Review by Devinci -- Yesterday by Samyann
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Devinci
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Review by Devinci -- Yesterday by Samyann
[Following is a volunteer review of "Yesterday" by Samyann.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation by Samyann tells the story of Amanda, and how her life is changed when she saves the life of Chicago Mounted Police officer, Mark. Amanda has lost many people in her life, and is convinced that everyone she loves is fated to die; and yet, she and Mark are drawn to each other, and to an old grandfather clock that instills a powerful sense of déjà vu. As the two grow closer, they enlist the help of Amanda’s godmother, a psychotherapist, to help them through regression therapy in order to determine how the two of them know each other. In exploring their past lives, Mark hopes that Amanda will allow herself to love him as he believes they’ve loved before.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story, but I was pleasantly surprised. The theme of reincarnation brings an element of the fantastical, and the flashbacks to the Civil War era and the night of the Great Chicago Fire are sure to capture any reader with a love of history. Samyann is a Chicago native, and as someone who’s lived in the Chicago area all her my life, one of the things I enjoyed was that I could tell how much the author loves her city. I think it’s a symbolic location, too: Much of Chicago was destroyed in the fire, just as both Amanda and her past self, Bonnie, lose many of their loved ones. And yet, the city, Amanda, and Bonnie, all prove their strength of character when they not only survive, but flourish.
Some of the little things I liked about this story were the descriptions—historical descriptions, details of the places, and especially the clock around which so much of the story is based. And other than all the times Amanda uses the word “silly,” I enjoyed the dialogue. The story starts off rather abruptly, and all the transitions and POV changes threw me off a little, but after the first chapter both the story and pace even out pretty well. I also like how reasonable and logical amounts of time pass throughout Mark and Amanda’s relationship.
I really enjoyed the characters. Mark’s Irish-ness fits him well, and Amanda’s emotions were pretty spot on; though I was afraid Amanda might appear too weak, she surprised me, and often made me laugh—and the more we get to know Bonnie, the more of Amanda I see in her. Amanda’s godmother, Mary, was absolutely delightful. Spunky and smart, she says the most random things, and also the most profound; I think it was a powerful moment when she says to Amanda, “What you expect will usually happen. If you resign yourself to a life of tragedy, you can expect tragedy.” The historical characters were also especially interesting to me.
The ending I think happened a little abruptly for me, but it was still satisfying and happy—I just would have a liked a little more, or some kind of hint at what would come next. There’s a section after the end that goes through all the historical stuff, which I liked; there’s a bit about the rumor of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, which any Chicagoan should find amusing, and there’s even a recipe for Idiot’s Delight, the historical dessert mentioned during Amanda’s regressions.
There are a few small things annoyed me, such as Mark’s confusing explanation of the Orion story (he said something about Apollo being the leader of the gods, and since I’m a total nerd for Greek mythology, all I could think was that’s not right…), not knowing for sure how old Mark is, and the author’s occasional deterring from past tense. However, those are minor things. The only thing I really didn’t like was the overuse of internal dialogue. Both Mark and Amanda had lots of inner thoughts that I don’t think were necessary, as they could easily have been part of the narration instead; the one time I found inner dialogue acceptable was during Mark’s out-of-body experience.
Overall, I liked how all the pieces fit neatly together, and how the things from the past had such significance in the present—even words said in another life being spoken again. It might have been a little on the cheesy side in some places, but I was totally okay with that. If you’re a fan of love stories, and if the idea of reincarnation intrigues you in the slightest, Yesterday is an easy, feel-good read with enough mystery to keep your brain turning. I give it a solid 3 out of 4.
******
Yesterday
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3 out of 4 stars
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Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation by Samyann tells the story of Amanda, and how her life is changed when she saves the life of Chicago Mounted Police officer, Mark. Amanda has lost many people in her life, and is convinced that everyone she loves is fated to die; and yet, she and Mark are drawn to each other, and to an old grandfather clock that instills a powerful sense of déjà vu. As the two grow closer, they enlist the help of Amanda’s godmother, a psychotherapist, to help them through regression therapy in order to determine how the two of them know each other. In exploring their past lives, Mark hopes that Amanda will allow herself to love him as he believes they’ve loved before.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story, but I was pleasantly surprised. The theme of reincarnation brings an element of the fantastical, and the flashbacks to the Civil War era and the night of the Great Chicago Fire are sure to capture any reader with a love of history. Samyann is a Chicago native, and as someone who’s lived in the Chicago area all her my life, one of the things I enjoyed was that I could tell how much the author loves her city. I think it’s a symbolic location, too: Much of Chicago was destroyed in the fire, just as both Amanda and her past self, Bonnie, lose many of their loved ones. And yet, the city, Amanda, and Bonnie, all prove their strength of character when they not only survive, but flourish.
Some of the little things I liked about this story were the descriptions—historical descriptions, details of the places, and especially the clock around which so much of the story is based. And other than all the times Amanda uses the word “silly,” I enjoyed the dialogue. The story starts off rather abruptly, and all the transitions and POV changes threw me off a little, but after the first chapter both the story and pace even out pretty well. I also like how reasonable and logical amounts of time pass throughout Mark and Amanda’s relationship.
I really enjoyed the characters. Mark’s Irish-ness fits him well, and Amanda’s emotions were pretty spot on; though I was afraid Amanda might appear too weak, she surprised me, and often made me laugh—and the more we get to know Bonnie, the more of Amanda I see in her. Amanda’s godmother, Mary, was absolutely delightful. Spunky and smart, she says the most random things, and also the most profound; I think it was a powerful moment when she says to Amanda, “What you expect will usually happen. If you resign yourself to a life of tragedy, you can expect tragedy.” The historical characters were also especially interesting to me.
The ending I think happened a little abruptly for me, but it was still satisfying and happy—I just would have a liked a little more, or some kind of hint at what would come next. There’s a section after the end that goes through all the historical stuff, which I liked; there’s a bit about the rumor of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, which any Chicagoan should find amusing, and there’s even a recipe for Idiot’s Delight, the historical dessert mentioned during Amanda’s regressions.
There are a few small things annoyed me, such as Mark’s confusing explanation of the Orion story (he said something about Apollo being the leader of the gods, and since I’m a total nerd for Greek mythology, all I could think was that’s not right…), not knowing for sure how old Mark is, and the author’s occasional deterring from past tense. However, those are minor things. The only thing I really didn’t like was the overuse of internal dialogue. Both Mark and Amanda had lots of inner thoughts that I don’t think were necessary, as they could easily have been part of the narration instead; the one time I found inner dialogue acceptable was during Mark’s out-of-body experience.
Overall, I liked how all the pieces fit neatly together, and how the things from the past had such significance in the present—even words said in another life being spoken again. It might have been a little on the cheesy side in some places, but I was totally okay with that. If you’re a fan of love stories, and if the idea of reincarnation intrigues you in the slightest, Yesterday is an easy, feel-good read with enough mystery to keep your brain turning. I give it a solid 3 out of 4.
******
Yesterday
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: "Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)" by Janet McNulty
