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The Glass Butterfly
In The Glass Butterfly, Louise Marley winds together a tale of subtle danger lurking in the past and a mother's sacrifice for her son's future. . ..
A new life. A new name. A complete break with the past. It's the only way therapist Victoria Lake can think to protect her son--and herself--from a case turned deadly. She and Jack have barely spoken since he's gone to college. As painful as it is, it's better that he think she's dead than let her enemies suspect that she's not.
Jack could never stand his mother's insistence that sometimes intuition told her things facts couldn't. But he has a strange feeling that she's alive, despite the meticulous police investigation and the somber funeral. Of course, Jack is reconsidering several things his mother said, now that she's gone.
To survive, Victoria knows she has to reinvent herself completely. She can't even listen to her beloved Puccini. But without the music in her ears, eerie dreams invade her sleep. Lush with the sounds and sights of 19th-century Tuscany, they're also loaded with a very real warning she can't afford to ignore. . .
Praise for Louise Marley and her novels
"Will keep readers with a love for books like Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife and A.S. Byatt's Possession on the edge of their seats." -- RT Book Reviews , 4 ½ Stars on The Brahms Deception
"Eerie, beautiful. . .has a poetic, haunting sense of time and place." --Stephanie Cowell on Mozart's Blood
A new life. A new name. A complete break with the past. It's the only way therapist Victoria Lake can think to protect her son--and herself--from a case turned deadly. She and Jack have barely spoken since he's gone to college. As painful as it is, it's better that he think she's dead than let her enemies suspect that she's not.
Jack could never stand his mother's insistence that sometimes intuition told her things facts couldn't. But he has a strange feeling that she's alive, despite the meticulous police investigation and the somber funeral. Of course, Jack is reconsidering several things his mother said, now that she's gone.
To survive, Victoria knows she has to reinvent herself completely. She can't even listen to her beloved Puccini. But without the music in her ears, eerie dreams invade her sleep. Lush with the sounds and sights of 19th-century Tuscany, they're also loaded with a very real warning she can't afford to ignore. . .
Praise for Louise Marley and her novels
"Will keep readers with a love for books like Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife and A.S. Byatt's Possession on the edge of their seats." -- RT Book Reviews , 4 ½ Stars on The Brahms Deception
"Eerie, beautiful. . .has a poetic, haunting sense of time and place." --Stephanie Cowell on Mozart's Blood
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
66 people are currently reading
925 people want to read
About the author
Louise Marley
35 books129 followersLouise Marley, a former concert and opera singer, has published nineteen novels. As Louise Marley, she writes fantasy and science fiction, including THE TERRORISTS OF IRUSTAN and THE CHILD GODDESS. Writing as Cate Campbell, she published the historical trilogy BENEDICT HALL.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
July 18, 2012
The Glass Butterfly by Louise Marley
Name of this book attracted me first, then the story line.
I can't even imagine the planning that went into creating a whole new life for yourself. Not sure how she could leave the people she did.
Love what the glass butterfly stands for and glad she has it with her in times of doubt. It's Murano glass and I love the tales of that island.
This mystery leads us to Oregon area which I love to visit and Tory rebuilds her life. Mystery of things that she had done along the way and why she had done them and the things she brought with her are told in her tale over the course of the book.
Love the Italian phrases and the English translations at the beginning of each chapter. love the house on the shore and the descriptions of the sea around her at Cannon Beach.
There are chapters from her son and a maid at a villa in Italy, as well as herself that kinda help you piece the whole picture together, while it's happening to them.
Another mystery: why is one of his mom's clients breaking into the house, to get her records? She's a deputy police woman.
Tory moves on fixing things at her new place, making a friend of the landlord and getting a part time job to keep busy.
Jack has a plan after the house is broken into and ransacked but he doesn't tell anybody, making up another story to tell them.
He can't conceive that his mom is dead. The fey of it all that she and he both share won't let him give up on her.
Super read!
Name of this book attracted me first, then the story line.
I can't even imagine the planning that went into creating a whole new life for yourself. Not sure how she could leave the people she did.
Love what the glass butterfly stands for and glad she has it with her in times of doubt. It's Murano glass and I love the tales of that island.
This mystery leads us to Oregon area which I love to visit and Tory rebuilds her life. Mystery of things that she had done along the way and why she had done them and the things she brought with her are told in her tale over the course of the book.
