“A magical tale of a girl finding her power …
The story is set in a situation of inevitable conflict between local sacred traditions and the new ways brought along by settlers, some of whom feel threatened by those who can still commune with the spirit of The Old Ones. The ancestors along the river Talum are palpably evoked here, they breathe through the river, through rocks and trees and animals, and they are at war with the wei-ni-la, the dark spirits. Katy and Celeste grow into adolescence on the isolated farm built by their Papa’s father, who was married to Olana, a Nanchuti medicine woman. She still lives across the river and guides the girls, to their father’s irk. Katy is a little jealous, but deeply protective of Celeste, who is given to hear voices and often disappears into the woods. While fragile and on her best behaviour with adults, Celeste is not what she seems, and can be fierce when alone with Katy. Gradually Katy overcomes her ambivalences and finds she has the medicine to set Celeste free. Beautifully told, woven through with sparkling magic realism. An enchanting read right, up to the conclusion.”
“I purchased this book for my nine-year-old and as is my wont I read through the books I buy for her before handing them over. When I say read, what I typically mean is skim and read a few reviews. But, after only a few pages I was hooked. It’s a really nice read. My daughter is several chapters in now, and this morning we were discussing this book over our cereal. Fantastic. “
“The characters in this book remind me a lot of me and my sister. Fighting sometimes, but still love each other in the end. “
“What a great little weekend read! I was looking through it to see if it would be a good story to read to my grandchildren and just kept going. So nice to find some kids literature that doesn’t involve vampires. “
“Ms. Eason manages to create both a realistic world full of everyday conflicts and still be a magical fantasy land. We are also able to visit the meeting of two cultures – the world of the new settlers and the mystical Nanchuti. The story about two sisters is told from the viewpoint of one twin, Katy, who clearly has the typical role of older sister. The book definitely catches the dynamics in the relationship between sisters. Young readers and adults can relate to emotions that are brought out and expressed by Katy as she and Celeste travel the ‘Heron’s Path’. I quickly added this to my Pinterest ‘books to read’ and recommend it for young and old alike! “
” . . .love the elegant writing style, the great character’s of Celeste and Katy, and the whimsical setting. This is a superbly written story and I think it deserves to be on the best-seller lists. I hope more people will appreciate Mrs. Eason’s truly fine book.” Ashton Venema, Course in Mirrors
“The characters in this book remind me a lot of me and my sister. Fighting sometimes, but still love each other in the end.” Laura J.
“What a great little weekend read! I was looking through it to see if it would be a good story to read to my grandchildren and just kept going. So nice to find some kids literature that doesn’t involve vampires.” J Talb
“This book was, I believe, written for young adults. I am way past young and thoroughly enjoyed it, and would certainly recommend it for the younger set, as well as anyone looking to read a well-written book.
Magic realism that feels real is a hard balance that the author has successfully accomplished. Set in the early 1900′s, the two sisters feel like girls one could meet and enjoy today. But having the story take place 100 years ago makes it seem more real.
To be truthful, I know the writer and was very concerned that I would not like the book, so was hesitant to read it. Very happy to say that I overcame my reluctance because the writing is excellent.” Alana
“Ms. Eason manages to create both a realistic world full of everyday conflicts and still be a magical fantasy land. We are also able to visit the meeting of two cultures – the world of the new settlers and the mystical Nanchuti. The story about two sisters is told from the viewpoint of one twin, Katy, who clearly has the typical role of older sister. The book definitely catches the dynamics in the relationship between sisters. Young readers and adults can relate to emotions that are brought out and expressed by Katy as she and Celeste travel the ‘Heron’s Path’. I quickly added this to my Pinterest ‘books to read’ and recommend it for young and old alike!” Dsmith
“I purchased this book for my nine-year-old and as is my wont I read through the books I buy for her before handing them over. When I say read, what I typically mean is skim and read a few reviews. But, after only a few pages I was hooked. It’s a really nice read. My daughter is several chapters in now, and this morning we were discussing this book over our cereal. Fantastic.” Bruce from England
“I couldn’t help but love the elegant writing style, the great character’s of Celeste and Katy, and the whimsical setting. This is a superbly written story and I think it deserves to be on the best-seller lists. I hope more people will appreciate Mrs. Eason’s truly fine book.” David L. Dostaler
Author, Challenger RPG: a Free Roleplaying Game
Heron’s Path
Heron’s Path, by Alethea Eason, published May, 2012, is an engaging story about two sisters, Katy and Celeste, growing up in a world that is very intermingled with a fictitious Native American tribe called the Nanchuti in approximately late 1800′s. The Nanchuti seem so real that one is inclined to google them during the reading, which I did. I found out there was no such tribe, but in the afterward you can learn about the tribe that they are based on, the Karuk in Northern California. This book had me intrigued with the ways and history of the Karuk, and the enchanting world of Northern California more than a century ago. The poignant story of the sisters had me turning the pages to find out what happened. The strange connection that Celeste had to the Nanchuti kept me interested to the end.
The Klamath River
I found a picture from the internet that most closely resembles the river that I pictured in my mind while reading about the journey of Katy in search of Olena, the old Nanchuti woman that Katy turns to for wisdom in her struggles. The Talum is the river that flows through the lives of the Nanchuti in Heron’s Path, and is or seems based on the Klamath river in Northern California and Oregon. This river is a central part of the story, as are the graceful birds flying overhead. Eason intermingles the culture of the Nanchuti (based on the Karuk) with classic fairy tale imagery. She does a beautiful job of weaving these worlds together, and forming a new, imaginary universe filled with it’s own very real history.
The Heron
Strong Women of the Wagon Trails
Many interesting characters populate the story of Heron’s Path. Among them is Miss Price, modeled on the strong women of the pre-suffrage movement. Women like Miss Price never compromised their integrity, but had to struggle in a world dominated by ideas and prejudices whose demise we take for granted. None of the characters Eason portrays are flat or one dimensional. They are as complex and contradictory as real people are. Prejudices don’t just disappear, and they don’t just exist in bad people. We have all had relatives with old, outdated ideas that seem backward or even cruel. That doesn’t mean we don’t love them. There are relationships like this presented in Heron’s Path. The tension between Katy’s father and Miss Price, or Katy’s father and Olena (a strong Nanchuti woman) mirror and illustrate the changing values in the changing world of the late 1800′s.
Mixing Cultures
I chose this picture to illustrate what I imagined as I read Heron’s Path, visualizing the mixed community of people that come together. Some are native to the region, some are there looking for gold, some for other reasons. Above all this book shows the mixing of different cultures and perspectives, different customs, different religions, and the resulting tensions that result as they come together and make contact with one another. I got a real sense of a somewhat bustling, though small and intimate community that lived in this rural out post near the Klamuth. I would categorize this as historical fiction, even though the tribe is imaginary. I would highly recommend this book to young adults and as an entertaining and educational book. It is enjoyable for adults as well as young readers.
