Our Lady of the Forest, David Guterson
Our Lady of the Forest, David Guterson
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Our Lady of the Forest

Author: David Guterson

Narrator: Blair Brown

Unabridged: 12 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/30/2003


Synopsis

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.

About The Author

David Guterson is the author of a collection of short stories, The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind; Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense; Snow Falling on Cedars, which won the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award, the Pacific Northwest Bookseller Association Award, and was an international bestseller; and the national bestseller East of the Mountains.


Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by CHAUNA on 2007-11-12 11:25:55

I will read just about everything, and usually find something to be glad I've spent my time with an author. This one takes the prize. After 2 weeks trying to plow through this drivel I finally shut the covers at about half way through and vowed 'Nevermore'.

Goodreads review by Megs on July 14, 2008

So, I know this will make me sound like an idiot, but I hate when writers don't use quotation marks for dialogue when it's a fiction novel told in the third person. Especially when the books are mediocre. So not only am I having to stop to think a bit when reading, I'm having to stop to think for a......more

Goodreads review by Deborah on September 10, 2017

This novel has made a deep impression on me. I am not particularly religious, but surprised myself by being deeply moved by the religiosity of the mushroom-picking teenage runaway, Ann Holmes, who experiences the Marian visions. The flawed, but very human, not to say humane priest, Father Collins, a......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on December 22, 2016

How you can write a book about a sighting of the Virgin Mary and make so many references to sex in the same work is mind boggling. But Guterson did it.......more

Goodreads review by Dollie on June 23, 2008

This is a dark book indeed but I thought it was a worthwhile read. ALL of the characters are pathetic creatures but I suppose it is said God uses the most unlikeliest people. Man, they don't come more unlikely. Even the priest gave me the creeps. Everytime I read a chapter, I felt covered in mildew......more

Goodreads review by Stephen on March 26, 2012

This story revolves around a character who is a vital presence at the outset, with disturbing memories, and then, as she is seen more and more from the perspective of others, gradually becomes objectified. Ann is an adolescent runaway with a domestic situation behind her that would inspire just abou......more


Quotes

“This is Guterson’s best book.” –Chicago Sun-Times

“Another virtuoso performance from David Guterson . . . Gripping . . . Marks an expansion of his vision . . . Transporting . . . Balances on the tension between belief and despair without ever losing its sense of mystery.” –L.A. Times Book Review

“Spellbinding . . . Mesmerizing . . . Brilliantly conceived . . . A marvelous and affecting spectacle, both timeless and contemporary, that makes for electric reading.” –Seattle Times

“Explores a complex and challenging set of questions without a hint of condescension . . . The dimensions of this compelling novel are catholic in the larger sense.” –Christian Science Monitor

“An intense and affecting journey of faith, miracle and humanity.” –Denver Post

“Blends some of the appeal of Stephen King’s uncanny tales . . . and John Updike’s fables . . . Thoroughly absorbing . . . Guterson writes virtuoso dialogue.” –Seattle Weekly

“Magnificent . . . Reading it, I kept putting [Guterson] in the best possible literary company . . . I was in a state of elation while I was reading . . . A marvelous book, in every sense.” –Jonathan Raban

“An intense, gripping read . . . Finely etched characters, the most intriguing and fully realized cast in any Guterson novel . . . Should resonate with many readers searching for belief in the post-9/11 world.” –Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Surely one of this year’s best novels . . . Outstanding . . . [Displays] heart, compassion, and a willingness to tackle the most fundamental, and insolvable questions of faith, belief, and personal responsibility.” –Pittsburgh Tribune-Review