Customer Reviews

Crossing the Meadow

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I have read many books on 'crossing over,' but I have to admit this one definitely had a new twist to it and one I found fascinating.

We start the story with a man named George who finds himself back in his hometown, where he had been a child, sitting at a Cafe. Soon he becomes involved in conversation with a woman named Clara.
It seems George has been plagued with a nightmare for years and he believes that he has come back to try and solve the mystery of that nightmare. He does not know at first that he is dead, as is his companion Clara. Together they will solve the mystery of his nightmares and in doing find out that Clara is an important figure in them.

Crossing The Meadow is a story of the dead, working their way to eternity, as they put to rest unfinished fears, turmoil's and bitterness that they harbored in life.
You see them walk side by side with humans, who are usually unaware of their presence. Creepy!

I loved the way the author worked all of his characters into the storyline, and I thought they were some of the most colorful ones I have had the pleasure of meeting in a long time. Dead or alive! George's teacher and uncle were my favorites. Great job!
This work was quite eerie, yet had some deep meaning. Perhaps we need to make sure that we don't leave things unfinished for too long on this side. We don't want to have to wait to 'cross the meadow.'

Very good read! Mystery with just the right touch of the supernatural. I'll remember this story for a long time to come. Highly recommended.
Shirley Johnson/Senior Reviewer

Who hasn't wanted to return to their hometown for old time's sake? It's never quite the same as one remembers, of course, but in Crossing the Meadow, those who return for a last look are in for some shocking discoveries.
As George wanders through familiar streets and revisits the places of his past, things look and feel a bit strange to him. For one thing, he doesn't really recall traveling back to this town. And when he tries to call home to speak with his wife and daughter, he can't communicate with them.
Many of the people he sees -- people he knew years ago -- don't recognize him. In fact, they don't seem to know he is there. And the terrible dream that has haunted him for years suddenly seems more vivid than ever in this setting.
It is Clara, a young woman he meets in a diner, who helps him to understand that they are living in limbo after death with a cast of other resident souls who walk the streets, communicate, gather to support each other in the midst of "real" people, and wonder how soon, if ever, they can "cross the meadow" to their eternal reward.
George and Clara discover they are linked by a past tragedy, and they must figure out how to solve a 30-year-old murder case before they, too, can go on. Their only recourse is to try and communicate with and enlist the help of those still living. What follows is an enchanting tale, in turn sad, humorous, suspenseful and a bit eerie at times, yet always engaging.
Kfir Luzzatto wastes no time at all in trapping the reader in this world that exists after death, and writes so convincingly of it that you begin to wonder if it could really be there. It's a haunting story that will linger in your mind long after you've turned the last page.

Sitting in a café in the city of his birth, George is remembering the days before his family moved to the United States. He is just a bit depressed because none of his friends from school seem to remember him. When he speaks, they walk on by. In the café, a very pretty young woman named Clara approaches him. He is shocked to find that she is a prostitute and even more disturbed to find that he remembers her. That's when she explains to him that they are both dead and they cannot cross the meadow until they take care of unsolved problems they left in their lifetimes. She needs to know why she is dead at such a young age. George, on the other hand, has been bothered most of his life by a recurring nightmare where he sees a dead girl buried under the bathtub of his old house. Together the two set out to solve the mystery.

CROSSING THE MEADOW could be a depressing novel of death and despair; instead, Kfir Luzzatto has made it a testimony of hope and a promise of better things to come. There is something oddly peaceful about dead people who can see the living, stand next to them and even get them to do certain things. The living, for the most part, are unaware of the proximity of the dead. The exceptions are small children who have not lost their ability to see and believe in another world and of course, animals. This novel is great easy reading for a relaxed summer evening.

Reviewed by alice Holman

of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I've often wondered about the journey that we take when we pass away. Does everything fade away or do the memories that we've harbored begin to come to light; causing you to seek answers to forgotten questions? I've often heard of restless spirits roaming our dimension unable to crossover due to problems or unfinished business. I've heard of spirits who refuse to move on, but not of spirits who choose to enroll in a job placement program to continue working in the realm between death and paradise! This fact is the one that comforts me the most and it is a refreshing theory.

The previous paragraph describes one of many sub-plots that the author uses in combination with other characters and situations to develop this story. There are many characters and plots that weave the complex fabric that will become this well written story. The central story revolves around the plight of George, our main character.

George returns to his hometown after a long absence. He wants to make peace with the childhood home that he was forced to leave abruptly. He also has a desire to discover the origin of a nightmare that has haunted him for several years. He meets Clara at a café and she becomes his guide. She leads him through the streets of his hometown and also towards the startling realization that George had not yet acknowledged. Unbeknownst to George - he is dead.

Clara and George search for the origin of the haunting nightmare and then realize that their destinies were intertwined. They have to solve a murder case that has remained unresolved for three decades. They utilize details from two very unique perspectives. George is a witness to a horrific murder while Clara is the victim. They investigate this mystery through contacts within the spiritual world and psychic contact with those of the living world. Once that mystery is solved they will have the option to cross the meadow, passing on to the other side with millions of other spirits who realize that their time is up.

