The Memorist

All aboard the spoiler train!

The Memorist was a bit more action-oriented, but there was still plenty of navel-gazing. And what is it about a secret society that we love so much? There are two in this book and that part was sort of great. Malachi, who is revealed as a villain in the first book, has more screen time and presents himself as a fatherly figure, just trying to help. He is continually urging Meer to accept that she’s a reincarnated soul, but how would that help? Would it make the memory fugues stop? Nope. Seems stupid. No wonder she takes a scientific approach.

Another central character is FBI Agent Lucian Glass who has been investigating Malachi. At this point I thought the reasons he’d come under suspicion must have been show more outlined in the first book. Alas no, this comes out of nowhere and strikes me as really sloppy. And a few conveniences aside (like a blackout and so many pertinent documents showing up first among thousands) the story moves along with reasonable plausibility for the kind of book this is. The protagonists are bumbling amateurs, the villain an all-seeing manipulator and the story of the lost flute suitably romantic. The body count is high, but there is little overt cruelty or sadistic torture, which is comforting for those of us who are sick of it. show less

The Memorist is the second in a series of books about reincarnation, lost memory tools, and the struggle of Meer Logan to find herself through her past. Her father struggled to help his daughter call her past-life memories to the surface, but Meer found her life bearable only when she avoided the triggers that called those memories to the surface.

M.J. Rose's narrative technique easily transports readers to Vienna, the home of Ludwig von Beethoven, and to Vienna in the past when Beethoven lived and taught in the city. She carefuly weaves a suspenseful tale to find a lost memory tool once in the possession of Beethoven. Meer not only struggles with the surfacing memories, but with whom she should trust of her father's friends and how show more deeply she should not only confide in them, but lean on them when the memories flood her mind.

"Margaux's lovely home was filled with cleaver and important people, fine food and charming music. It was all a patina. The threads that held the partygoers' polite masks in place were fragile. Everyone in Vienna had an agenda and a plan for how the reapportionment of Europe would work best for them now that Napoleon was in exile. . . . So even here tonight, at what purported to be a totally social gathering, nothing was as it seemed." (Page 226)

This paragraph illustrates the facades built up around her father, her long-time confidant Malachai, and her father's sorrowful, new friend Sebastian. The face they present to one another does not represent reality; her father hides many things from her, just as she prepares speeches she believes he wants to hear. While this story is a thriller reminescent of The Da Vinci Code, it is much more, illuminating the relationship between Meer and her father and the secrets that lie beneath.

"'Yes, behind the facades of these elegant buildings are ugly secrets and dirty shadows. . . .'" (Page 297)

Readers will enjoy the shifting perspectives from chapter to chapter and the subplot that lurks beneath the surface and could change everything for the main characters and Vienna. Music, art, and mystery are the order of the day in The Memorist, and they are woven together beautifully.

"Lifting the plastic cover over the keys she put her fingers on the yellowed ivory and began. The piano had obviously been kept tuned and she was surprised at how differently this two-hundred-year-old instrument played from the ones she was used to. There was more power and feel to its sound, less control, less sustaining power and it seemed she could do more with its loudness and softness." (Page 252)

Meer underestimates her abilities, and readers will love the evolution of her character. The only drawback in the novel for readers may be the repetition of several descriptive lines as Meer enters her past memories and "a metallic taste fills her mouth." Aside from this minor annoyance, this novel is action-packed, thrilling, and absorbing. M.J. Rose has done her research and created a believable world in which reincarnation is a viable theory with the potential to be uncovered through the use of various tools. show less

“The taste of metal filled her mouth. Her father and Malachai and Sebastian were shimmering as if they were no longer solid forms.
No, not here, not now, she thought as she tried to stop the images from forming in her mind, but they were coming too fast and with too much force.”- The Memorist”

Have you ever had a memory that wasn’t yours? Glimpses of a life already lived or a tragic event not lived in your lifetime? What if you experienced this phenomenon every time you heard a certain song, or read a certain word, or saw a certain place? Do you think you could live a life worth living this way where one song could trigger a flood of fragmented memories from a lifetime ago? For many people, it isn’t possible. Instead, show more they’re shut away in hospitals and asylums, heavily medicated, and isolated from those who can’t understand them; hidden away from those people who’ve never been reincarnated. For a select few, life becomes a mission to free these tortured souls from their memories whatever the cost.

For Meer Logan, this is how she’s lived her life (if you could call such a tormented existence living). Haunted by fragments of memories from the past, she’s been plagued by episodes of blacking out, but unfortunately she doesn’t just wake up seconds, minutes or hours later not realizing what just happened. Instead, she’s thrust into a time that is not her own, one decades earlier, as a woman she’s never met.

Soon, Meer’s father Jeremy discovers a game box that bears an almost exact resemblance to drawings Meer has been creating for years. Meer’s drawings arose from images she saw during her episodes. Jeremy thinks he’s finally uncovered something that may hold the key to unlocking the mystery behind Meer’s odd reveries.

