Review of My Name is Memory

My review of My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares is based on a hardcover copy of the book that I borrowed from my local library. The following review is my honest opinion.

Goodreads Summary: "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.

A magical, suspenseful, heartbreaking story of true love, My Name is Memory proves the power and endurance of a union that was meant to be."

I'll admit first off that I picked this book up because I had adored Brashares' Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I had felt a kinship with those girls because in a way I had kind of grown up with them so of course I wanted to read everything else that Ann Brashares had written. My Name is Memory bares little resemblance to the Sisterhood series in my honest opinion. The writing is so beautiful, there aren't really words to describe it. My Name is Memory has the prose worthy of being a masterpiece, it stands out amongst the books I have read by Brashares. It's simply a beautiful novel.

I loved the methodological way Lucy looked at things. She wanted them to make sense, she wanted practicality. I equally loved the way Daniel drifted through the world. He was a dreamer, a lover, a romantic. Of course they seemed so different, but the love between them was beautiful. There are romances and than there are love stories, this was a true love story.

The storyline or plot was captivating, I loved the way it was arranged not only in alternating perspectives of Lucy and Daniel but from past to present as well. It added a depth to not only the story but the love that they shared for one another throughout time.

I will give you warning though that the last two pages leaves you with the most awful of cliff-hangers that will make you desperate for a sequel. A sequel I really hope is coming soon. Very soon.

I'm giving My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares a five out of five stars review. I can't recall ever having read as beautiful a love story as this one. Though in a way it reminds me of The Notebook, the movie not the book as I've never quite gotten around to reading it. That's the kind of eternal love that this book contains, only on a far grander scale.