OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Alice's Ego" by Alice Sanza.]

In Alice's Ego, the author, Alice Sanza, tells us an emotional tale of self-discovery. The protagonist, Alice, is a middle-aged woman who recounts her journey in life. She highlights her devastating divorce from her narcissistic husband, Steve, and how he cunningly ensured she lost everything in the divorce. Growing up wasn't any better for Alice because she suffered the same narcissistic abuse from her parents, especially her father.

As a result, Alice becomes more inclined to spirituality, self-awakening, and ancient wisdom. In one of her spiritual journeys, she meets a younger woman, Matilda, who also seeks to control her. Matilda's life seemed to mirror that of her ex-husband, Steve. While Steve set her up to lose everything in their divorce, Matilda is bent on using lies and witchcraft to ensure her husband also loses everything. Will Alice be able to liberate herself from Matilda? Will she be able to rise above all these narcissistic abuses and enjoy her life? You have to read this 210-page book to find out.

Firstly, I don't think any plot synopsis can do justice to the amount of information available in this book. Haven't we all been in a situation where our benevolence was perceived as weakness? What about our quest to understand our purpose in life? The author tries to engage the reader through an exciting writing style while dishing out lessons and insights into the metaphysical realm. There seems to be something for everyone to learn from in this book.

I enjoyed the protagonist's unique methods of dealing with abuse, insecurity, and other challenges. I think that her journey of self-discovery will inspire readers to follow her healing path. What I liked the most about this book is its message of determination. It is clear from Alice's story that giving up isn't an option if one must succeed. Also, I must commend the author for bringing issues like alcoholism to light in this book. Readers will learn from the mistakes of the characters in the book and be inspired to do better.

Furthermore, the author uses the first-person point of view in her narrations. I found this style to help me connect better with the innermost feelings of the protagonist. I struggled a bit with the non-linear sequence of events in the book. Yes, chapter headings indicate the year and location of the events therein, but I found keeping up with the different timelines challenging at the beginning of the book.

Another aspect of the book that I like is the inclusion of poems in it. My favorite is the one titled 'Squirrel.' I love how it talks about pursuing our goals despite the dangers on the way.

Nevertheless, there were things that I didn't enjoy about this book. Some characters disappeared as the narrations progressed. Whey they reappeared, I found myself trying to recollect who they were. To the author's credit, she tries to help the reader remember them by restating the characters' previous roles, but she didn't do so for all of them. More so, there were instances where the author dropped a piece of additional information that wasn't related to the event being narrated.

I had a good time reading this book and could easily not hold a grudge against the issues I mentioned above. However, I found up to ten errors in the book. Therefore, I am awarding Alice's Ego three out of four stars. It is mostly because of the editing mishaps that it is not getting a perfect rating from me. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy fictionalized self-discovery books, especially those willing to explore the metaphysical realms to achieve healing and peace of mind.

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Alice's Ego
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It seems like Alice's hard life might help other people that struggle with the same problems. However, it doesn't look like my kind of book. Thank you for this thorough and insightful review!

Alice’s spiritual journey has some important messages that a lot of people can learn from. Great job on the review!

Our world is a difficult place. Being charitable and kind is often termed a weakness and many people will go any length to exploit it to their advantage. This book has got great lessons for everyone. Great review too

Sounds like an interesting read, but I think I'll pass this one. Thanks for the review

This seems to be an interesting book. I wish I could read it. Thanks for your gripping review.

Alice deserves to be happy. She needs to take a break from all the negativity including Matilda. It is good to know that she sought refuge in spirituality. Great review!

This is a really inspiring book. It takes courage to write about ones miss coming. This is a really informative review.

Alice's journey gives credence to the phrase: "There is a silver lining in every cloud". No matter how horrible a situation may be, you will come out wiser in one way or the other.

Alice journey with her husband sounds like what some people face in real life. I really hope she eventually found happiness. Great review!

Kudos to Alice for sharing her story. Most memoirs are about ones successes, leaving out the major part of one's challenges and shortcomings. Great review, Saint Bruno

The review of this book makes me want to start reading immediately.
Alice is a representation of the many people in life who have to deal with so much.

An inspirational book for many who get through hardships of their lives. Thank you for the descriptive review

This book sounds like it was a therapeutic journey for the author perhaps, using a fictional story to express elements of her own experience. I'm not into the new age awakening type spirituality, so this book isn't really my cup of tea but this was definitely an excellent review.