Official Review: "GalveStorm 1900: A Story of Twin F...

kislany · Post by **kislany** » 11 Sep 2019, 08:10

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of ""GalveStorm 1900: A Story of Twin Flames"" by Ervin Mendlovitz.]

4 out of 4 stars

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GalveStorm 1900: A Story of Twin Flames is a historical novel featuring Uri Petrokov, a Russian immigrant who, together with his brother, left the cold and harsh homeland for a better life in America. He moved to Galveston, Texas, where he lived for several years. This is Uri’s tale which started in 1898 when Uri was 25.

Uri was working with his brother at their shop called The Galveston Printing Company when one day it happened: he saw the one, his twin flame, and his life was never the same again.

I loved the way the author described the strong bond between Uri and Genevieve Parker. After reading the book, I found it difficult to disregard the notion of twin flames. Genevieve was rather forward and modern for a woman of her time. While most people in Texas distrusted Russian immigrants, Genevieve felt only love for Uri, and nothing deterred her from holding on to that love and passion with all her heart.

Uri was a man who had everything, lost a lot, but went on despite the many adversities in his life. He was a character I could easily warm up to. Despite all his issues with the locals, his outlook on life was quite positive and optimistic.

The tale takes the reader from the late 1800s to the horrific hurricane that took Galveston by storm in 1900. The story is fictional; however, it is based on a major tragic event unknown to me before reading the book. The author added many real-life details, which made me believe I was reading a memoir of the times, albeit a fictive one. I found his research on the hurricane impressive.

A big chunk of the story deals with the aftermath of the hurricane, along with its effects on Uri’s family, which prompted the main character’s decision to alter the course of his entire life. The losses most people experienced during the hurricane were terrible, and Ervin Mendlovitz captured those emotions quite well. He gave the people in town an air of authenticity and made the readers feel a strong kinship with them.

The story is easy to read with no awkward phrases found in books written by first-time authors. The dialogue is natural, and places and events are well described. In terms of editing, I found a few punctuation issues. There were some wrongly placed commas, missing periods, and names of places were not capitalized.

My only issue with the book has to do with the title. Amazon shows the title as GalveSton 1900, hinting at the catastrophic event in that small Texas town at the turn of the century. Yet, both the copy I’m reading and the author’s Facebook page show the title as GalveStorm 1900, which makes me wonder: Which title is the correct one?

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Few stories made me shed a tear while reading, but this one did. Hence, despite the few grammatical issues, I give it 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend GalveStorm 1900: A Story of Twin Flames to people who read historical romance novels. Those who enjoy fictional biographies will probably love it as well.

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"GalveStorm 1900: A Story of Twin Flames"
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Sangeetha+Narayan · Post by **Sangeetha+Narayan** » 13 Sep 2019, 10:35

This sounds like a pretty cool book. I have read a few historical fiction before. Not too much though. Looks like you thoroughly enjoyed the book. And I absolutely love the concept of twin flame. Will definitely check this one out. Thanks for a wonderful review!!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 13 Sep 2019, 17:58

I don't usually read stories like this, but you've made it sound interesting despite the title confusion. The romance included gives me pause about reading the story, though. Thanks.

Meg98 · Post by **Meg98** » 15 Sep 2019, 22:15

This is not something I would typically go for, but it sounds like an emotional and unique read. Thanks for your great review! Cheers:)

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 16 Sep 2019, 17:28

This looks interesting. I like how the author weaves the historical aspects into the romance. This one goes on my list! Thanks.

Sayano · Post by **Sayano** » 17 Sep 2019, 13:52

I loved the way the author described the strong bond between Uri and Genevieve Parker. After reading the book, I found it difficult to disregard the notion of twin flames. Genevieve was rather forward and modern for a woman of her time. While most people in Texas distrusted Russian immigrants, Genevieve felt only love for Uri, and nothing deterred her from holding on to that love and passion with all her heart.......

kislany · Post by **kislany** » 09 Oct 2019, 14:00

sursangeet_2000 wrote: ↑13 Sep 2019, 10:35 This sounds like a pretty cool book. I have read a few historical fiction before. Not too much though. Looks like you thoroughly enjoyed the book. And I absolutely love the concept of twin flame. Will definitely check this one out. Thanks for a wonderful review!!

Thank you. It is a great book, if you like historical fiction, it's well-worth picking it up.

kandscreeley wrote: ↑13 Sep 2019, 17:58 I don't usually read stories like this, but you've made it sound interesting despite the title confusion. The romance included gives me pause about reading the story, though. Thanks.

Yes, there is a strong element of romance there, but it's a clean romance, nothing heavy, and I really didn't find it take away from the plot. Thank you for stopping by.

Meg98 wrote: ↑15 Sep 2019, 22:15 This is not something I would typically go for, but it sounds like an emotional and unique read. Thanks for your great review! Cheers:)

Indeed, it is

kdstrack wrote: ↑16 Sep 2019, 17:28 This looks interesting. I like how the author weaves the historical aspects into the romance. This one goes on my list! Thanks.

I think you will enjoy it.

Sayano wrote: ↑17 Sep 2019, 13:52 I loved the way the author described the strong bond between Uri and Genevieve Parker. After reading the book, I found it difficult to disregard the notion of twin flames. Genevieve was rather forward and modern for a woman of her time. While most people in Texas distrusted Russian immigrants, Genevieve felt only love for Uri, and nothing deterred her from holding on to that love and passion with all her heart.......

It's true, the notion of twin flames is worth keeping in mind. It might actually exist, who knows.

Nisha Ward · Post by **Nisha Ward** » 16 Oct 2019, 07:53

Wait, is the flame thing a metaphor or about soulmates? Also, building a story around a storm successfully always makes for a fun read, so the rating seems well warranted.

kislany · Post by **kislany** » 16 Oct 2019, 07:57

Nisha Ward wrote: ↑16 Oct 2019, 07:53 Wait, is the flame thing a metaphor or about soulmates? Also, building a story around a storm successfully always makes for a fun read, so the rating seems well warranted.

Yes, in the book twin flames are soul mates, although generally, twin flames have a much stronger bond with each other than soul mates. But yes, for the purpose of this story, the two mean the same.

Jeffmaria · Post by **Jeffmaria** » 17 Oct 2019, 02:24

I'm not a fan of reading books but somehow this book got my attention. I want to read more stories like this.

kislany · Post by **kislany** » 17 Oct 2019, 04:11

Jeffmaria wrote: ↑17 Oct 2019, 02:24 I'm not a fan of reading books but somehow this book got my attention. I want to read more stories like this.

This is a site for people who love to read books, so I am a bit confused about your comment.

Falconcrest · Post by **Falconcrest** » 13 Nov 2019, 05:23

I don't usually enjoy the historical romance genre but from the information, I have obtained from your review. I can also easily relate to the character of Uri and would like to see how this story pans out. Thanks for the great review.