The Wood Wife ~Terri Windling
–published 1996
–318 pages, Tom Doherty Associates
–1997 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Novel of the Year
–5/5 stars
Maggie Black has always been a fan of Pulitzer Prize winning poet Davis Cooper. Her one great desire is to write a biography of the man whose work has been her inspiration and although they carry on a friendship through correspondence, Cooper never allows Black to visit him in his Tucson desert home nor gives permission for a biography. Thus when he dies a mysterious death–an apparent drowning in a dry riverbed–and leaves her his house, property, and all the house contains, she is both confused and intrigued. A trip to Tucson introduces Maggie to the intimate group of people whose orbit revolved around Cooper and her investigation into the work he left behind and the paintings of his lover Anna Naverra opens up Maggie to a connection with a world she never knew existed.
One of the great lies I tell myself is that I am not a fan of anything that has to do with the Southwest or with Native American art. While there is some truth in that stance–I doubt I’ll ever decorate in a Southwestern motif and I have no desire whatsoever to live in desert climes–events in my reading life have proved this to be a falsehood. American Gods, Widdershins, and now The Wood Wife have proven to me over the last few years that I do indeed have a very acute interest in the folklore, mythology, and history of that section of the country that I love.
I am not really sure why I haven’t read this novel before now. Amazon.com describes the author thus:
Terri Windling is the most important and influential fantasy editor of the 1980s and 1990s: Her many accomplishments include editing (and often discovering) a pantheon of fantasy gods–Steven Brust, Emma Bull, Charles de Lint, Jane Yolen, and many more.
All true. Over the past few years I have benefited greatly from my relationship with Terri Windling. And really that is what it is when you discover someone’s works and treasure them in your heart. Many of you who have been with me over the course of this blog (and some of you who got links from me less than 24 hours ago) know that I have a tendency to sing the praises of Terri Windling’s marvelous essays on fairy tale, folklore and mythology (many of which are to be found here). During last year’s Once Upon a Time Challenge I wrote two of the most enjoyable Friday Favorite posts I have ever written: one on Terri Windling herself and the other on the community she founded with The Endicott Studio. I say all this to point out that I am passionate about Terri Windling and her work in both the literary and artistic fields. Yet I know myself well enough to know that had I picked this book up a few years ago I might not have chosen to read it simply because of my own mistaken preconceptions about my feelings about this area of the country and its culture. That would have been my loss. And it will be your loss too if any similar ideas tempt you away from reading this marvelous debut novel.
An eight-time World Fantasy Award winner (most if not all for her editorial work), is it any wonder that she knows her stuff and that her debut novel won the 1997 Mythopoeic Award for Novel of the Year? I feel saddened that I cheated myself out of 11 years in which I could have been familiar with this rich and vibrant story.
The Wood Wife is everything a book read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge should be. It contains layers of folklore and mythology that give it the depth of a much older ‘classic’ while at the same time existing in a contemporary setting that makes it immediately accessible. This is the kind of novel that is hard to talk about in detail because to do so would diminish the impact of taking the journey for yourself. One thing I can say unequivocally is that Terri Windling knows her stuff. I suspect there is a great deal of the author herself in this tale, and not just in the more obvious ways, for example the fact that both her and her protagonist have inhabited the same areas of England and Tucson, Arizona. No, there is much more than that. If you have spent any time reading about Terri Windling then you are aware of her impact in both the fantasy realm and in the realm of supporting and promoting the creativity and empowerment of women. There are deep themes that run through this book that are so deftly integrated into the story and ring so true and I believe that is because of the author’s personal passions.
I love many types of books, as I suspect we all do. But for my money there is simply no experience like reading a book that delves deep into the roots of the stories of our ancestors. Stories that integrate folklore, mythology, and/or references to older tales can be so enchanting. My first recollection of experiencing this kind of storytelling was when I read Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and that series certainly created a hunger in me for this type of literature that is all too seldom satisfied. The Wood Wife was an enormously satisfying experience. Terri Windling writes with a voice that is so skilled that I found myself looking up her fictional characters to see if they were perhaps real. The inclusion of references to the artwork of one person who is real, Brian Froud, was especially enjoyable.
