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There are currently 18 member reviews
for Song of the Spirits
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Linda W. (Summit, NJ)
A Tale of Two Cultures
The location of New Zealand for "Song of the Spirits" is precipitous. This is a country with a glorious landscape that evokes a primal spirituality is most people who visit there. I was disappointed at the author's decision to not describe the scenery of New Zealand and its Maori culture more fully in an attempt to evoke the spirits.
Instead she concentrated on their human story and their relationships to animals as the doorway into their spirit. The twists and turns in the plot as it follows the two young women and their quest for independence and adulthood is fascinating. There is no condemnation at the recklessness of young love or the abandonment of a child because there is an extended family that wraps itself around these women and 'cleans up their mess'.
It was the story line that kept me engaged through 600 some pages. I think the translation is a bit clumsy in some places and I longed for a mental transportation to New Zealand, a gorgeous country that I have been fortunate to have visited.
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Bink W. (Sopchoppy, FL)
Quick and enjoyable
A romance novel for sure. I would not have picked it to review if I had known this. Not my genre. However, a good read that moved quickly and was interesting. Don't expect great prose. The length was not a problem; would have enjoyed a few more hundred pages. Not a Thorne Bird. Would read another by this author. To me the same general escapist literature as popular crime novels, which I also enjoy. If you have limited time: Go read The Orchardist.
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Jane C. (Brighton, MI)
Song of the Spirits
I can understand the unease of the Maori. We were in Queenstown several years ago and went to a presentation and dinner with Maori. To watch them dance their traditional dances, their size and fierceness were palatable. They were wonderful men, but large and fierce looking. The book takes you through 5 years of life of the early settlers in the 1890s. Very well written, but a long read.
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Rebecca G. (Havertown, PA)
A Big Disappointment
I must admit I had lofty expectations for this novel. I was hoping for another great family saga like The Thornbirds or Fall of the Giants considering that this is a very, very big book. I have found that that usually means either I am enthralled with the story and characters and don't want it to end or the book just goes on forever. Unfortunately, this book was more of the latter. The book reads more like a romance novel especially the first part and I found myself plodding through without much enjoyment. The characters and mostly unappealing, frustrating at times and just plain unbelievable at others. The author did try to create suspense and there were moments when this succeeded. But, like most romance novels, it was difficult to get too caught up in the suspense as I pretty much knew everything would work out for all of the "good guys" in the end. Given the length of this book, I was hoping to learn a lot about New Zealand and, especially the Maori people but the information was limited and really just made me hunger for more. Truly it could have been set anywhere, anyplace with sheep farmers, miners and indigenous people. I would only recommend this book to anyone looking for a very long, feel good story with some suspense thrown in for good measure.
