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Always
A spine-tingling mystery about a love that will not die and an evil force that will not let it live!
Brilliant young Hollywood screenwriter Gregory Thomas inexplicably becomes obsessed with a legendary actress who died in a mysterious firelong before he was born. Why this irrational longing to know the truth about the bizarre death of Brooke Ashley? And why do the sinister forces which destroyed Brooke now threaten him?
You will be riveted by Gregory Thomas' journey as he attempts to solve the mystery of his obsessive infatuation and to survive while doing so.
Brilliant young Hollywood screenwriter Gregory Thomas inexplicably becomes obsessed with a legendary actress who died in a mysterious firelong before he was born. Why this irrational longing to know the truth about the bizarre death of Brooke Ashley? And why do the sinister forces which destroyed Brooke now threaten him?
You will be riveted by Gregory Thomas' journey as he attempts to solve the mystery of his obsessive infatuation and to survive while doing so.
313 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 19, 2012
I first read this in 1979 and in my high school mind it was amazing! On par with Somewhere in Time. I have always had a love for "old Hollywood" and just the 30's and 40's in general. And while I don't believe in past lives or reincarnation, who hasn't had at least a mild fascination with the subject?
Reading it again so we'll see if I still love it. It's not deep or intellectual, but it is enjoyable for a summer read.
Reading it again so we'll see if I still love it. It's not deep or intellectual, but it is enjoyable for a summer read.
January 23, 2016
BEST BOOK ON THIS GENRE EVER!
SUSPENSE/ROMANCE!
This was my second time reading Always but, first time reading the edited new version.
I will start off by saying how much I adore this book. It not just a romantic fairy tale. It's a Thriller Romance of Deep emotions that if unchanged can cause mistakes to happen again and again!
It's Such a powerful Book of Fun and imagination with deep meaning and layers to scratch back as you read it.
The characters are like real everyday people, not idealistic perceptions written to form a moral point that the author is trying to make. The Characters are scrambling through in the dark without idea of where they will end up, i think that's why this book is so damn good. It hits all the right notes of dark and light. Its brilliance is in its simplicity. And the sheer brilliance of Characters that feel Real!
I Fell in love with the characters and the story again as I read this, and I felt at home with the new edits, i compared my old copy and the new and liked the subtlety in how the story was changed to flow better especially at the end! Without any spoilers I felt that the end was more rounded and was more brought to a perfect stop instead of before where I found it did finish with me feeling like there should have been more.
if there is one thing i will say about this book that threw me off, is that i had no idea Cowing or Cow meant anything other then the animal who goes moo, but i have been enlightened to the fact that it in fact means cause (someone) to submit to one's wishes by intimidation.
But it did lead me to slight confusion and a giggle fit in a more serious scene.
But I think it only added to my love of this book and the writer and editor!
This is definitely a book that isn't just as straight forward as the name suggests
what is hidden behind “Always: a love story” is a Fantastically surprising story that gives a slow burn as you wonder whats happening, until you get to the last 100 pages and then things start heating up until find yourself at the last page with no more to read.
This is one of my all-time favourite books! And I genuinely think everyone should give it a shot and read it.
SUSPENSE/ROMANCE!
This was my second time reading Always but, first time reading the edited new version.
I will start off by saying how much I adore this book. It not just a romantic fairy tale. It's a Thriller Romance of Deep emotions that if unchanged can cause mistakes to happen again and again!
It's Such a powerful Book of Fun and imagination with deep meaning and layers to scratch back as you read it.
The characters are like real everyday people, not idealistic perceptions written to form a moral point that the author is trying to make. The Characters are scrambling through in the dark without idea of where they will end up, i think that's why this book is so damn good. It hits all the right notes of dark and light. Its brilliance is in its simplicity. And the sheer brilliance of Characters that feel Real!
