I wasn't sure what this was going in. I think it was a bit confusing but I can see how many others could enjoy it. I think it was written fine but I struggled with it. I think it wasn't my type of book.

Crossings is a strange book, in a good way. There are two ways to read the novel: Straight forward or "The Baroness Way" which involes jumping around the book. I chose The Baroness Way and found the jump points easy to folow with my Kindle. I enjoyed the story overall. It is hard to explain the plot without spoilers but I will try. The three short stories come from different times and different authors. Yet, they are connected and make sense how as you go along. My only complaint is that at some points there is too much decription on non-plot things, like all the kinds of fur they are looking to trade or all the food on a table. This was an interesting read I suggest for people who are fans of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.

I recieved a digital ARC from Netgally & St. Martin's Press for an unbiased review.

Crossings by Alex Landragin is an ingenious piece of art that simply cannot be labeled as just under one genre.

This book is part fiction, part historical fiction, part paranormal, part suspense, all wrapped up together into a masterpiece.

When the reader begins to read this book they find that they need to decide one of two ways to read through the pages to find out the true plot and ending. It would actually be useful to read it both ways, but it doesn’t matter how one uncovers the plot, it is the journey that is delicious. That is not to say that the final product isn’t tasty, it is just that adding all the ingredients together is just as exciting and worthwhile. As the reader continues on, they find how the three stories that at first seem completely different, all interweaving into the finished product.

Just pure brilliance. So unique and so unforgettable.

5/5 stars!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

What if you could switch bodies with another person by staring directly into another person’s eyes?

That’s largely the premise of Alex Landragin’s debut novel “Crossings,” named after an ancient and almost forgotten practice passed down through generations of the island peoples of Oaeetee.

These “crossings” are also what connects the three parts of Landragin’s book, comprised of three fictional and interconnected manuscripts from different time periods penned by different authors.
Based on the book’s preface, this collection was published by a bookbinder who inherited the manuscript from Baroness Beattie Ellingham. Ellingham commissioned the bookbinder to bind the text together without reading any of the words; however, she died under mysterious circumstances before the task was ever completed. The widespread commercialized publication of the fictional novel “Crossings” isn’t sanctioned by the works’ fictional authors; however, the premise that you’re reading an illicit posthumous work makes consuming the tale even more delicious.

At the center of the tale is the story of Alula and her lover Koahu, a daughter and son of the island nation of Oaeetee. Theirs are the “Tales of the Albatross,” the guilt of breaking their people’s law and becoming the source of their people’s eventual demise.

Their original sin: Crossing into another person’s body without crossing back to their own. Alula had a noble reason for stealing another’s life. Perhaps Koahu did, too. But the puzzle of piecing together their past lives and connections drives the narrative, which can be read in multiple ways.

“Crossings” isn’t written chronologically, but the tales make most sense when you read them front to back in the order in which they are presented. Landragin also offers an alternate retelling — one that jumps around through different parts of the novel like in a “choose your own adventure” style book. But while the promise of another secret novel within the novel is intriguing enough, the result of the latter is disjointed and confusing (especially in ebook format).

“Crossings” is for fans of David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas” and the HBO series “Westworld.”

Alex Landragin’s “Crossings” will be published on July 28, 2020. I received a free eARC of “Crossings” from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

A brilliantly complex, beautifully written narrative about shifting identities, spanning decades and continents. It was especially interesting to read about Paris on the eve of occupation, as I live in Paris, where we have been on lockdown for 26 days. Each morning, I run down the middle of Boulevard Hoche en route to the Arc de Triomphe, the end of the 1km I am allowed to travel from my apartment for exercise. At one point in the book, one of the characters remarks on the strangeness of running down one of Paris's wide boulevards without cars. The book draws one into the lives of characters who are at turns astonished by their inexplicable connections with others, by the memories that come to them from distant times and places. Reading this book on my tiny Paris balcony above the silent, abandoned streets, I have a sense of crossing into the lives of the Landragin's characters, who wander Paris in a state of altered consciousness is not so different from my own.

Worth noting: several of the links in the Kindle version lead back to the middle of chapters I've already read, so if I were to follow those links, I'd be stuck in an endless loop, unable to read all of the chapters. This makes for a frustrating experience, as I then have to try to figure out what the intended order is and try to navigate using the TOC, which itself has linkage issues--this is definitely something that needs to be corrected before the Kindle version is released to the public.

I was offered this advanced readers copy via netgalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this book intrigued the heck out of me. It is, on its face, a compilation of three short stories that are related. However, the prologue informs you that you can chose to read the stories’ chapter in the “baroness pagination” order to create one novel, intertwining the story.
I chose to read in the baroness’ order. Now, I should say, this is an uncorrected ebook and some of the links were entirely accurate, but I found that if wrong, they do put you close and you just need to go forward to the beginning of the next chapter and continue from there.
Having said that, it is important, if you are like me and sometimes forget bits of stories when you walk away, to read this in as few sittings advice possible. I read it in two. There are many characters and lots of jumping around and if you aren’t paying attention, you can lose track of who’s who - literally.
I hate posting spoilers, so I won’t. But I will say that this story grabbed me and did not let go. The story was very well written and just kept me enraptured the whole time.
It is historical fiction with a supernatural element and lives in the bibliophile’s world that I enjoy so much. Also, it’s mostly set in Paris and I really enjoyed walking down those streets again.
I highly highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity of reading this arc in exchange for an honest review.
It was a pleasure to read.

