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Sacred Ground
 
 

Sacred Ground (Mass Market Paperback)

by Barbara Wood (Author) "Erica gripped the steering wheel as the four-wheel-drive vehicle flew up the dirt road, coroming around boulders and slamming into potholes ..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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From Publishers Weekly

In a historically cloudy page-turner, Wood (Perfect Harmony) splices past and present, covering 2,000 years on the California coast. Erica Tyler, a talented anthropologist haunted by a professional mistake, sees the excavation of a collapsed pool in an exclusive Los Angeles suburb as an opportunity to restore her reputation. She persuades her reluctant boss to give her the case, even though she will have to work with Jared Black, an old adversary employed by a state agency that protects indigenous interests. In a parallel narrative, Marimi, a Topaa Indian, is expelled from her clan when she embarrasses the shaman by saving a young boy predicted to die. She and the boy, led by visions, walk for miles to an area they can settle. As Erica's dig proceeds, she meets opposition from the Indian community, local residents and the state; threats and violence soon follow. Complicating the dig further is Erica's powerful attraction to the enigmatic Jared. As each new artifact and clue is discovered, the narrative returns to the tale of Marimi's descendants, some of whom are blessed with foresight. Erica is driven to resolve the mystery of the site for personal reasons; raised in a series of foster homes, she is deeply conscious that she has no family history of her own. The novel concludes in the present, neatly twining all of the stories into an unsurprising but upbeat finale. Erica's theories are too consistently accurate to be plausible, and Wood does her readers a disservice by failing to provide better clarification of what is fact and fiction, but her fans will likely welcome this flawed yet engaging tale. Agent, Harvey Klinger. Foreign rights sold in 12 countries.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From AudioFile

After an earthquake damages a rich area of California, a sacred cave containing human remains is found dating back at least 1500 years. As archaeologist Erica Tyler races to discover the identity and way of life of the Native American tribe whose artifacts are left there, Jared Black, the member of a Native American Commission, seeks their living descendents. Gabrielle de Cuir tells the tale of each discovery and the mythical or historical story behind why each piece was left in the cave. De Cuir's soft voice clearly enunciates the Indian and Spanish words, disrupting the flow of the engaging narrative. What Tyler and Black discover about the Native American tribe adds a nice twist to this romantic tale of past and present. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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4.5 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Generational Tale of Discovery, Jun 9 2004
By Diana F. Von Behren "reneofc" (Kenner, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Sacred Ground: A Novel (Hardcover)
When Erica Tyler, a controversial archaeologist, takes a stand regarding the discovery of the 2000 year old bones of an aboriginal woman found after an earthquake disturbs a cave in the Los Angeles region of Southern California, she embarks on an incredible journey of love and self-discovery while uncovering the story of an unknown Indian tribe whose history parallels that of the state of California.

As Erica battles both the Native American tribes who disagree with archaelogists interfering with the graves of their own, and her boss who is intent on turning the cave into a museum financed by a wealthy and influential benefactor, she relates the troubled story of her own past, an ordeal of abandonment, foster homes and trouble with the law. Concurrently, in an every other chapter format, Wood retells the bittersweet history of the Topaa tribe, founded by medicine woman Marimi, an outcast from an Arizona tribe forced to traverse the desert and settle her family near the Pacific ocean. Unbeknownst to Erica, the strength of Marimi and her descendants, warrior women who suffer from the dehabilitating headaches of prescience, infuse her with willpower and steadfastness of her own and with the help of lawyer and love interest Jared Black, she finds her way as did Marimi and her kin.

As always, Wood weaves a powerful tale of healer women whose compassion and sense of obligation acts as a strong repellant for all things negative. Her pages on the Topaa tribe fascinate; the reader cannot help but finish this novel in one or two days. Reminiscent of Michener's 'Centennial', without the cumbersome geological first chapters, her personal stories regarding the different generations of women remind me of an adult version of the American Girls series, where individual stories are intertwined with great moments of American history to allow the reader to empathize with the times and the time's emotions. Here, Wood delivers a page-turning tale of a strong yet subjugated people who make up the backbone of today's California. Nicely done.

If you are looking for a romance tale, this novel focuses more on self-discovery and the resolution of identity. As in other examples of Wood's work, Jared, although a fine masculine specimen, is depicted as more of a helpmate playing second fiddle to Erica's strong first. I also thought that the ending was a little rushed, but perhaps this is due only to the fact that usually I expect a Wood novel to be almost 500 pages.

All in all this is recommended to all who are fans of Ms. Wood or like novels depicting strong women in less than perfect situations.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Must-Read for Native LA residents, Jan 22 2004
This review is from: Sacred Ground: A Novel (Hardcover)
This wonderful book not only entertains but educates with tidbits of information about religion,history,cultural differences,geography, etc. I was mesmerized from the first page and hated to see the last page appear. Fix a cup of tea, curl up in a cozy spot and prepare to be enthralled.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history of Los Angeles, Mar 8 2003
By Arin Groner "dagroaners" (Battleground, WA USA) - See all my reviews
As a California native born in Santa Monica, I've always wondered about the street names and city names, as well as what the area looked like prior to civilation invading the area.
I've also been a great fan of Jean Auel and have read many other stories that talk about ancient man.
This particular book is a great find for any Los Angelino or (like myself) a California native who has now moved away who also enjoys stories about Indian and ancient man.
The story is pretty well-crafted and obviously a lot of time went into the research. I enjoyed seeing the progression of history through the descendants of Marima, and think the author found a great way to take a fairly contrived idea and make it into a workable story.
I enjoyed the older indian stories more than the contemporary half of the novel, but perhaps that is because I am more curious about yesterday in Los Angeles than today. It gives the reader an inside look at what the people, land and customs were like and how the Los Angeles area indians fared through history.
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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
This was a wonderful book - a real page turner. Barbara Wood has done a lot of historical research and woven it into a beautiful story.
Published on Jan 7 2002 by Kristin Danielson

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
This was a wonderful book - a real page turner. Barbara Wood has done a lot of historical research and woven it into a beautiful story.
Published on Jan 7 2002 by Kristin Danielson

3.0 out of 5 stars Sacred Ground
Interesting fairly fast-paced pre-historical/historical/contemporary novel told in past/present/past/present format. Read more
Published on Jan 1 2002 by Barbara J. Frayser

5.0 out of 5 stars Is just Barbara Wood
Reading this story was amazing, combining the present with different past eras, and viewing how the people make the same things no matter the era that is living and always go to... Read more
Published on Nov 27 2001 by Jorge Frid

4.0 out of 5 stars Barbara Does it Again!
How often do you get to read a book by your favorite author about the area you live in?! Although the wait between Barbara Wood's books seems long, when you read one, you... Read more
Published on Oct 27 2001 by S. Mayberry

5.0 out of 5 stars Sacred Ground
A very interesting book with some excellent writing.
My only complaint is that it wasn't longer; just as I got to know and like each and every character the story moved on... Read more
Published on Oct 27 2001 by Brent

5.0 out of 5 stars My first title by this author and looking for more
I obtained Sacred Ground at the urging of a friend who lives on the east coast. She called me at the beginning of September to let me know that she had just read a wonderful... Read more
Published on Sep 28 2001 by Marilyn Jones

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