"Finding Emmaus: The Lodestarre (Series Bk 1) by Pamela S.K. Glasner      3 stars!

Here's a summary from the book jacket:

"The psychiatric community has confused Empathic personality traits with mental illness with tragic results, leading two Empaths -- Francis Nettleton and Katherine Spencer -- who live three hundred years apart, on personal journeys to learn the true nature of Empathy.  Transcending time and death to right a centuries-old wrong, they inadvertently uncover a multibillion dollar conspiracy in which millions of Americans are being misdiagnosed and drugged for no other reason than the enormous income they generate."

"Finding Emmaus" is one of those books in which the author has a fabulous idea and great characters, but the book needs better editing.  I enjoyed Ms Glasner's first book in the series, despite the fact that I thought it began to bog down in places. If one will understand this up-front, and will give allowance for the fact that it's a first book...I think it can be a worthwhile read, and certainly one that may produce a great series in the future! By her own confession, Ms Glasner, a high school English teacher, was surprised when she felt compelled to write this novel having had no previous experience with writing.

In this first book, we hardly have time to get to know Katherine, though she is our first contact with the strange occurrence of "Empathy."  It's through Katherine's psychiatrist that she's led from thinking of herself as insane and into researching information on Empaths. [Empaths are described as those who "can see, hear, feel, and communicate with spirits as if they are real people, based on the premise that spirits are pure energy, and that Empathy is, by definition, a reaction to pure energy."]

This sort of  person or "condition" which is described to her by her psychiatrist, inevitably demands Katherine's taking a leap toward a journey of self-discovery...a discovery that might explain her seeming "madness" as something "other."  She sets out with her doctor's guidance to search for Francis Nettleton who lived 300 years ago, and who called himself an Empath.  If Nettleton's research proves true, much of what has been historically and currently diagnosed as insanity has actually been this phenomena.

With renewed hope, Katherine begins her quest by travelling to a sleepy, New England town in Connecticut, thought to be the home of this unproclaimed "Father of Empathy"...a man who actually lived and who is thought to have created a book of instructions or answers about Katherine's possible condition. Through a very rapid series of events, she becomes the owner of Emmaus, the home of Francis Nettleton, and she is ensconced in the local community.

Ms Glasner spends most of her book giving a background story of Francis Nettleton and his gathering information for the writing of the Lodestarre, his book of history, instructions, and answers for Empaths.  She explains the Lodestarre to be more than a set of guiding principles, and "everything that Frank came to believe in throughout the course of his life."  It is this journey of discovery that Frank makes and documents that we primarily learn of in "Finding Emmaus."

The author's writing style is clear and easy to read, not fussy, which I appreciate in such a novel.  Ms Glasner tells her story as a sort of chronicle of this mysterious condition that early colonial settlers experienced, and which seemed to be hidden or at least kept guarded from others.  I found this situation believable, particularly given what we now know about early settlers, their beliefs about witches, devil worshippers, and the inevitable Salem Witch Trials. We know from other historical records that those suspected of "madness" were kept in hidden parts of the house, or were found missing, or were sent to asylums/madhouses in the course of human history.  So, I felt she portrayed this timeframe and the mindset of the people with accuracy.

What I found missing and what I had hoped for was a better sense of "showing" and not just "telling" the story. While we were given the meat of the stories about other Empaths, there were no real examples of interest to anchor them in our minds. This made Frank's journey hopeful for me, but not as enthralling as I'd hoped. The characters were well drawn in terms of period detail and personality, but they had little of interest to show to convince one of their strange and frightening skills. In a word, they were often dull, and their personal stories were somewhat shallow in the telling.

The collaboration of Katherine in the present and Frank of the past is an interesting concept. It's one that will certainly pool both of their resources for the good of Empaths they seek to free and absolve of the stigma of insanity in the 21st century.

In this sense, their unity will begin a battle with the physicans and drug companies that join forces, and gain money and influence by keeping such Empaths suppressed and imprisioned in mental hospitals...thus, giving hope to those prisoners of mind, spirit and body. Those seen in Katherine's time as the hopeless and insane; those viewed by big business as needing pharmaceuticals to keep them under control, subdued and socially acceptable, become the possible Empaths that are trapped and misdiagnosed for profit's sake. It's a good and worthy cause to bring enlightenment and to squelch the profits of a blighted medical/pharmaceutical corporation conspiracy. 

But, I'm left questioning...is this the underling intent of the author's story?

Let's say that "Finding Emmaus: The Lodestarre Book 1" is about something more than the surface story and the secondary storylines.  Let's say that this book is a story about the occult...the real occult. This is a story about: Those who, to quote our author, "can see, hear, feel, and communicate with spirits AS IF they are real people..." Let's say that this is actually a Lodestarre - Manual on How to Commune with These Spirits as mentioned above.

The author goes on to mention "the Shimmer," Frank's Guide to his Empath gates.  She talks about seeking occult gifts, about "familiars," and about heresy and that "everything is religion" including witchcraft.  As an educated reader and student of comparative religions, I found "Finding Emmaus..." a thinly veiled attempt to present ancient, occult precepts, and communing with "spirits."  Those of us who are familiar with the controversay of using Ouija Boards to contact "others who have died," will understand the incidious nature of this book's message. 

I have no issue with authors who write books about the occult. I'm a staunch advocate of freedom of speech. I do wonder, however, in this case, why one would disguise it as a book about helping the insane who might only be misunderstood and empathetic (which meaning in the Oxford English Dictionary is: the ability to understand or share the feelings of someone else). At least, that's how I initially perceived the book according to its summary. It seems only fair to be open with those who are choosing whether or not to read a certain book.

I believe Ms Glasner's course is varied and unclear in this initial book.  There are so many directions she could take, and so many interesting turns! Perhaps those possiblities kept her focus a little off in the distance. Perhaps she needs to check with her spirit guide before she finishes Book 2...  ;]  I wish her well, and I wish her clarity.

 

Reviewed on 03/03/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Deborah Previte

 “Finding Emmaus” by Pamela S. K. Glasner is one of the most fascinating novels I have read this year.  The story takes place in a world where anyone who is too different is thought to have a mental illness and is often persecuted by those who don’t understand. The author takes 2 characters thought to be “ill” and separates them by 300 years then weaves their stories together to show that even though the medical treatments may have changed the acceptance of those who are different by society as a whole, has not.

It is the mid-1600’s and Frank Nettleton has just learned from his grandmother that his “dark days” are due to the fact that he is an empath. Unfortunately it will be many years before he really starts to understand what that means and, when he does, he decides to gather as much information as possible to create a guide for future empaths so they don’t have to go through the years of struggle that he and many others like him, had to endure. The final goal is to get his great work, called The Lodestarre, published but the time is not right and he dies without seeing his dream come to fruition.

Katherine Spencer has just found out that all those years of being diagnosed as “bipolar” may have been a mistake. The countless prescriptions and their debilitating side effects were all for nothing because she is, in fact, an empath. In her research to find out more about empathy she discovers a reference to a book that may have been written 300 years earlier and is excited by the prospect of a manual that could help her understand what is going on and how to live with it. Problem is no one knows if the book really exists as no one has ever been able to find it.

When Katherine sets out on a journey to find this missing book her life, and Frank’s, come together. The result of this intertwining of lives will rock the mental health world and strike fear into the pharmaceutical industry which stands to lose a lot of money if this theory of empathy is taken seriously.

I really found this to be an exciting book that was driven by characters I cared about from the moment they were introduced. I was particularly riveted by Frank’s story, which does take up a lot of the book, and couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen to him. Honestly, this book had me from the opening paragraph and didn’t let go even after the book ended. I’m glad there are more books planned with these characters as I can’t wait to see where their lives go next.  

Reviewed on 06/24/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member April Hanson

Imagine a world where empathy is considered a mental illness; a world where dozens of people are medicated every day for something that doesn't exist.  Imagine being so empathetic that you can feel other people's emotions all the time, every day when you walk out of the house.  You can sense danger—tell when someone's lying—and more.  And because of this, you've been told you were crazy.

 

Katherine Spencer, a 54 year old Empath, is just discovering her true nature.  When, after countless doctors, dosages and side effects, her medications have no effect, Katherine's boyfriend, Danny, walks out on her.  Hurt and alone, she decides to pack up and move to a small town called Weaver's Bridge.

 

Once there, she finds herself undeniably drawn to a country cottage in dire need of repair.  Without a second though, she buys the house, only to find a mystery brewing within.  And when a psychiatrist friend begins to hint that she might be an Empath, Katherine finds herself on a quest to find the true nature of Empathy.

 

300 years earlier, a man named Frank Nettleton lived in the same town, in the same cottage where Katherine now resides.  After years of being tormented by his wild and intense bouts of emotional instability, Frank comes to realize that he is an Empath, and in order to spare future generations the same pain and confusion he feels, he sets out to create the proverbial bible of Empathy—a quest that consumes much of his adult life.

 

In this spellbinding historical fantasy, Finding Emmaus, author Pamela S. K. Glasner has proven her talents.  Her characterization is wonderful.  By the end of this book, I was attached to each character.  They all have their own flaws and motives—their own ways of validating their actions and how they accomplish things.  Because of this, her characters seem more like people, than flat imitations on a page.  The cast is both dynamic and inspiring, and they keep the pages turning.

 

And while I'll say that Finding Emmaus is definitely a character-driven novel, plot isn't sacrificed.  A multitude of story threads are launched from page one, and they continue to weave in and out of each other—hinting here, pulling there—for the duration of the novel.  Finding Emmaus reminds me a bit of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, in the sense of the historical and present storylines weaving so effortlessly together… but better. 

 

The prose is also wonderful.  I didn't find myself 'snagging' against the words, wondering about the word choice or grammatical errors.  Every single word fit perfectly in its own little niche.

 

It isn't often that you find a good writer who is also a good storyteller, but I'm pleased to say that Pamela S. K. Glasner is just that.  With well-developed, dynamic characters, a complicated plot, and beautiful prose, I felt each and every paragraph falling into perfect order—like a puzzle.  Finding Emmaus is the first book in a trilogy, and if the author keeps up the good work, she will in me, a faithful reader.

You can read more books like this at my blog: http://www.dailymonocle.blogspot.com

Reviewed on 06/15/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Jessica Goodard