Our Lady of the Forest

Rating:
Summary: A bit pretentious and affected
Review: This is a simple and beautiful story written with an over-the-top vocabulary. The copy editor should have strongly urged the author to use a less ostentatious vocabulary. Without "dumbing" it down, the concepts and images could have been conveyed clearly and beautifully without such exhibitionist words.

I am a fairly well read individual yet, as I read the book, I had the sense the author had consulted a thesaurus to unecessarily embellish a sentence. Reading this book was like watching a movie filled with product placements. In this case, however, it is a novel filled with archiac and seldom-used words.

While there are passages that gently guide the reader through the story, the readability is brought to an abrupt halt with the peppering of pretentious and affected language. I had the sense the author was showing off. Again, there's no need to "dumb it down." Nonetheless, simple concepts can be conveyed eloquently and beautifully without the use of fireworks.

And I'm still trying to figure out why it was necessary to mention the visionary had repeatedly pleasured herself in the woods. Was that perhaps to impress upon us how unlikely an individual she was to experience a Marian vision?

I was disappointed with this book.



Rating:
Summary: The Not-So-Virginal Tale of a Virgin Mary Sighting
Review: "Our Lady of the Forest", witten by David Guterson, is a fascinating and well written, if not overly detailed story. In general, I liked the book, though I found myself dragging through the slow parts and sometimes not picking the book up again for weeks. Guterson writes in a style of writing like a newspaper reporter would, telling details from a 3rd person point-of-view. This 323 page book is not, by any means, a quick read, but is definatly a story that keeps you hooked.

The beginning of the book starts out by telling an overview of the story, subtly hinting at what is to come. Ann Holmes, a runaway with a lifetime of drama packed into just 16 years, is living in a campgound in the dying ex-logging town of North Fork, Oregon. She picks mushrooms to earn money,
harmlessly smokes pot, and practices her new found faith in God. Life is pretty dreary for this sickly, emaciated girl until one day, when looking for mushrooms, she is seized by the Virgin Mary, who comes to her in a vision. While Ann tries to do the Virgins bidding, a large following slowly builds up,
including some of the towns, not so pure inhabitants. As we learn about each of these characters deepest yearnings, sins and fears, the plot moves leisurly on until the climax of the book finally comes. Ann, the visionary who only wished to be vindicated of her sins and do the work that the Virgin had assigned her, ends up suffocating from her asthma and a "attack" from a man in need of healing. The book ends almost happily with everyone having a new outlook on life and Ann's wish of a church being built on the spot of her visions, fulfilled. The story is definatly compelling but I'd say about a third of the
book could be deleted and the story would still be just as excellent. All through the book, you're wondering if anything will really happen, because Guterson writes in such a detailed, almost dry style.

I think the point of this story was to inspire. Guterson wanted us all to think about how we act toward eachother and ourselves. He wanted to make us realize that we're selfish and immoral, yet still show us that no one is perfect and its human fault to be that way. In the book, Ann, who in general we would think would be a very strict relgious
person because she is visited by the Virgin Mary, turns out to be very corrupted. I think Guterson was using Ann to represent the human population in general.



Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: This novel was interesting enough to keep me reading. But not interesting enough for me to recommend to my friends. In the end it just seemed pointless. I would have enjoyed more insight into the main character. I would have enjoyed a more dramatic ending too. The brush used to paint Catholics with was amusing, though I can see how this might offend some. All in all, read it when you have gotten to the bottom of your to-read pile.

Rating:
Summary: Into the unknown
Review: Guterson's impeccable attention to detail is here, as is his ability to tap into human experience, albeit mostly in the Pacific Northwest of the US, and to give the reader a real sense of the atmosphere in the novel's setting, but he fails to make key aspects of Our Lady of the Forest convincing.

In East of the Mountains, he acknowledges the help and advice he received from experts in the fields of human and veterinary medicine, military history and so on. No such acknowledgement appears in Our Lady of the Forest, which is a shame because the book would have been much improved by some important changes that any priest or Catholic journalist or academic would have been able to point out.

