The Woman Who Lives in the Earth

by Swain Wolfe

Written in resonant, poetic prose, The Woman Who Lives in the Earth takes place in a harsh, primitive land threatened by a severe drought. In this timeless place, young Sarah has become the target of the local villagers' superstition because of her fascination with the mysteries of nature. Believing her to be the cause of the drought, they gather into an angry mob bent on destroying her. Pursued by their hatred and aided only by her great-grandmother and a strange foxlike creature named Marishan Borison, Sarah uses the hidden forms and patterns of the natural world to transform herself as well as her enemies.

Touched by magic, The Woman Who Lives in the Earth is a haunting parable that speaks to the concerns of our time with simplicity and grace.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

171 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Terri Kempton · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my FAVORITE stories, a modern take on fairytales featuring an unbeatable little girl. Wolfe's writing is full of poetry and magic! And one of the best foxes in any book.

[Julicke · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit slow at first and I wasn't sure what the story was trying to be, but eventually it turned into an imaginative little fable. The writing style felt to me a bit like the author was trying too hard to be profound and poetic, but there were some genuinely nice lines in there as well.

[Sherrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend, Laurie Buchanan, recommended this beautiful little book a few weeks back. As soon as I could get it from my public library, I sat down to read the beautiful, engaging story of young Sarah. Sarah uses hidden patterns and forms of the natural world to change not only herself but her enemies as well.

It was coincidence that I was reading this book as the multiple shootings of recent days took place. Using a poetically written prose, the author speaks to us through Sarah of hatred and fear and overcoming both, something our current society could benefit from. Magical and transcendental in its telling, The Woman Who Lives in the Earth will resonate with them for time to come.

Thank you, Laurie, for this recommendation.

[Laurie Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The work of a visionary, THE WOMAN WHO LIVES IN THE EARTH is exquisite. The meticulous selection and placement of each individual word had me reading paragraphs twice just to experience them again.

In THE WOMAN WHO LIVES IN THE EARTH, the author, Swain Wolfe, created a vivid and captivating story that much like a plowshare, tills the heart and soul, turning laden thoughts and feelings over—and over again—so they can enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and room for growth.

[Ingrid R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just learned that Swain Wolfe passed away. This made me take down his signed copy of "The Woman who lives in the earth" and page slowly trough it. The memories! This is a beautiful book. The the magic realism reminded me very much of 100 years of solitude. It is that good.

[Denise Philipp Rutledge · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was weird. I thought the writing was good, but the tale was odd.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely story with prose that is very poetic, a timeless fable about personal power and hope.

[J]

This is a really profound book.
It's literary style is simplistic, but there is still significance. There are meaningful quotes and great ideas.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little book. I thought the style of storytelling was very unique and I wish creativity was more prevalent in modern fiction.

[Hanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very poetic

[Άννα Τσιαπούρη · Rating 3 out of 5]

Πρόκειται για την ιστορία της Σάρας, η οποία ήταν κόρη αγρότη. Η ανομβρία μαστίζει την περιοχή. Στις καρδιές των ντόπιων έχει φωλιάσει μίσος, που προκάλεσε η δεισιδαιμονία και ο φόβος. Στο πρόσωπο της Σάρας βλέπουν έναν κακόβουλο δαίμονα και την κατηγορούν για την ατυχία τους. Οι μεγαλύτεροι εχθροί της είναι η Γυναίκα-Σαύρα με τη μάσκα που την προστατεύει από το κακό και η Τριάδα των βλοσυρών φυλάκων της τάξης. Μοναδικοί της σύμμαχοι είναι η προγιαγιά της Λίλη και ένα μυστηριώδες πλάσμα με τη μορφή αλεπούς που επικοινωνεί μαζί της και τη βοηθά να μεταμορφώνεται σε ό,τι επιθυμεί.

Full review at Insta @vivliofreneia

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx5MjAKou...

[Luce Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book which reads like a fable on some levels, but is much more than that. The setting is a time without machinery, a time of great drought. Is this an apocalyptic world? Or perhaps an alternate world? This short little novel stays with the reader. Questions keep arising. I will have to re-read this novel many times and approach each subsequent encounter with the story on various different levels.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very different book for me. It’s almost like a fable. It has the surface story which is interesting and odd and seems to have characters and mindsets from sort of middle-ages. But then there is a fantasy layer or it could be called a metaphysical layer (imagine putting your consciousness into a tree!). And then there is a moral to the whole story. This would be a charming book for a parent to read to a child. I think a tween might find it fulfilling.

[Mercurymouth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this one up at A.R.E on the day of the (ultimately sad & disappointing) 2024 election.

