My Name is Memory
by Ann Brashares
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Publication Date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 9781594487583
336 Pages
Fiction
Publisher’s Description:
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. For all the times that he and Sophia have been connected throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart.
But just when Sophia (now “Lucy” in the present) finally awakens to the secret of their shared past, the mysterious force that has always separated them reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.
My Opinion:
My Name is Memory is a book with so much promise in the beginning. It’s a story about a man named Daniel who is reincarnated again and again over a thousand years – and he carries the memories of each life with him. He sees other people from previous lives (and in new bodies themselves), but he is one of the few who remembers and recognizes people from past lives.
Daniel falls in love with a woman named Sophia over and over again in multiple lifetimes but she never remembers him. Daniel’s brother from a past life is an evil man and he seems to end up in his life one way or another, causing trouble in as many lifetimes as he can. The brother is dangerous and will stop at nothing to exact revenge on Daniel and if that means hurting Sophia then he’s even happier about that (because he knew Sophia in a past life too).
Daniel tells his story in bits and pieces; flashing back to his life in ancient times, and slowly revealing his long romance with Sophia. Interspersed is the story of Sophia’s modern life which she lives under the name of Lucy. Since she has no memory of past lives Daniel has to woo her all over again, yet somehow manages to always scare her off in this lifetime.
The story has a fantastically interesting premise, and then near the end it all starts to fall apart. There is a climactic confrontation scene with an unrealistic escape. Then the author leads you into the middle of what could be a great story about Daniel and Lucy and then the book ends abruptly – with no explanation why and no suggestion that there is anything else to the story.
I have never been so furious with an ending in all my life. I put in all of that time to read the book, got invested in the characters, only to find out a big fat nothing.
I was so angry that I went online to vent about the ridiculous non-ending. I first visited the book page on Amazon because I figured there would surely be some reviewers there who were just as upset as I was and thought that reading their opinions might make me feel better.
I found out in the comments that this book is supposed to be the first in a series. So I poked around other places online to see if I could find any information about a sequel and the only thing I could find was one sentence on Wikipedia which stated that it is the first book in a planned trilogy. No titles or publishing dates were listed anywhere.
I think the biggest frustration that I had though, was that there was nothing in the book itself saying that it was part of a series. There was nothing on the inside flap and there wasn’t even a “to be continued” at the end.
Even though I would like to know what happens to Daniel and Sophia/Lucy, I was so frustrated with the way the first book ended and the lack of information about a sequel that I’m leaning toward not reading anything else in the series.
My rating for this book is skewed so I’m breaking it down: 4 for the first half of the book, 2 for the ending and the lack of information about a sequel. That averages out to 3 and that’s what I’m going with for my overall rating.
Rating: 3/5
© 2011, At Home With Books. All rights reserved.
This has happened to me too, where there was no hint AT ALL of a series. It usually results in me throwing the book at the wall. The premise (which by the way, sounded much more alluring when you described it versus the reviews I’d read earlier) sounds amazing. Perhaps I just need to bide my time and see if and when the next installment appears…
I felt the same way as you when I finished this book last summer. I had taken a whole day to read and review it only to be left feeling abandoned at the end. I was excited to hear about the trilogy so I got over my frustration. Here we are a year later without a new installment to the series. It makes one want to tell people not to read the book until there is hope of the rest of the series being written. The longer the time goes by, the less I am interested in the next book. Kind of sad since I really enjoyed the book other than the ending.
I just picked this up at the Borders sale. I’m glad that I read this review because it will save me the same irksomeness finding out that there is a continuation AFTER the fact. I have to admit, I’m sorta getting burnt out on trilogies.
You’ve got me very curious about the ending, but I’m not sure I’m curious enough to pick the book up.
Oh, I feel so bad for you! I can totally relate! I’m a book thrower, like Sandy!
Only a 2 for the ending, oh I do not like the sound of that at all
I hate it when this happens with a book. I feel so let down that I usually end up not reading the sequels. I have this on my list but I keep passing it up; mostly because I’ve heard bad things about the ending.
I have this one on my wish list but I have some concerns. The plot interests me but I am just not sure if Brashares can pull it off.
Is it me or does this sound a little like the Lauren Kate trilogy ‘Fallen’?
I haven’t read that trilogy, so I’m stumped on that one.
I like how you broke down and figured out your rating. I have a lot of books I’ve read that are good for one reason, but had their rating dragged down for another. As for the ending, nothing is worse than a flat ending that leaves you wondering why you even bothered in the first place :/ And it’s a shame for this book, because the premise sounded so good to me at first…
I really loved this book, but I knew going in that it was planned as a series. I can understand your frustrations with it. I hope the next one comes out soon.
reincarnated again and again over a thousand years…hasn’t this been done before?
and I agree that I am tiny bit curious about the ending. not enough to read it though…
I haven’t been drawn to this one at all because it sounds like other books/movies that have already been done.
