Anna’s Song sets itself apart with a compelling heroine and unique plot.
Book Blurb
Anna Marie’s identical twin, Adeline, has disappeared and she will do anything to find her. Everyone believes Adeline is dead, but Anna knows better.
With a rare form of synesthesia, Anna perceives people as sounds or songs. This connection is strongest with her twin, and Anna can still hear Adeline’s song.
After Anna sees her sister’s reflection in the mirror holding up a newspaper, she is convinced she has lost her mind. Then she meets Jacob. He’s tall and handsome, with odd, but charming old-fashioned manners, and claims to be from 1865.
When her search for Adeline plunges Anna Marie back to mid Civil War Missouri, she is taken in by the Dickerson family. Soon, trouble follows. Forced from their home, the Dickersons flee south to their people in Arkansas. The war-ravaged countryside is full of danger: gangs, hunger and disease. Through moments of laughter and hours of tears, the small group of refugees cling to each other, trying to survive. Amidst the chaos of her life, Anna clings to one glimmer of hope. She can still hear her sister’s song.
Can she survive as a wartime refugee and help the family that has done so much for her? Will her search for Adeline lead her to discover more than she bargained for? Will she learn what love really is? Will Anna find a song of her own?
My Thoughts
Anna’s Song is wonderful. Amazing. And so different than any other novel I’ve ever read.
What I found so compelling about this novel was not only the time travel aspect but also the heroine’s unique ability: hearing people as songs. I’ll start with the time travel.
Gates used a new and interesting idea to make time travel possible. I don’t want to spoil it, so I won’t mention it here, but when the reveal came, it oddly made sense. And I feel like it’s a metaphor for something, but my brain hasn’t fully latched onto it. I might be making that up (my English degree coming back to haunt me), but water is such an important element to life that it worked for the story.
Anna’s ability also worked. I know nothing about synesthesia, or if this particular form is real or created for the sake of the story. But Gates made me believe it. It became such a part of who Anna is that it felt natural whenever she described people in terms of music. Her search for her own song was such a great metaphor for her search for purpose and belonging.
Then there’s the spiritual aspect. Anna has an incredible journey. From doubting to wondering to coming to understand what Christianity is all about, her journey resonated with me on so many levels. The way Gates used certain elements in the plot to model forgiveness and unconditional love made Anna’s spiritual journey natural.
The romance in this novel is a bit subtle, which I appreciated. If the romance had taken more of a central focus in the novel, it could have overpowered the spiritual storyline. But the romance is still beautiful and satisfying in its own way.
Overall, Anna’s Song is beautiful novel perfect for fans of women’s fiction with romantic elements. If you’re looking for a novel that will make you laugh, cry, sigh, and think, then this is the perfect book for you.
Further Information
You can click the book cover above to purchase your own copy.
And for more on Brenda Gates, visit her website.
