jhscolloquium's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
What would you do if you suddenly awoke to find that not only do you not recall any of the events in your life, the people with whom you have interacted your entire life, or even your own personality, i.e., likes, dislikes, temperament? How would you react to the people surrounding you, claiming to be your mother, sister, and spouse, when they appear to be total strangers? Whom would you trust as you attempted to learn what you experienced before losing your memory: who and what you loved, what your relationships were like, what profession you pursued, and even what types of clothing, furnishings, and music you preferred?
That's the premise of author Allison Winn Scotch's The Song Remains the Same. Thirty-two-year-old Nell's mind is a blank slate and she must try to rebuild her life, but with no frame of reference in the form of memories, she is baffled about how to start. Her instincts tell her that Peter, her husband, is not right for her, but she has no idea why. Worse, she feels she can trust reporter Jamie Reardon as she watched his reports about the crash, even though she has no idea why she finds herself drawn to him. She learns that she operates an art gallery in New York City, while her mother, Indira, is a grating hippie-like free spirit who seems to enjoy shocking Nell with details of her sex life with her boyfriend.
And then there's Nell's father, who is entirely absent, but none of her family members are forthcoming with the details concerning how long it has been since Nell has seen him or why he apparently disappeared so many years earlier. He was a famous painter, which only increases the media attention and curiosity focused upon Nell. But when she learns that he named her after Eleanor Rigby, the character in the icon Beatles hit, she is distraught, wondering what kind of parent would name their child after such a dour character and, worse, whether that set the stage for her pre-accident joyless existence.
Against a soundtrack of pop culture tunes that were among Nell's favorites, Scotch crafts a mesmerizing portrait of a woman whose authentic self has been suppressed for many years. Now aware of the dissonance between who she believes she is and the mounting evidence of who she actually was, Nell begins a journey toward understanding herself and her life thus far, and rebuilding her life in a manner that will bring her happiness she never previously knew. But before she can embrace her future, she must understand her past. That requires learning to trust, but should she follow her own gut instincts or believe the version of events relayed by her loving family members. As the story progresses, Scotch injects riveting details about Nell's relationships with Peter, Rory, her mother, and, of course, her absent father, that bring all of their motives into question. Scotch inspires readers to wonder, along with Nell, how others would explain their lives if asked? What salient points would they include in the narration and which would be deliberately omitted? Scotch deftly times the revelations for maximum emotional impact upon Nell, the supporting characters, and, of course, her readers.
The Song Remains the Same is an absorbing portrait of a woman at loose ends who has suffered harrowing trauma but been given a chance to start her life anew. Nell's journey toward healing requires her to stare down and exorcise long-lingering emotional demons and resolve years-old conflicts with and resentments toward her family members. She must also confront the truth about her marriage to Peter and either embrace the decisions about that relationship that she had made prior to the crash, or make new choices. Every aspect of The Song Remains the Same is believable. Nell, dubbed "The Ice Queen" in high school, is a sympathetic character to whom readers will become attached. The novel would make an excellent book club choice because the themes lend themselves to enthusiastic discussion about starting over, making new choices, reconciling oneself to the past, and healing old wounds.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
That's the premise of author Allison Winn Scotch's The Song Remains the Same. Thirty-two-year-old Nell's mind is a blank slate and she must try to rebuild her life, but with no frame of reference in the form of memories, she is baffled about how to start. Her instincts tell her that Peter, her husband, is not right for her, but she has no idea why. Worse, she feels she can trust reporter Jamie Reardon as she watched his reports about the crash, even though she has no idea why she finds herself drawn to him. She learns that she operates an art gallery in New York City, while her mother, Indira, is a grating hippie-like free spirit who seems to enjoy shocking Nell with details of her sex life with her boyfriend.
And then there's Nell's father, who is entirely absent, but none of her family members are forthcoming with the details concerning how long it has been since Nell has seen him or why he apparently disappeared so many years earlier. He was a famous painter, which only increases the media attention and curiosity focused upon Nell. But when she learns that he named her after Eleanor Rigby, the character in the icon Beatles hit, she is distraught, wondering what kind of parent would name their child after such a dour character and, worse, whether that set the stage for her pre-accident joyless existence.