Paul McCartney may have used the term 'Mother Mary' in Let it Be, but this is not a term English-speaking Catholics generally employ to refer to the Mother of God. Also, there is no way on earth a genuine dialogue between an older priest like Father Butler and a younger colleague such as Father Collins would have them refer to each other as 'brother'.

These may seem small points, but they are significant because they make much of the book ring false.

Guterson clearly knows the great outdoors of Washington. Snow Falling on Cedars worked tremendously because of his intimate knowledge of island life and of the work of a small-town reporter, as well as his understanding (aided presumably by his father) of how courtroom drama works. But, as an agnostic Jew, he ought not to have tackled some of the big themes of the Catholic Church without some expert help.

Rating:
Summary: So far from the real TRUTH
Review: WARNING!!!!Guterson's most dissapointing work. As a Roman Catholic, I was offended, ashamed and horrified to read this disgusting portrayal of Catholics. We start with a "visionary" masturbating several times, using magic mushrooms and talking of a past abortion and pregnancies, rapes, etc. If that is not disgusting and depressing enough, we then move on to a priest that lusts after the young girl the entire book. The priest that says there is no devil, and that no apparition is authentic or necessary. Her closest friend thinks she's insane, naive and is simultaneously ripping her off. The entire story shows her followers as quacks, religious zealots, simpletons, and complete idiots. Thoroughly dark and depressing, not to mention that it constantly in error regarding church teaching. The only voice of reason was a priest that is not a main character and portrayed as an old and stuck in the 60's.

I read until the end just hoping to justify the waste of time. The end has NO REDEEMING qualities, no answers, is cynical and depressing. It doesn't even really have an end. DO NOT PICK UP THE BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: Not really worth it
Review: This book is well written but that's about all I can say on a positive note. Except for the protagonist, who is a rather bland innocent, none of the characters are that likeable. And I reached I point where I thought if I had to read about one more (...) I'd scream.

Rating:
Summary: Still waiting for the point of it all...
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars in one of my favorite books. Even the movie was great. I read East of the Mountains with the expectation of enjoying it just as much. Boring. So I thought I'd give Guterson another try with Our Lady of the Forest. Even more boring. The most redeeming part of this book is that Anne sees the apparition at the very beginning of the book, on page 10. The rest of the book I kept on reading, waiting, hoping for something to happen, but nothing ever did. Ok, I'll admit it was mildly interesting to ponder how faith moves people in profound ways. But other than that, I think I'm done with Guterson. Or maybe I'll just read Snow Falling on Cedars again.

Rating:
Summary: is there a point?
Review: This book is very slow and only just barely keeps your curiousity. The book spends to much time on characters that aren't relevent to the story and it's extremely dreary and you don't feel enough sympathy for the main character because you see her so little. This book isn't a fun read and so far just feels like a waste of time. Unless you want to be annoyed and depressed choose a different book.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Well Executed...
Review: This novel tells the story of Ann Holmes, an impoverished and sickly runaway who encounters a vision of the Virgin Mary in a forest near a failing Pacific Northwest logging town.

Is the vision real, the product of Ann's fervent belief in Our Lady, or the result of a mind addled by stress, poverty, sickness and a history of marijuana use? What is to be made of Mother Mary's message to forsake evil, rededicate ourselves to God, and to build a church on the site of the visions? Are the priests involved in investigating the vision competent for the task? And what does the mass arrival of pilgrims at the site mean for the declining fortunes of the logging town of North Fork?

Our Lady of the Forest transcends most usual genres. There is too much black humor and sharp observation to classify it as a mystical novel, and it is too raw and heartfelt to be a comedy or satire. Readers who expect a predictable plotline might be disappointed. At the same time, the characters are sharply drawn, the plotting is original and author David Guterson has crafted a fully-realized small-town drama. If you are interested in a well-executed novel that goes beyond the usual, it is a worthy read.

Rating:
Summary: Sorry I didn't visit this review site first
Review: Purchased two copies of the book based on the testimonials by the various book reviewers. I had planned to give one as a gift and keep the other for myself. I now have two books I don't think I'll even donate to the used book sale because the story is nothing like what you are led to believe it will be and, in fact, is anything but "an intense and affecting journey of faith, miracle and humanity." . I am thoroughly disappointed and disgusted with myself for wasting the money.