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Remember this... " When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants,despots and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always. " Mahatma Gandhi

Monday, November 14, 2011

"Before Ever After" Novel by Samantha Sotto:In The News

Barnes & Noble :Best-Selling Romance Books (As Of November 14, 2011)
Who should play Shelley and Max?

AMAZON Reviews:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Nothing came without a price.", November 12, 2011




This review is from: Before Ever After: A Novel (Hardcover)
"Before Ever After," by Samantha Sotto, is a poignant work of fantasy, romance, and historical fiction. Shelley Sullivan flees Ohio and her grieving mother and heads to London, where she takes a job in advertising. She has decided against marrying, since if she refuses to make a commitment, she will not risk the bitterness of loss. Her plans go out the window when the twenty-four year old Shelley meets the hunky Max Gallus, who runs an unusual package tour in Europe. Max is charming, gorgeous, intelligent, and obviously attracted to Shelley. Although the chemistry between the two is palpable, Shelley fears that falling in love with Max will ultimately lead to sorrow.


As it turns out, Shelley is not completely wrong about the potential for heartbreak. Unbeknownst to her, Max is hiding some important information about his past that, if revealed, would make him a poor candidate for matrimony. Suffice it to say that Max is not the person he appears to be and in the course of the narrative, we go back in time from 1871 to 79 A. D. and learn a great deal more about our hero's unusual history.


The book's premise is intriguing and the author injects liberal doses of humor to offset the sometimes somber subject matter. Some readers may be put off by the confusing plot, numerous (and at times tedious) flashbacks, and ambiguous ending. Nevertheless, Shelley and Max are an appealing couple whom we grow to like, Max's story is weirdly fascinating, and the author's message about the wisdom of living in the moment is certainly one that anyone can take to heart. Sotto's decision to write such an unconventional debut novel is courageous and ambitious, and although "Before Ever After" is not an unqualified success, it is a commendable first effort.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great storyteller, October 27, 2011
By 
Lisa (Frederick, MD United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Before Ever After: A Novel (Hardcover)
I really loved the "experience" of reading this book. It's a modern day story that unfolds through a series of incredibly well-written short stories told by the two main characters in hopes of helping each other understand what happened to someone they both love. I agree with reviewer Terry who says the ending is a bit frustrating. Overall, though, I loved it and can't wait to follow the career of this new author. 


4.0 out of 5 stars Finding "the other half of your soul", October 22, 2011




This review is from: Before Ever After: A Novel (Hardcover)


Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I passed this book along to a friend after receiving it, being involved in another book at the time. When she returned it to me, it was with the suggestion I "don't bother reading it at all." Obviously she hadn't enjoyed it, but her suggestion was all I needed to see for myself. I enjoyed "Before Ever After." Part love story, part tale of immortality, part history lesson, The relationship between Shelly and Max is told in, at first, slightly confusing time frames, time frames which include Max' stories, each one further back in time, each one an enticing look back into, the reader comes to realize, just who Max is and was. It's her time with the Slight Detour Company that introduces Shelly to Max, the man with whom she will find love and lose love. Once again, too much can be told in a review. If you spend the time with Samantha Sotto's first novel, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Help other customers find
4.0 out of 5 stars TRAVELING ACROSS THE CENTURIES, October 8, 2011


This review is from: Before Ever After: A Novel (Hardcover)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Before Ever After is the type of book defies genre. It is part romance novel, part historical fiction, part travelogue, part supernatural fantasy, part fairy tale and part history lesson. Does that feel like a lot to pack into one book? Well it is! Before Ever After asks its readers to abandon logic and accept the veracity of this tale that whisks you away to other times and other worlds as seen through the eyes of one man, Max, and related by his widow, Shelley. I will not go into the intricacies of the hows and whys of their story or the lives of the other characters who flesh out the tale, instead I will merely give you my personal impressions.

