What can I say about The Reincarnationist besides FABULOUS? After an accident in Rome, photojournalist Josh Ryder begins experiencing flashes of past memories―from another life, another era. As these flashes intensify, he’s drawn back to the time of ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins and the mysterious Memory Stones. Through the eyes of Julius, he is reunited with a powerful love for Sabina, the Vestal Virgin he has sworn to protect and would willingly die for, a woman whom would be buried alive if their secret love were ever discovered.In present day Rome, Josh assists at the Phoenix Foundation, an organization that explores and researches claims of reincarnation or incidences of memory flashes, especially in children. Led by impulse, he finds himself at the edge of a freshly unearthed tomb and witnesses a murder.His search for answers, for the Memory Stones stolen from the tomb of the Vestal Virgin Sabina, for the truth about what happened in ancient Rome, leads him to two women―Professor Gabriella Chase and Rachel Palmer, a young woman who is haunted by her own past life memories. Is either of these women the Sabina he once knew? And will Josh ever reconcile his past with his present? These are just some of the questions I found myself asking along the way. I found the premise of this novel intriguing. I couldn’t put the book down once I started it. Author M.J. Rose tells a compelling story that weaves history and religion into a fateful adventure filled with intrigue, romance, murder and deception. Her writing is detailed but not overloaded, just the right mix of fact and fiction to make me a believer and her characters are ones I’ll remember for a long time. The flashes of past and present are so seamlessly woven yet clearly defined, that I was never jolted from the story, but swept along and taken on a ride that left me breathless by the end. I highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in the theory of reincarnation or anyone who enjoys a suspenseful, thrilling journey to the past. It would also make an exceptional read for a book club.The Reincarnationist is the inspiration for a new television series that will be airing soon. I can’t wait to watch Past Life. If it is anything like M.J. Rose’s novel, it is going to be an adventure of a lifetime.You can buy The Reincarnationist from your favorite bookstore or order it online at Amazon, Chapters and more.~Cheryl Kaye Tardifauthor of The Riverhttp://www.cherylktardif.com
I liked this book, and probably could have gone for 4 stars if I'd read its predecessor, The Memorist. It's Dan Brown-ish theme was not as action-packed as one of his, however, which may disappoint someone expecting it. This book is more intellectual, occurs more in thought and mind and requires the reader to delve into that supposition as well.By the title I knew this book was about reincarnation and, as a Christian, I found myself a little uneasy about even reading it. The historical and archeological aspects of the subject are well-put, and at no time is the author trying to "sell" the concept except as thought-provoking but I was saddened by the number of agnostics peppering the intellectual fields. Only one field archeologist was Christian. And the Catholic Church played the now very pat role of "destroyer" of history that does not conform to the Church's creed.The Reincarnationist is a photojournalist who was almost killed in a suicide bombing. While healing, he begins to see flashes of a lifetime before this one - although he doesn't believe in reincarnation and fights the argument for it throughout this book. Its the interesting historical tales he comes to remember that make this book shine. Its the complete intertwining of lives and times ("there are no coincidences") that allow the book to go on. It is also those amazing coincidences that make the book enough, because it really is only telling those stories.There is a secondary plot continuing underneath, and it is where all the action is. While I was not really surprised by the reincarnation stories, the twists of the modern-day tale kept me guessing until the very end.I wasn't enthralled by this book like I have been by other similarly topiced ones, but it was a good read. I will probably wait 6 months and go back to read The Memorist, but I can wait.
What do You think about The Reincarnationist (2007)?
The Reincarnationist is about the tenth book by M. J. Rose and is a thriller set in the present and the past thanks to numerous past life flash backs.After nearly dying in a terrorist bomb, Josh Ryder is haunted by memories of a past life in Rome. The medical profession cannot explain or solve his new memories and flashbacks and so he turns to the Phoenix Foundation who specialise in past life regression.A trail of present-day murders seem to link up to his past life memories of being a pagan priest whose dangerous congress with Sabina, one of the Vestal Virgins, poses a transgression so serious that the lovers would face certain death if exposed. Scents of jasmine and sandalwood and images of furtive liaisons and violence descend on Josh at will and become more frequent when theTo read the rest of this review, please visit Trashionista
—Keris
Reincarnation. Not a true believer, but my mind is open.And that is all this story asks,is that the reader has an open mind.Josh Ryder is a photojournalist haunted by events in his past and present. He deals in logic,believes in what he can see through the lens of his camera. But what he sees through the camera lens is not always logical and doesn't come through in the finished picture.And he frequently has trouble staying in the present. On a trip to Rome, determined to find answers to his frequent lapses into what seems to be a past life, he is drawn into a whirlpool of intrigue.As some events,dreams and actions become clear, other important pieces of the mosaic become murkier and more elusive. I was drawn into this story almost immediately. Like the protagonist I found myself just trying to keep my head above water as I was tumbled and thrown about between past and present, trying to keep all the different characters straight in my head.And when it becomes the puzzle becomes clear, there is more mystery yet to be had. There is some truly gorgeous language in this book. I don't want to give anything away with quotes.Suffice it to say,there is beautifully written emotion in the pages of this book.
—Melodie
I can't say a single negative thing about this book up until the last 2 pages-- it was engaging, intriguing, well-paced and compelling to see how all the subplots intertwined into the main plot. So having the author wrap everything up in a single half-page, with a miserly amount of exposition, was an enormous disappointment. I'd go so far as to call it blue-balling, as the enjoyable and good-quality writing up to that point gave no indication that we were in for such a shoddy and lazily slapped-together climax. Yes, climax, because there's no denouement after this scene, no reaction to what they learn or how they're going to cope with everything that's occurred. There's nothing at all-- for those few paragraphs when this happens, we're hovering, quivering even, at the brink of discovery and resolution, and we finally get two paragraphs explaining it all, and then-- and then-- the book is over. And then I threw the book across the room, returned it to the library, and was damned happy I hadn't wasted a pile of cash on buying it. Ugh.
—Hardly