I Fell in love with the characters and the story again as I read this, and I felt at home with the new edits, i compared my old copy and the new and liked the subtlety in how the story was changed to flow better especially at the end! Without any spoilers I felt that the end was more rounded and was more brought to a perfect stop instead of before where I found it did finish with me feeling like there should have been more.
if there is one thing i will say about this book that threw me off, is that i had no idea Cowing or Cow meant anything other then the animal who goes moo, but i have been enlightened to the fact that it in fact means cause (someone) to submit to one's wishes by intimidation.
But it did lead me to slight confusion and a giggle fit in a more serious scene.
But I think it only added to my love of this book and the writer and editor!
This is definitely a book that isn't just as straight forward as the name suggests
what is hidden behind “Always: a love story” is a Fantastically surprising story that gives a slow burn as you wonder whats happening, until you get to the last 100 pages and then things start heating up until find yourself at the last page with no more to read.
This is one of my all-time favourite books! And I genuinely think everyone should give it a shot and read it.
February 14, 2016
The following review is available on my review blog Nevermind the Furthermore.
Always: A Love Story was written by Trevor Meldal-Johnsen and originally published in 1979. It was well-received at the time and published in four countries in multiple languages. Always was recently republished by the author's widow Corinne Simon-Duneau who graciously gifted it to me for review. This new paperback version has been edited from the original and includes a foreword by Simon-Duneau and an extended biography of the author.
In Always: A Love Story, Gregory is an Oscar-nominated film writer who has developed a strong obsession for a long-dead actress. Brooke Ashley and her lover had tragically died together in a fire in the 1940s, but Gregory can't piece together how or why. Something about Brooke won't let him let it go.
Always is a romantic thriller that mixes old Hollywood with Hollywood of the late seventies. The story was written in the seventies, but for the most part it's not really obvious. It's mostly the absence of laptops and cell phones that calls out the period every once in a while. All the same, I love a good 20th century period novel.
The first half of the book is a little slow in its telling. There are chapters of researching and discovering and obsessing and arguing. However, the last hundred pages really picked up and I couldn't put it down from there. I thought the story was going in a predictable direction, but I was actually surprised at the outcome of events. Being as A Love Story is part of the title, I hadn't expected the elements of action and danger. But I got them. There were a few moments when I actually audibly gasped. That's not like me. People stared.
Always is a beloved book that many are getting the chance to rediscover. I didn't have as strong a reaction as other readers, but I did enjoy the story. The central theme of "love never really dies" was well executed. The suggestion that we may come back to this Earth multiple times settled heavy on my mind as I read Always. But, I felt the romance factor to be less prominent than the paranormal. I would probably re-title the book Always: A Mystery. But, if you love romance and mystery and nostalgia and the paranormal, this book satisfies all those categories.
I recommend Always: A Love Story to anyone looking for something beyond the usual themes that are out there today.
Always: A Love Story was written by Trevor Meldal-Johnsen and originally published in 1979. It was well-received at the time and published in four countries in multiple languages. Always was recently republished by the author's widow Corinne Simon-Duneau who graciously gifted it to me for review. This new paperback version has been edited from the original and includes a foreword by Simon-Duneau and an extended biography of the author.
In Always: A Love Story, Gregory is an Oscar-nominated film writer who has developed a strong obsession for a long-dead actress. Brooke Ashley and her lover had tragically died together in a fire in the 1940s, but Gregory can't piece together how or why. Something about Brooke won't let him let it go.
Always is a romantic thriller that mixes old Hollywood with Hollywood of the late seventies. The story was written in the seventies, but for the most part it's not really obvious. It's mostly the absence of laptops and cell phones that calls out the period every once in a while. All the same, I love a good 20th century period novel.
The first half of the book is a little slow in its telling. There are chapters of researching and discovering and obsessing and arguing. However, the last hundred pages really picked up and I couldn't put it down from there. I thought the story was going in a predictable direction, but I was actually surprised at the outcome of events. Being as A Love Story is part of the title, I hadn't expected the elements of action and danger. But I got them. There were a few moments when I actually audibly gasped. That's not like me. People stared.
