My Name Is Memory= Fallen Rip-off?
First things first: I haven’t exactly bought myself a copy of this book titled “My Name Is Memory” by Ann Brashares so it’s only safe to say that my assumptions may only apply to the following:
a. The book cover
b. The synopsis
c. The characters
First, the one that appeals to most readers before buying a book, the cover.
This is the cover of Fallen by Lauren Kate
Now this is the cover of the book in question
I tot I taw a COPY cat.
Now tell me you don’t see the similarities. Also not shown is the back cover which used the SAME background as with Fallen’s. WTF right? It get’s WTF-ier.
Now for the synopsis. Here’s the synopsis for Fallen (Synopses courtesy of B&N):
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.
Now for the supposed original synopsis of the other book.
From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and The Last Summer (of You and Me) comes an imaginative, inspired, magical book-a love story that lasts more than a lifetime. Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has “the memory”, the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he’s previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short. Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel’s unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now “Lucy” in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together. A magical, suspenseful, heartbreaking story of true love, My Name is Memory proves the power and endurance of a union that was meant to be.
LOL seriously? A guy who has been in love with the same girl for centuries and the reason they always get separated is because of some mysterious force? Fallen readers would scratch their chins at this.
This synopsis brings us to our greatest concern: the main characters. Both Fallen and My Name Is Memory uses “Daniel” and “Lucy”. WTF is up with Ann Brashares? Can’t she use OTHER names to at least try and mask the fact that her book looks too painstakingly similar to Lauren Kate’s Fallen? I’d buy a copy to confirm this but I already had a feeling I’ll be buying a book that would more or less tell me the same story which wouldn’t have been a bad thing if the author had used a more subtle approach at copying a book. Can’t you be more obvious, Ms. Ann Brashares?
Let me show you a quoted post by a reader from My Name Is Memory’s page on B&N (look at bottom of page)
Really?
by 6261710
This book is 100% identical to Lauren Kate’s Fallen. The only difference is that it is really bad!
He gave it 1 star out of 5.
PS: I don’t know which author copied who exactly but AFAIK, Lauren Kate’s Fallen came first so I’ll be basing my judgments on this fact alone.
The 9th Soul 
Ann send her first edition of the script to her editors in october 2009. Two months before fallen was released. So it’s only the cover – and maybe the names – which can be a rip-off (:
SOURCE?
i read the two books… fallen first, when i saw my name is memory i had the same reaction as you did… but when i read my name is memory it was different in many ways… try to read it first, i loved it! probably more than i loved fallen, it was very well written…. you may think it has the same plot because of the synopsis, it does not..
I’ll take thy word for it.
according to the synopsis of my name is memory is also very similar to the book Evermore by Alison Noel.
i had the same thought, i saw my name is memory in the library and read the back of it, and was like huh i thought this was called fallen? it really struck me as similar which is what made me read it, on reading it, it does have similarities, but it is a great story. Not sure who who wrote which first though??
my name is memory is all reincarnation. it’s like about tribes and stuff at the start. you go through the whole journey of daniel and sophia. there are no fallen angels no cellphones or security cameras. and the highschool part of the book lasts only a few chapters.
they are sold right beside each other and they are way too similar. Arent there laws against that??
yeah i read fallen and torment and they are soooo amazing and i read like the 2nd page of my name is memory and im like hey is this like the past before the daniel and lucie were in 2009 turns out not so im like wth do i even want to carry on reading this copy cat!!!! it kinda annoys me that ive spent like 7.00 on a book i dont even think was worth going ouut into stores im so annoyed im gonna read it because i bought it but i dont really feel the happiest that im just probabaly gonna read a screwed up version of a really fantastic amazingly good book hope its not too bad….!
first of all. that is the new cover. the other editions of my name is memory are http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsNjh7IX5jzfo8jph6znVerFJ95Q1HVUrzLulcLxgbZpf8wpzI and http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2iitBfyX6nLHg6XL8LxDTpO71F3A-zLG_25FlFxDWhqN6P04SJA
secondly. it’s just the name of the characters. there are no fallen angels in my name is memory.
thirdly ann brashares is awesome, why you all got to hate on her.
and fourthly have you not noticed that alot of vampire authors copied twilight. vampire diaries was accused of copying twilight and it was first written in the nineties. so basically the whole fantasy genre is very similar so alot of books has similarities. it doesn’t mean that they were copied.
i haven’t read fallen, but my friend has and she said the quality of the writing is horrible.
yeah. okay. but like i mentioned, i only based it on a few things. 😀
hmmm. mabye a little more research needs to be done next time. no hard feelings. hope you learnt your lesson.
I THINK FALLEN IS THE BEST BOOK IVE EVER READ!!!