With this discovery, Jeremy and Meer are thrust into a dangerous race to find out what secret the box holds, the answers costing lives in the process. They eventually run up against a clandestine reincarnationist society headquartered in Venice, hoping to discover the secret before it can be stolen and sold to the highest bidder. It’s believed that this box could hold the secret to unlocking one’s past lives and could ultimately free Meer, and others, from the terrible fate of reliving fragmented and unwanted memories. If only they can unravel the clues left behind by a great musician that will lead them to a tiny bone flute, will they be able to change their lives forever.

With each new discovery, Meer's visions become increasingly cohesive, eventually leading her to figure out the link between the reincarnationist society, her memories of another life and Sebastian, a man whose life has also been affected by unwanted memories. Connecting all these elements will lead Meer into the heart of a mystery surrounding a legendary musical composer.

Meanwhile, for journalist David Yalom forgetting terrible memories is all he wants to do. Trying to wipe away the memories of the tragedy which destroyed his family, he plans to teach the world a lesson, one that his family paid for with their lives, that no security system is impenetrable. At a historic concert in Vienna, David plans to make good on the promise he made to himself to avenge his family.
“The Memorist” doesn’t disappoint. Author M.J. Rose’s mixing of fact and fiction flowed seamlessly, swirling together beautifully in an intricate dance. The characters were extremely well-developed, each one having their own distinct background with great insight into the events that formed their personalities and way of thinking. Each character had a trait I could easily identify with whether good or bad. Either way, my identification with the characters brought out tremendous emotion and feeling, further immersing me into the story. Each page held a new twist and turn, and there was never a point that the intrigue lagged.

The only downside to this captivating novel is the storyline featuring David Yalom. His inclusion in the book felt slightly tagged on and almost unnecessary. He could have been totally left out without any devastating affect on the plot. I understand Rose’s intent on including him (as he fulfills a plot point), but he only really crosses the paths of the other characters at the very end of the novel. Even at the end of the book when David’s arc is wrapped up, his conclusion only warrants a small paragraph.

Last word:
“The Memorist” is filled with non-stop mystery and killer intrigue, making it incredibly difficult to put down. Despite the tacked-on feeling of David’s story arc in the novel, the book was an elegant mixture of fact and fiction, so much so that I could almost believe that certain historical events truly happened. Between the great character development and the entrancing story line, Rose has created a winner here. “The Memorist” is one novel that’s definitely not a reincarnation of another story, and it’s got me eagerly anticipating what’s next from an extremely promising author. show less

Suspense in Austria with a heavy dose of reincarnation and a touch of music with a dash of magic flute. I liked it. The novel kept you in suspense. My problem was it seemed to have too many characters spread too wide. labels

I usually read a series one after another whenever possible. This is the sequel to The Reincarnationist, which was a very good read. This continues the story begun in The Reincarnationist. Seeking out the treasure that ill restore memory of past lives. The Phoenix Foundation is still part of the journey, helping children who remember the past to find their way in the present.

The main character this time is Meer, a grown child of the Phoenix Foundation who has not quite come to terms with her memories. I confess to finding this reluctance a bit tedious, but that is only because of my own beliefs regarding reincarnation.

Just as in the first book, we are taken to the point of finding the treasure, and being able to enlighten many on their show more own particular path. Sadly, the instrument of this enlightenment falls into the desperate hands of a man whose single goal is to save his own son, and cares little for the rest of mankind. I have to say that I understand this, and would have felt the same way. I too, have such singular priorities and I am not afraid to admit it.

We are taken to Europe, To Vienna, to seek and to find. We find much more than the instrument sought. We find love, betrayal and promise. I like the way this author gives more than we have any right to expect.

Just as The Reincarnationist had a stunning ending, so does The Memorist. show less

A solid read about psychic and emotional connections to the past and how they affect our lives now and in the future. The Memorist is Meer's life story, a frightening childhood with loving parents getting her the help she needed; her independence and career as an adult; and painful, cryptic memories pulling her back AND forward to old and new love and loss.

Meer Logan has experienced a waking dream...the same one over and over...since she was a little girl. Her father, a collector of antiquities, believes it is a sign of a past life memories, but Meer has convinced herself after years of therapy that she suffers from "false memories". When her father sends her a photo from an auction catalog of a dark wooden box she is startled. She knows she has seen the box before...not only seen it, but often drew it as a child. Meer heads to Austria to visit her father and her arrival sets into motion a series of events that puts her life and her father's into jeopardy. It turns out that the wooden box once belonged to Beethoven. Before his death, he used the box to hide the secret of an ancient flute show more that has the power to elicit past life memories from anyone listening to its music.

With this companion book to her bestseller, "Reincarnationist", Rose has once again written a compelling thriller combining multiple plot lines and locations. The intense action takes place in a little over a week, but takes us on a journey into Beethoven's Vienna in the 1800s and back further to India in 2120 B.C.E. Rose manages to connect all of the plot lines and seemingly random characters from all time periods by the time the book ends. The Memorist will leave you breathless, but entirely satisfied. show less