I went ahead and chose to read it through the alternate chapter sequence. I must admit that at first, it was a struggle to navigate through ebook however as I got the hang of it I was able to enjoy the book easily.

I was quite intrigued by the alternate sequence reading and the beautiful writing of Landragin. I believe it would be better suited to read a physical copy of this book as it bothered me not knowing how far into it I was.

The detailing throughout was brilliant and stories mostly captivating although sometimes I found myself confused by what was happening. I'm interested in reading this book again but this time straight through to see if my thoughts will change from reading it as so.

This is very good. There are many helpful, detailed reviews that will serve readers, so I'll just recommend it for historical fiction fans.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

Different and unique way of writing. But the story was not my cup of tea. Too much of a "fad" type of book.

The concept of this book is very original and fun. I think that readers will have a better time reading this in print than in ebook - the format was very confusing online. However, I enjoyed the way that the story unfolded and did feel like it rose above the original premise. It reminded me of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - but a little harder to get into because the segments were so short. Eventually I got into the characters but it did take a little while. It was also difficult to read the Baroness sequence because I had no idea how far into the book I actually was. Overall enjoyed and would recommend to fans of unique structures.

Thanks to Alex Landragin, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital advance copy of this astonishing novel. I was drawn in from the very first page and had trouble putting the book down until I finished. I chose to read the alternate pagination, which was interesting but sometimes confusing. Now that I’ve finished the novel, I’m inclined to read it again straight through.

I loved this story. The writing was captivating and the historical detail seemed authentic. My only complaint is that the ending left me hanging. I had hoped for a more definitive conclusion. Maybe there’s a sequel in the works? One can hope!

I highly recommend this inventive, wonderful novel.

I enjoyed the premise of this story, yet at times it was confusing with different characters. There are 3 island people whose culture teaches how to "cross" into another person's body and share all their memories and experiences. The 3 main characters "cross" into another body and remain there until seeking another host. The storyline can be read in different orders to put a different spin on the story I guess, I read it straight through front to back. Interesting but not a stay up late "just one more chapter" book.

Y'all this book is pure gold.

There are two ways from which you can choose to read it, or go crazy and read it twice, once each way!
You can read it is if it were a normal book (which it is, kinda, but also isn't) cover to cover. If you choose this way the book reads as a series of loosely connected short story collections. Or, you can read it the Baroness Sequence Pagination, aka seemingly all over the place; however, this way, it reads as a novel brilliantly weaving together generations of storylines that cross generations, oceans, genders, languages, and social standings.

Although I choose to read Crossings using the Baroness Sequence Pagination, as soon as I got to the end, I wanted to immediately re-read it from cover to cover to see how the experience differed!

The intricairies of this storytelling combined with the naunaces of the charecters make for an engaging read from which you will have to drag yourself away from, I was legit tempted to call in sick to work to keep reading Crossings. Excellent read.

Crossings should be in everyone's hand at the beach this summer, absolutely brilliant.

This book was a surprise. I wanted to love it as the synopsis is exactly my favorite and it totally lived up to my hopes. It’s an excellent story, well written if at times a bit too descriptive and long winded. But it was so originally done that I am blown away. I absolutely loved it. It was so inventive. Like a mix of those pick your own story books I read as a kid (of course I read it as the novel because that’s my jam over short stories - and I highly recommend doing that as well. One caveat - I hope in the final version all the links are actually correct as I had to make some guesses in this draft) combined with a mix of both Claire North’s the first fifteen lives of Harry August and the touch. But I only mean it reminded me a bit of those books as it stands completely on its own. I will certainly be looking to get a finished copy and think this book will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you Net Galley for a copy of this book. This is no way affects my opinion or my review.

'Crossings' is a layered story about the perilous journey of souls, eyes, book binding, and poetry. It’s an inventive book that can be read two ways. The first way is called ‘The Baroness Sequence’ which beings on page 150 and at the end, prompts you to the next chapter in the book. This way, it can be read as a time travel tale, hopping from different characters and time periods, linked together with details that writes its own over-arching story within the book. The second way to read the book is consecutively beginning with the first chapter and so on. I absolutely loved having a choice of how to read the book, because it was unique and immersive.

I won’t give away the plot, but the story is prefaced with a bookbinder who has been tasked to bind a rare manuscript for a very wealthy client. She is later found dead with her eyes missing and so begins this intricate and sinuous story. The famous adage “the eyes are the windows to the soul” plays a very big role in this book, infusing the story with a romantic and metaphysical narrative arc.

It’s supernatural and timeless, global and literary. I adore stories about wanderlust that have a fantastical element which this book so masterfully executed. I couldn’t put it down and perhaps its soul was speaking to my eyes, keeping them glued to its pages and words?