My Name Is Memory has no angel stuff, it’s an adult book. Fallen is kinda Twilight-ish story. there are a lot of differences. the only similar parts are the cover, the characters’ names and the synopsis. but both are pretty cool 🙂
Alright. Thanks. You’re cool too.
@Nat: I guess you don’t understand disclaimers too much. Here it is again for your sake and mine:
“First things first: I haven’t exactly bought myself a copy of this book titled “My Name Is Memory” by Ann Brashares so it’s only safe to say that my assumptions may only apply to the following:
a. The book cover
b. The synopsis
c. The characters”
Don’t push your ideas on mine. I already stated I didn’t do crap for MNIM. I based it on the three (3; III) things that I mentioned.
Now get off me before your ego deflates my body of its life.
lol. I don’t even really have an ego. i guess thats the thing about online chat and whatnot? you never really meet anyone. and i know you only based it on three things, thats why i reccomended that you research more next time. end of story and i wasn’t trying to be rude. i guess you just can’t read someones tone of voice online can you? because you can’t here it. so sorry for being annoying, i’m just trying to help you out. next time you ake a stuff up like this you could have some really nasty people come on here. i’m only trying to do a good thing, don’t mistake that for ego.
i guess if i hadn’t read it and saw the two copies next to each other i’d have got all worried that lauren kate was trying to copy one of my favouite authors too…
You don’t get it, do you?
I already said I didn’t do research on it. Which implied that I DON’T want to do research on it. People, online or not, have a tendency to be lazy. Heck, I already lost interest in this blog the moment I published it. It’s not about me caring about someone or someone else’s fans.
No.
It’s simply me writing whatever I care about, whether it comes with research or lack thereof.
Now, you’re lucky I’m not the type that edits/deletes/blocks comments regardless of their content. I like exercising freedom of speech and thought. Just a reminder though: You’re in my territory. Which means I get to have a say on EVERYTHING that goes on here.
Entiendes?
no you’re the one who doesn’t get it. when i mean next time, I mean the next time you say something about something ELSE in the FUTURE. eg if you said that some book by stephanie meyers was like some other book etc etc
and you should care about peoples fans, because authors, artists etc, put in a lot of effort to create stuff like ‘My name is memory’ and when someone like you goes on there and says that they copied it with no proof/research(yes you don’t need to tell me again i read the damn post) it discourages people from buying their books and they get no recognition for their effort. I understand your point of view, sure it’s alot of effort to do research as well, and I know this is your blog so it must piss you off when people write stuff on here that makes you sound bad. ANd that was not my point at all. I’m just sayin stand in the authors shoes for a second. they could have spent anywhere from 6 months to 2 years or more writing a book for the enjoyment of their readers. They are made to change it by publishers and editors even if they don’t want to. Most of the time they don’t get much say in the cover art. they will already have haters who dislike the book purely because they can and then they get people who come along and say this isn’t yours, you copied it, based on a few similarities(yes other people do that too) and then it might get banned from certain countries or schools because of the content.
the problem with the world is that noone cares about anyone else or anything else than what they already know. they only care about what they think is right. and the whole point of comments is to hear what other people have to say . and i tried not to be nasty, but i guess i just got my back up because I care about ann brashares, because she’s one of my favourite authors and my name is memory is one of my favourite books.
I guess i didn’t realise I was going to start a meaning less war with someone because she doesn’t like me commenting on her blog? territory? are you for real? It’s great that you got this much attention. Most bloggers are happy to recieve comments reguardless of the nature. Ok I’m going to stop now before I offend you in some unknowing way or before you remind me again that you didn’t do your research. IREAD YOUR POST and THE COMMENTS. I did my research.
LOL someone got angry over a blog post. And wow, you wrote a mouthful. I’d cut it but I like reading comments, as I mentioned, regardless of their content as I mentioned as well. I’ll probably write a mouthful too. 😀
I see where this went wrong. You’re a fan. Now that explains your subtle hate.
Don’t worry. I understand now. No need to explain anything. You’re a fan and I’m not. Your judgments are clouded because of a biased way of thinking. It’s okay. No need to cry about it. It’s just a blog by someone who’s not popular at all. I’m sure I won’t make a difference in sales from your favorite author.
As I mentioned earlier, I already lost interest the moment I hit the “publish” button on this blog. I cared a little. And that’s about it. I can care less now because my blog is not even popular and God knows how you found me. You probably googled something that contains MNIM and Fallen together. Which is, if you would allow me to say it, is not my fault.
I don’t know why people like you search the web for pages that you know you’ll hate seeing. I mean, there’s probably a billion pages in the internet and you would rather look for something you know would piss you off.
It’s…not really a good trait. It even shows how much common sense you have. Which is probably a lot if this sentence was sarcastic.