Against a soundtrack of pop culture tunes that were among Nell's favorites, Scotch crafts a mesmerizing portrait of a woman whose authentic self has been suppressed for many years. Now aware of the dissonance between who she believes she is and the mounting evidence of who she actually was, Nell begins a journey toward understanding herself and her life thus far, and rebuilding her life in a manner that will bring her happiness she never previously knew. But before she can embrace her future, she must understand her past. That requires learning to trust, but should she follow her own gut instincts or believe the version of events relayed by her loving family members. As the story progresses, Scotch injects riveting details about Nell's relationships with Peter, Rory, her mother, and, of course, her absent father, that bring all of their motives into question. Scotch inspires readers to wonder, along with Nell, how others would explain their lives if asked? What salient points would they include in the narration and which would be deliberately omitted? Scotch deftly times the revelations for maximum emotional impact upon Nell, the supporting characters, and, of course, her readers.
The Song Remains the Same is an absorbing portrait of a woman at loose ends who has suffered harrowing trauma but been given a chance to start her life anew. Nell's journey toward healing requires her to stare down and exorcise long-lingering emotional demons and resolve years-old conflicts with and resentments toward her family members. She must also confront the truth about her marriage to Peter and either embrace the decisions about that relationship that she had made prior to the crash, or make new choices. Every aspect of The Song Remains the Same is believable. Nell, dubbed "The Ice Queen" in high school, is a sympathetic character to whom readers will become attached. The novel would make an excellent book club choice because the themes lend themselves to enthusiastic discussion about starting over, making new choices, reconciling oneself to the past, and healing old wounds.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
sheamaryfitz's review
3.0
I'd give this book 3.5 stars.
It took me awhile to read just because I ended up starting a few books in between when I started this one, but not because I wasn't interested in this. I thought it was a really interesting story and brought up some interesting/thought-provoking ideas about whether people can change, how much your memory shapes who you are as a person, as well as how much your family shapes you. I really related to Nell a lot (unfortunately I think I'm a bit too much like her--independent, analytical, not necessarily the most exciting person in a room. Oh, and I too often wish my life was like the TV show Friends), and the idea that we can change our life at any point and be more free really spoke to me. I guess the moral of the story I found to be most inspiring was the idea that it's not too late to be who we want to be. Or, as George Eliot once put it, "It is never too late to be what we might have been." This book really enforced that idea, which is really relevant to me at this point in my life.
I also really liked the idea that was raised throughout the book that Nell can never get a true picture of herself because people only know so much about us. It's interesting to think how people can piece together parts of our lives (if we were to lose our memory), but no one is there for our entire life to know who we really are. As Nell says to Sam, "Funny isn't it? How people only know what you want them to know?"
Overall I thought the book didn't take itself too seriously while still delving in to some good thought-provoking topics.
It took me awhile to read just because I ended up starting a few books in between when I started this one, but not because I wasn't interested in this. I thought it was a really interesting story and brought up some interesting/thought-provoking ideas about whether people can change, how much your memory shapes who you are as a person, as well as how much your family shapes you. I really related to Nell a lot (unfortunately I think I'm a bit too much like her--independent, analytical, not necessarily the most exciting person in a room. Oh, and I too often wish my life was like the TV show Friends), and the idea that we can change our life at any point and be more free really spoke to me. I guess the moral of the story I found to be most inspiring was the idea that it's not too late to be who we want to be. Or, as George Eliot once put it, "It is never too late to be what we might have been." This book really enforced that idea, which is really relevant to me at this point in my life.
I also really liked the idea that was raised throughout the book that Nell can never get a true picture of herself because people only know so much about us. It's interesting to think how people can piece together parts of our lives (if we were to lose our memory), but no one is there for our entire life to know who we really are. As Nell says to Sam, "Funny isn't it? How people only know what you want them to know?"
Overall I thought the book didn't take itself too seriously while still delving in to some good thought-provoking topics.
krisis86's review
2.0
I feel like the ending let me down so hard that it left the book scattered around me in a fiery wreckage. While I was reading the book, the story was fascinating and very well done. The characters were very believable. The plot was pretty believable. Then the last 30 pages happened and by "happened" I mean "nothing happened" and the story didn't really end so much as fizzle out. The terrible ending ruined my life and made me gain 80 lbs. Okay fine, it didn't do either of those things. But it did disappoint me. So there.
laheath's review
3.0
This book really tackles a lot. It centers around a woman who is 1 of 2 survivors of a plane crash, but she has lost her memory of her previous life. One would expect her family to fight with her to regain her memory and to be the best source of information, but unfortunately, several people closest to her have their own agenda, as if her amnesia is a blessing for them. At the same time, the woman feels that if she can find her father, who deserted the family when she was a teen, she can find out who she is. According to her, how can I know who I am if I don't know where I came from? It's about more than regaining her memories in order to piece together her life. It explores how our memories are the very basis of who we are and how we became that.
c0reyann's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this book as I generally, for some bizarre reason, tend to love amnesia books. However this one just fell short of the mark in every single aspect. There's no big revelation and while I think we get by the end of the novel that she's recovered her memory it's kind of vague. There's no big -a ha! moment really, just a kind of sort of bumbling progression. I get that's probably truer to life but it's just not satisfying the way it was resolved in the novel.
