This was a tough book to read. I wanted to like it and the premise was so unique! But it fell short for me and I DNF (did not finish)

I abandoned reading this book. I really wanted to like it but I had a hard time getting into it. Really cool premise but the execution was lacking.

The concepts of this book is intriguing and the journey leads to many questions and adventures and yet, I felt that somewhere this book betrayed me. Like the book promised me more. Or was it myself, who was expecting more? The book can be read two ways. One way is from cover to cover or starting at page 150 and then going from there to different chapters. There’s an index that shows you how to read the other way. I read it cover to cover and I prefer books that are complete. This book has everything open ended. What happens to our main characters? Do they continue to make the crossings? The very beginning with the book binder made my heart pace. Yes! This is a murder mystery? And then it’s not, but that’s OK. I am happy to go on the journey but I feel this book could be “tighter” and the stakes could be higher.

Well this is interesting if confusing.
The preface tells you that you can read the book in two ways, either straight through or following the links, I suspect most readers follow the links.
Beautifully and poetically written, excellent character descriptions. Time spent in Paris is well documented and the place names are evocative if you are a fan of Paris.
Best tip keep a note of crossings and names of people, wish I had.
Gripping and best to read at a pace to keep characters fresh in your mind. I did get lost as to who was who a couple of times, but think I worked it out by the end.
Unusual and strangely beautiful, thank you Alex and NetGalley.

Crossings was an interesting, thought provoking and unique story. An unusual concept of a soul travelling through other bodies, in the quest to come back to its original place and find balance. Told through historical events, travels and conspiracy theories, this book was wonderful and captivating. I'll think twice before staring into another's eyes again.. Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the e-copy for my review. All opinions are my own.

This was a weird one and I may have given up on it had it not been an ARC. I'm glad I didn't!
You can either read this cover to cover as three sequential inter-related chunks. OR you can jump around in specifically designed order between the segments such that they are intertwined in a way that frankly makes more sense. This was a really interesting style and I'm glad I went with the latter of the two options. Would definitely recommend unless you want an even bigger challenge.

All that without even addressing the book's contents... I'd describe it as historical fiction mixed with science fiction(?) with characters who wind through the narrative whose fate you gradually learn to care about. Some of the writing was a slog, but generally that was a result of a section being in the voice of a character from a time speaking in their period-appropriate style, so it's not to say it was poorly done.

This book is a rare bird, but if I had to compare it to another, it would be the Spanish classic The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. In each story the reader is plunged into a mystery associated with a unique book and in both we are drawn deeper and deeper by the obsession of the narrator. In each we travel guided by a writer who is a consummate storyteller and wordsmith. Like Zafon, Alex Landragin is at the top of his game and guarantees us an exciting experience.
The title Crossings refers to the ability for a soul to move or cross from one body to another, thereby extending its life in the new body. We first learn of this gift as it is practiced on a small Island isolated from the influences of the outside world, as part of the culture and religion. When a crossing goes badly and the two participants are separated before they can return to their original bodies, the stage is set for a journey, long in both distance and time, by the narrator to make things right. The book can be read in order or like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” by following directions to move from section to section at the author’s direction. I chose the straightforward manner, but would love to reread it in the other way.
My only complaint in reviewing this book is along the lines of “ It’s not you. It’s me.” Like a math student who does well in Algebra and Geometry but begins to falter as the reasoning becomes more abstract, I began to lose a handle on who was in what body as the generations mounted. However, even when I was confused, I was caught up in the drama of each crossing. It makes me wonder if rereading in the alternative way would help reveal the connections. As it stands, the book ended in dramatic fashion, but I believe the story is still unfinished.

A wonderful debut novel that blends three narratives seamlessly. Readers will need to pay attention, not a book that can be skimmed.

Wow, ‘Crossings’ was such a unique and enthralling book! The text is made up of seven seemingly separate stories of different lives spanning 150 years. As one delves deeper, you realize how each story connects. The book is presented out of chronological order, so it can get confusing at times. However, each story is so enticing that it draws you in and you are transported into a completely new experience. I would put ‘Crossings’ largely in the category of historical fiction, but there are elements of magical realism, mystery, and romance as well. I found ‘Crossings’ to be so fascinating and well-written. I highly recommend it if you’re seeking a challenging, but rewarding read!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC.

This is one of the most encompassing well thought out books that I have had the great pleasure to read in quite some time. It is not only an astounding book, but there are two different ways to read it as well. There is a little something in there for everyone and it is nothing short of a masterpiece. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I found Crossings to be a really unique, fun read. The book is a bit unusual in that the reader is given two options for reading--the traditional straight through method, or the duchess version that jumps around to different points. I chose the duchess version. It wasn't immediately clear how the story connected, and it took a while for me to get into, but figuring it all out was part of the fun, and it ultimately all came together.

To say that this book is unique doesn’t quite go far enough, and while you can read it traditionally (from back to front), the story truly starts to fall into place when you follow the author’s instructions and read the books following the information in the preface, The Baroness Sequence. Both ways illustrate Landragin’s massive undertaking in the plotting of this story – where many (not quite all) loose ends are tied up neatly after the second read. And I did read it twice, with several questions that went unanswered logically until I read per the ‘suggestion’ of the author.

This is a tale of three people, two of whom have shorter ‘stories’ within the book and the Baroness’ tale is spread over a far longer time. Essentially a story of soul transfer, and whether or not the “occupied’ body is aware of the ‘inhabitation. As a concept, it is an amazing one, allowing the transferring soul to work through issues or problems, and moving the body forward through life with input (or not) from previous experience. With the Baroness’ story, we get 7 incarnations managing to tie in many of the unanswered questions from the other 2 stories –but not all. Wholly atypical in telling with an ending that has many open possibilities, leaving the reader with questions or possibilities fueled by their own imaginations, both ways to read the story were enjoyable and left me with plenty of food for thought.

I will say that I had to put this story down frequently and come back to it often, finding that the numerous characters (major and minor) introduced often left me a bit confused as to who was whom, particularly when inhabited. But, a quick re-read of a paragraph or two and the pieces started to fall into place, and I will say that the suggested reading order allowed me to enjoy the character voices, the unique personalities that shone brighter and the cleverness of the construct of this novel. A bit of a let-down in terms of resolution, I still found the story engaging and far more of a ‘reader’s delight’ than I expected, and the complexity of the plotting, particularly for a debut author, shows great promise for the future.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” http://iam-indeed.com/crossings-alex-landragin /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

There is nothing routine or straightforward about this mesmerizing debut novel. The opening statement, by our fictitious bookbinder, that he "stole" this manuscript intrigued me, as did the Note to Reader that the book can be read in two ways: Conventionally (from first page to last) or by leaping back and forth through the stories following what is called the "Baroness sequence". So, what did I do? I read it both ways.

Read conventionally, the three stories stand on their own as individually unique works of fiction. The first story, "The Education of a Monster", is a ghost story in the form of a letter to an illiterate girl. This story has wonderful Gothic undertones and a slightly creepy aspect. I found the historical Belgium setting beautifully described and the characterization of Baudelaire and the mysterious Édmonde de Bressy, intriguing. The second story, "City of Ghosts", is a Nor romance/thriller set at the onset of the German occupation of Paris. This one wins top marks from me as a perfectly crafted, atmospheric tale of love, mystery and intrigue, richly capturing Paris of the time period. The mystery and the atmosphere is reminiscent of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's The Shadow of the Wind, a book I absolutely love. I found Landragin's depiction of Coco Chanel (an interesting historical figure choice to make!) added to my reading delight and enjoyment for this story. The third story, "Tales of the Albatross", is a richly descriptive historical saga told in a memoir-styled format. Each chapter in this story -one for each of our enchantress's seven lives - transports the reader to different time periods, settings and characters. Even though there is a decidedly 'cat and mouse' aspect to our enchantress's search for her love (and her avoidance of one who seeks to harm), Langarin's attention to detail lends this 'story of stories' to a slower pace. Well written, but not the compelling, page-turning read I encountered with "The Education of a Monster" and "City of Ghosts". There is a subtle interplay between the stories with surprising hidden nuggets of connections for the observant reader to discover.

While reading the story in the conventional manner is a rewarding experience, I found reading the story following the Baroness sequence - turning the three stories into one novel - is where Landragin's skill as a storyteller really shines through. I should mention that the author utilizes the first person narrative throughout the book, which can get a bit tricky when we start to delve into multiple personas. Thankfully, the chapter headings helped me to keep the narrators straight in my mind, especially when following the Baroness sequence. Following the alternate sequence, I found the novel takes on a mercurial quality, very in keeping with the metaphysical aspect of soul crossings. Choosing the Baroness sequence does not change the outcome of the story (this is not one of those "Pick an Adventure" books where your choices only expose you to part of the book), but it does more intimately connect the reader to this puzzle box story of intertwining lives.

Overall, Crossings is a wonderfully ambitious genre-bending speculative fiction debut novel that will sweep the reader away with its elegant prose, inventive storytelling and richly drawn characters. Many have compared this to David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, so I want to mention here that if you are like me and did NOT enjoy[Cloud Atlas, don't use that as a reason to avoid Landragin's captivating novel. They really are very different stories.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange from an honest review.

Interesting concept but exhausting reading. I was confused at times. I guess I don't particularly like a book that makes me "work" for a story.

Very ambitious and original, both in plot and layout. The book can be read in two different orders: one way is 3 shorter related books if read front to back; the other, the Baroness' order, is one novel that has the reader jumping around. The plot is is based on a few people who are able to transfer their souls into the bodies of others, thus potentially extending their lives indefinitely. The story was pretty good, but my Kindle edition was a mess. I read it in the Baroness' order as I like novels more than short stories, but the links to take you to the next section were broken in a number of places and I found it tremendously frustrating. Presumably these issues will be corrected in the published editions. Anyway, the story was not gripping enough to make up for the formatting problems, so I didn't enjoy it too much, but applaud the author's creativity.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

To begin, I want to preface this review by mentioning that this book can be read in two ways. I read this straight through with the intention of then returning to reread the text in the so-called "Baroness Order" immediately. Perhaps that was a mistake on my part. The introduction laid out the manuscript's discovery in such a way that I felt it would be best to follow the order in which this fictional "author" had read it. The alternative reading happened after a direct and chronological reading of these stories, and I thought that I would do the same, hoping to garner more from the novel by having a greater context.

Unfortunately, I think this has resulted in sapping any desire to read the Baroness order's novelization. This book is plodding, and while well-written, frequently gives so much information that is not necessary to the story at all. The author's background as a travel writer is apparent, and the settings in this book are detailed meticulously. Still, I gathered that it rarely gave context to the story that helped further the narrative. And so we languished. There was no real character development or attachment. The concept itself is fascinating, and so reading this as three stories presented to me as poor execution of one half of the telling of this story.

It seemed as though beyond the idea of the crossings, there was an underlying point of analyzing zealous French colonialism and the rigidity of the church and religious structure. The book deals with the imagery of many awful things—slavery, rape, rampant abuse, violation of physical and spiritual autonomy, etc. I did not feel that it was explored in any meaningful way. These circumstances felt like props in the telling of this story, and even with an eye toward ambiguous narrative storytelling to serve an overarching meaning to be gleaned, I could find none.

That inevitably leads to a discussion of form, as this is only one half of the story, feasibly. When the form of a book is so integral to the story told, it is essential to analyze this structure itself as a part of the narrative device. Some reviewers have suggested that they felt that the Baronness order is how the book is "intended" to be read. I would suggest that if that is the case, then the form in which the book is delivered—this puzzle and hidden meaning—would be entirely arbitrary and, therefore, merely a gimmick. Based on my first reading, I get the sense that the stories suffered for the necessity of then being woven into a different story to fulfill this book's primary device. I wonder if the novel that results from the baroness order will similarly suffer.

Ultimately, the ask of this book is to read it twice, and that is a BIG ask of any reader. It is unfortunate, but the first reading did not captivate me in a way that makes me desire reading it a second time. I am still curious—I would very much like to know if there is something more profound to be had out of the book than the three stories I have just read. Alas, I don’t know that I can muster the energy to attempt to find out. 2.5 stars out of 5, rounded up to the nearest star for concept and the monumental task the author undertook.

I really, really wanted to give this book a better review, but it's just too complicated. The concept of the Baroness sequence is intriguing, and from other reviews I've read it seems it works for others, but it didn't work for me. I expected the directions to lead me to the beginning of chapters, but more often than not, I was led to the middle of paragraphs. It just ended up being too much work. I may return to it some time, perhaps when I can get the paper copy from the library. The story was compelling and interesting, and seemed perfect for me, as I love stories with characters that jump around in time. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“During a crossing, one enters into a body and inherits its capacities and incapacities, its appetites and proclivities. But one also enters into a mind. When I crossed with Feuille, I brought with me all the memories I had accumulated in the course of my previous two lifetimes. I also inherited a corpus of new memories, the memories of this new me, all its pleasures and tribulations, its qualities and flaws.”

This is a book about the transmigration of souls between living people, referred to as “crossing”. It traces multiple characters though their various identities, between 1791 and the 1940s. The primary characters are the young lovers Alula and Koahu from the island of Oaeetee. There transmigrations in 1791 trigger all of the rest of the events in the book. The story is too complicated to attempt to describe in any sort of detail.

The book might get the most attention for its unique structure. It can be read straight through as a series of linked stories about the characters and their crossings. However, there is an alternative way to read the book by following the so-called Baroness Sequence that skips throughout the book to create a complete novel. I thought the book was very entertaining, but it was also a lot of work. I had an ebook ARC plus the audiobook of the final version. I listened to the audiobook, following along in the ARC, and took copious notes. The notes were absolutely necessary because it was confusing to keep track of whose soul was in whose physical body at any time. It was also confusing because some transmigrations erased memories while others retained the memories.

After finishing the straight read, I went back and tried the Baroness Sequence. It was a little challenging because I was not sure that all of the links in the ebook ARC were correct. I couldn’t even attempt it in the audiobook, because the version that I borrowed from the library was not broken into tracks. Ultimately, I did not think this sequence added much to the story other than novelty, although it was very cleverly done and the ending of the sequence was excellent. If you start with the Baroness Sequence, I don’t see how it would be possible to have any idea who the characters are or what they are doing. This was an interesting experiment that I don’t think completely succeeded. I don’t think this will start a trend since it must have been hell to write. 4.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Landragin's debut novel shows mastery of narrative techniques and complexity of characters and plot. Brilliant the choice of dividing the book in three parts, spanning 7 lifetimes. "Crossings" masterfully and slowly teaches the readers to look for the connections between these three stories, and carefully unfolds the crossings that each life makes with one another.

I thought the concept behind this book and the structure was really interesting and original and it feels like a 'choose your own adventure' story but even more complex and winding. I read the book in the 'usual' order ie; straight through but I'm really intrigued to see how the other sequence of reading changes the story. It took me a while to read this book but I think this was just a personal preference as it took me a little while to actually get into the story fully. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction which is innovative and a touch different!