ago when Shelley first met Max on a tour he was giving. The other narration is from the time period in which Max's stories from the tour took place. The latter ranged from 79 AD, the time of the violent explosion of Mount Vesuvius to 1778, during those bloody days of French revolution. Past, present, and future meld together to form a beautifully written romance with a highly emotional impact.

This book has everything! The characters are written with humor and stark humanness. The settings are breath taking, vivid, and brilliantly real. The story contains truths and realities about life and death, masked in an endearing romance story. The twists and turns of the plot make this book impossible to put down. This book is nothing short of amazing!

More About the Author

In an alternate universe, I am Dr. Who's faithful companion, traveling through time with him and constantly rearranging furniture on the TARDIS. I am also Oprah's best friend and Ellen's favorite Friday night poker buddy. And did I mention that I have legs that would make Giselle Bundchen hang her head down in shame? In this one, I am a five foot two rabid Dr. Who fan (I miss you, David Tennant) who still can't imagine life without the Oprah show, but is consoling herself with large doses of Ellen and bread pudding.