The Wood Wife is many things. It is a mystery…one that unfolds slowly and deliberately and doesn’t give up all of its secrets until the very end. It is an exploration of the gods of Native American folklore, the spirits who inhabit the earth, who are the earth, the wind, the rain, etc. It is a love story to Tucson and by extension similar geographical areas of the country. It is a tale about the nature of life and death with subtle but strong encouragement to dig deep, to find out who you are, and to fulfill your dreams. It is an examination of the poetry that is in our lives and is all around us. It is a character study with a diverse but likeable group of humans and others that one cannot help but be drawn to.
Thus far The Wood Wife is the must read of Once Upon a Time II and I am thrilled that so many of you already have it on your list of books to read. If it wasn’t for your lists I may not have thought to pick this up so quickly. Thank you! I look forward to everyone else’s assessment of the story, whether you agree with mine or not. It is a remarkable story from a remarkable woman. I highly encourage you to pick up this book. And in lieu of this week’s Friday Favorite, feel free to step back one year and enjoy the art of Terri Windling.
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Update: Due to their being so many of us reading this book during the same period, I am going to include links to the other Wood Wife reviews below:
Robin’s review
Dark Opheus’ review
Deslily’s review
Chris’ review
Is that a Michael Zulli cover?
I honestly think I must have been living in an underground cave for years because I’d never even heard of Terri Windling until I read her intro to Dreams Underfoot by Charles De Lint, a couple of months ago. Since then I’m hearing her name everywhere, so it’s time I read something by her. Perhaps I’ll try to pick this one up sometime as it seems to be *the* book to read for your challenge this year. Superb review.
this one had looked interesting on all the lists so I have ordered it..though I have to get through a number of other books before I get to it… I do like southwest, and have always loved “cowboys and indians”.. so hopefully I will like this book!
Whoa…you definitely made me want to move this higher on the pile! But maybe I’ll let Annie read it first…think it would be an appropriate read for her? She’s been fascinated with Native American folklore since the day she started reading. But of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean this book is for her.
Anyway, thanks for another incredibly beautiful review!
Kicking K: No, the cover is my Susan Seddon Boulet. It looks sort of like Zulli’s work though.
Cath: the only reason I knew her name before discovering The Endicott Studio a few years back was because of her edited anthologies with Ellen Datlow.
Deslily: I hope you enjoy it as well. It is very good.
Debi: It is slightly adult, but not overly adult. There is the pretty obvious idea that a couple has sex but it isn’t described at all and there are a few references to sexual feelings. It is odd since I just finished it, but I don’t remember there being a lot of bad language. It has some spousal abuse references as well. This one is sort of a hard call. I’d still probably read it first if I were you just to be on the safe side.
I am really looking forward to reading this and I am pleased to see you really enjoyed it too. I hope I was partly responsible for you adding it to your list 🙂
You were one of thankfully many, Rhinoa. The more I saw it on people’s lists, the higher it moved up on my priority list until I could resist it no longer.
ah… bugger me sideways… just when i’d decided to slot the sword-blonde thingie into my final and 5th once upon a time book allowance slot…
this does look very good indeed. really.
thanks for the cool review and the interesting back-story!
Sorry JP, that’s what I’m here for. I’m excited to report that instead of taking my copy back to the library right away my lovely wife is going to partake of it’s goodness as well. I look forward to discussing it with her and with the rest of you as you read it.
thanks, this is a book that I’ll have to get.
I can’t wait to read this one!!
Great to hear that it was even more fulfilling than what I thought it would be! Looking forward to it myself now. I’ve come to really respect Terri Windling and I can’t wait to read some fiction of hers. I’m actually really excited about reading this book!
Thanks, Carl!
Hmm, this sounds interesting. I don’t think I’ve read anything by her before, but I love Bull, Gaiman, and Brust, so I’ll have to check this out soon.
