Crescendo by Amy Weiss

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source: Free review copy via Amazon Vine
title: Crescendo
author: Amy Weiss (Twitter)
published: Hay House, Inc. May 2, 2017
pages: 208
genre: fiction/magical realism
first line: Once upon a time-
rated: 5 out of 5 stars amazing

blurb:
“Til death do us part,” Aria and her husband swore. But death came much too soon.

When tragedy strikes one summer night, everything is taken from Aria: her family, her future. Desperate to find meaning in life after loss, she and her beloved mare leave their home in search of something—anything. It feels like the end of her life. It is the beginning.

If she can find her way through the forest of grief, she will discover an incredible adventure waiting on the other side. Hers is no ordinary journey—it is a journey into the nature of the soul. Each step takes her further into uncharted lands. The cave of darkness. The lake of time. The human heart. Each place she goes and each person she meets has a new lesson to teach her, and soon she comes to learn the most astounding one of all: her loved ones have never left her. They are with her throughout the lifetimes. They are eternal and immortal.

And so is she.

And so are we.

My thoughts:
I finished reading Crescendo last week and I am still thinking about it.
This is a beautifully told story about life, loss, grief and love. It is a small world because years ago I read Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives by Brian Weiss, who I found out is Amy Weiss’ father. If you haven’t read Many Lives, Many Masters I recommend it also, it is an incredible true story about past life experiences and reincarnation. Anyway, I’m digressing here a bit. Crescendo also revolves around the idea of past lives. Isn’t the cover pretty? It matches the story perfectly. As I was taking that picture, my dog Huey photo bombed it, top left. He has perfect timing.

At the heart of this story is Aria who loses her beloved husband in an accident and soon after she loses her child. All she has left is her horse as she starts walking through the forest of grief. This book had me tearing up early on. I was swept away by the writing, it was almost like reading poetry. The author perfectly writes about universal themes of grief, hope, love and reincarnation. On Aria’s journey, she comes across people who help her realize that we keep our loved ones with us forever. She is reminded that we live several lifetimes, reincarnating and learning lessons each time again and again infinitely. It is the choice each soul makes.

Her life will be filled with lessons, for that is how the soul grows.
p. 2, Crescendo by Amy Weiss

They are what all lovers are: pieces of the same one sigh.
p.169, Crescendo

I find the topic of re-incarnation to be fascinating and I do believe that we are old souls. I liked how Aria is reminded of her journey as she remembers her past lives and her loved ones. How she keeps coming back again and again with the soul of her husband throughout time. In that aspect he is with her always. Although she loses him early on in this lifetime she will see him again in the next. It is the same way with her child as she remembers that mother and child souls are never truly separated.

She is not the only one who has watched love disappear from her life without warning, without reason. For ages people have searched for the logic to this, for the answer to the unanswerable, the equation that would piece their fragmented life back together and give it meaning.
p.64, Crescendo

I found wisdom within these pages and it was a moving experience. I could go on quoting passages, it is beautifully written and a new favorite book. I kept going back and re-reading lines. Aria’s journey was an emotional and profound one. The ending was perfect too and made me smile.

If only. If only. If only.
That is the most familiar song in mankind. Everyone knows it by heart.
p. 34, Crescendo

One day the heart will evolve in size, will grow large enough to comfortably contain a mother’s love.
p. 129, Crescendo

About the author:
Amy Weiss is the author of CRESCENDO, a novel, and the co-author of MIRACLES HAPPEN. She has a BA from Columbia University, an MFA in Fiction Writing from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MSW from Barry University. She is a licensed clinical social worker and lives in Miami, Florida.

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I received a free review copy of Crescendo by Amy Weiss via Amazon Vine. The photos in this post are my own and not to be removed from here without my permission.