Customer Reviews

Free Falling

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As all my friends know, I'm an extremely busy person. You're blessed if you can catch me at home for five minutes--much less an entire weekend--but that all changed when I started reading Free Falling. I practically locked myself in my room for days, and the outside world ceased to exist. I couldn't put the book down. I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next.

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Sherri Neilson's exceptional new book "Free Falling" is a must read. Cover-to-cover suspense and many surprise twists captivate, as the author takes you on a historical yet unpredictable journey. Her extraordinary talent leaves the reader hoping for a sequel.

Denise is having recurring nightmares that are terrifying her, because of this she seeks the help of Dr. Leopold, who gently convinces her that perhaps she is remembering a former life. This at first horrifies Denise but something inside of her draws her back to the doctor to find out the truth.
Under hypnosis, Denise goes back to her past life as a young woman named Olivia who is married to an abusive husband. This is where the story truly blossoms.
Olivia falls in love with her coach driver Wilson, who is a black man.
They are drawn to each other by their deep desire to be free, one from the abuse of racism and one from the abuse of a cruel husband. Unfortunately their love causes both of their deaths. I found myself not able to put this book down until I completed the read.
Although I am not a believer in reincarnation, to me this was a story of deep love that spanned the fringes of time. The author does an excellent job in drawing you into the very life's of her characters as their world unfolds before your eyes.
I recommend this read, a real page turner with a very happy ending!

Since starting to date Aaron, Denise has been suffering from terrible nightmares. Aaron's tendency to abuse and threaten her certainly doesn't help, but her psychologist suspects that more may be involved. Could Denise's dreams be caused by past life regression? Under hypnosis, Denise finds herself in the person of Olivia Walters in ante bellum South Carolina. There, Olivia is brutalized by her husband, Byron Walters and finds love in the arms of Wilson, one of Byron's slaves. Olivia's efforts to escape Byron's brutality parallel those of Denise. But solving dreams is one issue--finding true happiness in modern America is an even greater challenge for Denise.

FREE FALLING will appeal to readers interested in past life regression and in a view of the old south that is not obscured by the romantic wash that covers much romantic fiction. In author Sheri Neilson's world, the old south is a world of whippings, of spousal abuse, and of a concern for appearances at the price of simple decency. The strong message is reinforced by Neilson's decision to introduce an interracial relationship--that between white Olivia and black Wilson.

Neilson's heroic efforts are partly offset by simplistic writing and a failure to examine what drives the attraction between Wilson and Olivia. Even though Olivia was raised on a relatively liberal plantation, deciding on an interracial love affair would have needed more motivation that was presented in FALLING FREE.

FALLING FREE is a noble effort--attempting to combine a realistic view of the horrors of the institutions of the south with past life regression and abusive spouses. It falls somewhat short of its goals, but that doesn't detract from the power of the effort.