Lay off the blogosphere. I suggest you go grab your book and hug it tight when you sleep tonight. Tell your book that no meanie from a wordpress blog would hurt it and that you’ll always protect it. Pray to Ann Brashares and tell her how much of a great fan you were when you “fought and won a war” against a hater. Say some Ann Brashares prayer while kneeling, naked, in front of her book and portrait.
I’m just not sure if Ann Brashares would give a rat’s ass about your fandom.
And LOL @war. While you wage war on me, I’ll be sitting on my comfy chair munching on leafy greens. Omnomnomnomnom~ 😀
all i gotta say is that you are a saddist. your life is so booring that you enjoy eating leafy greens. and by the way fandom does not equal obsession. because i’m sure in your cynnical lazy world you have something you like and would not like people dissing it. I did not go around looking for a post to get annoyed with. I happened to come across it and I just thought hey they’re ill informed. i’ll let them know. And to tell you the truth you brought all the hate on your blog by the way you reacted just get over it. someone else was rright for a change. I only keep coming on her because i’m trying to finish this little discussion of ours. you made it a war by using the word territory and you ought to learn to respect people, freedom of speech or not there are nicer ways to talk.
You can’t be told because you’re so stubborn and one day it’s gonna catch up with you. so thats it i’m finished. you have the last say because you know you want to. but i’m not checking the notify me by email button because your opinion is worthless to me now that i’ve discovered the capacity of thy brain.
ciao
@Nat: LOL Read this and you’re stupid. xDDD
lol again, someone sure is pissed off. and here you were saying about how people misinterpret internet messages wrongly. so much for telling me to respect people when you insulted me first. you don’t realize that i already AM respecting you by allowing your dumb comments go past the edit-comment button. how much more of a respect do you want?
you even mentioned something (yeah, i don’t read dumb comments more than once, sorry.) about respecting people’s opinions or freedom of speech etc. well, you’re one to talk. you can’t even respect what i just wrote about the similarities of the book. and yes, that happens to be the blog you just read and is now ruining with you’re negativity and inflated ego.
you want that shortened? brain suffering from lag? here, just for you:
YOU CAN’T EVEN RESPECT MY OPINIONS.
you don’t respect my opinions and you expect me to respect yours? seriously? this ain’t your blog so i think i’m NOT the one who’s supposed to watch what i might say because i’m NOT the visitor of this blogsite.
you insult me based on what i eat. wow. that’s real smart and mature of you. i eat leafy greens because i know they’re healthy for me and i’m actually living a healthy lifestyle. i’m not like you, spending the whole day waiting for my comment. you just love the attention, don’t you? i’ll give it to you. oh yes. you’ll get the attention you want. 😉
to put the whole situation in a simple manner, it’s like this blog is my house and i’m having a quiet house party. it’s all clean and shit free until you come in, straight from hurricane katrina 2, then head straight into the living room, sit with the guests and tell them how you think i’m an idiot. all that without drying your hair or removing your muddy boots first.
yep. you’re quite rude and you don’t even realize it.
the fact that you resorted to ad hominem really made me lol. seriously. this is all for a book. you’re getting all annoyed because some random person on the internet just happens to disagree with what you like.
you actually expect everyone to think and act like you. that’s selfishness right there. big talk for someone who mocks a person’s brain capacity. you’re barely using yours with all this instinctive replies and first-word-that-comes-to-mind writing.
you’re lucky i’m tolerating you. as i’ve said before, this is my territory. want proof? check the url of this blogsite. you see that? that’s my username. yeah, screen it and make big ass billboard out of it so you won’t have to forget who’s site you’re on next time.
as i’ve stated before, and so i can make myself clear, i have a say on everything that goes on here. simply because i own this blog. if you want to diss me in your very own way, go make your own blogsite and do it there.
and lol, you just came across my blogsite? really? what search strings did you particularly use? i dare you to reveal them. and i’m betting the words “my name is memory” and “fallen” or their authors are in them.
and YOU made it a war by writing the word WAR. i was merely disagreeing with you until you bet your life into this blog. gotta hand it to you, though, you entertained me. you make me smile while i type this. yeah.
and what makes you think they’re “ill informed”?
NEWSFLASH: people can read. they all saw my disclaimer and they all understood it. i welcomed their opinions because their thoughts were quite..civilized. with yours, i still welcomed it but then you had to make it look like i made a mistake and you were the saint that opened my eyes to the truth.
you’d probably say something like me making this all up but deep down inside you, you want that feeling of dominance over someone. specially someone you think makes you inferior for some unknown reason.
you lost it when you had to point out the freaking obvious plus all the nonsense you had to write in an attempt to garner the much needed attention and back-up from the people that might stumble upon this blog.
YOU wrote:
———————–
so thats it i’m finished. you have the last say because you know you want to. but i’m not checking the notify me by email button because your opinion is worthless to me now that i’ve discovered the capacity of thy brain.