Love the Italian phrases and the English translations at the beginning of each chapter. love the house on the shore and the descriptions of the sea around her at Cannon Beach.
There are chapters from her son and a maid at a villa in Italy, as well as herself that kinda help you piece the whole picture together, while it's happening to them.
Another mystery: why is one of his mom's clients breaking into the house, to get her records? She's a deputy police woman.
Tory moves on fixing things at her new place, making a friend of the landlord and getting a part time job to keep busy.
Jack has a plan after the house is broken into and ransacked but he doesn't tell anybody, making up another story to tell them.
He can't conceive that his mom is dead. The fey of it all that she and he both share won't let him give up on her.
Super read!
October 15, 2012
Librarything Early Reviewers copy.
Two parallel stories of women who sacrifice themselves in different ways to help the ones they love. Therapist Tori Lake goes on the run when a deranged client threatens harm to Tori's son. A major opera buff she begins dreaming of Puccini's housekeeper and the trials the housekeeper faces trying to keep peace in the household. It is never made clear whether these are just dreams or if there is a supernatural bond spanning time and space. Tori's dreams do help her face her situation and the realization that flight wasn't the only option. I enjoyed this story and look forward to picking up other books by Louise Marley.
Two parallel stories of women who sacrifice themselves in different ways to help the ones they love. Therapist Tori Lake goes on the run when a deranged client threatens harm to Tori's son. A major opera buff she begins dreaming of Puccini's housekeeper and the trials the housekeeper faces trying to keep peace in the household. It is never made clear whether these are just dreams or if there is a supernatural bond spanning time and space. Tori's dreams do help her face her situation and the realization that flight wasn't the only option. I enjoyed this story and look forward to picking up other books by Louise Marley.
September 14, 2012
Received this book through a goodreads giveaway and found it to be a good book. I enjoy reading it and was engrossed in the book. It showed me how much some mothers will go through to try and help her child. It also shows how sometimes the mothers love still cannot change them.I found it interesting to see that the mothers love is not always strong enough to change a child and that it takes the will of the person itself to change.
February 7, 2013
This was a total fluff book. Therapist, Tory, is on the run from a wacked out client turned murderer. Tory goes undercover, creating a new identity. Meets a nice man, of course. High drama, okay characters but not enough depth to the story. Very disappointing.
July 25, 2012
I may be slightly generous in this star rating because I've enjoyed past offerings from this author. This book feels like something written in the 90's that was put on the shelf and then dusted off for publication today without any updates.
Here's why: the protagonist has never used a computer. I'm not sure why this plot detail was necessary- there is a file that goes missing, but the bad guy could want to know what was in this file, if electronic copies were sent, all sorts of things that could continue the plot but also have a protagonist from this century. This is a woman no older than me- mid 40's, possibly about 50, but she has a 20 year old son from a youthful bad marriage, so even 50 is pushing it, I think. My 70 year old parents use a computer with no problems or compunction, I'm not sure why this practical, organized woman (for so she is characterized) refuses to do so. In the end, the file is photocopied and mailed to a sheriff. In the regular mail. No scanned copies? No pdfs? For heaven's sake, not even a fax? The weirdly archaic use of technology pulled me out of the story.
There are 3 POV characters here. One is our heroine, Tory. She is a therapist, intuitive, organized, self-sufficient, gorgeous. Computer illiterate. The book opens with her faking her own death and running for her life. It was a good open and the author did a good job of making me care what happened next. Tory ends up in Oregon, in a little beach cottage that's the polar opposite of her former palatial home in New England. The best part of the book for me was imagining being in that wintry little beach cottage or in beautiful New England.
Next, we have Tory's son, Jack. I think that it might have been better for the author not to use this character as a POV character at all. Jack just didn't sound or act like a 20 year old guy at all. Most of his time he felt bad because he treated his mother like a typical teenage boy would. Tory, for all her therapist skills, apparently let him get away with treating her like crap and never addressed the issue, so all he has left now is guilt and regret. Except for the occasional "damn" sprinkled into Jack's thoughts, he read pretty much like an emotionally fraught older female would read. And to be clear, "damn" is the least of the obscenities that I sprinkle through my thoughts and speech, so the kid seemed really repressed to me.