The plot is complex and well thought out. This book is entertaining and worthy of every second of your time. Kfir Luzzatto has written a winner and I look forward to reading his next book as well!

Reviewed by Tyrone Banks of Betsie's Literary Page.

I spent my saturday afternoon "crossing the meadow." I read the book from cover to cover in one sitting with only a few short breaks -- what an incredible experience. I highly recommend that you buy the book and read it all at once -- this intensifies the fear factor. The book is an easy read -- the time will fly by and before you know it you will break out in a cold sweat.

Who hasn't wanted to return to their hometown for old time's sake? It's never quite the same as one remembers, of course, but in Crossing the Meadow, those who return for a last look are in for some shocking discoveries.
As George wanders through familiar streets and revisits the places of his past, things look and feel a bit strange to him. For one thing, he doesn't really recall traveling back to this town. And when he tries to call home to speak with his wife and daughter, he can't communicate with them.
Many of the people he sees -- people he knew years ago -- don't recognize him. In fact, they don't seem to know he is there. And the terrible dream that has haunted him for years suddenly seems more vivid than ever in this setting.
It is Clara, a young woman he meets in a diner, who helps him to understand that they are living in limbo after death with a cast of other resident souls who walk the streets, communicate, gather to support each other in the midst of "real" people, and wonder how soon, if ever, they can "cross the meadow" to their eternal reward.
George and Clara discover they are linked by a past tragedy, and they must figure out how to solve a 30-year-old murder case before they, too, can go on. Their only recourse is to try and communicate with and enlist the help of those still living. What follows is an enchanting tale, in turn sad, humorous, suspenseful and a bit eerie at times, yet always engaging.
Kfir Luzzatto wastes no time at all in trapping the reader in this world that exists after death, and writes so convincingly of it that you begin to wonder if it could really be there. It's a haunting story that will linger in your mind long after you've turned the last page.

At first, you'd think it was a love story; the man, George, meets the beautiful girl, Clara, in a cafe, while he's on a trip back to his old hometown. They hit it off beautifully.
Then it seems to be a ghost story, as George and Clara are revealed to be spirits, their souls united, not by passion, but by mystery. A mystery that, in its seperate ways, has haunted each of them: Clara with a desire to know the truth of her death, an event no spirit can ever know, while George's almost equally intense desire to remain ignorant of that very same truth nearly overwhelms his own curiosity. It is Clara's drive to knowledge that propels the story, clinging to George for her precious, fading humanity, even as she coldly, almost ruthlessly, uses the living and dispatches of the dead who get in her way. But if Clara is the spirit of the book, George is its body, his own desire for peace leading him away from Clara to an exploration of the world he now inhabits, especially those who inhabit it with him.
For the true focus of the book is an examination, remarkably tender and often ironic, of the nature of humanity once the tedious business of living is removed. The burdens of life are great, and it is no surprise that the living fare poorly in this world. Yet the confusions and choices of life live on, and the realm of the dead is populated by those who are not free of them, those who are not ready, or occasionally not willing, to cross the meadow into whatever--heaven, nirvana, or perhaps oblivion--may lay beyond. George moves with them and among them, torn between his past and his present until a chance encounter clarifies his mind and he does what he must.
So, if the question is, is Crossing the Meadow a love story, an occult mystery, or a deeply human study of living and being, my answer is: Yes.

At first, you'd think it was a love story; the man, George, meets the beautiful girl, Clara, in a cafe, while he's on a trip back to his old hometown. They hit it off beautifully.
Then it seems to be a ghost story, as George and Clara are revealed to be spirits, their souls united, not by passion, but by mystery. A mystery that, in its seperate ways, has haunted each of them: Clara with a desire to know the truth of her death, an event no spirit can ever know, while George's almost equally intense desire to remain ignorant of that very same truth nearly overwhelms his own curiosity. It is Clara's drive to knowledge that propels the story, clinging to George for her precious, fading humanity, even as she coldly, almost ruthlessly, uses the living and dispatches of the dead who get in her way. But if Clara is the spirit of the book, George is its body, his own desire for peace leading him away from Clara to an exploration of the world he now inhabits, especially those who inhabit it with him.
For the true focus of the book is an examination, remarkably tender and often ironic, of the nature of humanity once the tedious business of living is removed. The burdens of life are great, and it is no surprise that the living fare poorly in this world. Yet the confusions and choices of life live on, and the realm of the dead is populated by those who are not free of them, those who are not ready, or occasionally not willing, to cross the meadow into whatever--heaven, nirvana, or perhaps oblivion--may lay beyond. George moves with them and among them, torn between his past and his present until a chance encounter clarifies his mind and he does what he must.
So, if the question is, is Crossing the Meadow a love story, an occult mystery, or a deeply human study of living and being, my answer is: Yes.