Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Journey - 4.5 Stars, October 8, 2007
The Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell is a fascinating journey into African History. The fantasy novel encompasses so many issues and handles them with aplomb. Wind Follower is a story about ancient African societies and their customs, cultures and traditions. So many issues are explored in this novel that resonate in our world today. The issues of race, class and religion are explored in ways I have never read in a fantasy novel. Being told from the fantasy angle only makes it more interesting.
The book follows the life of Loic and Satha, a married couple from different tribes. There are three main tribes that are divided by race and color. There is the white skinned, the light skinned and the dark skinned tribes. Loic is light and his wife, Satha, very dark. The personalities, customs and rituals of these tribes are discussed in-depth. It is very obvious Ms. McDonnell has done extensive research on ancient African tribal customs.
What makes Wind Follower such an intriguing book is how the themes of spirit and ancestor worship are amazingly intertwined with a strong Christian message. Some readers may find the perceived Christian angle difficult to digest because there are well described scenes of sex and violence. However, I found them integral to the story of Loic and Satha because it explored their relationship and how hard they worked against all odds to be together. A main component of the story is about Loic fighting for Satha's honor which would not allow the story to be told in any other way. Ms. McDonnell does an amazing job of making the characters in a fantasy, completely human.
Wind Follower is a compelling read from start to finish and I highly recommend it to all readers. This book is the type that can inspire conversations for years to come.
Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Terrific Fantasy that Reads like Spiritual Folklore!, November 13, 2007
What a read! I loved this book.
An immature but fervent young man at odds with the spirits of his people, yet destined for some greatness he doesn't comprehend or believe; a woman of virtue and selflessness of a different tribe and color who must marry this young , flawed chieftain's son besotted with her looks and manner; and a crucial historical moment when their peoples are threatened by an outside tribe intent on conquest as their religious right: That's the premise of WIND FOLLOWER. Much conflict and growing up ensues.
Carole McDonnell, an author with graceful prose and a fierce talent, has penned a delightful fantasy that rings with echoes of human history and anthropology as well as abounding with Biblical allusions. The combination of her skill in storytelling, her finely realized world with its various cultures and customs, and her definite and unapologetic Christian worldview is one I found resulted in a tale that is exhilirating and refreshing, upholding Christianity within a fantasy framework in an age and genre generally cynical about or skeptical of or openly hostile to such a worldview.
This is a novel that allows for the variety in its fiction that is naturally found in the real world. It's not a Euro fantasyland such as Tolkien's or Lewis' or a host of others that seem to have one or both feet stuck in medieval England or Ireland. No, this one has too many suggestions that its world is set in a place akin to frontier America, while not being bound point by point to that era or geography. There are suggestions of Asia, of Latin America, of Africa (Muslim and pagan and Christian), of Anglo settlers slash conquerors, of Native Americans.
There are three main resident tribes, each with its own characteristics and customs and appearance--one evoking Africa, one a blend of Asia and Native Americans, one less quantifiable but seemingly akin to Latino-mestizos. And there is the supernatural "tribe" composed of legion of beings who interact with the native peoples in various ways, not all of them seemingly worthless or wholly benevolent. There is something more complex at work, and all may not be as it seems.
The human story centers on two characters, an impoverished spinster-woman of the "African" tribe, and a man who is a chieftains's son of the "Asian/Native American" tribe. For him, it is love at first sight. For her, not so much. And the story of his wooing and her resitance, and then of the complications that come into their married life--including some significant treacheries and tragedies--build to a climax that will affect the entire world, and will remind readers of the most significant spiritual narrative of the last 2000 years.
The story is affecting as a love story, as a quest story, as a tragedy, as a heroic tale, as a tale of spiritual warfare. And the voice that the author uses is effective for the telling of such a story, both musical and poetic enough to give it the feel of an oral retelling of a great folklorically-enshrined history, and non-contemporary enough in the sound to feel both culturally different and sacred.
I heartily recommend this to both Christians and non-Christians. Christians familiar with their sacred texts will easily pick up on the multitude of paraphrases and allusions and it will enrich the meaning. But a warning note for those who are on the prudish side or have a thing about sexuality in fiction: There are some scenes that you may find offputting. I found they added and did not detract from the story. But then, I find asexual depictions of romance and marriage false and gynecological exam depictions of sex gratuitious. Carole McDonnell walks the line perfectly. Enough that it feels like real people with real experiences. Not so detailed that you feel as if you stared into someone's bedroom at the wrong time.
Non-Christians will enjoy a tale of romance and adventure and the seeking of one's identity and of truth. Well, anyone can enjoy that. Plus good writing.
If I had to pick out one negative, it's the numerous typos--excess words, missing words, and other booboos-- that the copyeditor should have caught. I hope the book goes into multiple printings and gets a wide readership, but please, for the second and other printings, can the editors at Juno fix those errors? This story deserves the best presentation possible. At the same time, I'd like to thank Juno for having the vision to publish this fine story that is unashamedly theistic.
Oh, and the cover is kicking, but it really should feature both the strong female, Satha, and her spouse, Loic. It's a dual story that is belied by the emphasis on Satha on the cover.
Thumbs up. Very high up and wagging with pleasure.
Mir
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond the Cover, September 21, 2007
There's a classic saying that states you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Simply looking at the cover, the average reader might assume that the book is just about a beautiful and powerful woman. But it's far more than that. I doubt that any cover could really accurately depict everything that this book holds.
Windfollower follows the stories of two main characters: Loic and Satha. Both accounts are interwoven and written in first person, but Carole McDonnell manages to give each character a unique voice. The many cultures, the characters, the places all seem real. This isn't a book that is simply read. It is a book that absorbs you and draws you into the detailed, beautiful, and sometimes tragic world of Doreni, Thesini, and Ibeni. The book reveals these cultures and all their traits without causing the reader to feel swamped and overwhelmed.
I found this to be an excellent book and one that I will definitely stay on my favorites list. Parts made me want to cry, and other parts made me smile. The language alone makes the book worth reading and worth quoting. McDonnell proves herself to be an excellent wordsmith. She doesn't rely on old, cliche phrases. She creates her own.
This is a must read for any lover of epic fiction, romance, or other cultures. Even for just the casual reader. This book deserves every star and more than one read. Jobara!
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