This is a fascinating story exploring other areas of consciousness from reincarnation to far memory. It is also a gentle love story where all the threads are brought together. Living in NewYork, our heroine, Amelia, has reached an exceedingly stressful stage in her life, coping with divorce, two teenagers and an excessive workload to keep her head above water. Simultaneously she is trying to complete a long-unfinished novel. A friend suggests hypnotherapy, to help at least with sleeplessness. Tentatively Amelia ventures for therapy. The counting down method for deep relaxation used by her therapist,Tatiana, takes Amelia into a form of regression. She slips back beyond her current life into a possible past life. She meets a young eighteenth-century teenager on a different continent. Adele is on the verge of womanhood, choosing her future. Leaving the therapist Amelia feels different, more alive, with enhanced awareness, being conscious of synchronicities. Strangely,she encounters a man from her past. The sudden awakening of these dormant memories overcomes Amelia’s writer’s block and she uses these characters to progress her novel with great excitement. Meantime, she still has to contend with her teenagers and ex-husband. Having benefited,she has another session withTatiana expecting more of Adele, but this time the imagery is of an ancient shaman. Thus we have three differing stories running concurrently, woven into a fascinating braid culminating in a climax showing how deeply we are all a part of our roots. An intriguing read – our author knows her subject ~ Valerie Dunmore, Society of Women Writers and Journalists

Whoa. This was a blast to read. Recognitions by Daniela I. Norris was incomparable to anything I have read in recent years. I do want to say though, that I don’t think the cover does it one bit of justice at all. Definitely try not to judge this book by it’s cover, because it is so much more than what it appears. A woman named Amelia suffers from anxiety after her husband up and leaves her. First of all, I could totally understand what this woman was going through, as I suffer from anxiety myself. One of the things that she said in the book really hit home with me. As Amelia is on her way to meet a hypnotherapist, she says that she doesn’t know if she wants to get rid of her anxieties as they have sort of become part of her. This struck a cord with me, I have said that to my husband many times, so it was nice to see someone else who felt the same way as myself. Amelia ends up going to the hypnotherapist anyway, and when she is put under hypnosis she has a vivid recollection of a girl named Adele, who is from France. This is just the beginning of many dreams and writings that she starts to experience revolving around this girl Adele. Not only that, but there are things happening to her in her daily life that start to make her wonder if this is all connected, beginning with the return of someone from high school that she hadn’t seen in 20 years. She wasn’t ever really close to him, so she starts to wonder what he has to do with all of the things going on. Then everything just seems to connect from past to present, and in between. This was a stunning portrayal of past lives, interwoven and connected people, and learning to understand ones subconscious. I don’t think I have heard of many books like this that involved an adult main character, so that was really refreshing to see. This was a mixture of psychology (which I am going to school for), and a little bit of history, fantasy, and religious undertones all rolled into one great book. This book really came to life for me, and for that I give it 5 out of 5 stars. ~ Comfy Reading Blog, https://comfyreading.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/recognitions/

Amelia is struggling with separation from her husband of - years, two teenage children, her job, and a novel that she has been writing. She agrees to hypnotherapy, although she has doubts about it. What follows are creative inspirations, striking dreams, and surprising discoveries. Recognitions is not one story. It is three different plots, each a treat in its own right. As the author moves from one story to another, and then comes back, I, as a reader, was eager to find out how each one would pan out. And obviously, how the three will intertwine. Adele, a French girl at crossroads in life. Does she make the right decision finally? An African Shaman makes some tough choices. Amelia is a witness to it all, initially wary. As she accepts changes in her old relationships, and paves a way for new, the three different tales merge. Daniela I. Norris has weaved an emotionally potent tale of that spans centuries and is connected through it all. Feelings don't change as generations do, do they? The language of is detailed, almost leisurely so, and yet, doesn't come across as unnecessarily verbose. It lingers on emotions, and thoughts, and events. Yet, it is engaging. Recognitions ends with a certain contentment. A peace, that is satisfying. Recognitions also leaves you with a need to know what next. ~ Fascinating Quest Blog, http://www.nimiarora.com/

http://www.yogitimes.com/review/recognitions-daniela-norris-book-review- The first book of Daniela Norris which I had read was “Collecting Feathers: Tales from The Other Side“. The book totally took me in a storm and changed my view of “The Other Side”. “Recognitions” is the first Novel by the author. “Recognitions” is a book written in first person narration by Amelia Rothman. But the story soon bifurcates into two other main characters Adele Durant and an African Shaman, as the characters emerging from Amelia’s hypnotherapy. The story swings between the three characters, initially with no relevance. But gradually, as the story unfolds, each of the character shows their relevance and brings out the complete picture. The concept of the story is more of self enlightenment and self actualization. It plays around the concept of “Things that are meant to be”. The writing style is simple and elegant. Daniela ensures that the reader is at pace with her narration and has no difficulty imagining the situations playing in the book. The descriptions of people and places are given in enough detail to create a picture but not that it feels dragged. The characters vary their complexity depending upon the situations they are placed in. The characters, although are from different eras, blend well with each other through out the story and bring out the best in the theme. By the end of the book, a feel of being enveloped by hope takes over.”Recognitions” is a book I shall definitely recommend everyone to read. It has a smooth flow and simple positivity to it. The upcoming parts in the Trilogy definitely have something to catch up to, as this one surely has set a benchmark. ~ Devi Nair, www.yogitimes.com

