Rating: 
Summary: IMMENSE STORY
Review: Silko's novel is fascinating. Its continent-leaping plot begins and ends with the simplistic lives of the "sand lizard" Indians of the southwest. The great themes of greed and ambition are visited along the way as well as the more intimate ones of loyalty and courage. As one might expect, when the "civilized" world intrudes into that of the young Indian girls, conflict and betrayal are the result. But politically correct ideas are not played out heavyhandedly here. Deep character development and the heartbreaking story itself are the priority of this writer. I rarely savor a novel as much as I did this one. In fact, while reading dozens of others concurrently, this one took nearly half a year. There's a marvelous amount of gravity working in these pages.
Rating:
Summary: Gardens in the Dunes is a masterpiece
Review: This new novel by Leslie Marmon Silko is a masterpiece. Silko has written another wonderful book about Native Americans, but at the same time we can read the history of Western civilization following the story of these gardens and plants. The prose is always original, intense, lyrical.
Rating:
Summary: Found Treasure
Review: While on a camping trip, I settled into this amazing book. Still can't quite identify it -- is it a Botany book? a social treatise? travel book? feminist tract? religious thesis? history book? Visually stunning: the well dressed little Indian with the parrot on her shoulder and the monkey holding her hand; ancient stones and mists of Bath; lusty sun soaked gardens of Italy; the clay painted Indian dancers; a hammock on a boat in the Amazon; the high spirited Hattie; the self-absorbed Edward; all the magnificent gardens -- how on earth does Silko make the transitions in such a believable manner? Yes, of course, the author has an agenda, and magically shows us a version of what she considers important. Mamalinda believes this book is best enjoyed beside a body of water, settling into the trees or by the light of the campfire, and crawling into and living within this masterpiece... and Mamalinda will be looking for the author's other books!
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