My biggest beef with this novel though is the entire storyline surrounding her father. We go through the entire book wondering about him. Is he alive? Is he dead? Does he care? If he is alive why would he not reach out when she almost died? Then at the end it's like eh, I don't care and done. There's no real resolution with her father beyond her not wanting to know (although I suppose someone could argue that her mother saying she could tell her how to get in touch with him qualifies but who knows if that was true and if he was still there etc). It was just, again, really unsatisfying the way that was so built up and then fizzled out.
...then the ending. WTF?!
I think that if the epilogue was written from her father's POV explaining his side of things and what happened it would have bumped this story up to at least 3 stars... if not more. I just feel rather unfinished with the whole thing.
I read it and finished it which means it gets two stars but that's about it.
My biggest beef with this novel though is the entire storyline surrounding her father. We go through the entire book wondering about him. Is he alive? Is he dead? Does he care? If he is alive why would he not reach out when she almost died? Then at the end it's like eh, I don't care and done. There's no real resolution with her father beyond her not wanting to know (although I suppose someone could argue that her mother saying she could tell her how to get in touch with him qualifies but who knows if that was true and if he was still there etc). It was just, again, really unsatisfying the way that was so built up and then fizzled out.
...then the ending. WTF?!
I think that if the epilogue was written from her father's POV explaining his side of things and what happened it would have bumped this story up to at least 3 stars... if not more. I just feel rather unfinished with the whole thing.
I read it and finished it which means it gets two stars but that's about it.
sunshine608's review
4.0
The Song Remains the Same
Allison Winn Scotch
I have to give it to Ms. Scotch, all of her books that I have read have this awesome plots that could become clichéd with another writer, but she manages to keep them fresh and interesting.
The Song Remains the Same follows Nell Slattery, one of only two survivors of a plane crash, who wakes up in a hospital remembering nothing of her former life. Instead she relies on her family- husband Peter, Mom Indira, Sister Rory and other friends and foes to help her piece together who she was in her former life. Much of her journey situates around her relationship or lack there off with her Father, a renowned artist who left the family when Nell was 16. Somehow, Nell feels that finding out more about her father will lead her to find more about herself. During all this she must cope with knowledge of the baby she miscarried during the crash, and what her feelings about the baby were. To complicate matters even more, she learns upon waking up that just prior to her accident, her husband confessed to a one-night stand and they were separated.
Nell’s world is a lot to handle for a normal person on the day to day and we learn that she had created her own coping mechanisms ( her friends referred to her as “Ice Queen”). Waking up to all this drama/discord provides an interesting opportunity for Nell to reclaim and change her reality. Unfortunately the road to finding herself is rocky and full of the clichéd cliffs and valleys we all find. Although it would be nice to have a “true clean slate” and to start over without everyone else’s hassles. Sometimes that the hardest part of reinventing ourselves.
Now I enjoyed this book, but I wasn’t really in love with it. I was all in for Nell’s journey of self-discovery but for some reason I just wasn’t completely into it. I got a little bored with her obsession with her dad and wanted to know more about the marriage, the baby and though it all came together perfectly, I just wanted more substances about her past current life.
With that said, this book is still a page-turner. I finished it one glorious Sunday afternoon and couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know about the old Nell just as much as she did and that is what makes this a great read.
Allison Winn Scotch
I have to give it to Ms. Scotch, all of her books that I have read have this awesome plots that could become clichéd with another writer, but she manages to keep them fresh and interesting.
The Song Remains the Same follows Nell Slattery, one of only two survivors of a plane crash, who wakes up in a hospital remembering nothing of her former life. Instead she relies on her family- husband Peter, Mom Indira, Sister Rory and other friends and foes to help her piece together who she was in her former life. Much of her journey situates around her relationship or lack there off with her Father, a renowned artist who left the family when Nell was 16. Somehow, Nell feels that finding out more about her father will lead her to find more about herself. During all this she must cope with knowledge of the baby she miscarried during the crash, and what her feelings about the baby were. To complicate matters even more, she learns upon waking up that just prior to her accident, her husband confessed to a one-night stand and they were separated.
