Our Lady of the Forest

By: David Guterson

Narrated by: Blair Brown

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.©2003 David Guterson; (P)2003 Random House, Inc., Random House Audio, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“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

No Big Deal

Trying too hard to be hip and current, this book reads like a laundry list of society's woes and laments. This is a good-vs-evil morality tale that spins in drug use, ecoterrorism, spotted owls, and oppression of the working class. The characters are rich but the amount of detail is burdensome. Rather than a character driven story, the author seems determined to show off his talents at overanalysis and strained internal dialog.
Although I am not Christian, I am fascinated by Virgin Mary iconography. While the story includes discussion of Mary in the Catholic faith (I can't comment on the quality of this dialog, though it might be interesting to those who are knowledgeable), the writing itself lacks emotional impact and truth. Overall, an interesting story, but a disappointing delivery.

Saints and Sinners

A book that explores motivation and guilt from many perspectives and refuses to give pat answers to anything. I great springboard for discussion - even within my own mind. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

While different from his other works in many ways, it is another star attached to the name of David Guterson. His feel for the small Washington peninsula town is dead-on perfect.

You believe what you want to believe

This book was a mandatory read for my bible class studying the Virgin Mary. I thought k would bot like this book but I ended up loving it. You don't hear much about Ann but you hear about the lives of the people that live in the town and how this apparition sighting has changed the life of the town. I would recommend his book but remember you believe what you want to believe.

Better than Snow

I put off reading this because so many reviewers compared it unfavourably to Snow Falling on Cedars but I felt just the opposite. Guterson has learned something about making his characters more believable and lost none of his exquisite sensitivity for the northwest coast setting. The story is better, too.

Safe to read

God fearing Christians can read this if they realize that this is fiction and more a novel about people around what seems a true apparition. It's end seems flat, but satisfying enough because it answers lingering questions in the simplist fashion.