Ferney

My sister recommended this book to me and I have to say it sounded like a yawn, but she kept after me and I gave it a shot. What a break for me! This book was absolutely fantastic. I got it from our local library, but I think I'm going to have to buy a copy. I will definitely be rereading this one. Sad, Happy, Chilling, Brutal, Loving--every adjective you can think of fits this book. Don't be put off by the reincarnation aspects--it's done very well and in a very believable way. This historical bits were very good, as if the author actually had lived through those periods. Don't let this book pass you by, because you'll be missing a fantastic experience.

I happened upon this book completely by chance; someone left it on our "free table" at work and I picked it up, doubting that I'd actually read it. Wrong! I was completely hooked by page three! This is one of the most well-crafted books I've read in years. The author says that he spent twenty years working on Ferney, and his loving attention to detail really shines through. The history of the English people and their relationship with the land springs to life in this book. James Long has a real gift for describing landscapes, houses, and their role in history as well as the people who created that history. I laughed out loud at his one-paragraph introduction of the eccentric Mrs. Mullard--rarely have I seen a character so completed captured in a single paragraph!This exquisitely crafted book has several strengths: great characterization, a riveting plot that keeps you guessing, and fascinating snippets of English history (great if you're an Anglophile like me).I cried all the way through the last three chapters, something I haven't done in years. Buy this book, read it, and spend some time with the one you love. You won't take them for granted after you read Ferney.

Although we are taught not to judge a book by its cover, I am not ashamed to admit that it was the cover of this book that caught my attention and got me to read the blurb. And as soon as I read the comparison between it and "Time and Again" by Jack Finney (one of my all-time favorites) and also that the heroine suffered from panic attacks (also something I am familiar with), I knew this was a book I had to read. And I am so glad I bought it that day as it became one of most enjoyable fiction reading experiences I've had since 1995, when I discovered "Time and Again." I could not wait to be reunited with this book at the end of my work day. I was enthralled by the past lives story line. Also by the author's ability to make the progress I take for granted today seem fresh and new and exciting as descibed by a working peasant/farmer who happens to have lived through 13 centuries of it. The images were very strong, for example, how different a landscape must look at night to a man who has known it lit by moonlight only for centuries to suddenly see "fire" glowing through all the windows of the houses after electricity becomes common place. The ending the book was such a killer - I actually screamed at the last paragraph. Don't look ahead whatever you do! I had to read the book all over a second time as soon as I finished it just to see the clues I missed the first time! I say buy this book immediately and enjoy a great read unlike anything you've ever read.

The words on the back of the novel to the effort that you wouldn't get much sleep while reading this novel proved to apt. Slightly condescending husband Mike's dry, book-derived view of history (he is a slightly pompous lecturer in English history) is contrasted wonderfully with Ferney's countryman's view of history as experience, direct or related. The tension between these two kept the book humming along, although I couldn't believe fully in (couldn't *feel*) the closeness between Ferney and Gally. We had to just take this on trust. This troubled me more than a little, as I struggled to believe in a relationship that could somehow last 1,300 years and remain fresh. There must have been a special dimension in this relationship, but although the author tries to describe it several times, he never quite succeeds. But being churlish. One of the most enjoyable reads for, well, years. Uplifting, a *big* book with nice contrast between modern life and history. And yes, we are just four or five full back-to-back lifetimes from Shakespearean England. Read and enjoy,. - Vaughan (I've already requested my next James Long book from the library.)

This book captured my imagination and I could not put it down. It has many different elements including romance, history, reincarnation, mystery, etc. I was captivated and you will be too. Buy this book... you won't be disappointed.