Finally we have Doria, a maid in the opera composer Pucchini's home. What? you say. Where the hell did that come from? Indeed. The author is attempting to build parallels between this maid and Tory. They are linked psychically, or genetically, or both. Incidentally, the physical link between the two characters is a glass butterfly paperweight from Murano. I never figured out how this maid, or Tory's grandmother ( who gave it to Tory) ended up with this paperweight in the first place. Doria's story was interesting. Her mistress was crazy, Pucchini did a horrible job protecting his employees from her mental illness, and Doria has a tragic life. The "she's crazy, so she's evil" trope was a little sad, but Italian village people in the early 20th century probably didn't have the foggiest idea what to do with mental illness.
From reading the afterword to this book, it seems like Doria's true story (she's based on a real person) might have been even more interesting than the story in the book. But the author made the choices she did, and did not do a bad job with those choices.
So, Tory's bad guy also seems linked to early 20th century Italy- reincarnation again? Hard to say. It's never really thought out or explained. Just a reference to "policeman" and crazy flat eyes between the two bad characters.
There's also a dog. I really liked the dog. What I did not like was his name: Johnson. Really? Who names a dog this? The association/innuendo is horrible. He is named that because a Pucchini opera hero was named Dick Johnson, and the author wanted to beat the reader over the head with the idea that Johnson the dog will be a hero. Ugh- couldn't she have picked another name? I guess Dick wouldn't be a great choice for the same reason that Johnson isn't, but a hero's name from ANY OTHER PUCCHINI OPERA, maybe??
There's also a vet who becomes a love interest for Tory. He is icy and disapproving when she doesn't spill the beans to him right away about her life- she's using an assumed name and hasn't told anyone the truth about who she is or what he's been through. After two conversations he gets rather stiff and formal when she doesn't tell all her secrets to him right in the middle of a dinner party. That's a Johnson move, if you ask me. If you know what I mean.
So, I enjoyed the book for setting and atmosphere, much in the way I enjoy a romance or light chick lit novel, for taking me off to an Oregon beach. The characters didn't really do it for me, and neither did the plot contrivances.
Here's why: the protagonist has never used a computer. I'm not sure why this plot detail was necessary- there is a file that goes missing, but the bad guy could want to know what was in this file, if electronic copies were sent, all sorts of things that could continue the plot but also have a protagonist from this century. This is a woman no older than me- mid 40's, possibly about 50, but she has a 20 year old son from a youthful bad marriage, so even 50 is pushing it, I think. My 70 year old parents use a computer with no problems or compunction, I'm not sure why this practical, organized woman (for so she is characterized) refuses to do so. In the end, the file is photocopied and mailed to a sheriff. In the regular mail. No scanned copies? No pdfs? For heaven's sake, not even a fax? The weirdly archaic use of technology pulled me out of the story.
There are 3 POV characters here. One is our heroine, Tory. She is a therapist, intuitive, organized, self-sufficient, gorgeous. Computer illiterate. The book opens with her faking her own death and running for her life. It was a good open and the author did a good job of making me care what happened next. Tory ends up in Oregon, in a little beach cottage that's the polar opposite of her former palatial home in New England. The best part of the book for me was imagining being in that wintry little beach cottage or in beautiful New England.
Next, we have Tory's son, Jack. I think that it might have been better for the author not to use this character as a POV character at all. Jack just didn't sound or act like a 20 year old guy at all. Most of his time he felt bad because he treated his mother like a typical teenage boy would. Tory, for all her therapist skills, apparently let him get away with treating her like crap and never addressed the issue, so all he has left now is guilt and regret. Except for the occasional "damn" sprinkled into Jack's thoughts, he read pretty much like an emotionally fraught older female would read. And to be clear, "damn" is the least of the obscenities that I sprinkle through my thoughts and speech, so the kid seemed really repressed to me.
Finally we have Doria, a maid in the opera composer Pucchini's home. What? you say. Where the hell did that come from? Indeed. The author is attempting to build parallels between this maid and Tory. They are linked psychically, or genetically, or both. Incidentally, the physical link between the two characters is a glass butterfly paperweight from Murano. I never figured out how this maid, or Tory's grandmother ( who gave it to Tory) ended up with this paperweight in the first place. Doria's story was interesting. Her mistress was crazy, Pucchini did a horrible job protecting his employees from her mental illness, and Doria has a tragic life. The "she's crazy, so she's evil" trope was a little sad, but Italian village people in the early 20th century probably didn't have the foggiest idea what to do with mental illness.
