Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jun 2006, 240 pages
Paperback:
May 2007, 244 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
Buy This Book
From the book jacket: From the moment
that he looks down on the ancient gray head of
Noah, who is swinging his stone axe, the
narrating crow in this unique and remarkable
epic knows that these creators called Man are
trouble. He senses, too, that the natural order
of things is about to change. At a time when so
many of us are searching for meaning, Layne
Maheu’s debut novel lingers in a masterfully
rendered ancient world just long enough to
ponder our fears of disaster and to watch as
humanity struggles to survive, to understand,
and finally to prevail.
Comment: Song of the Crow is a very difficult book to
describe. On one level it's simply the story of
Noah's Ark told through the eyes of a crow named
"I Am", bringing the ancient biblical story to
life complete with bickering relatives and
over-crowded ark, enhanced by fascinating
factoids about crows. However, depending on your
take on life (like
Timothy) it can also be read as a
meditation on man's place in the universe;
think Jonathan Livingston Seagull meets
The Red Tent with shades of
Watership Down.
Because BookBrowse backs every recommendation
with a substantial excerpt from the book itself
you never have to take our word alone on any
book. In the case of Song of the Crow
you can browse the prologue and
first three chapters.
Layne Maheu lives with
his son in Seattle,
where he works as a
carpenter. His short
stories have appeared in
the Other Voices,
Northwest Review,
Ascent, and others.
Song of the Crow is
his first novel.
This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in June 2006, and has been updated for the
May 2007 edition.
Click here to go to this issue.
If you liked Song of the Crow, try these:
by Verlyn Klinkenborg
Published 2007
Timothy explores the natural history of a particular animal by adopting the animal’s own sensibility and his deeply empathetic relation to the world around him.
by Carolyn Turgeon
Published 2006
Rain Village casts a fabulous spell, pulling us into a world of mystery and possibility where love, friendship and loyalty might either destroy or set one free.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