Although the back story of Max and Shelley's romance, his subsequent death and her amazing discoveries about the man who was her husband, is the foundation on which the story is constructed I found the historical details most interesting. I had never thought about how the canals of Venice were constructed but learned that they was built on wood pilings most of which came from the alder forests of Slovenia and Croatia. The wood petrified as a result of the constant flow of mineral-rich water around and through it, so that it becomes a stone-like structure on which the Venetians built their city. Who knew!). Many of Max's adventures through the centuries actually sent me to my computer to research the "factual" data about Medieval Vienna, Revolutionary Paris, the volcanic destruction of Herculaneum and other historic events.

History aside, the most pressing question presented by this book seems to be that of immortality. What is it? Is it actually living forever (ala all those Twilight vampire tales) and if you could would you really CHOOSE to LIVE FOREVER? OR.....is living forever just the sum total of the contributions each and every one of us have made while we were living that ultimately become immortalized in the memories of those we love and in whose lives we have made a difference.


5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant debut! Be prepared to fall in love, cry, hope, enjoy a beautiful history and be thrilled to turn each page., October 4, 2011




This review is from: Before Ever After: A Novel (Hardcover)
When love leaves you suddenly and tragically, do you ever pick up the pieces of your life and try again? It's been three years since Max's death and Shelly still longs for his warmth and kindness, not to mention his excellently delicious baked eggs. After the arrival of a photo book containing the moments before and after the loss of her love another delivery comes in the form of a man who looks nearly identical to the man she still yearns for. Paolo claims that Max is not only his grandfather, but that he is still alive. What follows is a journey into the past and a hope that magic & "happily ever afters" may just be real after all.


How do you put into words a book that had you so completely consumed you could hardly think of doing anything else but read it? Before Ever After will forever be a book that every other will stand against. Within it's pages held a range of emotions I rarely find reading, from longing and despair to unfaltering love and adventure to a journey into what it is to be human. Samantha Sotto's debut novel was clearly something I didn't expect to fall so deeply in love with, but her characters came to life and I couldn't help but hope for their happily ever after.


Now without gushing too much I'll attempt to mention a few of the aspects of the story that had me drawn in from the very first few pages and didn't let go even after I closed the book. Sotto's main characters Shelly and Max were an eternal Romeo and Juliet, bound together by a string of magical realism that made the story sparkle like the disco ball in Max's VW van. I'm such a huge fan of magical realism, especially when used in women's fiction because it adds another level of hope and anticipation I rarely find elsewhere. The idea that Shelly's recently deceased husband Max is still alive after a tragic accident became more and more "believable" as the story continued. As Shelly recounts the way her and Max met & fell in love you also have the opportunity of hearing about a past that never seemed like more than great history lessons to her. In that way, I loved how the story was weaved together and have a feeling that even readers out there who don't typically enjoy historical aspects in a story will absolutely fall in love with Before Ever After.


In addition to Shelly and Max's characters I also especially loved Simon & Brad as well as Dex's story. Each character played a part in Shelly's discoveries, including of course, Paolo. I also must say that since finishing this wonderful novel I crave eggs nearly non-stop and will be looking up recipes for baked eggs until I'm able to have the perfect Sunday morning breakfast. Yes, food and magical realism all in one book, how could anyone not love this?


Before Ever After is a tale of beginning your happily ever after at the end. To understand that fully I'd beg you to read Samantha Sotto's debut novel. Be prepared to fall in love, cry, hope, enjoy a beautiful history and be thrilled to turn each page in this marvelously told love story. I will undoubtedly be recommending this novel to everyone I know and especially those fans of authors like Cecelia Ahern, Sarah Addison Allen and Adena Halpern. This magical debut will no doubt be one I long compare others against and will no doubt read again. Samantha Sotto is an author to expect magnificent things from and I for one am eagerly awaiting any & all novels she writes from this point forward.
Posted by EQ at Monday, November 14, 2011
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