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Michael Normand, a young career woman, finds herself transported back in time to Saxon England, where as Edina, a noblewoman she falls in love with Simon de Bruys
304 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 27, 2010
Visions of the Damned. Jacqueline Marten. 1979. Playboy Press. 319 pages. ISBN 0872165299.
Visions of the Damned is Jacqueline Marten's debut novel released in 1979, and combines elements of reincarnation and undying love. Sound familiar? Revisit my review on Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine here: Dreamworld Book Reviews - Lady of Hay.
Like Jo in Lady of Hay, Michael (our female protagonist, ladies and gentlemen) undergoes hypnosis and discovers she existed in a past life alongside a few of her lovers. Of course everyone in the present has a doppelganger in the past, so we can pretty much guess who is who along the way.
Although Visions of the Damned is a swell enough novel to stand on its own, I can't help comparing it to Lady of Hay because of the similarities! Both books were written during an era where male chauvinism and masculinity still ran dominant in our culture, and the pompousness of the male characters in both novels will make modern women of today absolutely gag.
The prose of Visions of the Damned is very beautiful, and it is incredibly easy to envision Michael's "Ladies", a duo of women from Edina's life in the 11th century who provide premonitions to Michael -- Edina being Michael's alter-ego in the past. From a character standpoint, I love Michael but I hate Reed because he is too creepy and domineering. Don't get me wrong, I love aggressive, sexy men, but Reed is completely over the top. I blame this on the year 1979 though; not Jacqueline Marten.
The main con to Visions of the Damned is the fact there are zero breaks within Edina's 11th century life story to revisit Michael during the present time. The past-life regression into Edina's life feels too long, drawn out, and tiring. I believe the novel would have been more stellar had Marten intertwined the stories of Edina and Michael and switched back and forth to stretch the suspense. The most magical part of Visions of the Damned comes at the very end of the novel when Michael realizes who her true love is.
After all is said and done, I have come to the conclusion that Jacqueline Marten is a hidden gem I never knew existed, and would be happy to pick up her novels if I come across any in the future. It has been difficult for me to find synopses of Marten's seventeen other novels, but I'm willing to take the gamble.
Jacqueline Marten's latest novels are Moonshine and Glory (1994), Just a Kiss Away (1995), and Darcy's Kiss (1996).
Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.
Visions of the Damned is Jacqueline Marten's debut novel released in 1979, and combines elements of reincarnation and undying love. Sound familiar? Revisit my review on Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine here: Dreamworld Book Reviews - Lady of Hay.
Like Jo in Lady of Hay, Michael (our female protagonist, ladies and gentlemen) undergoes hypnosis and discovers she existed in a past life alongside a few of her lovers. Of course everyone in the present has a doppelganger in the past, so we can pretty much guess who is who along the way.
Although Visions of the Damned is a swell enough novel to stand on its own, I can't help comparing it to Lady of Hay because of the similarities! Both books were written during an era where male chauvinism and masculinity still ran dominant in our culture, and the pompousness of the male characters in both novels will make modern women of today absolutely gag.
The prose of Visions of the Damned is very beautiful, and it is incredibly easy to envision Michael's "Ladies", a duo of women from Edina's life in the 11th century who provide premonitions to Michael -- Edina being Michael's alter-ego in the past. From a character standpoint, I love Michael but I hate Reed because he is too creepy and domineering. Don't get me wrong, I love aggressive, sexy men, but Reed is completely over the top. I blame this on the year 1979 though; not Jacqueline Marten.
The main con to Visions of the Damned is the fact there are zero breaks within Edina's 11th century life story to revisit Michael during the present time. The past-life regression into Edina's life feels too long, drawn out, and tiring. I believe the novel would have been more stellar had Marten intertwined the stories of Edina and Michael and switched back and forth to stretch the suspense. The most magical part of Visions of the Damned comes at the very end of the novel when Michael realizes who her true love is.
After all is said and done, I have come to the conclusion that Jacqueline Marten is a hidden gem I never knew existed, and would be happy to pick up her novels if I come across any in the future. It has been difficult for me to find synopses of Marten's seventeen other novels, but I'm willing to take the gamble.
Jacqueline Marten's latest novels are Moonshine and Glory (1994), Just a Kiss Away (1995), and Darcy's Kiss (1996).
Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.
nevermind
December 29, 2023Okay, so I'm fully aware that many books are a product of their time when it comes to sexism. But oftentimes in novels, 70s sexism is a particular brand of insidious and nasty. Telling women how to talk, making comments when a woman swears, ogling underage girls even while thinking she was even younger. Maybe it was a reaction to second-wave feminism, idk. But that kind of sexism disguised as everyday conversation is an absolute bitch for me to read. It makes me so annoyed and angry. So, this is a DNF. I simply cannot.
