Rating: 
Summary: Excellent bittersweet reincarnation love story
Review: Gally has always been a quixotic mixture of vibrant intensity and introspective fears. That weird combination fails to stop Mike from falling in love with her at first sight. Mike marries Gally, but cannot drive away the demons that haunt her. When they move to Penselwood, Gally finds some inner tranquillity. Ferney, an eighty-three year old neighbor disturbs and delights Gally. Mike feels uneasy as if the senior citizen knows some secret that even Gally does not know about herself. Ferney has lived and died many times over the centuries, but he differs from most people because his memories stretch back to the reign of Elizabeth I. He openly welcomes Gally, but not Mike. Over his lifetimes, he has proven time and time again to himself that Gally belongs to him and and other man is an intruder. However, in this lifetime a cosmic joke has occurred as he is old and dying, and she has someone else. James Long's first published novel in America will leave the American readers wanting his previous works to be released here. FERNEY is a love story that transcends time, but in their current reincarnation they live separate lives. Though a bittersweet story, FERNEY leaves the reader with hope that in the darkest night, those who stay with their principles will be rewarded with the brightest light. Mr. Long has written a special, different novel that will receive fan acclaim. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: One of the most unique stories ever written
Review: Although we are taught not to judge a book by its cover, I am not ashamed to admit that it was the cover of this book that caught my attention and got me to read the blurb. And as soon as I read the comparison between it and "Time and Again" by Jack Finney (one of my all-time favorites) and also that the heroine suffered from panic attacks (also something I am familiar with), I knew this was a book I had to read. And I am so glad I bought it that day as it became one of most enjoyable fiction reading experiences I've had since 1995, when I discovered "Time and Again." I could not wait to be reunited with this book at the end of my work day. I was enthralled by the past lives story line. Also by the author's ability to make the progress I take for granted today seem fresh and new and exciting as descibed by a working peasant/farmer who happens to have lived through 13 centuries of it. The images were very strong, for example, how different a landscape must look at night to a man who has known it lit by moonlight only for centuries to suddenly see "fire" glowing through all the windows of the houses after electricity becomes common place. The ending the book was such a killer - I actually screamed at the last paragraph. Don't look ahead whatever you do! I had to read the book all over a second time as soon as I finished it just to see the clues I missed the first time! I say buy this book immediately and enjoy a great read unlike anything you've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Witty and heartbreaking
Review: Books that capture my heart this way are few and far between. I can't wait to read Mr. Long's other work, and can only hope he continues to write and publish in the States.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: I happened upon this book completely by chance; someone left it on our "free table" at work and I picked it up, doubting that I'd actually read it. Wrong! I was completely hooked by page three! This is one of the most well-crafted books I've read in years. The author says that he spent twenty years working on Ferney, and his loving attention to detail really shines through. The history of the English people and their relationship with the land springs to life in this book. James Long has a real gift for describing landscapes, houses, and their role in history as well as the people who created that history. I laughed out loud at his one-paragraph introduction of the eccentric Mrs. Mullard--rarely have I seen a character so completed captured in a single paragraph! This exquisitely crafted book has several strengths: great characterization, a riveting plot that keeps you guessing, and fascinating snippets of English history (great if you're an Anglophile like me). I cried all the way through the last three chapters, something I haven't done in years. Buy this book, read it, and spend some time with the one you love. You won't take them for granted after you read Ferney.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: I happened upon this book completely by chance; someone left it on our "free table" at work and I picked it up, doubting that I'd actually read it. Wrong! I was completely hooked by page three! This is one of the most well-crafted books I've read in years. The author says that he spent twenty years working on Ferney, and his loving attention to detail really shines through. The history of the English people and their relationship with the land springs to life in this book. James Long has a real gift for describing landscapes, houses, and their role in history as well as the people who created that history. I laughed out loud at his one-paragraph introduction of the eccentric Mrs. Mullard--rarely have I seen a character so completed captured in a single paragraph! This exquisitely crafted book has several strengths: great characterization, a riveting plot that keeps you guessing, and fascinating snippets of English history (great if you're an Anglophile like me). I cried all the way through the last three chapters, something I haven't done in years. Buy this book, read it, and spend some time with the one you love. You won't take them for granted after you read Ferney.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: I read Ferney a couple of years ago, whilst living close to some of the areas mentioned in the book, close to Bristol, England. I found the book totally enthralling and as a History teacher too, I was captivated by the descriptions by James Long of the times and the scenery. This was my first experience of reading about reincarnation and I found by the end of the book that it had raised my awareness of the topic in a haunting way. Like one of the reviewers already mentioned, I had to re-read some of the book in order to make the ending fit right. I discussed the ending with friends to whom I later lent the book - it is still doing a circuit amongst my friends after 2 years - and most of them had a different way of looking at it from myself. I was a bit disappointed with the ending in a way, but then life is full of twists and turns so nothing is as you would imagine it to be or want it to be. I intend to read the book again this summer now that I have had time for it to be less fresh in my memory. I have been searching for a read like Ferney ever since, but apart from Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Sebastian Faulk's Birdsong, I have struggled to find anything so captivating. Any recommendations gratefully received...
Rating: 
Summary: still searching for such a great read as Ferney
Review: I read Ferney a couple of years ago, whilst living close to some of the areas mentioned in the book, close to Bristol, England. I found the book totally enthralling and as a History teacher too, I was captivated by the descriptions by James Long of the times and the scenery. This was my first experience of reading about reincarnation and I found by the end of the book that it had raised my awareness of the topic in a haunting way. Like one of the reviewers already mentioned, I had to re-read some of the book in order to make the ending fit right. I discussed the ending with friends to whom I later lent the book - it is still doing a circuit amongst my friends after 2 years - and most of them had a different way of looking at it from myself. I was a bit disappointed with the ending in a way, but then life is full of twists and turns so nothing is as you would imagine it to be or want it to be. I intend to read the book again this summer now that I have had time for it to be less fresh in my memory. I have been searching for a read like Ferney ever since, but apart from Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Sebastian Faulk's Birdsong, I have struggled to find anything so captivating. Any recommendations gratefully received...
Rating:
Summary: i enjoyed this story
Review: i really liked this story. ferney leaves you wanting to know more about the characters...what happens next! i would like to read more books by this author.
Rating:
Summary: i enjoyed this story
Review: i really liked this story. ferney leaves you wanting to know more about the characters...what happens next! i would like to read more books by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Believable treatment of reincarnation
Review: The jacket and cover are exquisite and an enticing prelude to an enjoyable and straightforward treatment of reincarnation that will give an accurate view of how past lives and karma work. Definitely worth reading although the characterizations are sometimes not quite as compelling as I would have liked and anyone very familiar with reincarnation will find the ending predictable.
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