Advance Reader Copy. I will send out on a ray.

JDT in USA (California)
quinnsmom in USA (California)
kbgoffe in USA (Oregon)
cestmoi in Canada (Ontario)
Seferim in USA (Maryland)
pikapolonica in Sweden (Stockholm)
starbytes in Malaysia (Selangor)

And starbytes will release into the wild!*

* Or start a new ray!

Released on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 at United States Postal Service in Norwell, Massachusetts USA.

I don't normally use release notes for controlled releases, but making an exception in the case of rays so that they get more attention (in sidebar). Please forgive this transgression :-)

Woo-hoo! Just received this new book from Zmrzlina today.
Looking forward to reading this one - intriguing story line.
I loved reading Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars and just sent out a trade for East of the Mountains.
Thanks for this wonderful bookray!

Hmm - how to describe this new Guterson book...

Compelling - I wanted to keep reading, didn't want it to end, unsure how it could end...
Familiar/nostalgic - Catholic background - the prayers, sincerity, piety - wondering how this novel would impact someone w/o this background- universal enough?

Uneven - at times, powerful, beautiful writing - but then, I noticed an overused descriptive phrase (maybe 4 times) " Oregon grape and salal" - careless writing or intended repetition?
- there was a moment (p 134) I wondered is this supposed to be funny? a satire of this type of religious sighting and over-the-top following?
But also a seriously genuine, almost affectionate portrayal of the variety of personalities and motivations of the characters - actually -all of us folks!

Incongruity - unlikely choice of Ann as recipient of a vision - very ordinary, frail, flawed, unchurched - but genuine, sincere, likeable, self-effacing, not looking for personal glory - actually the way it often is in these apparitions - Fatima, Lourdes
Disturbing - the over-the-top reaction of believers/tourists, the instant comercialism: souvenirs, food; the personality of Carolyn, the contrast between the priests involved.
Ann's background/story; the powerful sub-story of Tom Cross and his son.

Definitely not all pretty, uplifting, clear-cut - but then again, neither is life. All in all, I'm really glad to have read this and feel the impact will linger.
I'll be interested in others' reactions.

Sending on to quinnsmom. Thanks, Zmrzlina!

I am SO sorry it has taken me this long to get this journaled. I have been away at a teacher training institute for the last couple of weeks and am very behind.

I will read quickly & pass along...and again, please accept my apologies.

What a wonderful book!!! I loved the satirical view of the crass commercialism of it all. Unfortunately, issues of faith often come down to exactly what Guterson has described here. It is a magnificent story on many levels.

I would recommend this book to all readers, and I'm actually going to buy my own copy. This book is like many that deserve a second read.

Please accept my apologies for having taken this long. I'm still unburying myself from my summer workload.

I am thrilled to have this book arrive. Previously I have read "Snow Falling on Cedars" and "East of the Mountain." He always captivates me. His writing has such a beauty to it. I can't wait to begin this book. :)

Once again David Guterson tackles an interesting topic. Very intriguing book. There were parts where I was not sure I really liked the book but I had to keep reading. His writing style just draws me in and compels me to keep going. I believe I need to think more about this book. Probably will be one I reread in the future to see what I missed in the first reading. Thanks zmrzlina for sending this out.

Cestmoi happened to purchase a copy of this book so I am going to send it on to Seferim.

***Struck out again....Seferim is bogged down with too many rays and rings. On to the next on the list.*** 10/21

The book is in Stockholm. It arrived yesterday together with two other BC packages and made my until-I-checked-my-mail-not-such-a-good day. :) I'll start reading it over the weekend.

Update (5th Nov): a very intriguing book. Lots of tension, impossible to put it down and I kept wondering what is going to happen and trying to imagine how it would have felt for the characters if Ann's vision was a real one (even if I am not a particularly religious person). One comment that I have is that regarding the reaction of the other Catholics to Ann's vision, the immediate gathering of thousands of people, the constant prayers and greeting in the name of the God and Mary, following her around like a flock of sheep, etc. I felt that this was a very American approach towards the faith. I was raised as a Catholic myself, but my personal experience is that in Europe we do it more quietly, keep it as a personal matter and don't show our religion in public. I am not saying that there is less commecialism here, definitely not (for example, if one considers all the souvenir-businesses, restaurants, etc. in the pilgrimage places, such as Vatican, Lourdes, Fatima, etc.), just that perhaps the reaction of the people would not be so massive and loud as in this case. Also, I don't think that people would be willing to travel such distances for a cause like this on a bare gossip from the internet, especially if it involved crossing half the continent and five other countries. Later on, when (and if) the sighting was confirmed by the church, then yes, they might invest into such a journey, however based on just an internet gossip, I don't think they would. But I might be wrong, of course. :)

Thank you, Zmrzlina, for the ray, I really enjoyed this book.

The book will be on its way to Malaysia shortly.

I plan to send the book to starbytes tomorrow. This is the first time that I am sending a book to Asia, I hope it arrives to Malaysia quickly. :)

Received the book today, thanks pikapolonica! I loved the stamps and thanks also for the accompanying book! I have 7 bookrings/rays before this book and since there is no one waiting for the book after me, I'll be borrowing it to my cousin before I read this. I hope no one minds. Thanks alot, everyone!! :)

Hope your cousin enjoys the book (and perhaps posts an entry?) and then after you read it, starbytes, I hope you will let us know if you release it into the wild. We won't get release notes as email. It would be fun to see what happens to it in Malaysia :-)

(This is starbytes writing for haydee *grin*)

Thank you everybody for this book! I will read this book and pass it back to my cousin after I've finished. :)