The Woman Who Fell from the Sky [Hardcover]

Barbara Riefe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1994

Aristocrat Margaret Addison leaves England in the seventeenth century to sail to New World, where she survives a Mohawk massacre and is adopted by members of the Oneida tribe, who teach her the many strengths of their way of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As this ambitious new novel by Riefe ( A Woman of Dreams ) opens, Margaret Addison Lacroix, an 17th-century English aristocrat, is sailing up the Hudson River toward Quebec to join her new husband, a French army officer whom she has married by proxy. (The union has been made possible thanks to the lull in hostilities between Britain and France engineered by Quebec's famed Governor-General Frontenac, who plays an important, if off-page, role here.) Margaret's plans for a church wedding and a peaceful life are shattered, however, when the ship is attacked by Indians. All aboard are killed except Margaret, who is saved by a hunting party of Oneidas. To them, the white woman is Ataentsic, the Iroquois spirit called the Woman Who Fell from the Sky, who created the world. Though Margaret is repelled by her primitive rescuers, she has no choice but to go along peaceably. The narrative is as much about the clash of cultures as about one woman's journey. Riefe, who's part Mohican, weaves an extraordinary amount of period detail into her story and evinces a strong feel for Indian culture. Vigorous writing, including crisp dialogue and well-rounded characters enliven this vivid if unusually violent tale, which brings its gutsy heroine to a fateful decision--and will leave readers looking forward to its promised sequel.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

If you are interested in Iroquois history, lore, and crafts-and improbably silly characters-go no farther. About the time of the French and Indian Wars, the intrepid heroine, Margaret-a spoiled member of the English gentry-is on her way up the Hudson River to settle in Quebec with Pierre, a soldier, degenerate rakehell, and her husband by proxy. The boat is attacked and destroyed by savage Mohawks, and Margaret flees barefoot in her nightgown. The next day she is found by a band of friendly Oneidas, led by the powerful, handsome, and taciturn Two Eagles. (Do we smell the beginnings of a "bodice ripper" here?) Margaret then proceeds to walk 150 miles in three days in corn cob slippers without raising a blister; is raped into unconsciousness several times; and, finally, gives up Pierre, civilization, warm clothes, wealth, and shoes to live forever with Two Eagles. It's love! The only parts of this book that are credible are the portraits of the Indians and the high-handed treatment afforded them by "civilized" whites. Not recommended.
Dawn L. Anderson, North Richland Hills P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 332 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312854463
• ISBN-13: 978-0312854461
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,609,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a Way I Find this Deep, December 8, 2000

By 

izzyfree "izzyfree" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Woman Who Fell from the Sky (Hardcover)

"The Woman who fell from the Sky" is a really captivating book. At first I wanted to stop reading this book because of the confusing names, but then it got really interesting. It wasn't really about the "romance" that captivated me but it was more of the relationship between the Indians, French and English.

This book (if it was based on real facts) made me realize that the Indians were not the savages of the new world, which was America. It was really the French and English. Even though the Indians were dressed weird and had different styles, their thinking and principles were really intelligent. They also kept their promises and acted as real honest people, while the French and English were like rats because they would break their promises and were really like weasels.

I enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel (?) to this book, which is "For the Love of Two Eagles"