Too bad it didn’t work out a little better for you though.
that would totally make me frustrated beyond belief. I hate it when a book is a part of a series but nowhere can you find that information. Thanks for the heads up on the ending!
I felt the exact same way about the ending! I, too, wondered if it was the beginning of a series. I sure hope so. I, too, loved the book until I got to the end. And ended up with the same rating! LOL Great minds think alike, huh?
I hate when a story starts out with so much potential and then fizzles out….too bad.
Oh ugh…. thats a bummer. Good to know though… that would drive me crazy too.
This book bothered me too. I liked the first half a lot as well and then it just petered out. You shouldn’t write one book just to set up another.
Blech! Thanks for the heads up–too little time to spend reading mediocre books and I will stay away from this one. I did enjoy the structure of your review–very helpful.
*smiles*
oh i hate it when this happens! it’s so disappointing to read a book that has so much promise and potential only to see the author through it all away and completely butchered the ending. i’m so glad i read your review of this book. i’m steering clear of this one.
That seems ridiculous that it wasn’t mentioned that it was the first in a planned series. Why would they leave that out? Why set readers up for anger and frustration like you experienced? It is shame that a book that you were enjoying ended up upsetting you … with something that seems like it could have been avoided.
I totally agree with you! I am furious with the ending! Can someone explain their theories because I can’t even fathom what the hell happened to Daniel. I will not be reading a sequel out of pure bitterness.
I DESPISE book that don’t have real endings. I’m fine with re-using characters but I think each book should stand on its own with with a beginning, middle, and end. I didn’t like the way Hunger Games ended–with clear signs there was trouble ahead. I think they should have gone home, period. Then book two could have picked up with the problems. I recently read Bumped, and like you, gave a poor rating to a decent book because of the complete lack of an ending. http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/2011/04/bumped-my-review.html I see it as a cheap trick to sell more books. If a story takes more than 300 pages to tell, then use more than 300; don’t break it artificially into two or more books. The Harry Potter books are, IMO, the way to do a series. Each book does have a beginning, middle and end. There is resolution of the current problem, but of course the bigger problem is still there.
I almost missed your review on this one. I read this when it was published last June and I loved the story, but then I got to the end and, well, it didn’t really end. Then I saw it was part of a trilogy, so I only deducted one half star for that abrupt ending. Now I’m not so sure that was enough as it’s been over a year and still no announced book two.
this book sounds almost identical to the Laren Kate novels.. hmm….
Was going to get the book, but now I think I would just be too upset at an ending that leaves no ending!!
I am F#$@ing Frustrated about this book. i was really ecstatic on the ending and then it just stopped. then when i check online it doesnt have any sequel. CRAPPP!!!!
Just happened to me too… in fact, this is the entry from my Writer’s Notebook… written, about 20 minutes ago…
January 27, 2012
Have you ever read one of those stories that you loved, all the way through…. And then you got to the final chapter and went, “WHAT?” Yup… that just happened. Like what the hell. I’ve been loving this story all day long, absolutely engrossed in it, attached to the characters and then, this. Complete disappointment. It’s like the author didn’t realize how powerful of a story she had… and she just stopped. That’s it. I’m done. WHAT THE HELL??? You’ve dragged people in, grabbed their attention, and then you just leave them. Somehow it seems, authors forget, they are storytellers. It’s their job to tell the story. However, as with all storytellers, if there is no audience, there is no story. Your job as an author is not to write the story, but to create the lines. You are letting your readers / listeners into the story, and they will grow and learn from it.
Okay, that being said… I’m going to google it. I’m going to see if she is just a horrible teaser… and doesn’t know how to write a hook that will keep you interested in the rest of the story… Or if she’s really that horrible. If she’s just that bad, and thought it would be clever to leave the story hanging like that… then… well… I’m never reading another piece of her work again. I am aghast! Truly shaken up by this story and what just happened.
Let this be a lesson to other authors… your audience / reader is just as much a character in a great story as your characters on the page. You are writing for them, and them alone. Otherwise, don’t spend the thousands of dollars and hours it takes to publish the work. If you’re going to publish your piece… for crying out loud, polish your story!
The ending indeed left a lot of stuff unanswered. With Lucy’s pregnancy and without anything clear about Daniel’s whereabouts, my crazy imagination is leaning towards the possibility that Daniel died and will ridiculously end up being the baby that Lucy’s carrying. Phew!
jeez, i just hate the ending of this book… who knows what the hell happened to Daniel… it really bothers me..
Almost the same as the Fallen series. The characters in the Fallen series are named Daniel and Luce (Lucinda) and their story is almost exactly like My Name is Memory.