It's appropriate for the times. Single cat ladies is the euphemism for witches, people who commune with nature and care for other living beings. No body should own the water. No body should control women's bodies. The fear that the villagers felt can be likened to the fear that Drumpf used in his campaign.

I enjoyed this book. It was timely.
I gave it to my sister as a thxgvg present.

[brooklenn leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is so beautiful. Magical, full of beautiful thoughts and a beautiful girl called Sarah who learns to do beautiful things. This book is wise in its simplicity. Everyone who believes there is good in the world should read this. It was the first book I’ve ever annotated for fun, and it was hard not to tab every line Lilly said.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thecwriting was pretty. I kept trying to read this as a parable or allegory, but I couldn't make it work. The story seems at once cryptic and obvious - obviously fear makes people into angy irrational mobs.

[Morgan Carrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fable like story and the writing is very poetic. It has several different story lines that all come together. It’s very imaginative and lets us think what it would be like to be something else such as a flower or tree. Sarah and her fox friend show us so many things about land and love.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative and sweet..

[Susan Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I give everything a 4. Nice read with a good message.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful fable like classic that I have ever read.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story.

[Sam Romano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this book good? Yes

Did I understand it? Kind of (???)

Type of book that I need to look up the themes or whatever to really grasp what it was trying to say. Am I dumb? Not sure

[Sara Nadzak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird story, weirdly written. Not too bad of an experience

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before the story begins, there's a page with a few lines of text. It's not a dedication and it probably has a name, but I don't know what it's called. Anyway, it begins,
In an unknown time, in an unknown land
the dark smoke of fires obscured the
savage masks that hid the fearing men.

The story itself begins ... Sara rose up through the dry sage and the shimmering heat as she climbed the hill toward her father and the huge horse. She carried a pail of water and a bundle wrapped in dark red cloth.

Then Wolfe proceeds to describe a dark, dour place and a mistrusting cast of characters. On page 129, evil is described:
Sarah sighed and asked: "Can you tell when evil gets inside you?"
"It is not evil that gets inside of you. Evil is when caring goes away."
"When you lose your caring?"
"Yes, when you stop caring about the feelings of other people or animals."

Then on p 146, Sarah learns that
When people stop seeing wonder and beauty
They forget who they are and their souls dry up.

A horrendous drought symbolizes all that is wrong with the place. The innocence and goodness of a child converts the town and its peoples.

[Marilyn Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely stunning book about a young girl (Sarah) of special talents who is a member of a peasant family struggling to live through a drought that has affected their entire world. The fear-ridden peasants of the nearby village, who see anything new and strange as a threat because of their fear of there never being rain again and their inability to see beyond that fear and themselves, seek to kill the girl who communes with spirit foxes and is strange and threatening to the peasants. Sarah seeks to summon the Woman Beneath the Earth in order to bring rain to the parched land. For the first time ever, I truly considered re-reading it immediately, because there are so many images and feelings and it's just one of those books to keep around and re-read and learn more and more.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Wolfe's writing style a bit abrupt compared to most authors I read, and his story somewhat "weird" (also in comparison) but I'm not sorry I took the time to read it. It did raise some significant issues that we human beings need to revisit from time to time in our lives. Basically it is a somewhat enigmatic portrayal of sacrifice and redemption and challenges the reader to consider our all-too-often knee-jerk reactions, our ignorant and judgemental views of others.

[Tessa Hulls · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book. It was one of those things that came my way while traveling, and so I read it because I was a captive audience. This book pretty much a poster child for trying too hard to be sparsely profound. Insipid and incredibly irritating. I can't remember the last time I disliked a book this strongly.

[Ehm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time rating this book. For the most part, the language was boring and static, although it featured a few very lovely metaphors, which were a delight to read. The story presents some interesting ideas about thought and mind, but I feel like it could have gone further in its exploration. All in all, the book had a lot of potential, but wasn't executed as well as it could have.

[Jen Marques (Just Me*) · Rating 3 out of 5]

É um livro realmente estranho (lembra-me um pouco da história de "Alice no País das Maravilhas"), o andar da história é um pouco lento e só consegui entrar mesmo na história lá para meio do livro... Mas os últimos capítulos é que mudaram o meu ponto de vista sobre este livro.
É um história realmente intrigante e diferente e gostei muito da conclusão da história!!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regardless of anybody's arguments for quality of writing, this story pulls one in and can unknowingly make a significant impact. Now I struggle with keeping this for re-reading (an act which I rarely commit) or sharing with as many others as possible. In truth, I shall probably read this at least once more before passing along...