Mindy Tarquini

In Philadelphia during WWI, Fiora Vicente, the daughter of a fortune-teller, is left orphaned by the influenza pandemic of 1918. She's taken in by an old shoemaker and befriends a young man, Carlo, and the pregnant wife of a WWI soldier. But outside their building, she is the target of fear and scorn. Many blame her for the deadly sickness ripping through their immigrant Italian neighborhood. And she's not so sure that she isn't responsible. One day, she witnesses the old man having a heart attack and accidentally creates a bubble that stops time. The old man lives, and the sick don't die right away, but neither do they get better. Meanwhile, Fiora is pressed into caring for a flu-ravaged family in her building. Eventually she, Carlo and her pregnant friend start taking care of as many families and children as they can, while Fiora tries to figure out how to get time moving normally again. An enchanted curtain, a mysterious tea merchant and a rich tapestry of cultural and historical details add to the ambiance of this magical realism novel. I was fully enveloped in Mindy Tarquini's poetically rendered world and unique characters. If I have one criticism, it's that it was a little difficult to follow at times, but this didn't ruin the experience for me. I was still left with that warm ache that I get when I've finished an emotionally satisfying story.… (mehr)

Hindsight by Mindy Tarquini is a novel about previous life memories. The central character, Eugenia has the second-sight and it works backward. She remembers her past lives and the Virgin Mary speaks to her, to offer advice and commentary. In each of these lives she remembers the people from 400 years previous in Bavaria, and she recognizes them in each of her lives. This tale of shared past lives is reminiscent of Robinson's "The Years of Rice and Salt" in which people of the same village repeated their lives together until their Kharmic debts where fulfilled. Eugenia is determined to stop her repeated lives. Through the text she falls in love and marries, saves her friends and brother, aids to punish the villain, and through it discovers that many of the villagers had the same recurring memories of the past, even her brother. Hindsight is a clear, well written text, with attractive font, and good organization.… (mehr)

Marking this as finished even though technically it's a DNF. I may revisit it later but at the moment, I just can't really get my head around the story and the staccato writing style. There doesn't seem to be a real flow, much connection between characters. Perhaps it improves but I'm not going to find out soon, unfortunately.

Still, I do love the idea of being able to see your past lives and almost relive them in different times. Also loved the idea of Mary being able to speak to our main character.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley.com for free in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)