Review | My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short.

Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

Cover: I like it, yes, but not for this book. I don't think it has anything to do with the story. There's no butterflies or anything that I can recall in the book that makes me think..."Oh, that's why the cover has that..."

Thoughts: When I first heard of this book, I thought it sounded fascinating, so I quickly signed up for it when it became offered as a tour book. From the beginning, I was hooked. There is really no way to describe how this book made me feel, but I was deeply touched by the characters and their stories.

Daniel has the memory of all his past lives and is able to remember everything as his soul moves on through different lives, bodies and events. He is also able to recognize older souls so when he first meets his love, Sophia, in a past life, he is instantly able to recognize her in the present as Lucy. Lucy does not have the memory and can't remember her past lives or is even sure if such thing is possible, but she knows that there is a connection between her and Daniel. For some inexplicable reason, she is drawn to Daniel from the first moment she sees him and it will continue to haunt her for years to come.

The story is told from both sides, switching from Daniel's point of view to Lucy's. It goes back and forth between the past to the present and with each glimpse into the past, we are pulled father into the story. With every flashback, we get to learn more about Daniel and Sophia, who he has been following throughout their many lives since the first moment he saw her in his first life, and has come to find as Lucy in the present.

I must admit that I did in fact, have few problems with the book but they didn't bother me enough to not really like it. The beginning of the book is very interesting with lots of interesting details and such, but it seems to drag on a bit and sort of keeps the story slow for the first half. Don't get me wrong, it was a really good beginning and it explains a lot, but the juicy stuff doesn't start until maybe half-way and at times I almost became frustrated with it.

The other problem I had was the ending. You're reading along expecting a this-is-a-great-ending kind of ending and then the book sort of...stops. You blink and think...wait, what? And you flip through those last few blank pages at the back of a book just to see if you're missing something. But no, that's how it ends. Talk about a cliffhanger. I was completely shocked that we were left off that way. But, good news is that there will be a sequel. Yay. And so the story will not only continue, but it will have a proper ending (I hope!)

There is no denying that this is a great novel, containing adventure, mystery, history, and of course, romance. The writing is amazing, each era detailed carefully so that as readers we are able to easily weave our way through the story, seeing, feeling and understanding what is happening. The characters are great and I really loved them all, especially Daniel. The love Daniel has for Lucy is detailed and understandable so you can't help but hope that they will finally find (and remember) each other for this life and the rest to come.

Favorite Quote: "I was sitting up and flushed, and so determined I could barely feel my lungs or any other part of me. Sophia dropped my hand, and she looked as though she was going to cry.
'Please try to believe me,' I said. 'This didn't happen by accident. You have been with me from the first life. You are my first memory every time, the single thread in all of my lives. It's you who makes me a person."

This book was provided by Crazy Book Tours.