Shannon Kirk’s award winning debut novel, Method 15/33, blew me away…so when I saw The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall was available on Netgalley, I snagged it. Thank you Shannon Kirk and Reputation Books.
Such a gorgeous cover and I do hope I am walking on clouds when it’s over.
Book Design: Lisa Abellera
Ebook Design: Mary C Moore
MY REVIEW
Be careful…when you are texting. Your inattention could be the death of you.
Vivienne lay hovering on the brink of death, one foot in the land of the living and one foot with the dead.
Noah, her dead, dream husband explains it to her. The scene made me think of a Supernatural episode, where Castielle says our Heaven is of our own making.
Is there a Heaven? Does our life pass before our eyes?
What would it look like? Who would you want there with you?
What secrets would be brought to light after your death?
And if there is a Heaven…what about Hell?
The lovely pics sprinkled throughout are a nice touch and I love it.
I am sitting in one of my favorite reading places, my patio and watering the lawn, even as the black clouds roll in, the thunder rumbling, and I am lost in Vivienne’s world, unable to quit reading.
Shannon’s descriptive words draw me into this novel from the opening pages, her poetic words bring to life fantasy worlds full of vibrant colors, beauty and love, but the flowery prose becomes onerous for me, having me starting, stopping and rereading, but that is me. I think there are many readers who will LOVE it and get lost in the story too.
This Heavenly love story is tragic, yet hopeful and very thought provoking.
I voluntarily reviewed a free ARC copy of The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall from Shannon Kirk.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB: What if you could choose your heaven now? Go on a celestial shopping trip of sorts? Thirty-five-year-old Vivienne does just that, as she lies dying in the ICU; a fatal walk into the path of a truck. In her final week of life, Vivienne treks through the Heavens of a priest, a best friend, a homeless child, and a lover who never was. Vivienne’s guardian angel, Noah, who may just be her soul mate, escorts her through selections of Heavens and through the confusion Vivienne experiences as she flounders between a doubt of life and the certainty of death. Although her visits to varied afterlives provide peace and beauty, choosing proves not so easy: Vivienne’s love for her young son and her earthly father pull her from her colorful journey—and from her divine love of Noah.
The nature of love, the variety and magic of life, unending hope, and the importance of saying goodbye are central to this uplifting tale.
ABOUT SHANNON KIRK
Shannon has been honored three times by the Faulkner Society in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for her works The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall (2012 finalist), Method 15/33 (2013 finalist), and Impossibility of Interplanetary Love (2014 short-list finalist). When not practicing law, Shannon writes in her free time. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son.
Shannon writes in several genres: literary fiction, suspense/thriller, and young adult.
Shannon is a member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.
- You can see my Giveaways HERE.
- You can see my Reviews HERE.
- If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.- Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
- Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
- Thanks for visiting fundinmental!
Oh wow, these sound excellent, Sherry! I don’t recall coming across either book before. Thanks for sharing them.
Method is more my type of book, but I love Shannon’s excellent writing, so I will try anything she puts out. 🙂 Method was her debut novel but I feel she will have a lot more coming.
This sounds good and I love that you are a Supernatural fan 🙂
I’m watching the Supe reruns on TNT here in the Panhandle as I write this. Makes it easier to relate to all the supe and fantasy stories I read now. 🙂
I agree with Laura, these both sound excellent!
They are. Two totally different types of books, but Shannon’s writing is so good, I will read anything she puts out. 🙂