11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning, heartbreaking, Inspiring, 24 April 2008
This review is from: Touched by Evil: The True Story of the Psychic Powers That Saved Me from a Life of Abuse (Hardcover)
I used to read these kind of books but then I felt in general they all merged into one. This book grabs you as soon as you start reading and doesn't let go. It is like a thriller, has touches of 'Running with scissors' and also could be a Paulo Coelho novel. I have never come across anything like it! Although it is a distressing, harrowing tale it is more importantly an inspiration that leaves you feeling uplifted. I have never written a review before but I felt compelled to as it is so much more than a book about a distressed childhood.Don't be put off by it being in this genre as really it defies genre. I will carry this with me for a long time.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A truly Inspiring read., 29 April 2008
This review is from: Touched by Evil: The True Story of the Psychic Powers That Saved Me from a Life of Abuse (Hardcover)
Although heartbreaking to contemplate such horrific child abuse, from somewhere in the misery emerged a Genius, whose life story is a life changing read. This is an amazing journey from abused child to Psychic, even after the years of hardship and danger nothing could stand in her way even at such a young age. This book is not only an inspiration to others who have suffered at the hands of abusers, it also runs some parallels with the more fortunate of us. In life take your chances wisely, be generous and loyal and above all believe in yourself.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In a class of its own, 19 April 2008
This review is from: Touched by Evil: The True Story of the Psychic Powers That Saved Me from a Life of Abuse (Hardcover)
I don't usually like the misery memoir genre but this book was bought for me by a friend and I was blown away by it. It is a quite incredible story - not just about horrific abuse but also about the development of Michele's psychic powers. It reads more like a thriller - I read it in one sitting, staying awake well into the small hours as I simply couldn't put it down.
Michele Knight was horribly abused, by close friends and neighbours. Her mother was incredibly unstable and physically threatened her as well. She had many narrow brushes with death. But what is so heart-warming (and tragically sad as well) is that the spirit of her twin sister (who died as Michele was born) stayed with her the entire way through her childhood, comforting her and saving her life on many occasions. This spiritual element makes it something quite different and I was fascinated by the descriptions of the development of a psychic - how Michele heard spirits and learned healing at an incredibly young age.
The scene in Italy when an evil spirit devastates the entire campsite is just terrifying, as are the malevolent spirits that are attracted by Micheel's mother's seances. Spine-tingling.
Yes, the abuse is awful but it isn't gratuitous and I felt this book is wrongly marketed as a story of abuse. It is actually incredibly life-affirming - Michele never feels sorry for herself and is always looking on the positive side, even when most of us would see nothing positive at all.
There are some incredible cases of synchronicity and coincidence that do make you wonder about the possibility of the supernatural.
Finally, it is well-written, really well-written and that seems rare in this genre too.
I would recommend it wholeheartedly - not just to those who like misery memoirs but to anyone who is interested in human life, the supernatural and those who simply like a rattling good yarn.
Ghastly cover though.
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