———————
well DUH! Of course I’ll have the last say! It’s MY BLOG. NOT YOURS.
and yeah, write it like people actually care what you do all day. for the people that might wonder what you ACTUALLY do all day. here’s the list you gave me:
1. surfing the web for things you hate.
2. acting in a nice, girly way but disagreeing completely despite disclaimers. (which i think is pretty stupid but if you insist…)
3. acting like the blog owner OWES you a goddamn favor because of your comment.
4. outright “warring” that blog owner for no clear reason.
5. adding personal insults and specially elaborating them by writing unnecessarily long and poorly written paragraphs. (and you say authors write poorly. pot calling the kettle black?)
and seriously, you could’ve just ended with
———————so thats it i’m finished.————————
If you still can’t understand what I wrote despite my efforts to somehow make it easier for the shit you call a brain to understand, then I’m sorry but I think we both have to agree that you’re just stupid.
Yeah. And because you read all of that, you’re REALLY stupid. Look at the first line of this post. See that? It proves how stupid you are and turns my otherwise funny comment into a solid fucking fact. A FUCKING FACT. Yeah. The fact that you are FUCKING stupid is proven each second you spend reading this post. Again and again.
You know why? Because you’re stupid. That’s why.
LOL
Your argument with @natalie was entertaining to begin with. Then you just got ridiculous. I felt proud of natalie for saying what she needed to say (i.e. logic), and stopping when she said it all. Sure, she got emotional. But she didn’t go over the top, like you have. Your over-reactions to natalie’s comments implies you’re defensive about them. You think she’s right, don’t you? On some unconscious level, at least. And you’re ENORMOUS rant at the end? Clearly you are the one who is childish, insensitive and attention-seeking. Just because this space is your blog doesn’t mean you can be a monster.
While I have already acknowledged my mistake and have moved on, u apparently just want to pick a fight. I won’t give u that luxury, though. I mean, I went ahead and approved ur comment just to be thankful for reading but giving in to ur childishness is asking a bit much, doesn’t it?
I have read both the books. One of my friends suggested The Fallen to me last year, and another one suggested My Name is Memory last week. So I read it. And it is simillar in a lot of ways. General ways like how it’s about finding love once more, and reincarnation, brothers fighting for one girl…. The list goes on and on. And I feel this kind of loyalty to The Fallen series because I read it first. And if it weren’t for the series, I would look twice at another reincarnation book. I like reading. It’s my hobby. And both books are not that well written. They’re good, but not exactly the best.
So keeping in mind that I’m equal on both books (but feeling a bit loyal to Lauren), I think you were too harsh on the girl. You were expressing your opinion, and Natalie was fine with that. And she wanted to say hers so she said it. You got defensive and she retreated a bit so she won’t offend you any more than she already had. She was sorry about it. This is the internet, everyone has a right to say their opinion, but fighting with a girl who said her version? There’s a thin line between saying what you’re thinking and stepping on someone else’s right. She had the right, but you may have just taken it away. It wasn’t even a critism, it’s just a passing comment. So dear, think before you click.
okay.
If you had ever read My Name is Memory you would realize it’s not the same story it’s different and you would realize it is a really awesome book. The name Daniel being in the book shouldn’t surprise you it’s an old name and very common in todays society. You would also realize that although her name may be Lucy, Daniel refers to her as Sophia not once in Fallen does anyone ever mention one of Luce’s previous names. This is also the new cover to the book and might have been used to attract attention because it is what is most popular selling at the moment rather then actually being a rip off.
Okay.
Umm I would like to correct you on one fact….In the fallen series, Luce’s past selves names’ are mentioned……(Lucinda, Luschka, Ix etc.)
hey, i just wanted to back you up :D. I saw the book in a bookstore in Singapore and thought “woah, Singapore’s got a translated version of Fallen”. Then i realised that made no sense whatsoever. Then i read the blurb and did a spittake at how much it sounded like Fallen; i mean seriously, the same names? Reincarnation? Daniel remembers but Lucy doesn’t? I still think it’s too much of a coincidence, but i cbs researching too!
😀
Yeah. I didn’t do research because I can’t be bothered to do any research at the time. And besides, it was a simple rant >_> I don’t really like doing research when I rant. It takes away the “rant” feeling I get which actually feels great and empowering, even for a moment.
‘My Name Is Memory’ was actually written before ‘Fallen’ but was published later. The stories might have a similar plot line and most readers would think so, because of the synopsis, but when you actually read the books, it is not all the similar. They are both good books, but I have to admit that I liked ‘My Name Is Memory’ much better.
okay. i hear ya.
