Persistence of Memory Paperback – 7 July 2015

Winona Kent perfectly captures the atmosphere of a typical small English village with its history (and myths), personalities and concern for conservation. This particularly resonated with me because I live in a typical small English village but I think her descriptive powers mean that the scene is set beautifully for the reader, wherever they live.Anyone interested in family history will recognise the frustrations of incomplete records and half-remembered stories. The idea of going back and getting the story first hand is tantalising. The characters are well-written, strong and memorable and the story is well-paced and engaging. In fact, it was so engaging that when reading it on a bus, I nearly missed my stop. There is more than one laugh out loud moment amid humour of the lavatorial kind.I did not find the music incongruous as I believe it serves to reinforce the theme of persistence of memory, whether through the inheritance of sayings or characteristics, or through musical influences; something always remains of somebody after they die.I am looking forward to the next book in the series and will definitely now read her previous books.

This is the first book I read written by Winona Kent and found the book to be gripping & beautifully written. The author has researched both eras thoroughly in this time-travel story and crafted the characters with such skill. The story holds your attention from beginning to end & after a few weeks I found I enjoyed picking up the book & reading the story again! Well done Winona & I am now embarking on a journey to Alaska with 'Cold Play'

Fantastic, I'm almost at the end of this novel, but so good I don't want it to end, I do hope there will be another time travel by this great writer

Accidental time travel from Winona Kent. First of her time travel books and gets us off to a cracking start. Lively and fun to read.

I love this book - it had me hooked right from the start - it jumps back and fore between the present day and 1825 and is a very well written story with all the loose ends tied up by the time we got to the end. I can't wait for the next book to be finished :)

The first book in a trilogy introduces us to the tiny village of Stoneford, in southern England, where most streets, houses and the Village Green still look pretty much as they did in the eighteenth century. However, the thuggish Ferryman brothers, unscrupulous owners of the local pub, have brought in bulldozers and are hellbent on destroying Stoneford's precious history in pursuit of mass development and fast profits.Charlotte Duran Lowe lost her beloved husband five years ago when a drunk driver killed Jeff and badly injured her cousin Nick. Charlie's life is now sadly reduced: by day, as Stoneford's de facto historian and dressed in Regency costume, she conducts tours of the lively exhibits of the local museum; by night, she indulges in obsessive research of her ancestors, who once owned the big mansion on the hill. Round the clock, she worries about the suspicious decline of the majestic Village Oak and the impending destructive redevelopment of the Village Green into luxury-flat madness.One stormy night, thunder strikes her cottage, providing ideal conditions for Charlie to be cast back in time to July 1825, the very period where her historical research has bogged down. Now she has a chance to witness in person the events she so longs to investigate. The danger, as always with time travel, is that she might inadvertently alter the course of history. The other small problem is how to get back to 2013 and her previous life.I enjoyed the complexity of the storyline, the vast cast of characters, lovely descriptions, and satisfyingly accurate period details. Since Charlie is well versed in the history of the times, she is able to slip easily into the mindset of the Regency era and adopt the formal speech and restrained social behaviour of the people she meets, resulting in delightful dialogue and fascinating encounters, one of which turns decidedly romantic.Fans of Jane Austen will find lots to love in this charming and imaginative tale of unintended time travel. Charlie is a sympathetic heroine, and she more than meets her match in Mr. Deeley, the handsome young head groom at Stoneford Manor. Besides the romance, there are many fascinating themes woven into the story: conservation, social issues, scientific theories of time and quantum physics, ethical choices in the face of miscarriage of justice, and what to do with a son who has turned out very badly. Many humorous situations arise when Regency characters are confronted by technological advances that we take for granted, but the biggest laugh for me was the beta design of a now ubiquitous sanitary device. The suspenseful conclusion was very satisfying, while leaving the door open for a logical sequel. An intelligent read suitable for the widest public.

I was utterly charmed by this book!Charlie Lowe is a woman out of time. Shas two obsessions: saving the Stoneford Village Green from unscrupulous developers and researching her ancestors. When a freak lightning strike and a rogue computer virus send her back to 1825 [and one of her ancestors forward!], Charlie discovers she must persuade one of her ancestors to marry or two centuries of descendants -including herself- will cease to exist. Unfortunately, her future husband is a class-A jerk. Charlie herself starts to develop feelings for someone she meets in the past. At the same time, developers are closing in to destory part of her home.Due to a mysterious connection, she's able to use her phone to communicate with people from her present. Charlie is in a race to get her ancestors married, find a lost land deed, and maybe fall in love herself!This book was so wonderful. I loved the time travel aspect and Charlie's 'discovery' of the past, as well as her counterpart's discovery of the future. I was equally invested in both time-lines - past and present.Love, betrayal, smugglers, unscrupulous men and charming gentleman, this book was a joy to read!

Time, space and the fixed order of the cosmos are explored resulting in a wonderful romp in Winona Kent's novel "Persistence of Memory."Purists might object that this novel does not fit within the "science fiction/time travel" genre but therein was the delight for me in reading it. Blending science fiction, fantasy, time travel, and romance gives the author the opportunity to create a cast of characters and plot that carries the reader along their journey both in the present and the past.The meticulous research incorporated into the plot impressed me as did the clever use of the cell phone to communicate between past and present. As in any good mystery, the plot sometimes does not unfold in a strictly logical manner and the ending came far too quickly.Having said that, my first reaction was that Charlie Lowe has explored but one branch of the family tree. What fun and mystery might be hidden in other branches? And with Charlie's new found discovery of time travel, I wouldn't be surprised to see more adventures and discovery as Charlie Lowe delves deeper into her past in a series of novels.

I rarely divert from my supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy genre, but I found this book to be a very interesting new mix of part fantasy, part romance - and I was hooked!And while the "time travel" genre is one that I would normally avoid - I loved the interesting spin in Persistence of Memory. This book is more so about ancestry, history, and town legend than it is about time travel. I was so captured by the character Charlie and her love of history, that her adventure into the past was more exciting - I couldn't wait to find out what she would learn about her ancestors and town history.Add in a little romance and some evil-doers and you get a great page turner - I was always wanting to keep reading to find out what happens next to these wonderful characters!Would recommend to anyone - the characters and story is so engaging it's sure to get anyone hooked.

I enjoyed both the past and present in this story. It kept me entertained and as the book proceeded I wanted to know more and more about the outcome of the characters. Kent paints a wonderful picture of the town where this takes place with an enormous amount of detail.My only aversion with this book was the amout of characters. The author goes it a great amout of detail on many families/characters related to the main character. I had a hard time keeping track of all the names. I was able to follow the main characters and keep the story straight but I almost felt like I needed to make a family tree or a list of characters so I could keep them all straight.Overall fun read, I'm not a fan of time travel because it makes me think a little more than I prefer, but this was an enjoyable book none the less!

I really enjoyed this book! Ms. Kent's knowledge and research are in evidence, as is her wonderful sense of humor. I loved her references to other historical characters and events.This was a quick read, but very satisfying.I highly recommend this book, as well as her others.