The Memory Weaver

Fiction / Historical

352 pages

5 Stars

Eliza Spalding Warren was a young girl of ten years, newly arrived at the Whitman mission from her home in Lapwai where her parents were missionaries to the Nez Perce, and where she grew up playing with children of The People, and loved and was loved in return, by The People. Shortly after her arrival at the Whitman's mission, a few of the Cayuse, cousins of the Nez Perce, attacked and killed several people, including the Whitmans. Young Eliza was the only one who spoke fluent Sahaptin and was called upon by both the Cayuse and the whites to act as interpreter. The nightmare of those days as a captive, of not knowing if she would live, if her parents lived, if her siblings lived, of being treated roughly by people she didn't know but had been raised to respect and even to love, affected her for the rest of her life.

Ms. Kirkpatrick, a lover of history of the Oregon Country and it's people, took the facts as she found them, filled in the gaps as she could, and wove a delightful story of a young girl who suffers from what today we'd call PTSD, as this child matures, marries against her father's will, questions herself, and eventually questions her memories of that fateful time and place known as Waiilatpu. As young Eliza says in one place, "I had returned to a time, a reunion, that didn't happen where I'd thought. I was discovering that the past I remembered wasn't always the past that was."

Because Eliza's parents were missionaries (Henry Harmon and Eliza Hart Spalding) there is much mention of faith in this book. It is necessary to the story, and beautifully done. Faith was important to those people who made the perilous journey across the mountains and deserts to a vast, unknown, and often unwelcoming, country called Oregon. Young Eliza is credited with being the first white child born and raised in the Oregon Country. Alice Clarissa was born first, but did not live. (Marie and Pierre Dorion's child, considered white at the time, was born even earlier, but again, did not live.)

This is an excellent book by an excellent author who knows how to weave a story into a gorgeous tapestry. I highly recommend this to any lover of history.

The Child Goddess --by Louise Marley

Fiction / Fantasy

352 pages

5 Stars

I read fantasy for escape, and once again, Ms. Marley has given me a great escape. I enjoyed reading about the Magdalenes, and like another reviewer, wondered why they clung to the celibacy idea; however, if they were trying to be accepted, it's understandable. It was hard enough just getting female priests accepted. One step at a time.

The protagonist is Mother Isabel Burke, a priest with faults. Serious faults with which she must cope. She is, alas, very, very human. And that humanness comes out when she is assigned as guardian to child from another planet. It comes out when she again meets the man she loves. It comes out as she deals with people. Mostly, Mother Burke is filled with love.

To help protect her young charge, she returns with Oa to her home planet, from which she was kidnapped, to unravel the secret of the anchen and to help them become persons if they so desire.

Although the protagonist is a Priest, this is not a religious book. It is a great adventure in which the religion of the protagonist plays a role, and helps solve the riddle.

Like another reviewer, I hope we see more books about Mother Burke, and Jin-Li Chung (nice to meet an old from again from Irustan).

A fun read. A two-sit read. Read it, you'll like it.

Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England –by William Cronon

Nonfiction

242 pages

5 Stars

I knew the Europeans changed the land when they arrived, and not always for the good, but this is the first time I've read such a detailed book as to how and why they made the changes. And how those changed affected the land, the flora, the fauna, and those people living on it.

Yes, I suppose it might be a little dry here and there for those who are more interested in fantasy than history. I read it because I found the book in a box of books, and it looked interesting. I was not disappointed. This is a book that will go back on the shelf, and be pulled out often as reference, or just to reread again.

Truly, I'd like to find a book like this about how the Europeans changed the Pacific Northwest and Inland Empire. I imagine in much the same way, but it would be nice to know.

My biggest complaint (and almost gave 4 stars instead of 5 because of it) was the use of endnotes. I hate endnotes. There is no reason perfectly good footnotes could not have been used.

The Nothing (A Book of the Between) --by Kerry Schafer

Fantasy 

326 Pages / 3846 KB

5 Stars

I finished reading Wakeworld (see review here) and immediately picked up The Nothing. Almost a 1-sit read. I think it was a 2 –sit read due to work calling ;-)

The Nothing closes the trilogy begun with Between (see review here), and though this story is now satisfactorily and happily ended, the ending leaves it open for another adventure as soon as the heroine and her companions are rested enough to take it on.

Vivian and Zee must overcome some serious problems, both for the Dreamworlds, which are dying, and themselves. If the Dreamworlds die, people will be unable to dream, and they will die. Vivian must reconcile her three personas—Dreamshifter, Dragon, and Sorceress in order to save the day. But, if she shifts to Dragon one more time, she will die, thanks to a wound by dragonstone when Zee threw the knife at her.

People live in Dreamworld, and people die in Dreamworld, and people make sacrifices in Dreamworld for those they love just as they do in our world, Wakeworld. Having said that, I will say the ending is more than satisfactory.

Seldom do I read a series that MUST be read in order, but this is one of them. While you may be able to read them out of sync, it will be ever so much easier if you start at the beginning of the story and read through to the end. Not only will the worlds make better sense, so will the characters. We have the marvelous opportunity to see them change, grow, learn, and in many cases become people I wish were real and I could meet. A well-written and skillfully produced series of books. My world is better for having read them.

And, yes, Poe is in this book, too. He's so marvelous. He's one of the characters I'd love to know. If Vivian ever needs a penguin sitter, I'm her gal. And Bob. Bob can stay with me, too. Any time.

Wakeworld (A Book of the Between) --by Kerry Schafer

Fantasy

306 pages  2039KB

 5 Stars

It's been a couple of years since I read Between (my review is here) and when I saw the next two books, Wakeworld and The Nothing, I had to buy and read them. I was not disappointed.

I had forgotten Poe, the penguin, and was delighted to find he plays a major supporting role in Wakeworld. New characters are introduced in this book, Weston and his sister, Grace, both of whom play pivotal roles. Weston is a Dreamshifter who has fought it all his life, to great pain and loss.

Weston and Vivian so not start off as best buds, but they realize they must work together to save Dreamworld, and with time, they become good friends. And when Zee nearly kills Vivian, well, he and Weston have, shall we say, words?

I absolutely love the worlds Ms. Shafer has built. I would read the books just for the worlds, however, she's peopled them with such fun characters, I get to enjoy the worlds and their populations.

If you're a lover of fantasy, and new and exciting worlds, you'll enjoy this series. Although not quite a 1 sit book, it was very close.