Soul (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The housekeeper had brought Lavinia to the remote place before, to this gully south of the village where the peat bog finished in a sharp..." (more)
Key Phrases: mutant gene function, whispering box, Lady Morgan, Hamish Campbell, Colonel Huntington (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This combination period bodice-ripper and contemporary medical thriller asks if it is possible for a killer trait to be passed down generations. In 2002, Julia Huntington is a genetic researcher working to isolate the gene that turns a person into a killer. She and her husband, Klaus, are expecting their first child when Julia finds out that Klaus has fallen in love with her best friend, and her life goes into a tailspin. Julia's story alternates with that of her great-grandmother, Lavinia, a young Irishwoman married to an older amateur anthropologist, Col. James Huntington, who has his own secret. When revealed, it makes a shambles of Lavinia's life. Will nature dictate how vengefully these two women treat their erring husbands, or will nurture allow them to rise above their baser instincts? Learner (The Witch of Cologne) details the science behind the question nicely, but underpowers the story's emotion and drama. (May)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Playwright and fiction author Learner, who combined heresy and persecution with illicit love and torture in The Witch of Cologne (2005), again turns her talent to portraying human passion in crisis, this time posing the question: Are we physiologically predisposed to behave a certain way? Geneticist Julia Huntington works on a government project to identify the gene that links to posttraumatic stress syndrome. The goal is to help the military identify soldiers best fit for battle—those who can kill without remorse. Three generations earlier, Julia’s great-grandmother, Lavinia, was executed for the murder of her estranged husband. But was she guilty? When Julia’s husband leaves her for another woman, she learns firsthand how a possibly inherited killing rage overcomes reason. The parallel stories work well together to graphically illustrate the nature-versus-nurture debate, and the government involvement in the gene project is a sinister reminder of a potential misuse of science. Steamy sex scenes, accoutrements of horror (shrunken heads, native masks, and drugs), and fascinating glimpses of genetics and phrenology make this a page-turner for readers of Joanne Harris’ Sleep Pale Sister (2005) and Camille DeAngelis’ Mary Modern (2007). --Jen Baker

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076532010X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765320100
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #788,049 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating erotic thriller featuring parallel lives, May 20, 2008

By	Jennifer Ray "Reviewer for Wild on Books (www... (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

**4 1/2 Bookmarks, courtesy of Wild on Books Reviews**

As scientist Julia Huntington researches genetic predisposition for killing with neither compunction nor remorse in the 21st century, an attack in Afghanistan reveals she herself bears that very trait, much to her surprise.

In the 19th century, Julia's great-great-grandmother marries the man she loves, and is later tried for his murder. Did Lavinia do it? Could Julia's ancestor have killed her own husband?

As an unexpected blow sends Julia spiraling out of control, history seems to be repeating the pattern begun with Lavinia. Will Julia's story end in tragedy, mirroring that of Lavinia Huntington?

I confess I had not before heard of author Tobsha Learner when a local bookstore offered me the chance to review her new release, SOUL. Judging from the synopsis on the back cover, the premise looked intriguing. Having now read this story, I can honestly say that it lived up to the expectations that blurb set with me.

SOUL is a fascinating erotic thriller that doubles as a psychological study of sorts, questioning genetic predisposition to violence while it enthralls the reader with a good bit of suspense. Switching between Julia's story in the present day and Lavinia's tale two hundred years earlier cleverly shows unmistakable parallels between the events in these women's lives and their own reactions to them.

Throughout the story, Tobsha Learner effortlessly builds empathy for both women as the reader lives through one tragedy after the next in their lives. Of course, as each suffers one emotional blow after another, it takes its toll and the reader is caught up in the suspense, wondering how each will handle the new obstacles facing their lives.

I will say that there were times that I felt the pacing of the story might have been a bit faster, but never sufficiently to break the spell of this gripping erotic thriller.

Alternating between the two timelines throughout the story, we are kept guessing as to what fate each woman will meet until the very end of the book, wondering if Julia is doomed to the same fate as her ancestor without really being sure just what that fate was until the ending. Did Lavinia kill her husband? What lengths will Julia go to in order to protect everything she values most? I'm not telling... You'll just have to read the book to find these answers. I promise you, the journey Tobsha Learner takes you on in SOUL will be well worth your time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nature or Nurture-which owns the soul? Two women generations apart indure horror to discover if genes or the mind decides it , July 11, 2008

By	Lilly Flora "by Lilo Drandoff" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

After reading Tobsha Learner's "Witch of Cologne" last year I was determined to read any further historical novels that she published so when I found out about "Soul" it moved quickly to the top of my to read list.

