Our Lady of the Forest

Unabridged
Author: David Guterson
Narrator: Blair Brown
Genres: Fiction
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Date: September 2003
Length: 12 hours
Ratings:
Formats:
  • CD

Overview

From the best-selling author of Snow Falling on Cedars—an emotionally charged, provocative new novel about a teenage girl who claims to see the Virgin Mary.

Ann Holmes seems an unlikely candidate for revelation. A sixteen-year-old runaway, she is an itinerant mushroom picker who lives in a tent. But on a November afternoon, in the foggy woods of North Fork, Washington, the Virgin comes to her, clear as day.

Father Collins—a young priest new to North Fork—finds Ann disturbingly alluring. But it is up to him to evaluate—impartially—the veracity of Ann’s sightings: Are they delusions, or a true calling to God? As word spreads and thousands, including the press, converge upon the town, Carolyn Greer, a smart-talking fellow mushroomer, becomes Ann’s disciple of sorts, as well as her impromptu publicity manager. And Tom Cross, an embittered logger who’s been out of work since his son was paralyzed in a terrible accident, finds in Ann’s visions a last chance for redemption for both himself and his son.

As Father Collins searches his own soul and Ann’s, as Carolyn struggles with her less than admirable intentions, as Tom alternates between despair and hope, Our Lady of the Forest tells a suspenseful, often wryly humorous, and deeply involving story of faith at a contemporary crossroads.

Reviews (1)

Our Lady of The Forest

Written by Anonymous on April 6th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 2/5

Excellent "read." Occasionally burdensome, but for the most part, well done, well paced and engaging. If you liked Snow falling on Cedars, you will like this new one by Guterson.

Author Details

Author Details

Guterson, David

"David Guterson was born in Seattle in 1956. His father, Murray Guterson, is a distinguished criminal defense lawyer: ""One of the things I heard [from him] early on was to find something you love to do--before you think about money or anything else. The other thing was to do something that you feel has a positive impact on the world.""

Guterson received his M.A. from the University of Washington, where he studied under the writer Charles Johnson. It was there that he developed his ideas about the moral function of literature: ""Fiction writers shouldn't dictate to people what their morality should be,"" he said in a recent interview. ""Yet not enough writers are presenting moral questions for reflection, which I think is a very important obligation.""

After moving to Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound, Guterson taught English at the local high school and began writing journalism for Sports Illustrated and Harper's magazine, where he is now a contributing editor. His books include a collection of short stories, The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind, Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense, and Snow Falling on Cedars, which won the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award, and Our Lady of The Forest published in 2003."