Woman Of A Thousand Secrets by Barbara Wood

Woman Of A Thousand Secrets
by Barbara Wood





I read this book as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) as part of the Early Reviewers at Library Thing. This book will be publishedby St. Martin's Griffin in September 2008.

From the back of the book:

Woman of a Thousand Secrets is the story of Tonina. She came from the sea, found floating in a basket by a childless couple. Unlike the fellow villagers in her adoptive home, she is tall and lean and light skinned. When she turns nineteen, her parents know they must send her back to her people. Their island is not far from the mainland, the place where she must return. And here is where Tonina's adventure begins. It is a tale of survival and sacrifice, of luck, magic, intrigue, and danger, romance and betrayal, an epic filled with ancient lore, tales of bearded white men who sailed to this shore in giant ships, and discoveries of medicinal miracles in the Central American jungles.

This book is definitely an epic adventure filled with excitement from start to finish.
It is set in AD 1300's which were pre-columbian times. This is a rich story filled with beautiful descriptions and details as well as strong characters. Tonina leaves the safety of her island to a new land, the land of Maya. This is where we learn much based on the Mayan and Aztec cultures with details on culture , customs and religious beliefs of the times. The book details the people and relationships she is involved with and which is very engrossing. The cast of characters are diverse and there are many favorites such as One eye the dwarf whose character is ever changing and H'men the wise aged child who oversees the palace garden. She has great knowledge and wisdom of plants and their healing properties. There are many myths and legends that are disclosed and presented in an interesting way and I often found many parallels to Christianity. The book held my interest throughout with the exception of a short period 3/4 of the way through the book that dragged out a bit too long but then picked up again and held my interest through the end. I have read one other book by this author, The Blessing Stone , which also was a rich story written during different times. I plan to read other books by this author in the future and highly recommend her books to all.

~Bonnie