Think Cloud Atlas, a classic story of rebirth, many lives, and reincarnation on a level that involves protagonists in other lives - but take it a step further in Recognitions, the first novel in a trilogy, which presents a woman under hypnosis who sometimes encounters a French girl on the cusp of marriage and sometimes an African shaman facing a village's struggles with illness and slavery. Then take these diverse lives and weave them together in the story of a modern-day woman, Amelia (who must deal with these other lives and her own daily challenges, and who faces her own struggle to understand the connections and messages that lie in her dreams and hypnotic state), and you have an emotionally charged saga filled with three threads that lead back to one tapestry of wonder. Under a different hand, this saga of birth, death, and afterlife could have easily proved confusing: it's no simple matter to create three disparate, very different lives, and weave them together with purpose and discovery; no easy venture to bring all these pieces to life and then meld them into one. It's also satisfying to note that the protagonist doesn't just skip into acceptance of these threads and their impact on her life; she's pulled in reluctantly and initially believes these results from hypnotherapy and dream states to be 'craziness'. She's no new age believer: she's a wife, mother, and has a life of her own: "I hardly have time to explore all sorts of strange mind-body-spirit connections or whatever they call them these days." But it's a life destined to transform (though her husband's departure has already started the process of vast changes) in unexpected ways, and the gift here lies in how past, present, and future worlds not only connect, but collide. There are many passages that support all kinds of emotional connections and disconnects, as well: "But I resolved to call Don later and tell him that there’s something going on with our daughter. I’ll call him even if talking to him will make me feel emotional, anxious, and envious of the quick fix he’d found in his life. Even if it would make me feel betrayed and confused by my feelings towards him – how his cynicism annoyed me for years, how I couldn’t stand his macho jokes anymore and how relieved I had first felt when we decided to separate. We said we’d remain friends, for the kids’ sakes. We said we’d see how it would go if we just parted amicably for a while, and then take it from there." As Amelia's life changes and as her novel-writing is spiced by her dream states, she finds the courage to not only probe these events, but understand and incorporate them into her own world: "I needed to visit this place. This would help me understand more about Adele’s world, it would be research, not some craziness destined to satisfy my sudden and illogical fascination with past lives, I said to myself." The result (much like Cloud Atlas's ability to make readers think far past the last page) is a story that is quietly compelling: a moving saga highly recommended for any reader interested in predetermination, past lives, and how three disparate worlds weave together. ~ D. Donovan, senior reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Recognitions by Daniela I. Norris centers on Amelia, who, under hypnosis and in dreams, sometimes encounters an intelligent French girl on the verge of choosing a future husband and sometimes an African shaman trying to save his village from sickness and slavery. As she struggles to understand her connection to these two people, her everyday relationships carry on with an ex-husband and two teenage children. When a man from her past comes into the picture and introduces her to fencing, the connections begin to click. I say "begin," because this first book of a trilogy leaves many questions open. I have a sense that whatever any reader thinks is going on with past lives or collective consciousness, or the "something" the characters wonder about in Recognitions, the full story of the trilogy is going to turn out rather differently than predicted -- but without the need for gimmicky plot twists. It is just that interesting, plus the tale is unfolding in the hands of a capable story-teller, which is clear from the very first chapter. Daniela I. Norris writes in clean, sparse prose, so she is able to paint the picture of three lives on three different continents with distinct voices for each without ever resorting to gratuitous description. As a result, the book moves at a fast pace, but without feeling rushed or empty. And even though I wanted to know how it would play out, I didn't skip a single word because every word was relevant in this engaging story. ~ Readers' Favorite

Amelia, a recent divorcee and mother of two teenage children, seeks hypnotherapy to help her deal with insomnia. But she’s surprised when her session reveals a past life, that of an 18th century French girl at odds with her mother and resistant of the life set before her. Soon after, she encounters a man with whom she feels a familiarity which she cannot explain. And then there’s the Shaman in a small African village. Amelia finds a sense of calm in accepting these parts of her past, if in fact that is what they are. Fragments of lives once lived that she’s never before considered in her present life, all of which seem comfortably intertwined. Recognitions, by Daniela Norris is a pensive tale, one of reflection and introspection. Well written, genuine and entirely riveting, this book is a fascinating read and one that will appeal to a myriad of audiences, most especially those fascinated with the topic of past lives. Recommended for home and school libraries, Recognitions has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval. ~ Literary Classics Awards, https://clcreviews.blogspot.com/2018/11/recognitions-has-earned-literary.html

Recognitions is one of those gem of a books that quickly draws you in from the very first page. Daniela I Norris is clearly a gifted author, her use of language is just beautiful and I loved that she is able to cleverly weave many fascinating characters and stories together in a way that envelopes you into the story line. The topic of past lives is so interesting, and very current in our world today where many conscious people are seeking answers to their own lives. Have we been here before and what could our connections with people today have with the past? I couldn’t put this book down and can’t wait for the sequel. Highly recommended. ~ Miss EcoGlam, http://www.missecoglam.com/conscious-living/item/12647-12647

Think Cloud Atlas, a classic story of rebirth, many lives, and reincarnation on a level that involves protagonists in other lives - but take it a step further in Recognitions...a story that is quietly compelling: a moving saga highly recommended for any reader interested in predetermination, past lives, and how three disparate worlds weave together. ~ Diane Donovan, senior reviewer, Midwest Book Review