Reviews

Il viaggio della sposa by Susan Meissner

mjhoke68's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

deniset's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

emilybriano's review against another edition

4.0

I loved the blend of paranormal, historical fiction and mystery. The audiobook narrator did a great job with all the different accents and characters, too.

parklandmom's review against another edition

4.0

Interesting characters and storyline, but I was disappointed in the entire “sight” and “ghost” aspect to it all.

maryc79's review against another edition

4.0

A very enjoyable read about ghosts and WWII resistance fighters. I enjoyed learning a little about the ship Queen Mary.

llehouser's review against another edition

3.0

The book follows four different narrators--Brette, Annaliese, Simone, and one mystery--as they navigate their respective plot lines. The story switches between present day and the 1940s as we learn how everyone is, or isn't, connected. Brette can communicate with the "in-between," and finds one such drifter on the Queen Mary, setting in motion a mystery she works to solve.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I liked the historical aspect. The "unknown narrator" and how Brette's ability was introduced was a bit of a stretch for me but not enough to detract from the rest of the story. (For example, I didn't like the somewhat off-topic focus Brette's ability was given. It generally didn't feel natural... almost as if it was another interest the author had and wanted to stick it in too.) Also, once I learned who the unknown narrator was, it seemed kind of silly and far out.)

Certainly a quick and interesting read for those interested in historical fiction with a touch of sci-fi.

jenmat1197's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 

This is the story of Annalise and Brette.  Separated by over 50 years, their stories merge in a very unusual way.  Annalise is a woman running from an abusive marriage right after the war in Europe.  She takes another passenger's spot on the Queen Mary to escape to America where she hopes she can start over.  50 years later, Brette - who can see ghosts even when she doesn't want anything to do with them - is called on by a friend to visit the Queen Mary.  Now a museum, a little girl of a high school friend thinks she saw her dead mother on the ship.  Unsettled the dad asks for Brette's help.  What happens when she gets to the Queen Mary is that she discover's Annalise's story and need to get to the bottom of what really happened as they crossed the Atlantic all those years ago.

This was a pretty good book.  I am a Meissner fan.  One of my favorite books ever is the Fall of Marigolds, but this one wasn't quite up to that standard.  It is well written for the most part - but I did not like the ending at all.  I liked Brette and Annalise.  There was a 3rd story that was part of this book (and does come together half way through the book) but it didn't make much sense at first.  Meissner usually does a really good job of tying her past and present together and the story is usually a terrific one.  But the ending of this one wasn't for me.  It was too fantastical and I didn't why she went this direction. 

imogen76's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

irishlassofcork's review against another edition

3.0

I received this as an ARC through Netgalley. 3.5 stars overall. First of all, I need to read summaries more thoroughly. I was totally expecting the WWII historical fiction part of this. The psychic turned ghost hunter turned sleuth-lite in modern day, was not expected. I find this is happening a lot in historical fiction as of late though, the modern mixing with the past. Some books successfully do it, some don't. I would say this book has it in the middle. Brette, the modern psychic, brings a level of light to the dark of the history. While I don't think she's the strongest protagonist, I did enjoy her trips to the Queen Mary and how her ability was portrayed. I think the best part of this story for me was the suspense of Annaliese's story. We don't know until the final act whether or not she survived and then learning how she survived, is actually sort of awesome. Most of the time when you have a French resistance fighter and the wife of a Nazi up against each other, revenge wins the argument. Not here. Overall, interesting, suspenseful and not entirely what I expected.

hirondelle2008's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75