Unlike her last novel "Soul" is not entirely a work of historical fiction. Set in dual time lines it is the story of two women one hundred and forty years apart, Lavinia (who was tried for the murder of her husband) and her great -granddaughter Julia a geneticist searching for a gene which would mark out people who did have an emotional response to murder/combat. Their lives play out side by side, developing to the point where each is forced to make a choice that in fact may be no choice at all but the pure product of their genes.

Lavinia is the daughter of an Irish cleric elevated in society when the retired Colonel and naturalist James Huntington marries her purely for the purpose of begetting a son. Lavinia believes her much older husband to have married for love and is severely disillusioned when the man begins to take up his old habits-including sexual activities that were illegal at the time. But while he refuses to be untrue to himself Huntington will not grant Lavinia the same freedom and she finds herself increasingly desperate for both escape and revenge.

Julia thought she had the ideal life until her beloved husband left her for her best friend when she was pregnant and she miscarried. Though she tries to throw herself into her work finding the "no post traumatic stress disorder gene" for the Department of Defense she is unable to forgot the immense betrayal or leave behind the idea that her child has been murdered and her life has been stolen from her. Filled with rage she becomes concerned that her family history of violence has left its mark genetically and that she is domed to repeat acts of her forbearers....

This is a really fascinating book. Not only are the characters completely real in their portrayal and emotional responses but the parallels between the two stories make for a wonderful comparison. While their situations are not exactly the same nearly every page of this novel radiates with pain from the wrongdoings and injustices forced upon the Huntington women. In that sense this is not a happy book. But it is the scientific aspect that captured the focus of my interest. Both women have a family history of violence, both are in situations were people commonly "snap" but both also possess immense intelligence to not only realize the possibly terrible consequences of their potential actions but to know they possess free will.

Or do they? The "nature verses nurture" debate is heavy in this book. While Julia tends to believe in nature over nurture, Col. Huntington, her great grandfather, is a fan of nurture over nature and both argue the points enough with their contemporary colleagues to leave the reader with a multitude of information to choose their own viewpoint from.

"Soul" is a novel that will sweep you along, racing through the pages to discover what these women will do. Every page seems to uncover a new injustice or painful realization that pushes them closer and closer to the edge-or to fulfilling their genetic destiny. And the debate on the reality of the gene and the ethics in even looking for it ads a very relevant note to the book.

The absolute only issue I has with this novel is that Julia's research is sponsored by the Department of Defense supposedly with the goal of finding soldiers who will not be affected by the post traumatic stress. I find it hard to believe given the current state of post combat care (especially mental care) for US soldiers that the government cares about that at all. In fact it's a little laughable and though the goal of treating and reducing the consequences of PTSD is a laudable goal the idea of having a "perfect soldier" is a little scary.

I recommend this if you're interested in science, genetics, history, women's history, the dynamics of marriage or the human mind. In general this is just a great book and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

Five stars. I look forward to the author's next book.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars engaging psychological horror thriller, May 13, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In 2002 Los Angeles, pregnant genetic researcher Julia Huntington searches for the gene that makes someone become a remorseless killer. However Julia's life collapses when she learns her spouse Klaus loves her best friend; she becomes despondent and angry. She also knows she can kill with no remorse having done so in Afghanistan.

In 1849 Julia's great-grandmother, Lavinia was a young woman living in Ireland when she was assaulted; she stabbed her attacker feeling no remorse. In 1860 she was chosen to be the wife of three decade older amateur anthropologist Colonel James Huntington. Lavinia was given no choice in the matter. However, when she learns the secret that her spouse hid from she becomes despondent and angry.

The fun in this engaging psychological horror thriller lies with the comparative analysis of the two eras; especially enlightening are biological theory, criminology, and psychology in 1860 vs. 2008. The audience will enjoy following the escapades of the abusive remorseless couples although the rotating viewpoints between the two women feel disruptive at times, not enabling the reader to get deep into the hearts of either lead female or their "abusive" spouses. Still psychological horror fans will enjoy Tobsha Learner's look at the souls of two female relatives a century and a half apart as the author raises the argument that civilization's nurturing can impede or enhance the core individual's DNA blueprint depending on circumstances.

Harriet Klausner