I was already looking forward to reading this before…imagine now! Thanks for yet another lovely review, Carl 🙂
An excellent book. I read it when it first came out and am glad it has been discovered all over again.
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ah, thats really cool when that happens – it really extends the experience! and of course, lets you two share something.
Your passion is a very powerful thing, Carl. I think it can change the world – or at least send someone out to read a book. 🙂
Don’t ever lose it.
Just borrowed The Wood Wife from the library today. Have just started on it.
Thanks Dark Orpheus! 🙂 Not sure about changing the world, but if I can get someone to read a book I love then it is well worth the time. I was excited to find out that this is a book in a series planned by Brian Froud using his artwork for inspiration. Thank you Fondness for Reading for the info!
JP: It is fun when we can share books. We are both such avid readers and are always reading our own stuff and so these times when our reading crosses over are really enjoyable.
Elizabeth: I am excited that so many are rediscovering this book. I would love to see Terri Windling get some new royalties from this! I know that I’m going to buy a copy despite having borrowed one from the library. I really enjoyed it.
Nymeth, Neth, Chris, Hayden, Stephanie, all: I look forward to your thoughts on this as well.
This books promises to be a great read, especially due to the fact that “she finds a world that she never knew existed”. Such books that talk of fantasy worlds totally impress and intrigue me. Recently, I have been reading the famous fantasy novels of CS Lewis- The Chronicles of Narnia, and am highly impressed by the author’s imagination as well as the few well-described war sequences in the stories and of course the magical land of Narnia itsellf! Since reading these and Lord of the Rings and of course Harry Potter, I’ve become an ardent fan of books that deal with new utopic worlds.
In fact, Disney and Walden are coming up with the latest Narnia movie-Prince Caspian, this May 16th. It promises to be awesome by the looks of the trailer. The very hot BenBarnes is playing the character of Prince Caspian!! I am soo awaiting this release.
I’m looking forward to Prince Caspian, Simran.
Interesting that you mention the war sequences as both Tolkien and Lewis (as well as many other authors) certainly brought their own personal war memories/horrors into play when they wrote their stories.
First time I met Terri, it was at a reading and she read a few pages from her sequel to this amazing novel. You’re reminding me I need to read it again! It’s one of my all-time favorites.
(ps: thank you so much for visiting my blog and for being so enthusiastic about my upcoming graphic novel, BLUE! I’m starting to get the word out, slowly but surely…)
(pps: I have added you to my reading list… *grin*)
There’s an interesting article *about* the book over on the endicott site that includes some of Brian Froud’s unpublished art for it:
http://www.endicott-studio.com/wtrm/wrMadness.html
Me again. First of all, Carl, I’m glad I found your blog. So many good things to explore here!
Second, a couple of other Wood Wife links I’ve stumbled across to share with other fans of the book:
“Spine Witch” art by Oliver Hunter:
http://www.endicott-studio.com/gal/galhunter/spinewitch.html
…and by “thereallinda”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thereallinda/2050597917/in/set-72157603258489711/
I am glad you did as well, thanks for the great links. I’ll be checking them all out asap and recommend that others who read this do the same.
I am so excited about this book. It was such an incredible read and it is so thrilling that others are reading it (rediscovering it) for the reading challenge that I am hosting. I know of several others who will be reading it over the next few months. I’m going to try to get a hold of a copy with the Brian Froud cover although I realize that might be easier said than done.
After reading The Wild Wood by Charles De Lint (an excellent book and outstanding author) I started searching for the other stories from Brian Froud’s Fairyland series and was lucky enough to find the Wood Wife in a second hand book store. It was every bit as engaging as I hoped it would be. I find the mythic folklore of the southwest and native americans appealing as it seems to imbody the wonder and mystery that the human spirit craves while reminding us that the world can be a dangerous place. I also particularly like the environmental themes present in these stories. You get a chance to see how interconected humans and the environment are without feeling like you’re being lectured about the evils of mankind. Definately some top notch books!