From reading the afterword to this book, it seems like Doria's true story (she's based on a real person) might have been even more interesting than the story in the book. But the author made the choices she did, and did not do a bad job with those choices.
So, Tory's bad guy also seems linked to early 20th century Italy- reincarnation again? Hard to say. It's never really thought out or explained. Just a reference to "policeman" and crazy flat eyes between the two bad characters.
There's also a dog. I really liked the dog. What I did not like was his name: Johnson. Really? Who names a dog this? The association/innuendo is horrible. He is named that because a Pucchini opera hero was named Dick Johnson, and the author wanted to beat the reader over the head with the idea that Johnson the dog will be a hero. Ugh- couldn't she have picked another name? I guess Dick wouldn't be a great choice for the same reason that Johnson isn't, but a hero's name from ANY OTHER PUCCHINI OPERA, maybe??
There's also a vet who becomes a love interest for Tory. He is icy and disapproving when she doesn't spill the beans to him right away about her life- she's using an assumed name and hasn't told anyone the truth about who she is or what he's been through. After two conversations he gets rather stiff and formal when she doesn't tell all her secrets to him right in the middle of a dinner party. That's a Johnson move, if you ask me. If you know what I mean.
So, I enjoyed the book for setting and atmosphere, much in the way I enjoy a romance or light chick lit novel, for taking me off to an Oregon beach. The characters didn't really do it for me, and neither did the plot contrivances.
November 11, 2012
Tory Lake's lovely Vermont home brings her much joy and serenity. And as a therapist, she doesn't even have to leave her house; her home office, with a beautiful view, is the perfect place to see her clients.
But then something happens to destroy the peace and serenity in Tory's world, and sends her life spinning out of control. A client's crime and her subsequent threats against Tory's son Jack lead to a tragic plunge into the lake.
Because the client is a Sheriff's detective, Tory knew that reporting her wasn't an option. Who would the authorities believe, Tory or one of their own?
When the car plunged into that lake, however, Tory had a strategy for escape. When she did manage to avoid notice after the plunge, she surreptitiously slipped away, changing her appearance and assuming another identity. She ends up in a small Oregon town on the opposite coast.
But dreams of betrayal and impending danger haunt Tory's sleep, slowly converging upon a moment when she finally realizes what she must do. In the parallel world she dreams about, the great Maestro Puccini is fighting against dangers within his household. How will Puccini's world and Tory's converge and resonate at just the right time to save Tory and Jack?
And what does a glass butterfly paperweight symbolize in both Puccini's and Tory's worlds? How did a serendipitous community of acquaintances become just the support network she needs?
Throughout the pages of "The Glass Butterfly," I read with bated breath, feeling the lurking dangers, yet not knowing how or when they would present themselves. The characters seemed real and their issues were so palpable I felt as though they were part of my own life. I rooted for them all, even though, at times, I found the parallel universe of the Puccinis to be a distraction from the primary tale. In the end, however, I could see how the two worlds connected. Five stars.
But then something happens to destroy the peace and serenity in Tory's world, and sends her life spinning out of control. A client's crime and her subsequent threats against Tory's son Jack lead to a tragic plunge into the lake.
Because the client is a Sheriff's detective, Tory knew that reporting her wasn't an option. Who would the authorities believe, Tory or one of their own?
When the car plunged into that lake, however, Tory had a strategy for escape. When she did manage to avoid notice after the plunge, she surreptitiously slipped away, changing her appearance and assuming another identity. She ends up in a small Oregon town on the opposite coast.
But dreams of betrayal and impending danger haunt Tory's sleep, slowly converging upon a moment when she finally realizes what she must do. In the parallel world she dreams about, the great Maestro Puccini is fighting against dangers within his household. How will Puccini's world and Tory's converge and resonate at just the right time to save Tory and Jack?
And what does a glass butterfly paperweight symbolize in both Puccini's and Tory's worlds? How did a serendipitous community of acquaintances become just the support network she needs?
Throughout the pages of "The Glass Butterfly," I read with bated breath, feeling the lurking dangers, yet not knowing how or when they would present themselves. The characters seemed real and their issues were so palpable I felt as though they were part of my own life. I rooted for them all, even though, at times, I found the parallel universe of the Puccinis to be a distraction from the primary tale. In the end, however, I could see how the two worlds connected. Five stars.
