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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first title by this author and looking for more, September 28, 2001
I obtained Sacred Ground at the urging of a friend who lives on the east coast. She called me at the beginning of September to let me know that she had just read a wonderful novel that contained the story of Southern California. I ordered and received the book a couple days after that, and it has served as a way to temporarily escape the grief and shock of the events that took place a few days later in New York, D.C. and Pennsylvania. I would recommend it if for no other reason. Sacred Ground tells the story of an archaeologist (Erica Tyler) who becomes involved in a dig in the middle of a wealthy community. An earthquake has caused a long buried cave to become accessible. As Erica Tyler makes her way through the layers of soil in the cave, she must also make her way through the political labyrinth that is the reality of modern Native American cultural debate. The story of the excavation is intertwined with the stories of the women of the Topaa tribe, a hunter gatherer tribe founded by "First Mother," Marimi. As each layer of soil reveals its contents, it also reveals the story of successive generations of Marimi's female descendants who carry her characteristics. There are two things I wish the author had done. First, I felt the story of the "First Mother" could have used with a bit more fleshing out. Her initial struggles are well detailed, but we are left to imagine how the stories and traditions of the Topaa tribe, the ones that are passed on from generation to generation, are created. It would also have been interesting to read how her teachings to her great-granddaughter differed from those she rebelled against. The second thing is that I wish the author had included a map showing the locations of significant events in the book. As it was, after the first couple chapters, I read the rest of the book with a AAA Southern California freeway folding map in hand. The above are minor quibbles, however. The book as a whole contains an incredible amount of historical detail that touches upon most major aspects of California history. We learn, not only about the way-of-life and traditions of ancient California tribes, but also about the mission period, the settlement of Los Angeles, the California gold-rush, and about the competing interests of Native Americans, scholars, private collectors and developers. The book allowed me to see the issues involved from a number of different perspectives. I give the book 4 stars for plot, 5 stars for entertainment and educational value. I have lived in Southern California for most of my life, and this book helped me to better understand the place I live. Sacred Ground gets my strong recommendation.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sacred Ground, December 31, 2001
Interesting fairly fast-paced pre-historical/historical/contemporary novel told in past/present/past/present format. The orgins of a small tribe in California are connected to the anthropologist excavating a cave, and researching the artifacts discovered after a major earthquake. Enjoyable, but coincidences abound. The historical parts are so much better than the contemporary parts. The historical being well researched and written; and the contemporary was somewhat corny and seemed amateurish; not the author's usual calibar at all. Made me wonder if Barbara Wood even wrote the present day portions.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Generational Tale of Discovery, June 9, 2004
When Erica Tyler, a controversial archaeologist, takes a stand regarding the discovery of the 2000 year old bones of an aboriginal woman found after an earthquake disturbs a cave in the Los Angeles region of Southern California, she embarks on an incredible journey of love and self-discovery while uncovering the story of an unknown Indian tribe whose history parallels that of the state of California. As Erica battles both the Native American tribes who disagree with archaelogists interfering with the graves of their own, and her boss who is intent on turning the cave into a museum financed by a wealthy and influential benefactor, she relates the troubled story of her own past, an ordeal of abandonment, foster homes and trouble with the law. Concurrently, in an every other chapter format, Wood retells the bittersweet history of the Topaa tribe, founded by medicine woman Marimi, an outcast from an Arizona tribe forced to traverse the desert and settle her family near the Pacific ocean. Unbeknownst to Erica, the strength of Marimi and her descendants, warrior women who suffer from the dehabilitating headaches of prescience, infuse her with willpower and steadfastness of her own and with the help of lawyer and love interest Jared Black, she finds her way as did Marimi and her kin. As always, Wood weaves a powerful tale of healer women whose compassion and sense of obligation acts as a strong repellant for all things negative. Her pages on the Topaa tribe fascinate; the reader cannot help but finish this novel in one or two days. Reminiscent of Michener's 'Centennial', without the cumbersome geological first chapters, her personal stories regarding the different generations of women remind me of an adult version of the American Girls series, where individual stories are intertwined with great moments of American history to allow the reader to empathize with the times and the time's emotions. Here, Wood delivers a page-turning tale of a strong yet subjugated people who make up the backbone of today's California. Nicely done. If you are looking for a romance tale, this novel focuses more on self-discovery and the resolution of identity. As in other examples of Wood's work, Jared, although a fine masculine specimen, is depicted as more of a helpmate playing second fiddle to Erica's strong first. I also thought that the ending was a little rushed, but perhaps this is due only to the fact that usually I expect a Wood novel to be almost 500 pages. All in all this is recommended to all who are fans of Ms. Wood or like novels depicting strong women in less than perfect situations.
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