Kaya McLaren
2008
240 pages
This book was too New Age-y for my taste. I initially liked the story, but Mara, the main character, was a bit too “your aura is murky let’s dream together and pray to the angels and all will be well” for me. Okay, I’m oversimplifying, but you get the idea.
The story has four narrators: Mara, Edith, Earl and Daniel. Mara is an art teacher. New to Three Rivers, she instantly adopts a pig (to save it from slaughter) and moves into an old bunkhouse on Edith and Earl’s ranch. Despite their differences, Mara and Earl bond over broken fences and dance lessons, as Mara also discretely shrinks Earls tumor (because she can do stuff like that). Mara and Edith bond over saunas (because one of the first things Mara did was build a sauna) and bread baking (she also built a brick oven). Mara is intuitive, creative, and mystical. Frankly, she started to bug the shit out of me. She even started to work her magic on Edith and Earl’s grandson, Daniel, who was formerly estranged from his grandparents.
In short, hippie Mara arrives in conservative Three Rivers and spreads love and tolerance and vegetarianism all around. And everyone lives (or dies) happily ever after.
Meh.
Ok, let me just say: I want that brick oven. After Mara builds it for me, she can go away.
Sounds too new age-y for my tastes, too.
I am not a fan of New Age fiction at all. I don’t know why but something always rubs me the wrong way in them.
I’m not into New Age stuff either.
No new age stuff for me either…blah.
Yeah.. this one does not sound like my cup of tea either. I’d have to indulge in some sort of illegal substance for it to appeal to me. LOL.
Hee. Love your review. I don’t think I’ve ever read any New Age fiction? Love the cover and title, though.
Not big on new-age-y stuff either. I’ll avoid this one.
Absolutely love the review, I’m cracking up. New Age garbage bugs the shit out of me as well (don’t even get me started on homeopathy). It’s all just so ridiculous.
Fantastic review!!!
Ugghh another happily ever after!
Seriously how about this – save all the first part where Mara is perfect, Mara build ovens and saunas, Mara saves the pigs we should be eating for breakfast, and Mara magically cures tumors while bread is baking in the oven … but then … the people of Three Rivers begin disappearing under mysterious circumstances … and Mara has suddenly built a new smokehouse which she uses to cure and tan her own homemade leather products, which she sells alongside her unidentifiable preserves! Now there’s a story
Excellent – I scared you all off. My job here is done.
Joanne – I think you could sell that as a movie script!