Publication date: May 7, 2013 by Simon & Schuster
Source: ARC provided by publisher for an honest review
Synopsis:
From the author of The Book of Lost Fragrances comes a haunting novel about a grieving woman who discovers the lost journal of novelist Victor Hugo, awakening a mystery that spans centuries.
In 1843, novelist Victor Hugo’s beloved nineteen-year-old daughter drowned. Ten years later, Hugo began participating in hundreds of séances to reestablish contact with her. In the process, he claimed to have communed with the likes of Plato, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Jesus—and even the Devil himself. Hugo’s transcriptions of these conversations have all been published. Or so it was believed.
Recovering from her own losses, mythologist Jac L’Etoile arrives on the Isle of Jersey—where Hugo conducted the séances—hoping to uncover a secret about the island’s Celtic roots. But the man who’s invited her there, a troubled soul named Theo Gaspard, has hopes she’ll help him discover something quite different—Hugo’s lost conversations with someone called the Shadow of the Sepulcher.
What follows is an intricately plotted and atmospheric tale of suspense with a spellbinding ghost story at its heart, by one of America’s most gifted and imaginative novelists.
My Take:
I hadn't read The Book of Lost Fragrances before I read Seduction by M.J. Rose. I think it might have helped me to understand the main character, Jac, a bit better if I had, but I still enjoyed the novel immensely. Immediately after finishing Seduction, I added The Book of Lost Fragrances and Les Miserables to my reading list. I never knew much about Victor Hugo, but this book has inspired be to do more research and to read his works.
There are three distinct story lines that the reader must follow in Seduction. The stories follow Jac, Victor Hugo and Owain, a druid from 56 BCE. I was immediately drawn into this gothic, atmospheric story that deals with loss, tragedy, love and reincarnation.
I especially liked two aspects to the novel. One was the Jungian analysis and the focus on the collective consciousness and the second was the way fragrances are emphasized and described. I have been fascinated with Jung and his ideas for years and it is always nice to encounter them in a novel. I was also intrigued with Jac and her sensitivity to fragrance. I will now have to go back and read The Book of Lost Fragrances just to learn more about this fascinating family of hers.
This amazing novel has what seems at first like a pretty typical ghost story, but soon turns into something much more involved and sinister. There are so many questions and possible explanations for certain events, but the narrative draws the reader ever deeper into the story and nothing is quite what it seems at first.
I was completely drawn into the story and couldn't wait to find out how it would end. "There are no coincidences" as Malachi tells Jac and it would appear to be true for this book. Events and people are so interwoven and continue to have an influence on each other over the centuries. This was a unforgettable book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to read more books about these characters and ideas. Seduction goes to the top of my recommendation list.
About the Author
M.J. Rose is the international best selling author of eleven novels
and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her fiction and non-fiction has
appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has
been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on
the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University,
spent the ’80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern
Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for
authors – Authorbuzz.com.
The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose’s novels in the
Renincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of
International Thriller Writers and runs the blog- Buzz, Balls &
Hype. She is also the co-founder of Peroozal.com and BookTrib.com.Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.
For more information on M.J. Rose and her novels, please visit her WEBSITE. You can also find her on Facebook.
Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Monday, March 25Review at Luxury Reading
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Guest Post at Daisy’s Book Journal
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Guest Post at The True Book Addict
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Review & Giveaway at A Writer’s Life: Working with the Muse
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