Monday, June 27, 2011

"On the wings of a snow white dove, He sends His pure sweet love." Song lyrics




"Dove Creek" details the story of Patricia Faye who departed Kentucky and her family who "...bared their flat breasts in the kitchen to nurse their many babies and butchered chickens and churned butter and went crazy and died before the age of forty."

Patricia leaves her husband after catching him having an affair with a friend's wife. She takes sons Brett, age ten, and Zach age seven, and goes to Lapwai, Idaho to take a position as a public health nurse.

In her position as a nurse and a healer, she seems to win an immediate respect and acceptance from the American Indians that she visits. We observe her interactions with an elderly woman named Sally who lived in such poverty that she didn't even have a refrigerator or pots and pans. Even though her situation seems dire, Sally is a happy woman and finds time to have fun with Patricia. Patricia's first step in helping this unfortunate woman was persuading Sally's to accept a flu shot. After that, Patricia managed to find Sally a better place to live in a Senior Housing apartment.

Patricia narrates the story and makes us aware of the health issues facing these American Indians living on a reservation. She deals with obesity existing on an epidemic level causing an extraordinary number of amputations. In this regard, Patricia attempts to make people aware of the signs such as the loss of sensation in the feet.

She meets a man, has trouble with her children and continues to minister to the sick and elderly while reminiscing about past events in her life.

This is an entertaining view of Patricia's observations as she goes through her life as a person tending to her patients and exposing a part of life in the American west. The novel was written as things took place in Patricia's memory and is somewhat experimental as memory does not always tell stories in sequence. In my opinion, fans of Louise Erdrich's novels will enjoy this book.


Congradulations to giveaway winners:
Donna Theriot dkmtheriot@yahoo.com



Thanks everyone for participating.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

Laurie-J said...

This book sounds really good, Mike! Please enter me. Congrats on your new Twitter account -I'm following you. :)
Laurie
Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews

tfalick said...

would LOVE to read this book! thanks for the chance♥

@tfalick- twitter follower
GFC-tfalick

tfalick at yahoo dot com :)

Darlene said...

Please enter me in the giveaway!

Following you on GFC (Darlene) and Twitter, and I liked your review.

My email address is darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com.

Thanks for the giveaway!

Kimberly Sue said...

I follow via GFC as well as via Twitter.

@kdaze10

kimbers10[at]yahoo[dot]com

Evie said...

Thanks for the giveaway, mike! Always nice to hear from you!
I'll be happy to enter the draw!

*voted on your review*
you know my email!

Best,
Evie

Jessie Dyan said...

Hey Mike please enter me into the giveaway! I meet all contest rules and requirements listed above :) lol thanks for the opportunity heres my email: riderchick_89@yahoo.com

Holly said...

Please enter me.

fullmoonbites@gmail.com

dollycas aka Lori said...

Great review!!!Would love to win!!!

dollycas79 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Thanks for letting me know. Please enter me. Donna

dkmtheriot@yahoo.com

Maybe heading to Canada this summer (from Louisiana) for a visit. We may be gathering up the grown chickens along the way (two in New York) and heading over to Toronto and Niagara Falls. Then in October, tentatively planning Nova Scotia.

Cassie said...

I follow your blog, follow on Twitter (@Cassie629), and clicked your amazon review as helpful :-)!

mccown629 [at] gmail [dot] com
www.gatheringleavesreviews.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Please enter me in the contest. Have you announced the winner of the other book yet. If so I must have missed it
Miriam
mirandell87@yahoo.com

BrendaC said...

Count me in Mike, sounds like an interesting book. kittycrochettwo at msn dot com

Julie S said...

Sounds like an interesting book club read.

I'm following you and I clicked that the review was helpful.

juliecookies(at)gmail.com

BLHmistress said...

Thanks for the giveaway

Follower-BLHmistress

vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

Amazon review(Donna Newman)

mamabunny13 said...

Please include me in this giveaway.
I follow your blog
I follow you on twitter @mamabunny13
I indicated yes, your review was helpful on amazon.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

Tracy Smith said...

Hi Mike, It's great to hear from you. I follow you on here and through twitter. Please enter me in this contest. This book sounds really good.

Have a great day!

countrysunset40 (at) aol dot com

IandSsmom said...

A: GFC Shannon Johnson
B: twitter IandSsmom
C: done Shannon Johnson
D: I would love to be entered in this contest! This sounds like a great book! I'm a nurse so I love any thing to do with healing and am part American Indian so of course love that aspect too!! Thank you for the giveaway!!
shannonjean14(at)gmail(dot)com

Sharon said...

Please include me in this giveaway. =)

sharn3960 @ comcast . net

Heather said...

Great review. Will be adding this to my wish list. Thanks.

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