June 4, 2022
This is one of my five favourite books although the title almost put me off it. I have reread it so many times it's almost falling apart.
This was probably the first book I read that could be classified as a 'paranormal romance', long before they became popular. Today's readers may find it a bit dated, but I still love it - and both the romances within in it.
June 2022:
After several years of my favourite books hiding behind other books and boxes in my bedroom, I unearthed them as I have been downsizing. Although I mostly read on my Kindle now, it was lovely to hold this book in my hands, even though it is falling apart. And it is still one of my favourite books - probably in the top three now.
This was probably the first book I read that could be classified as a 'paranormal romance', long before they became popular. Today's readers may find it a bit dated, but I still love it - and both the romances within in it.
June 2022:
After several years of my favourite books hiding behind other books and boxes in my bedroom, I unearthed them as I have been downsizing. Although I mostly read on my Kindle now, it was lovely to hold this book in my hands, even though it is falling apart. And it is still one of my favourite books - probably in the top three now.
May 18, 2019
Dumb title; fun book. I never went in for romance novels or anything smacking of ‘chick lit’ (even before the genre was called that) but it was the paranormal stuff that drew me in. Like The Search for Omm Sety (whether or not you believe it to be a true case of past life revelation to current life) it’s romantic in a “destiny” sort of way to imagine souls that are with you through time. I read it in high school (fun counterpoint to the “serious literature” of Shakespeare and Faulkner) and the story has stuck with me for 40 years.
March 1, 2023
At first impression, the heroine could be viewed as nothing by a spoiled brat and in a lot of ways she very much is that whinny girl with more pride than sense. However, it soon becomes clear that regardless of her many faults, she is strong at heart. This is evident with amount of trauma she's faced in her young life starting with the death of her father. Therapy brings to light her bitterness over having him chose to go to war rather than stay with his family. But still, her mother’s friend, a man named Reed, has quickly become the closest thing to a father figure in her life. He is a very kind yet no nonsense type of man who brings out the best in the immature heroine.
It starts with her language, he demands that she speak like a lady and refrain from resorting to cursing. It evolves into him demanding she stop and think before she acts and makes her see that there are consequences to her actions. And she may huff and puff but at the end of the day, she wants to earn his approval. She wants to make him proud of her. And together, they have a very deep and comfortable relationship, with the heroine feeling like she can always rely on him for anything. And when her mother dies of cancer following shorty by her twin brother in war, Reed is the only thing in her that's keeping her living. It's he that recommend therapy in an attempt to soothe all the hurt the heroine feels. And all her life, she's seen ghosts, crying women who predict misfortune. Under that spell of hypnosis, the heroine finally understands why.
Edina, the name of the heroine in her previous life, shares a lot of the heroine's torment and pain. Her father and brothers are murdered in battle against the Normans, Edina herself witnessing it and she, her grieving mother and remaining brother must flee into the woods and struggle to survive. Simon is the son of the man responsible for killing her father and brothers so it's no surprise that she hates him. Despite his kindness and charity, feeding her family through the winter, Edina stubbornly maintains her hatred and bitterness. That is until Simon is injured. The fear of losing him as sparked the hidden love she's always felt for him. Simon in turn can finally reveal that he's loved the hellion Saxon wench since their first meeting.
Their love is passionate but short. In an attempt to flee England, the pregnant Edina escapes with Simon's cousin, but Simon is not so lucky and is killed. Time flows by and when the grieving is done, Edina weds the cousin and bares him many children. Yet never does she forget that love for Simon and in her heart, she knows they'll meet again.
Waking up from her hypnosis, yet not remembering her experience at first, the heroine feels a new surge for life. She flies to England to seek out the mystery of her path and soon realizes the truth and who she is. She realizes the truth of who Reed is and with wings on her feet she urgently returns to America to the man who's waited far too long for his love resurrection.
This was a very enchanting book yet one that irked me the wrong way in many ways. First off, it's not a time travel as I first thought. The first half of the book is the heroine is the present, dealing with her pain of loss and presenting herself to the reader as a character (which was very in depth and enjoyable). The second half is the memory of the previous life with a heroine character very much like the present-day heroine. It wasn't bad but it wasn't what I was expecting. Secondly, there was very little to no hints of the heroine and Reed even imagining passion between them. They were very much mother and daughter for all the book until the last page. The heroine thinks he's going to marry her mother, even encourages it. The heroine also sleeps with a lot of different men and not one of them is the hero. True, Edina and Simon sleep together but not that strong and magnificent Reed who I adored. It was just a weird book and if it was focused more on Reed and Michael I would have loved it beyond imagine. As it stands, I have no real desire to read it again but it was very well written and had lots of depth and character which I can't deny.