Always is a beloved book that many are getting the chance to rediscover. I didn't have as strong a reaction as other readers, but I did enjoy the story. The central theme of "love never really dies" was well executed. The suggestion that we may come back to this Earth multiple times settled heavy on my mind as I read Always. But, I felt the romance factor to be less prominent than the paranormal. I would probably re-title the book Always: A Mystery. But, if you love romance and mystery and nostalgia and the paranormal, this book satisfies all those categories.
I recommend Always: A Love Story to anyone looking for something beyond the usual themes that are out there today.
November 3, 2016
I read this book when I was a high school sophomore, and searched for many years for a copy so I could re-read it. Amazon found me a used copy in the mid 90's and finally, in 1998, the publishers reprinted it. Each time I pick it up, I find it just as magical as it was all those years ago. The movie that was made from this book ("Deja Vu" starring Jaclyn Smith), was okay at best, nowhere near as mesmerizing as the book. If you liked the movies "Somewhere in Time" and "The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan", then this is the book for you. You will be left with an afterglow!
April 10, 2018
Such a Good Story
This is such a good book. It’s one that I have read and reread since I first found it years ago. The story is about two lovers who have lived and loved before. In their previous life together, evil crept in and destroyed that life together. Now the man is back and realizes he has been reborn and if he has, then so must she. But where is she, and what of the evil that plagued them the last time.
This is such a good book. It’s one that I have read and reread since I first found it years ago. The story is about two lovers who have lived and loved before. In their previous life together, evil crept in and destroyed that life together. Now the man is back and realizes he has been reborn and if he has, then so must she. But where is she, and what of the evil that plagued them the last time.
June 20, 2009
I found this book on my in-laws book shelf, and since KC is gone, I needed a good love story. It wasn't so much a book about two people falling in love, but more of a story touting reincarnation. A bit strange. There is some language, the f-bomb dropped once, and some sex. It made me blush, actually. Did some skipping. But it was a light read, and entertaining.
January 27, 2016
OK, I'm a sucker for books with a happy ending and seem to have an affinity for ones that go just a wee bit outside the box--like involving a love that is not bound by time as in this one. A little spooky at times--a little bit more descriptive of the "love scenes" than I like, but still a good old story that leaves the reader on a positive note.
July 30, 2013
This is an amazing Book, beautifully written and great story! i loved it so much, my mum recommended it to me and i was not disappointed has to be one of the best books I've read so far this year, and one of my favourites I've ever read!
Seriously Read this book!
Seriously Read this book!
December 19, 2013
I read this when I was 16 and still have the book in the loft. I know that I Loved it, and often think about it. Strange I know seeing I can't remember much of the story. Will def have to dig it out and read it again.
November 16, 2013
mind-blowing twists.
March 22, 2019
I am so happy to have found and read this book again.
1979 loved it. 2019 still loved it.
1979 loved it. 2019 still loved it.
November 3, 2019
When reality crashes in on imagination and love is thrown into the mix... written by an author who knew what he was doing!
October 26, 2021
Beautiful...
January 27, 2023
The sex scenes always caught me by surprise Hahaha but it was a nice read and the paranormal section of it was rather amusing for a romance
December 27, 2010
I started writing a short story about a man from the present day developing an obsession with a silent film actress. My wife mentioned that story had already been written and dug this book out of her collection. The similarities between this book and the story I was working on are uncanny although the author seems to be going in a completely different direction than where I was going to take my story so maybe all is not lost yet.
Having completed the book now-- It was a thoroughly enjoyable light read. There were parts that were a bit too predictable and I saw them coming long before the characters in the book but all in all the story was enjoyable and different enough from the story I've been reading that I feel I can continue without it being a waste of my time and energies.
Having completed the book now-- It was a thoroughly enjoyable light read. There were parts that were a bit too predictable and I saw them coming long before the characters in the book but all in all the story was enjoyable and different enough from the story I've been reading that I feel I can continue without it being a waste of my time and energies.
April 14, 2020
One of my most favorite books since I was a kid!
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews