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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Touching, Unique Post-Nuclear Fiction,
By
This review is from: A Gift Upon the Shore (Paperback)
M. K. Wren's "A Gift Upon the Shore" is a rare bird indeed: it's science fiction, written about women characters, in a woman's style, by a woman. Like other fiction written by women, from a woman's point of view (think "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water" and books by Barbara Kingsolver), "Gift Upon the Shore" concerns itself with more lyrical and emotional prose, thankfully glossing over male survivalist-style details for the actual story underneath, and does so much to its advantage.The tale "Gift" tells is of a woman, Mary Hope, who survives a nuclear holocaust on the Oregon coast with newfound friend Rachel. Rachel is an artist, who teaches Mary the value of the mind, learning, and beauty. Together, the two manage to eke out an existence after the bombs, scavenging books from local houses and libraries to preserve for future generations. The story is told from two consecutive points in time: younger Mary, just after the holocaust, and older Mary, telling the story to a young boy. Both Marys are threatened by the ignorance of a band of ultra-fundamentalist Christian survivalists, who deem the blasphemous things in her books (such as evolution, plate tectonics, and other sciences) a threat to the order that helped them survive. The beauty of science fiction is that it allows the reader (and writer) to examine possibilities and philosophies under the most extreme of conditions. The problem is that most sci-fi succumbs to reducing those philosophies to mere stereotypes, and Wren comes dangerously close to doing that in "Gift." The Christians are portrayed as utterly ignorant, witch-burning psychotics or as sheep who merely follow along so as not to disrupt the fragile order. Likewise, the agnostic/humanist characters are the only fully-fleshed characters in the book; the main villain is almost a laughable cardboard cut-out, almost not even worthy of the agnostic's attentions. Wren's message is, of course, a vital one, but "Gift" seems to be preaching to the choir - with such obviously vile enemies, those who need to read the book will likely be put off before the message is received. Otherwise, "Gift Upon the Shore" is a fine, fast read. The prose clips along at a steady gait, although the book is somewhat hard to start (if you can make it past the first fifty pages, you'll be fine). Wren chose to set the novel near the Willamette Valley in Oregon, on the ocean, which is ironically the location of the mythical, paradise-like St. Rose in David Brin's 1984 post-nuclear novel "The Postman." Whether this nod is intentional or not is unclear, but I doubt Wren ignored such a key book in the genre. At any rate, even with its faults and somewhat heavy-handed moralizing, "A Gift Upon the Shore" is a very good novel, and deserves attention as such. It deserves even more so because of the rarity of such a clear, strong female voice in this male-dominated genre. Hats off to Wren for creating such a pleasurable book. Grade: B+
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
10 Stars If I Could!,
By
This review is from: A Gift Upon the Shore (Hardcover)
This novel supposedly takes place in the near future, beginning just before a nuclear war and subsequent plague decimates the human population. Mary Hope is the principle character, and she relates a story that begins when she is a young woman and progresses until she is older, in her 60's, this story being told to a young man named Stephen as Mary attempts to prepare him to eventually replace her as the teacher of their small group on the Oregon coast. Most of the group is of a fanatical religious bent and she has to carefully navigate through this. Author M. K. Wren gives us this interesting tale through the perspective of a woman, and I am aware that women tend to be more introspective than men are, of emotions and their environment, and also more attuned and sensitive to interpersonal relationships, this is all very evident in this novel, and well done. The story is very philosophical, I loved it. The underlying message is that the human race has squandered precious resources preparing for war, plunging us into worldwide recession, culminating in nuclear war and plague. There is no ultimate right and wrong, only human values and the importance we ourselves place on them. The story gives graphic detail of events at the "end" and far past it, made me feel as though I was really there. It illustrates the strong will and determination some people possess in the face of calamity, and a quest to save part of civilization. I loved the rational world-view of the two principal characters, Mary and Rachel, no mythmaking or herd behavior with these ladies, they accept the true nature of the universe. A very poetic novel, always reflective, I savored every word.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Possibly my favorite book,
By BHillan@aol.com (Beloit, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Gift Upon the Shore (Hardcover)
I am a prolific reader who especially enjoys books that deal with "post apocolyptic" story lines. But "A Gift Upon The Shore" is that and so much more. I read it over and over again. I have a large library and re-read many of my favorites, but each time I see this book I want to pick it up and read it again. It is, to me, the perfect book for a writer to read. If you love books, and all that they represent you will love "A Gift Upon The Shore". I believe that once you've read it you will never forget the story and the two women (no make that three women) who are so much a part of the tale.
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