Medicine Woman (Paperback)

by Lynn V. Andrews (Author) "Are you ready?..." (more)
Key Phrases: marriage basket, wolf doll, mother rattle, Red Dog, Poor Cow, Great Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Medicine Woman has to do with the meaning of life, the role of women, and the wrestling of power away form the forces of evil that hold it." -- Los Angeles Times

"Medicine Woman is the autobiographical account of a woman's search for identity in a Native American culture... What begins as a search for a Native American marriage basket becomes Lynn Andrews' often terrifying journey into the wilderness of Manitoba, where inexplicable events and dangerous encounters serve as testing grounds for Lynn's spiritual journey... In the light of this odyssey, one wonders if Carlos Castaneda and Lynn Andrews have not initiated a new genre of contemporary literature: Visionary Autobiography" -- San Francisco Review of Books

"A statement of what is called for and possible in all of us." -- Sojourner

"First Class... A remarkable adventure into the world of the spirit." -- San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

"There is much wisdom here... What sometimes appears as madness may contain its own wisdom; and what may sometimes sound like wisdom may be madness. It is precisely this intricate balance that the medicine woman must learn to keep." -- Santa Fe Reporter

Product Description
A fascinating Castaneda-like spiritual journey into the wilderness of Manitoba, where Lynn Andrews meets Agnes Whistling Elk, the Native American "heyoehkah," or shaman, who will change her life.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco; Reprint edition (October 26, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062500260
• ISBN-13: 978-0062500267
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #686,067 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A SHAM!!, July 10, 2002

By	"loboshe" - See all my reviews

Though this is a good FICTION book, I am amazed that Lynn Andrews thinks we are dumb enough to believe this is an autobiography. Give me a break!! After doing some research on the internet, I am also amazed to find out that her live-in companion at the time this was written was David Carson (co-author with Jamie Sands in Medicine Cards book) who, at the time, claimed HE helped her write it. Also note that in the Medicine Cards book, David dedicates the book to three aunts, and two happen to have the names Ruby and Agnes---the same two female characters in Medicine Woman...hmmmmm. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. There are plenty of other SINCERE and HONEST books about Native American Shaminism and spirituality without wasting your time on this one.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars mixed metaphors run rampant, March 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Medicine Woman (Paperback)

I kept on checking the spine to make sure it said "non-fiction", but it did. Andrews uses such a variety of native terms (ranging from Cree, Lakota, Zuni and Mayan)that it seemed to be more new-age mumbo jumbo than something to take seriously. Seems like Andrews may belong to the "Wanna-be" tribe.

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars fiction, November 8, 2001

By	Kelly (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This is an okay story compared to later books , but it should read in big letters: Fiction or Fictional account based on events. The Lakota and other Native Americans have taken Andrews (as well as Castaneda and others) to task for forging their spirituality and have called on her to reveal the book as fiction both in person and in various articles on the web. (...)

When I first read it, I thought it was a wonderful story but was perplexed by the essential bimbo-ness of the author's character throughout the novel. She was always whining. She acted like a "girl" well throughout the first books of the series yet she wasn't a girl for anyone who did the math. Then I logged on and found out what she charged for her seminars and it was all very clear. Each book read more and more like a screenplay rather than spiritual instruction. She definitely targets her market and it appeals to the little girl love of fairy tales and exotic fantasies that live on in many adult women. For the spirituality that an adult requires, however, it's a bad hash of not much.