October 12, 2012
There's a special delight in picking up a new Louise Marley novel, akin to expecting the unexpected. Who else could write about Mozart's musical genius transmitted by a vampire's bite, or time travel to discover the mystery of Clara Schumann's passionate romance with Brahms? Music, as the jaded, time-worn vampires in Mozart's Blood know all too well, is the one joy that transcends the years, perhaps because it cannot exist outside of time.
Music, particularly the glorious operas of Puccini, is an abiding love of Victoria Lake, and the one thing she must renounce if her identity is to remain hidden as she goes on the run from a psychopathic killer. But music cannot be extricated from the soul, and Puccini's own life -- as seen through a servant girl -- soon begins unfolding in Victoria's dreams. It's never entirely clear whether this is a purely psychological phenomenon or whether there is some fantastical element, some bond or message across time. Are the lives of the two women parallel in the deadly risks they each face? Does music have the magical power to cross time as well as space? Or is this all happening in the highly-stressed mind of a woman who has already survived one attempted murder? It doesn't matter, because the metaphors and images and emotional responses are real, no matter how them come to us. Bottom line: an extraordinary book by a master storyteller. If you don't already love Puccini's operas, you will.
Music, particularly the glorious operas of Puccini, is an abiding love of Victoria Lake, and the one thing she must renounce if her identity is to remain hidden as she goes on the run from a psychopathic killer. But music cannot be extricated from the soul, and Puccini's own life -- as seen through a servant girl -- soon begins unfolding in Victoria's dreams. It's never entirely clear whether this is a purely psychological phenomenon or whether there is some fantastical element, some bond or message across time. Are the lives of the two women parallel in the deadly risks they each face? Does music have the magical power to cross time as well as space? Or is this all happening in the highly-stressed mind of a woman who has already survived one attempted murder? It doesn't matter, because the metaphors and images and emotional responses are real, no matter how them come to us. Bottom line: an extraordinary book by a master storyteller. If you don't already love Puccini's operas, you will.
October 2, 2012
Another delightful book from a favorite writer, and like all her others, Louise Marley's The Glass Butterfly does not disappoint. Ms. Marley had a career in the world of opera, and it shows clearly in her writing. Her works are as richly full as classical music, with all the melodrama of the finest opera.
This tale revolves around two women living in different areas of the world, in vastly different spheres of time, tied together by love of the music of Puccini. One is a therapist living in a 20th century United State and the other is the housekeeper at Puccini's Tuscany residence. While one woman struggles to keep home life peaceful, sacrificing herself as a result, the other sacrifices her life to keep her son safe. The story fallows both of them in their journey through their days, comparing and contrasting their lives to bring the reader new insight into their own. The deadly drama that unfolds, both internally and via threats from another, is balanced by the drama of love and caring that appears in unexpected corners.
There's love lost for the sake of keeping it safe, love found in very strange places and despite all refutations, impossible tasks conquered for love, death, redemption, and an ending that borders dangerously close to a “Happy Christmas Romance Novel”. Oh, yes, and some of the most incredible music ever written weaving throughout.
This tale revolves around two women living in different areas of the world, in vastly different spheres of time, tied together by love of the music of Puccini. One is a therapist living in a 20th century United State and the other is the housekeeper at Puccini's Tuscany residence. While one woman struggles to keep home life peaceful, sacrificing herself as a result, the other sacrifices her life to keep her son safe. The story fallows both of them in their journey through their days, comparing and contrasting their lives to bring the reader new insight into their own. The deadly drama that unfolds, both internally and via threats from another, is balanced by the drama of love and caring that appears in unexpected corners.
There's love lost for the sake of keeping it safe, love found in very strange places and despite all refutations, impossible tasks conquered for love, death, redemption, and an ending that borders dangerously close to a “Happy Christmas Romance Novel”. Oh, yes, and some of the most incredible music ever written weaving throughout.
January 2, 2013
Suspenseful and face-paced, with a character who is a therapist and also has "psychic" tendencies, which she ignores in the case of a client she is working with. She has to run for her life. She also has a chance to reflect on her life, and because of her love of Puccini, there runs a counter-story through dreams about an opera he is writing and the parallels with her life. I found both stories interesting, but at times, wanted to get back to the main mystery as it came to a head.
October 14, 2012
Loved this book! Louise Marley grabbed my attention on page one and kept it the entire time until page 355! Every page gave me something to think about as to how the different characters "connected". I could envision each person and how they looked. A great read and look forward to reading more by Mrs. Marley!
December 6, 2016
I enjoyed this book which was given to me by my friend Jo. A story of an intense mother love, as well as a love of music, the book was also a story about the Pacific NW and a community dear to my heart. I loved the story of Puccini, so artfully woven into the contemporary story. Loved the addition of a sweet and intuitive dog! Who doesn't love dogs?
September 8, 2012
Won from Goodreads First Reads. A chilling tale of the trouble a mother will go through to save her son from harm. This book combines past and present. It also shows that sometimes the best thing is the hardest choice to make. It also shows how a dog's love can help you overcome anything.
June 26, 2017
Not exactly a fantasy and not exactly a history of Puccini. Kind of a murder mystery-ish with opera components. Not really my thing but beautifully written. I do hope Louise Marley will eventually go back to writing sf.
May 31, 2013
As usual, Louise is able to juggle music and storytelling with flair. I'm jealous, really. This novel is more mainstream than her usual science fiction/fantasy genre, but it doesn't fail to please.
November 3, 2012
Received this book through a goodreads giveaway and found it to be a good book. I really enjoyed the multiple story lines. definitely recommend others to read it.
April 11, 2013
One of those great rainy-day novels.
June 7, 2013
This was an excellent read!
August 21, 2012
I really liked this book. A quick read that had me captivated until the end.
January 10, 2013
I LOVED THIS BOOK. KEPT YOU WANDERING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT.
April 22, 2024
I enjoyed this even though it came dangerously close to tipping over into being a trite romance, and it was more cliché than original, and it fell prey to the old trap of starting the action with a really stupid move on the part of the MC.
However, I like stories where a woman makes progress and achieves an end primarily on her own strengths and talents. As unlikely as the circumstances, this tale's MC did that.
The tie-ins to opera were largely unnecessary, but, having read the author's bio, I get that she did that for her own enjoyment. But I did NOT like the passive, mealy, twit who was the MC of the opera bits.
The villainesses in both opera and non-opera stories were very well done. I have a feeling Ms. Marley may have met (or portrayed) her share of evil mean-girls in her time. She does them well here.
One thing I would have liked to encounter less often was the phrase "she could hardly bear." Waaaaay overused.
I guess the biggest compliment is that I will look for another book by the same writer.
However, I like stories where a woman makes progress and achieves an end primarily on her own strengths and talents. As unlikely as the circumstances, this tale's MC did that.
The tie-ins to opera were largely unnecessary, but, having read the author's bio, I get that she did that for her own enjoyment. But I did NOT like the passive, mealy, twit who was the MC of the opera bits.
The villainesses in both opera and non-opera stories were very well done. I have a feeling Ms. Marley may have met (or portrayed) her share of evil mean-girls in her time. She does them well here.
One thing I would have liked to encounter less often was the phrase "she could hardly bear." Waaaaay overused.
I guess the biggest compliment is that I will look for another book by the same writer.
March 12, 2019
Readable
While I love a book with that "going back and forth in time thing" and a bit of paranormal activity, they just didn't come together well for me in this book. I found the bio material on Puccini and Doria interesting and the plot involving Tory somewhat exciting, but the connection between the two just didn't make much sense. The villain didn't have much depth either and the brief mention of Jack's father and a trial might have added something more to the story of explained. Iris also could have been expanded as a character as could Hank. The entire book was too thin, almost as if the author had some great ideas, but was unable to pull them together. This was an o.k. read, but didn't really deliver the punch.
While I love a book with that "going back and forth in time thing" and a bit of paranormal activity, they just didn't come together well for me in this book. I found the bio material on Puccini and Doria interesting and the plot involving Tory somewhat exciting, but the connection between the two just didn't make much sense. The villain didn't have much depth either and the brief mention of Jack's father and a trial might have added something more to the story of explained. Iris also could have been expanded as a character as could Hank. The entire book was too thin, almost as if the author had some great ideas, but was unable to pull them together. This was an o.k. read, but didn't really deliver the punch.
January 31, 2019
Thrilling & heartwarming
An adventure that weaves past and present into an unexpected future. The personal evolution of the characters, the relentless threat and an undercurrent of asp captured my attention.
If you enjoy mystery and insightful human introspection and a dog, I recommend this book.
An adventure that weaves past and present into an unexpected future. The personal evolution of the characters, the relentless threat and an undercurrent of asp captured my attention.