It starts with her language, he demands that she speak like a lady and refrain from resorting to cursing. It evolves into him demanding she stop and think before she acts and makes her see that there are consequences to her actions. And she may huff and puff but at the end of the day, she wants to earn his approval. She wants to make him proud of her. And together, they have a very deep and comfortable relationship, with the heroine feeling like she can always rely on him for anything. And when her mother dies of cancer following shorty by her twin brother in war, Reed is the only thing in her that's keeping her living. It's he that recommend therapy in an attempt to soothe all the hurt the heroine feels. And all her life, she's seen ghosts, crying women who predict misfortune. Under that spell of hypnosis, the heroine finally understands why.
Edina, the name of the heroine in her previous life, shares a lot of the heroine's torment and pain. Her father and brothers are murdered in battle against the Normans, Edina herself witnessing it and she, her grieving mother and remaining brother must flee into the woods and struggle to survive. Simon is the son of the man responsible for killing her father and brothers so it's no surprise that she hates him. Despite his kindness and charity, feeding her family through the winter, Edina stubbornly maintains her hatred and bitterness. That is until Simon is injured. The fear of losing him as sparked the hidden love she's always felt for him. Simon in turn can finally reveal that he's loved the hellion Saxon wench since their first meeting.
Their love is passionate but short. In an attempt to flee England, the pregnant Edina escapes with Simon's cousin, but Simon is not so lucky and is killed. Time flows by and when the grieving is done, Edina weds the cousin and bares him many children. Yet never does she forget that love for Simon and in her heart, she knows they'll meet again.
Waking up from her hypnosis, yet not remembering her experience at first, the heroine feels a new surge for life. She flies to England to seek out the mystery of her path and soon realizes the truth and who she is. She realizes the truth of who Reed is and with wings on her feet she urgently returns to America to the man who's waited far too long for his love resurrection.
This was a very enchanting book yet one that irked me the wrong way in many ways. First off, it's not a time travel as I first thought. The first half of the book is the heroine is the present, dealing with her pain of loss and presenting herself to the reader as a character (which was very in depth and enjoyable). The second half is the memory of the previous life with a heroine character very much like the present-day heroine. It wasn't bad but it wasn't what I was expecting. Secondly, there was very little to no hints of the heroine and Reed even imagining passion between them. They were very much mother and daughter for all the book until the last page. The heroine thinks he's going to marry her mother, even encourages it. The heroine also sleeps with a lot of different men and not one of them is the hero. True, Edina and Simon sleep together but not that strong and magnificent Reed who I adored. It was just a weird book and if it was focused more on Reed and Michael I would have loved it beyond imagine. As it stands, I have no real desire to read it again but it was very well written and had lots of depth and character which I can't deny.
September 24, 2015
I actually just finished this less than an hour ago and currently am emotional and overwhelmed ;-; :') I bought this book perhaps a year ago at a book fair and had never gotten around to reading it. The main character Edina and Michael is extremely free-willed and stubborn. This is honestly part of her flaws when on the other hand she is a caring and passionate person that has to deal with tragedies which make her more realistic. This is not a romance book where girl meets boy then falls in love immediately with the occasional fight. No ;) With all of her lovers except one...+ there is a struggle at first. I have to say that I wasn't exactly expecting the ending... There will be moments where you'll be pleasantly surprised with outcomes, she usually caves in after a hard slap. That is actually something I didn't really appreciate however understood that it was necessary to bring her down. and... I honestly enjoyed all the male characters except that one evil guy xD I empathized greatly with her during those tragedies. Basically it was a good read (^=^) with a fun twist of curses and history.However the title on my book was forevermore ... :D
February 23, 2011
This story is about a woman who sees visions (two weeping ladies,from a nine century curse). When she sees these two ladies, death takes someone that she loves. She realizes that after many years and after being put under hypnosis that many of the visions she has were from the past (when wars were going on between countries and the kings trying to seize land). It was like one of the women who suffered much during the times of war was reincarnated in her body, causing her to discover and see everything that happened in the past. She finally realizes that she is in love with one of the king's descendants and discovered that the "weeping women" turned into smiling women and waved goodbye and never invaded her visions anymore, because then the curse had been broken. I think it is a long read for the particular story. It lost interest in many places throughout the story. It was just an OK book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews