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Soul | 
 enlarge | Author: Tobsha Learner
Publisher: Forge Books
Category: EBooks
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $4.96 (33%)
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 19969
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B0019RDOKG
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Learner's The Witch of Cologne is an erotically-charged novel of people swept inexorably along by events they could not control. In Soul, Learner relates the story of Lavinia and Julia Huntington, passionate women trapped in emotional whirlpools that threaten to drown them and everyone they love. In 19th century Britain, Lavinia is married to an older man who seems to appreciate her lively curiosity. Lavinia proves to be an apt pupil in both the study and the bedroom, glorying in the pleasures of the physical. In 21st century Los Angeles, geneticist Julia is trying to identify people who can kill without remorse. Stunned to discover that she seems to possess the trait she is looking for, Julia is reassured of her emotions by her intense passion for her husband and her delight in her pregnancy. In the past, Lavinia's desire for her husband grows, but his cools as he becomes fascinated with another. In the present, Julia's love overwhelms her husband, who leaves her. Lavinia and Julia feel the tortures of passion unspent. Cold logic tells them that the deaths of their tormentors will bring them peace. Separated by a hundred years, two Huntington women face the same decision. Their choices will echo far into the future.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 easy to dissapoint October 6, 2008
Unfortunately ( or fortunately?), it was my first time with Ms. Learner.
I am too easy dissapointed that I do not believe I will give her another opportunity,
The characters were flat.Although,Lavinia is the best one developed, she just seem like a jealous wife unable to show a real passion. Julia, seemed to me as a insane woman and all her experiences were product of her imagination. The ethics discussion on her work is too superficial. Gabriel, is not the enigmatic one, he is simply boring and predictable.
The plot line was very simple. I was trapped for the brief in the back cover,and it would be enough...
 Nature or Nurture-which owns the soul? Two women generations apart indure horror to discover if genes or the mind decides it July 12, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
After reading Tobsha Learner's "Witch of Cologne" last year I was determined to read any further historical novels that she published so when I found out about "Soul" it moved quickly to the top of my to read list.
Unlike her last novel "Soul" is not entirely a work of historical fiction. Set in dual time lines it is the story of two women one hundred and forty years apart, Lavinia (who was tried for the murder of her husband) and her great -granddaughter Julia a geneticist searching for a gene which would mark out people who did have an emotional response to murder/combat. Their lives play out side by side, developing to the point where each is forced to make a choice that in fact may be no choice at all but the pure product of their genes.
Lavinia is the daughter of an Irish cleric elevated in society when the retired Colonel and naturalist James Huntington marries her purely for the purpose of begetting a son. Lavinia believes her much older husband to have married for love and is severely disillusioned when the man begins to take up his old habits-including sexual activities that were illegal at the time. But while he refuses to be untrue to himself Huntington will not grant Lavinia the same freedom and she finds herself increasingly desperate for both escape and revenge.
Julia thought she had the ideal life until her beloved husband left her for her best friend when she was pregnant and she miscarried. Though she tries to throw herself into her work finding the "no post traumatic stress disorder gene" for the Department of Defense she is unable to forgot the immense betrayal or leave behind the idea that her child has been murdered and her life has been stolen from her. Filled with rage she becomes concerned that her family history of violence has left its mark genetically and that she is domed to repeat acts of her forbearers....
This is a really fascinating book. Not only are the characters completely real in their portrayal and emotional responses but the parallels between the two stories make for a wonderful comparison. While their situations are not exactly the same nearly every page of this novel radiates with pain from the wrongdoings and injustices forced upon the Huntington women. In that sense this is not a happy book. But it is the scientific aspect that captured the focus of my interest. Both women have a family history of violence, both are in situations were people commonly "snap" but both also possess immense intelligence to not only realize the possibly terrible consequences of their potential actions but to know they possess free will.
Or do they? The "nature verses nurture" debate is heavy in this book. While Julia tends to believe in nature over nurture, Col. Huntington, her great grandfather, is a fan of nurture over nature and both argue the points enough with their contemporary colleagues to leave the reader with a multitude of information to choose their own viewpoint from.
"Soul" is a novel that will sweep you along, racing through the pages to discover what these women will do. Every page seems to uncover a new injustice or painful realization that pushes them closer and closer to the edge-or to fulfilling their genetic destiny. And the debate on the reality of the gene and the ethics in even looking for it ads a very relevant note to the book.
The absolute only issue I has with this novel is that Julia's research is sponsored by the Department of Defense supposedly with the goal of finding soldiers who will not be affected by the post traumatic stress. I find it hard to believe given the current state of post combat care (especially mental care) for US soldiers that the government cares about that at all. In fact it's a little laughable and though the goal of treating and reducing the consequences of PTSD is a laudable goal the idea of having a "perfect soldier" is a little scary.
I recommend this if you're interested in science, genetics, history, women's history, the dynamics of marriage or the human mind. In general this is just a great book and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.
Five stars. I look forward to the author's next book.
 Somewhat disappointing July 5, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ms. Learner created such a superb novel with The Witch of Cologne. So I eagerly bought Soul, expecting to be rewarded with another impossible-to-put-down read. Unfortunately, it was all too easy to put down.
I just couldn't connect with Julia. She seemed quite two dimensional. I scarcely cared what fate Learner would give her. The author did somewhat better with Lavinia and the world she inhabited.
The whole premise of the book seemed contrived.
Soul July 1, 2008
I loved this book. Ms. Learner has a wonderful gift; an incredible writer. I couldn't put the book down! Her contrast between two females: grandmother who lived in the late 1800's and her great grandaugher who lives in the present time was an excellent way to contrast how the lives of women have changed in the last 100 years. I found it very thought provoking and enlightening. I hope the author is working on another book!
DNA is inherited - does it determine our actions?? June 26, 2008
Two women, one living in the mid-1800's, the other in early 2000, have a lot in common, including their husbands' betrayals and perhaps a killer DNA gene.
Lavinia was intrigued with James Huntington's scientific research. The fact that he was more than twice her age didn't stop her from falling in love and winning him over with her insatiable intellectual curiosity. Their marriage fulfilled her dreams and bearing him a male heir made them the perfect family. In the present day, Professor Julia Huntington, a direct descendent of Lavinia and James, has just landed a dream DNA sponsorship with the Department of Defense, discovers she's pregnant with her first child and is still madly in love with her husband of over a decade. The events in the women's lives parallel each other in an unsettling way and Julia is hoping to find resolution through her science.
Soul is a relaxing read. The author aptly separated the novel into three parts of the Garden of Eden tale: The Apple, The Serpent, and The Fall. The short chapters alternate between the women's point of views which keeps the reader intrigued as to what will happen next. Learner handles transitions well and keeps the reader focused on the women and their lives. The book's many layers all relate to its overall theme of `nature vs. nurture.'
Tobsha Learner, born and raised in England, has lived in Australia and the US. Her third book, the bestselling The Witch of Cologne, was her first work of historical fiction. She has had a collection of short stories published before each of her novels.
I recommend Soul to anyone interested in a good story with intriguing female characters. Soul grasps right to the unpredictable end. Reviewer: Lisa Haselton, Allbooks Reviews.
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