About The Author
Anneke Campbell was born and raised in The Netherlands and immigrated to America when she was 17. She has had a number of careers: midwife, practical nurse, masseuse, yoga teacher, college teacher of English literature and of writing. She is a scriptwriter, and a journalist and an award-winning poet. Her first novel, Mary of Bellingham, was published in 2004. She was the writer/producer of the ten-part series, ACLU Freedom Files for LINK and Court TV in 2005. Her manual for activists with Thomas Linzey, “Be The Change: How To Get What You Want in Your Community,” was published in 2009. She edited an anthology on women’s leadership, Moonrise: The Power of Women Leading From The Heart, which was published in October of 2010. She lives with her companion, director Jeremy Kagan, in Venice, California.
Mary Indiana Book Trailer
Book Review
Mary Indiana by Anneke Campbell
Previous Title: Slouching Towards Bellingham
Publisher: BooksBNimble.com
Publication Date: December 6, 2010
Format: eBook - 244 pages / Kindle - 380 KB
ASIN: B004FGMT6I
Genre: Chick Lit / Women's Fiction
BUY THE BOOK: Mary Indiana
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.
Book Description:
But it’s not coming from Mary, as she’s quickly dubbed. She seems to have taken a vow of silence. So it’s up to the citizens of Bellingham to make their own miracles—or at least their own myths. The new celeb is instantly surrounded by hangers-on, miracle-seekers, paparazzi, preachers, and promoters—to hilarious effect.
But are they dealing with an angel here, or someone playing an angle? Con, in a word, or icon? And by the way, what’s up with that strange light in the sky? Could be she came off a spaceship.
Neither sacred nor profane, nor even paranormal, Campbell’s beautifully written book is at once funny and wise, a savvy story of how myths are made, how minds twist and turn around the extraordinary, how the human organism just can’t help grabbing for the supernatural, whether out of the spiritual need for a miracle or a mundane desire for cash.
Think Barbara Kingsolver, Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, only really really funny.
Book Excerpt:
Chapter 1: THE BOOK OF JOE
What was that up ahead, slouching towards Bellingham, shaped roughly like a blue egg on matchsticks? Joe Dupree pushed his glasses up on his nose, shifted the mailbag onto his other shoulder, and picked up his pace. His right hip socket talked back at him louder than usual, which was to be expected in this weather, in the damp and threat of more snow. Could the egg be causing the footprints he’d been following, foot long and humanoid, as if from a creature dropped by a flying saucer, or, judging by the wheel tracks, let out of a truck on old Route 37?
Joe turned and walked up the first driveway of the Sycamore Hills Subdivision. He rang the bell and while he waited for a response, peered back over his shoulder, but his vision blurred the blue, and there flashed in his mind’s eye the prescription for new bifocals sitting on the mantel at home three months already. Because of his slow ways, here he couldn’t tell what he was seeing between the bare trees and bungalows. Something was up, this he knew from his internal weather, from an edge of alertness not caused by a thermos full of java.
Not that Joe was a superstitious man. He would be the first to tell you, his were sore but realistic bones. At work this morning, when the office manager recited the newest evidence of government cover-ups, with others throwing in their conspiracy theories, Joe said nothing.
People believed what they wanted to believe, and all the talk could not assuage the underlying fear of more lay-offs and wage cuts, of a collapsing economy, of terrorism or natural disasters heading their way. It must be reassuring to believe that some devious persons were in control. A few of the other carriers could stick around for hours, deriving comfort from mouthing off, but he preferred to be out here under the open expanse of grey, with the quiet broken only by the rush of cars and barking of dogs.
What was that up ahead, slouching towards Bellingham, shaped roughly like a blue egg on matchsticks? Joe Dupree pushed his glasses up on his nose, shifted the mailbag onto his other shoulder, and picked up his pace. His right hip socket talked back at him louder than usual, which was to be expected in this weather, in the damp and threat of more snow. Could the egg be causing the footprints he’d been following, foot long and humanoid, as if from a creature dropped by a flying saucer, or, judging by the wheel tracks, let out of a truck on old Route 37?
Joe turned and walked up the first driveway of the Sycamore Hills Subdivision. He rang the bell and while he waited for a response, peered back over his shoulder, but his vision blurred the blue, and there flashed in his mind’s eye the prescription for new bifocals sitting on the mantel at home three months already. Because of his slow ways, here he couldn’t tell what he was seeing between the bare trees and bungalows. Something was up, this he knew from his internal weather, from an edge of alertness not caused by a thermos full of java.
Not that Joe was a superstitious man. He would be the first to tell you, his were sore but realistic bones. At work this morning, when the office manager recited the newest evidence of government cover-ups, with others throwing in their conspiracy theories, Joe said nothing.
People believed what they wanted to believe, and all the talk could not assuage the underlying fear of more lay-offs and wage cuts, of a collapsing economy, of terrorism or natural disasters heading their way. It must be reassuring to believe that some devious persons were in control. A few of the other carriers could stick around for hours, deriving comfort from mouthing off, but he preferred to be out here under the open expanse of grey, with the quiet broken only by the rush of cars and barking of dogs.
My Book Review:
Mary Indiana is an entertaining story with a modern take on the Virgin Mary and birth of Jesus. At first I wasn't too sure how to take the story, my Catholic upbringing had me questioning if this would be a story that I would want to read. But after reading the story, I can say that I found it to be a thoughtful and humorous story that did not offend my beliefs in any way. In fact I thought that author Anneke Campbell weaved a tale that is playful yet also thought provoking. The story takes you on a journey that will keep you guessing, it mixes humor and compassion into a moving story about a small Midwestern community's variety of reactions to Mary and her predicament when she arrived in their town, and how they came together to help in a time of need and make Mary one of their own.
The story has a big cast of characters, it was fun getting to know them, they appealed to me with their thoughts, point of view and reactions. I thought that the author did a great job of portraying a realistic look at life in a small Midwestern town and its variety of quirky townspeople.
Mary Indiana is an entertaining and refreshingly thought provoking read that will make you ponder about the mysteries of miracles.
RATING: 4 STARS
Thanks for the review - hope you are hiding from Sandy!
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