You’re so defensive man. You wana try back reading? You toLd “Nat” that you don’t do research, but hey, you attached the covers of the books. Like, seriousLy? I wouldn’t say that you’re surprised by what you saw but I think you’re messed up. Over react, that instant? Dang!
I attached the covers of the book BECAUSE I SAW THEM AT A FREAKIN’ BOOKSTORE.
Is the internet the only place you do research? Read the freakin’ disclaimer.
“First things first: I haven’t exactly bought myself a copy of this book titled “My Name Is Memory” by Ann Brashares so it’s only safe to say that my assumptions may only apply to the following:
a. The book cover
b. The synopsis
c. The characters”
You’re another one of those who tell me I overreact when they themselves overreact without reading the disclaimer.
Wow, I was just doing some reading on Nephilim and after jumping around I saw something about Fallen, which struck me as a Twilight rip-off, so I searched Google, and here I am. BTW, I haven’t read either (I’m a grown-up, FFS). At any rate, I have found this exchange between you and these Memory fangirls to be pure hilarity–just great stuff, and they definitely are humorless about their supernatural love stories.
Yeah. That girl natalie forced me to expound what I thought was simple enough to be understood.
Thanks for dropping by. I’m happy to have given you a form of entertainment, even for a short moment.
Hi there!
I just finished My Name is Memory and totally fallen in love with it. I just really loved it and so I was searching for similar books and that’s how I ended here LOL
Well, I haven’t read Fallen (and probably never will because, to me, it totally looks like Evermore) but I noticed two things:
1) The synopsis.
The first synopsis (the Barnes & Noble one) makes the book look like another average paranormal teen romance when in fact, My Name is Memory is an adult book. Is about reincarnation; about the pasts lives and currently life of Daniel and Lucy. Daniel is a man who have the strange ability to remember all his past lives. He also have the ability to recognize the soul of the person, so he can recognize reincarnated people he have met before in his past lives. He first met Lucy in the year 552 when he accidentally kills her. Then he finds her again centuries later, when her name was Sophia and she was the wife of his brother Joaquim, who was a very abusive man. Sophia and Daniel fall in love, but they can’t be together because she’s already married. Because he can remember his past lives, he knows he loves Sophia every time he get born again and he keeps looking for her and finding her. But because of age differences and sudden deaths —they were either a war wounded soldier and Lucy (Constance in that life) was his nurse, or he’s a little kid and Lucy was an older woman from church— he never get to be with her until this Sophia’s reincarnation: Lucy, who is his same age and goes to his same school. There’s no fallen angels in this book or any supernatural being. There’s only Daniel, a human with an extraordinary memory who tries to make Lucy remember him, and Lucy. That synopsis only covers the first chapter of the book which tells how Lucy met Daniel for the first time when she was in High school. That’s why she feels “something achingly familiar about Daniel”, as the B&N synopsis says. The story then goes five years later, so they are mainly 23 in the book. Honestly that synopsis has nothing to do with the book…
2) The covers.
That cover you posted (and you are right, it is VERY similar to Fallen’s cover) is just one of many. It was probably made to appeal younger readers as well. I bet that book have the B&N synopsis.
This is the original cover of My Name is Memory:
And this are the other covers:
My favorite is the second one (the desert one) because it shows a very important event of their story: the story of Sophia and Daniel.
You should read the book. It is really good 🙂
Thanks. Glad to know someone is prepared to argue with me in a very constructive manner.
oh and the book is narrated in third person; some chapters are about Lucy’s current life, but mainly is about Daniel past lives and the actual one.
it have a lot of passionate scenes, it have sex, lust, tragedy… man it was really good… the only thing I didn’t like that much was the end because it was an open ending, but I just read the book will be part of a trilogy, so I’m happy now XD
oh and according to IMdb there will be a movie too 🙂
And there’s a villain too, of course. Is Joaquim; Lucy’s husband in her past life when she was Sophia and Daniel’s former brother, but he is BAD, is not like a love triangle or something XD
Stay enthusiastic about it 🙂
Hi. I just stumbled upon this. ‘Cause i was also flabbergasted when I saw they had similar covers (but ofc, past commenters have sure made it clear that there are ‘other’ covers). That is, when i first saw My Name Is Memory.. But I’ve been a fan of Fallen for quite a long time already, and I was quite upset and shocked when the synopsis, cover, and character names were quite the same. I mean there’s like a one in a million chance for them to have had these similarities on that, but it still happened. And yes, i initially thought there was something fishy. Haha XD But i guess, that’s the hard part of being an author, having to have to worry you might have the same plot (somehow) with others, or same names.. or even same cover. Lol. Anyway, I was on your side while i was reading the replies here. Quite fun to read! Lol. Advanced happy new year to you!! 🙂
I’m very happy to have a reader such as yourself 🙂
I was reading all these comments and I read a post by Ilonga which says that in ‘My Name Is Memory’ there was a past life in which Daniel was a wounded soldier and Lucy was his nurse……..Thats a weird co-incidence because even in the fallen series, when Luce was going through all her past lives, she too stumbled onto one in which Daniel was a wounded soldier and she (a.k.a. Lucinda in the past life)was his nurse……..Im really confused!!!!!!! I have been a Fallen fan for a long time…….And as soon as I read the first page of My Name is Memory I noticed the similarities and googled it to check it out.
My theory is that maybe Ann and Lauren knew each other and were friends, who were maybe thinking of writing this novel together. But then they had a disagreement and both of them wrote it, except there were a few changes, as they both wrote it the way they wanted. I think that could have happened.
So I was reading all the comments and I saw a post by Ilonga which said that in ‘My Name Is Memory’ there was a past life in which Daniel was a was wounded soldier and Lucy was his nurse……Well, in one of the books in the fallen series, when Luce was traveling in all of her and Daniel’s past lives, she stumbled upon one in which he was a wounded soldier and she was his nurse too………I’m so confused!!!! I have been a ‘Fallen’ fan for a long time….and think this is a very weird co-incidence……
My theory is that Ann and Lauren knew each other and were friends, who planned to write a novel together. They discussed the basic plot, which is Daniel and the fact that he can remember all his past lives, and Luce/Lucy who he loves and who can never remember the past lives……..
But then they had a disagreement so they both wrote the novels the way they personally wanted too…that’s why there are similarities but differences too!!!!!!!! At least, I think that it is possible that this could have happened. Or maybe all this is a huge, and creepy co-incidence!!!!!!!!!!
firstly you cant judge this book until you have read it
I have read both and the books are nothing alike Aprt from the names.
For starters daniel dies in my name is memory, he is just reincarnated and remembers his pass lives, the only reason his name stays as daniel is cause he convinces his parents to call him that
Also in my name is memory they do not actually find each other and properly be together (this is including in their pass lives) until near the end of the book.
Another thing is daniel isnt an angel, he simply has abetter memory then anyone else does
One last thing the mysterius force that stops them from being together is daniels evil brother
Okay. 😀
Last night I was browsing Target with my husband — namely the book aisle, but I will or won’t say that we may have looted the candle aisle at some point . . . — when I came upon what is apparently the older edition cover of “My Name is Memory”. I thought to meselves, “This looks like a cool book.” Then I had a conniption — right there in Target. I ran to the YA section and grabbed Fallen, and lo and behold, yup, same synopsis.
Now, I make no judgements on either author. Who knows who had what first. To be honest, since I’ve written my book, I have come across similarities in other fiction that makes me cringe. In the editing stages, I resorted to changing character names and so on, but at a certain point you just have to make your peace that nothing is novel these days.
Take care,
~ Cara
D: I’ll research your books!
I am 26 years old,I am a publisher, I have read both “Fallen” and “My Name is Memory” I think its relevant to state the maturity level of the books is very different. I would also like to point out that after reading this blog, I can understand why Fallen is the book you are geared towards. Despite being well spoken, the immaturity in your backlash has a distinct air of childish banter, and that’s not an ignorant statement, its simply an observation in your argumentative behavior. Your insistent comments about your power to delete these comments(but you won’t) because you believe in freedom of speech, is great, its really big of you, but well spoken words do not hide the fact that its written between the lines your true nature of feeling as though that statement allows you some kind of power over the people who speak their minds just as clearly as you do (if not more). You look for people to argue with you, and this is true in the fact that you do not write lengthy responses to the people giving you good feedback. You wait for the ones who say something that hit that place you need to fulfill (which I am guessing is the real reason you made this blog in the first place)
You should also know, I came across this blog while typing in a search to find out when the second book of the trilogy for MNIM. You may not think that it is your fault as to where your blog ends up, but the statement rings true that “what you put into the world, comes right back” so yes, it is your fault for putting your opinions out their in regards to someone else’s work,you should expect some sort of backlash from people who admire and respect that work, and not get so heated after one comment. People WILL come back to defend them self if it is a topic they are passionate about, and that should at least resonate with yourself, because even though you stopped caring, as you say after you hit send, the spark of eagerness and passion for the love of a story that spoke to you was very relevant to yourself BEFORE you hit send. Please remember that the people who are searching for things regarding these books are probably at the height of their passion and conviction for the writers and the story because its spoke to them.Yourself, as well as any reader out there would agree that a good book gives you that kind of high, and people who are in the midst of that high or are just finishing it, would fight to keep it so THAT is why you will have so many people giving you backlash. That is basically what people see it as when they come across things like this, so as old as it may be for you, its new to that person and they want to defend it. That is just a fact and human nature. So if you feel yourself getting defensive, try and remember those little things too. Also try and remember that these ARE the things that come along with putting anything out there.
Cool. Thanks for that.
@Hope I couldn’t have said it better if I tried. We have to be careful how we say things and react in this world on the internet. I don’t think anyone is right or wrong, but I do believe everyone has the right to speak their minds. Thank you for that enlightenment!
Cool. Thanks for the comment.
ive been itching to read My Name is Memory for as long as i remember but given the gist being similar to Fallen by Lauren Kate, i always hold myself back. Why? Because i simply do not like Fallen. I was very disappointed and even regretted that i bought the book. Well, scratch that maybe i’ll save the cover then throw out the rest coz admittedly, my interest in it was mainly the beautiful cover….now 3 years after, i got around to reading My Name is Memory and was quite surprised by how it’s a hundred times better than Fallen. The literature, the flow of the story, this alone just tells them apart from each other. Yeah, the names and concept itself may seem similar but if you read the 2 books, you’d know it spans in different themes. Likewise what Hope has said, i came across this blog because i was looking for the sequel of MNIM…for the Fallen sequels, i just skipped it over whenever i see it on bookstores….just really makes me sad seeing those beautiful covers go to waste….
I purchased Ann Brashares My name is memory cause I enjoyed her other books, As I started reading the book it seemed like I was reading something achingly familiar with a previous book. I hadn’t even completed the first chapter and I needed to know, it didn’t take me long to realize how similar it was to the Fallen series by Lauren Kate. I read the series first and enjoyed them. Now it seems I will be reading my name is memory to determine how different it is from Fallen.
Well according to my readers, it’s a totally different book save for character names and all. 🙂
That’s because you just read the first chapter which it makes it look like another teen paranormal romance, like Fallen, because Lucy is in high school and Daniel too and blah blah blah. Keep reading the book and you will see that:
1) Daniel’s real name is not even Daniel. He just likes to call himself Daniel because that was his name when he and Sophia (now Lucy in this life) were together. And because nobody really can remember their past lifes (he and his brother an another character are the only ones who can) he’s always trying to keep his original name so when he finds Sophia again it would be easy for her to remember him. That’s the main theme in the book: he trying to make Lucy remember her past lifes and him.
2) After the first chapter the story jumps a few years forward so they are 20something adults in college. This is not a YA book.
3) The story is about reincarnation and the uncanon ability of him to remember all his lifes. Usually nobody remember their past lifes. You just have “deja vus” and stuff like that. But Daniel remembers everything. So is not like he’s immortal or an Angel or something.
🙂
I was google-ing MNIM and Fallen together, and saw this page. I lol’d at your comment war with Natalie, because I was like “She’s a bitch holy fuck, give her hell!” I mean, you made so many damned good points. There is a disclaimer, and stuff. Like, it’s right up there!
That was two years ago though, -.- I’m late. BUT I just thought I’d say power to ya 😀
The only thing I think about in all the comments on here is…… Really this is how people (myself included sadly) spend our precious time. When there are bigger issues in the world than fighting over two books that are similar. We (still including myself here so don’t get your panties in a bunch), could be out in the world making a real difference, we could be helping the homeless, volunteering at a nursing home, helping rescue animals, helping the people of the floods in the Philipeans. Instead people spend time on here discussing two books. I have read the MNIM book and thought it was pretty good, does not mean since I read that book I am closed off from another book cause of similarities, in fact that would make me want to read it all that more, cause I enjoyed it. I remember my teachers always teaching me to never judge a book by its cover, not only do I apply that to people I meet but actually to books. If everyone did that I think there would be a lot less hate in the world. I hate to say this, but these are very small and futile “First World Problems”, and really is this blog worth our very precious time?
People argue to escape reality. We all think we can win an online argument. The real winners are the readers. 😀
*Philippines. Sorry cant help it. It’s my country after all
Okay, I just saw this blog of yours and guess what, we both had the same thoughts, exactly! Haha.
I have read both books, The Fallen Series and My Name is Memory. And I can’t deny the fact that I got so hooked to both of them. But I can definitely tell the difference between the books that I’ve grown to love so much.
I’m not going to give up Fallen with any books, so, I would say that it’s going to be my choice–always–because basically, not only that it was the first book that made me understand and realize how powerful and profound love can be, but also because of its supernatural theme, the severity of plot, the character development and how it ended. I’m not trying to be bias, but really, I just love the idea of how gothic, angels (the creatures that I’ve been loving since then more than vampires), reincarnation, time travel, and romance were mixed altogether in an epic novel.
Meanwhile, I can’t also just close my views on My Name is Memory. I used to kinda judge it before when I hadn’t read it yet–considering that I was still overtaken by The Fallen Series. But when I started reading it, it made me change the way I think about it–totally–to the further extent that it made me even think that it is better than Fallen. But, I don’t wanna decide so quickly, nor I don’t wanna be bias too, so I started to point out things between the two of them and pulled the differences out of them to avoid comparisons.