If you enjoy mystery and insightful human introspection and a dog, I recommend this book.
April 7, 2024
Fey? Intuition?
I enjoyed how Louise Marley had Tory not trust her intuition enough to write this story. Sometimes it lingered on but it still grabbed me. I wanted to know....the connection to Doria and Tory. You will want to know to. And, is the villain dead?????
I enjoyed how Louise Marley had Tory not trust her intuition enough to write this story. Sometimes it lingered on but it still grabbed me. I wanted to know....the connection to Doria and Tory. You will want to know to. And, is the villain dead?????
September 21, 2018
Fun read - a bit of suspense - loved the back and forth through time
January 8, 2019
3/3.5 A little odd, but enjoyable.
January 29, 2019
I really enjoyed the comparisons made in this book. The author was able to carry them through right to the final chapter.
April 16, 2019
Quick strange read. Intuition, premonition, dreams, opera, family relationships, love and a psychopath all coming together. Like I said -- strange.
September 4, 2019
I almost gave it a 5 but it was a little unbelievable. Also no clear answer re: how the glass butterfly came to be in her family.
February 23, 2021
I couldn't stop reading until I finished. Was almost 3/4 through before I tied the past to the present.
January 3, 2013
I read three books by the same author, Louise Marley. I feel the need to write a singular review for all three. The plots are not the same, nor are they dealing with the same genres(one is more of a romance, one more science fiction, one more mystery/adventure). They are however drawn together with a singular plot device, classical music, and how it connects people throughout the ages.
The first book I read was The Braham’s Deception. This was the more science fiction based book. It dealt with time travel and actually going back to see Braham himself. Anything more then that on the plot would reveal to more of the plot but a wonderful book!
The second book I read was Mozart’s Blood. This one I had trouble with. Not an issue with the book itself but I personally just am NOT a fan of Mozart. This is written more as a romance, even to the point of following the opera of Don Giovanni. That was another point that made the book harder for me to deal with as I have never seen, heard or read the opera.
The third book I read was The Glass Butterfly. This book is more of a mystery/ adventure book. The music in this book doesn’t seem as obvious until later in the book and when it does it deals with Puccini a more modern composer. There are elements of science fiction in this book but they are secondary to the main mystery plot. This is a good mystery as is keep me guessing fairly far into the book as opposed to most mysteries where I understand immediately what is happening.
Overall these are great books. At times, I found I had trouble with some of the language(parts are written in Latin, German, French and Italian to give a authentic feel). I also struggled with the music references as I am not a fan of classical music. I like most music though and can understand how music can be a driving force in our lives which is the point the author is trying to convey. I have previous read her Singers of Nevya series which I immensely enjoyed so I expected nothing less of this great author. I just wish she had picked a different genre of music on which to demonstrate her point. I did read the authors notes and understand her choice of opera. Louise Marley is a classically trained opera singer. However not everyone is. I still liked the books and would recommend them to everyone, especially those who had a vested interest in classical music.
The first book I read was The Braham’s Deception. This was the more science fiction based book. It dealt with time travel and actually going back to see Braham himself. Anything more then that on the plot would reveal to more of the plot but a wonderful book!
The second book I read was Mozart’s Blood. This one I had trouble with. Not an issue with the book itself but I personally just am NOT a fan of Mozart. This is written more as a romance, even to the point of following the opera of Don Giovanni. That was another point that made the book harder for me to deal with as I have never seen, heard or read the opera.
The third book I read was The Glass Butterfly. This book is more of a mystery/ adventure book. The music in this book doesn’t seem as obvious until later in the book and when it does it deals with Puccini a more modern composer. There are elements of science fiction in this book but they are secondary to the main mystery plot. This is a good mystery as is keep me guessing fairly far into the book as opposed to most mysteries where I understand immediately what is happening.
Overall these are great books. At times, I found I had trouble with some of the language(parts are written in Latin, German, French and Italian to give a authentic feel). I also struggled with the music references as I am not a fan of classical music. I like most music though and can understand how music can be a driving force in our lives which is the point the author is trying to convey. I have previous read her Singers of Nevya series which I immensely enjoyed so I expected nothing less of this great author. I just wish she had picked a different genre of music on which to demonstrate her point. I did read the authors notes and understand her choice of opera. Louise Marley is a classically trained opera singer. However not everyone is. I still liked the books and would recommend them to everyone, especially those who had a vested interest in classical music.
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