In a world where the Gods walk and their spirits commune with mankind, there must be those trained while in a trance to intercede with them, for the good of the tribe. Mondoani, a young woman, is chosen by the Gods to take the place of the Old Mother upon her passing. Is this frail young woman strong enough to hold the spirits of the Gods when they descend? For it will be her responsibility to hold the memories of all those who have lived before. These memories of the past are the keys to the survival of her people, and she will need to find the strength of spirit and body to help protect and lead her people. For they must travel across the dead lands and snowy plains to a place they can safely spend the winter or die from starvation in a land devoid of rain. But before she can accomplish that she must choose an apprentice from among the young girls and women, someone who can take her place should she fall. Will Mondoani’s youth and inexperience condemn the tribe to death, or will she rise above it and with the help of the magical world choose correctly?
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful fiction which will take you immediately into another mysterious world!
The Choosing by Marta Moran Bishop is an amazing fiction describing the ancient culture and customs of a fictional tribe.
The main character is a young woman named Mondoani elected by gods to be an apprentice of Old Mother, who was the memory keeper of the tribe. Foreseeing the imminent end, Old Mother hurry to make Mondoani the new memory keeper, who will protect the tribe and provide it with a safe and happy existence.
To do this, they go into a long and arduous journey together with the tribe to implement the transfer of power ceremony at the designated location.
The story takes place on the background of beautiful descriptions of ancient customs and culture of the tribe, which worships many gods.
Upon arrival at the designated place, Old Mother falls into a trance to make the transfer of the power to Mondoani. Unfortunately, Old Mother will never come out of this trance, which became the last one in her deserved life. Mondoani becomes the new memory keeper of the tribe, who should lead it and protect against adversity, asking gods about welfare.
Becoming the new memory keeper, Mondoani herself begins to worry about how to find a new apprentice. Looking for a new apprentice, Mondoani regrettably realizes that she will take away the daughter from her mother and deprive her of happiness to have children and normal life. She also understands perfectly the state of the unfortunate mother. Mondoani begins to bother when she realizes that the choice could fall on beautiful Ashtra, daughter of Naomi.
When it comes to action, Sky Spirit and Spider Woman do much unexpected choice: they choose Towandiaka on the one hand, and on the other Ashtra. Then they bring them together and announce them bonded in holy matrimony not only in this life, but also in the next! This will of course allow them to have children and be happy parents.
This moment, emotionally described by Marta, made me so happy that I felt radiating myself. The gods then chose not one but two young women who have become Mondoani's apprentices.
The book gave me a great pleasure not only because of perfect plot, but also because of wonderful and realistic description of the culture and customs of the ancient tribe. I had the feeling that Marta may witness it herself in some mysterious way. It will remain a mystery to me forever. Reading the book, I felt I was there.
The Choosing by Marta Moran Bishop is a special tribute to the culture and traditions of our ancestors, it teaches us to live in peace and harmony with nature and respect each other. Highly recommended!
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