I started with target of audience.
Fallen is for young adults, My Name is Memory is not. And since I am a young adult, I look forward to the genre that I can relate to, that would certainly give me ‘the feels’–if you know what I mean. And honestly, Fallen didn’t disappoint me with that. MNIM is kind of mature, because logically, it is intended for adults. Yet I couldn’t say that I don’t like it, nor can’t I relate to it. It just depends on how open-minded you can get.
After this, I came off next with the characters.
Okay, I know right, both of the novels used almost exactly the same names, but character-wise, I’d say no.
Daniel Grigori (Fallen) and Daniel Grey (MNIM) are both lovable and mature. Both of them have very deep sense of passion towards the love of their lives, be it on a specific set of time and place, or even on a different body. Both have the capability to recognize their souls, and they are willing to wait for them, until it comes a day that they will be able to love them. Seriously, these characters are just too addictive I can’t get enough of them! However, all characters have their flaws. Grigori turned out to be a little bit frigid and cold to me towards Lucinda at the very beginning, that I was feeling sorry for Luce at that time. Yet, this gave me reasons to hold on and continue looking forward to his character development, as I got a chance to witness his history with Luce in Passion (which I’m really thankful about) and was able to know his very reason why he flipped her off (read Daniel’s Journal, you will know why he had to avoid Luce on that lifetime). Meanwhile, we also have Grey. What I love about him is the deepness of his character, yet, what I don’t like about him is his weakness and hesitation. It’s like he’s just letting things by and running away from the challenges, which is very agonizing to read sometimes. So, I choose Grigori for the upper hand.
Then we have Lucinda Price (Fallen) and Lucy Broward (MNIM). Honestly, I can’t choose between the two because both of them almost have the same character and development: from curious to doubtful to independent to mature. The only difference I think is their charm and attack to the readers. Thoughtfully, Lucy’s personality is more likable. I mean, she’s smart, rational, and just . . . ideal. Yet, despite of all of the negative reviews I’ve read about Luce, mainly being an immature, stupid girl, I still like her more than Lucy. In fact, I claim myself to be like her. Maybe because Luce’s background is more interesting than Lucy’s? I don’t know. But then again, this is just my personal opinion.
I already disregarded the other things that could affect my judging and finally came off with the plot.
The Fallen Series consisted of four books, while we only have one for MNIM. Others say that MNIM is written in trilogy, but until now, we still have no clues if the two books are to be published or not. Both books have to tackle the issue of reincarnation and time travel, but, I think what makes them different is the twist and how the conflict is presented and solved. Fallen’s focus is on Lucinda’s curse–with Luce trying to fathom the mystery and the root cause of her curse as she visits her past lives in Passion (which I really enjoyed reading) and tries to solve them in Rapture. While MNIM’s is how Daniel would make Lucy remember her promise to remember him. Also, both books gave us a snippet of how their love had started, but, rationally speaking, I find MNIM more profound and intense. Maybe because it’s painful to think that Daniel Grey and Lucy’s souls would not always meet, unlike Daniel Grigori and Luce would. But I must say I was personally more satisfied with how Fallen ended, maybe because MNIM is not yet finished as others are saying. But if Fallen just came with one book alone, I would definitely choose MNIM. I think I don’t need to explain why?
I love both books, but like I’ve already said, I just can’t give up Fallen. Others even say that Fallen is plain too boring, the characters are too hateful, the writing style is too poor and all that stuff. I can’t change their opinions about it though because maybe it’s not their cup of tea. And I don’t care, anyway, because no matter what I hear and read from them, I will stick to it until the end.
Damn, you gave a better review than I did 🙂 Thanks!
@Fated Blue YES, I agree about the cover being a rip-off. YES, the synopsis may be pretty misleading in some way that is similar to Fallen. Due to the time lapse perhaps. But the Fallen Series is more on Supernatural genre and honestly I couldn’t relate to it at all as a reader (in my opinion of course). On the other hand, My Name is Memory is kind of leaning towards Psychology/Psychic-ish, and it seems more realistic than Fallen. But for characters being similar? I completely disagree. They might be similar by name, but when you read the book, you can see how different they are in personality of the character. For me, they are completely different books. So why don’t you give My Name is Memory a try, and finish the book. 🙂
Look, I made a mistake by being a total war monger in this blog. I simply couldn’t help my intelligence be mocked. I apologize for what seemed to be a overly defensive move on my part.
Thank you for at least agreeing with me on what I meant to say.
P.S. I actually didn’t bother to read the last book because the whole series was a huge disappointment when I finished book 3. I might just buy the whole set just for the sake of completing the series.