What readers think of The White Mary, plus links to write your own review.

This is an incredible debut novel by Kira Salak. The novel follows in the tradition of Conrad's In the Heart of Darkness.The adventure scenes leave one speechless and brings back the story of Stanley's search for Livingston. This tale of spiritual quest will inspire and change the reader's view of the world. It is a tale of survival and enlightenment.

Adventurous journalist Marika Vecurs has dedicated her life to writing about the world's "hell holes", During a particularly arduous trip to Papua New Guinea, she realizes that though she has dared death many times, that it ultimately takes more courage to live than it does to die. This adventure story would appeal to anyone who delights in reading about faraway places and high adventure.

From the moment I turned the cover to read the first page until I closed the book at the end, I was right there. Marika Vecera, a young journalist, has patterned her career after that of Richard Lewis. Lewis being an award winning, outstanding Journalist that had committed suicide a couple of years earlier.

Marika decides to write a biography of Richard Lewis. She begins to gather information about him.and comes across a letter that suggests that Lewis might not be dead after all. This sets Marika on a journey that is unlike anything she has ever experienced before.

Kira Salak in her Authors Note just inside the front cover tells us that some of the information about Marika is from her own life. Which made it all the more interesting to me.

I found this book to be an excellent read.

This is a riveting, and sometimes harrowing, adventure tale which at times I found to bounce between a love story and a "nail biting thriller". Marika is a gutsy heroic journalist and a fearless survivor who attacks the harsh realities of war zones and untamed jungles. She is a hero to inspire all adventure "junkies - a character you will never forget! This book is all fast paced action and for me was mesmerizing - I definitely felt like I was under a spell and couldn't wait to read the next page. I read the book all in one sitting! It is obvious that Kira Salak as a reporter herself has lived through similar adventures and that is how she can capture the beauty of exotic places like Papa New Guinea at the same time as the violence of war zones and political upheaval. I can't recommend this book enough - I LOVED IT!!!

The sections of the book that deal with the Congo, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor are harrowing. Salak writes about some of the horrors and dangerous places in our world with an insider's knowledge. Portions of the sections that describe Marika's relationships with Seb and Sanders seem contrived at times. However, they also reflect the rage that Marika has about what she has seen and experienced. This profound rage is ultimately given full expression by Lewis. I closed the book hoping that Marika and Lewis find peace and maybe even salvation.

This is a sweeping adventure tale that is also a spiritual quest for love and meaning. Kira Salak work as a journalist really pays off here in her first novel. Incredible book.

The author, Kira Salak, appears to use the main character, Marika Vecera, to incorporate her personal experiences in the Papua New Guinea jungle, and tries to weave in a spiritual journey along the way. I found myself captivated by Marika’s struggles in the Papua New Guinea jungle, and her descriptions of the various cultures; however, the story line and the other characters did not seem credible to me. I found the book a page turner despite of the story line and other characters instead of because of them.

White Mary was surprisingly compelling, after my initial sense that the author was trying too hard and that the tale was contrived. If the writing doesn't carry the reader away, then the story had better be darn good, and in this case, I found it good enough to finish the book eagerly. Marika's emotional journey was predictable, albeit extreme. Her physical voyage was fascinating, however, through jungles and into a remoteness and total absence of creature comforts that was enthralling in an "I'm SO glad I'm not there" kind of way. Ms Salak has clearly experienced some of the horrors of which she writes, because her writing rings true and the book soars in these passages. I will search out her nonfiction account of travelling in Papua New Guinea, Four Corners, as I think I'd like her writing more if she didn't feel obliged to insert a manufactured plot.