Nell’s world is a lot to handle for a normal person on the day to day and we learn that she had created her own coping mechanisms ( her friends referred to her as “Ice Queen”). Waking up to all this drama/discord provides an interesting opportunity for Nell to reclaim and change her reality. Unfortunately the road to finding herself is rocky and full of the clichéd cliffs and valleys we all find. Although it would be nice to have a “true clean slate” and to start over without everyone else’s hassles. Sometimes that the hardest part of reinventing ourselves.
Now I enjoyed this book, but I wasn’t really in love with it. I was all in for Nell’s journey of self-discovery but for some reason I just wasn’t completely into it. I got a little bored with her obsession with her dad and wanted to know more about the marriage, the baby and though it all came together perfectly, I just wanted more substances about her past current life.
With that said, this book is still a page-turner. I finished it one glorious Sunday afternoon and couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know about the old Nell just as much as she did and that is what makes this a great read.
clouds_in_my_tea's review
4.0
This the first I have read from this author and I enjoyed it. I liked the premise and the book kept you guessing about what the truth actually was. I also liked the overall message of the book.
angrygreycatreads's review
4.0
The Song Remains The Same by Allison Winn Scotch is a women’s fiction novel. The premise is that a woman survives a plane crash with only one other passenger, however she wakes up in the hospital with no memory. The story unfolds as she tries to remember her life and reinvent herself at the same time. She encounters obstacles and blockades in the form of half truths and deliberate deceptions from the people she is supposed to be able to trust and rely on. She has to learn to trust her instincts to discover the truth.
This was a well written and engaging story. I felt Nell’s frustration and impotent anger at her situation. I couldn’t stand her mother’s half truths and evasiveness. I found her husband’s character just a stereotypical figure, he was probably the shallowest drawn of all the main charcters, but that was okay because quite frankly he just wasn’t that important. I would recommend this to reader’s of women’s fiction.
This was a well written and engaging story. I felt Nell’s frustration and impotent anger at her situation. I couldn’t stand her mother’s half truths and evasiveness. I found her husband’s character just a stereotypical figure, he was probably the shallowest drawn of all the main charcters, but that was okay because quite frankly he just wasn’t that important. I would recommend this to reader’s of women’s fiction.
jbones's review
3.0
Easy read. I liked it! Appreciated that it didn't devolve into a sappy love story.
momadvice's review
4.0
If there is one author that I rely upon for really good chick lit, it is Allison Winn Scotch. I really loved her latest book a lot, but have to say that, “Time of My Life,” still resides as my all-time favorite piece of literature that she has written. She delivers another strong book though that would be perfect beach reading material.
In this book the author explores who we are without our memories and how much of our future seems grounded in our past. While many of her books have a magical spin to them, this one offers a more real-life slant while still exploring the, “what if’s,” that I think you will really enjoy.
Nell Slattery awakens in a hospital without a single memory of who she is or was after being only one of two survivors in a tragic plane crash. She now must piece together her life with the help of her family and friends. What she doesn’t realize is that each of the people in her life have their own agenda and have found themselves having a fresh start with Nell.
Nell is constantly questioning everyone in her life whether it is her mother about where her father is, her sister and the business that they have created together, or her husband who seems overly thrilled at her attention.
Nell begins to piece together her past through the bits and pieces she discovers in her home and office. What she discovers is that maybe she doesn’t want to be who she was anymore, but if she isn’t who she was….who is she?
Read more at http://momadvice.com/blog/2012/06/great-reads-for-moms-may-12-edition#1ZH9jkyxUi1uT8hA.99
In this book the author explores who we are without our memories and how much of our future seems grounded in our past. While many of her books have a magical spin to them, this one offers a more real-life slant while still exploring the, “what if’s,” that I think you will really enjoy.
Nell Slattery awakens in a hospital without a single memory of who she is or was after being only one of two survivors in a tragic plane crash. She now must piece together her life with the help of her family and friends. What she doesn’t realize is that each of the people in her life have their own agenda and have found themselves having a fresh start with Nell.
Nell is constantly questioning everyone in her life whether it is her mother about where her father is, her sister and the business that they have created together, or her husband who seems overly thrilled at her attention.
Nell begins to piece together her past through the bits and pieces she discovers in her home and office. What she discovers is that maybe she doesn’t want to be who she was anymore, but if she isn’t who she was….who is she?
Read more at http://momadvice.com/blog/2012/06/great-reads-for-moms-may-12-edition#1ZH9jkyxUi1uT8hA.99