Product Description

The story of Judy Baumann s struggle to escape to her true home in the woods and to grow into her power there. A cast of magical characters, including a witch, the witch s consort, a family of fairies, an ancient oak, and a bevy of animals each help her in this enterprise. We lived just at the edge of the frontier, as Mama called it, at the border of civilization. According to her the woods beyond our field was a lawless place, full of perils far worse than I could imagine, and so she made me promise to stay in our back yard or, if I was with my brother or an adult, the field beyond. But never did she allow me near the woods. She worried about the forest and other dangers too, man dangers. That's what she called them. Man dangers. The story, situated between Germany and Poland, begins in 1929 and ends in 1933 when Judy becomes a woman.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #997127 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Perfect Paperback
• 360 pages

Review
Forest Song is a must read for anyone who is more at home among trees which scrape the sky than brick-and-mortar skyscrapers. Here we meet Judy, a young girl who will stop at nothing to escape the iron-gated prison that is her family home for the trees and creatures of the forest, her true home. Vila SpiderHawk's exquisite prose paints detailed images of Judy's experience; we feel her every emotion, hear every bird call, smell every earthy scent, experience for ourselves everything Judy experiences as she grows from gawky girl into Wise Woman of the Woods. SpiderHawk truly knows the forest, and does a masterful job of conveying the wisdom you will garner if you listen, just listen, to the music of the trees. --Smoky Trudeau, author of Redeeming Grace and The Cabin

Forest Song: Finding Home weaves a wondrous tale of a young girl finding her true home and growing to womanhood in a unique and adventurous tale. I felt the characters' thrills and despairs, their highs and lows, their breadth and their depth. Their joys became my joys, their mourning, mine. All are so beautifully created that each and every one touched my soul. In Judy's home, I could feel the wooden floors, the sparseness of decor. I experienced her mother's withdrawal from her, yet also her very solid strength. I felt the cold of the iron fence and smelled the rich pungent earth as Judy walked in the forest. I warmed by the crackling fire and smelled the delicious soup she ate. I sang with her, I cried with her, I winced when her fingers hurt from sewing too long. I also grew with her, hoped with her, and finally, simply loved her. Forest Song: Finding Home is a book not to be missed by maiden, mother, or crone. SpiderHawk has done it again! One more MUST read that will become a classic. --Helen Collins, creator, editor, and publisher of Folk Music Ministry Magazine

Vila Spiderhawk has rare narrative gifts. Forest Song: Finding Home sings indeed -- with verbal imagery and plot turns that keep you eager for every morsel." --Jim Mc Conkey, author of Journey to the Far Side of Earth

About the Author
Vila SpiderHawk and her husband live in the woods of Pennsylvania in a log home that they designed. Their six cats and their many woodland friends provide additional company. She has a BA in women s studies and French and did her graduate work in education. She has taught French in college and in public schools. While raised in Philadelphia, she has lived in Virginia, Georgia, New York, and Connecticut. Now retired, she has returned to her first love, writing. She writes for Sage Woman magazine and for The Beltane Papers on a free-lance basis. SpiderHawk is an avid gardener and a gourmet vegan cook.

Customer Reviews

Forrest Song
A Tale about a little girl and magickal creatures that help her in her journey!!! Vila Has A splendid style of writing you will love! I recommend this book highly!!!

An enchanting tale which captivates the mind and soothes the soul.
With words as magical as the realms she so skillfully describes, Vila Spiderhawk's charming voice shines through the pages of "Forest Song: Finding Home".
Spellbinding bits of wisdom are delightfully threaded through the fibers of a most enchanting story, in which harsh reality and blissful fantasy dance gracefully together.
The reader can't help identifying with at least one of the wonderful characters in the story, especially Judy, the young and courageous little girl whom, under the watchful eye of her teacher Matka Lasu, is gradually initiated into the mysteries of womanhood, birth and death; through Judy's eyes, one sees the connection with all expressions of life and glimpses at the greater concept of being part of a whole.
In the end, as Judy finds herself reflected into the very thing she feared in the beginning, she discovers that embracing one's fears is the road that will lead to one's true power.
"Forest Song: Finding Home" is a book I will not soon forget, and I certainly believe that it is a must-read for all who seek greater enlightenment, or even for those who just need a good story to brighten their day.

- Sandra Carrington-Smith, Author of "The Book of Obeah" and "Housekeeping For The Soul"
http://www.bookofobeah.com

GREAT BOOK!
This is an amazing book! SpiderHawk really puts the reader into the action. I could see the trees, hear the birds, taste the food, smell the woods! I wept for Judy's mother and for Judy. And I laughed as well. The writing is beautiful! I can't recommend this book highly enough. Anyone would love this book!