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The Crying Dance
The raven came to look for them amid the Sierra peaks. The old men shouldn't even be alive any longer, but they were-they'd been together as part of the landscape for over 150 years. Wu was Chinese, a refugee of the Opium wars and the Taiping Rebellion. He'd sailed across the Eastern Ocean to California at the behest of Dizang the bodhisattva. Francisco was a Yokuts Indian captured by the Spanish army and raised by the friars at Mission San Luis Obispo. After his escape he'd become a bear shaman. The two men's fates have intertwined in such a way that their lives have gone on and on as they wandered the Sierra. The old men even danced the Ghost Dance together in an attempt to restore Francisco's people and the life of the landscape. The raven told the old men there was someone coming - JR, a cowboy of the Sierra foothills whose sad ass cowboy economics and PTSD from serving in Iraq have left him ready to fall off the edge of the world. His life is empty, but the mountains and rivers have conspired to bring him together with the old men
- GenresFiction
342 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2014
1 person is currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
John R. Spivey
2 books3 followersJohn Spivey is a writer and studio furniture maker who lives in Santa Barbara, California.
He is the the author of
The Crying Dance and
The Great Western Divide
He is the the author of
The Crying Dance and
The Great Western Divide
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 29, 2024
"Find your praise for existence."
July 8, 2014
John Spivey gives us an insightful story of finding redemption, healing, friendship, and peace. He takes a Yokuts shaman from the 1760's and a Chinese man escaping China during the Opium wars in the 1850's, and sets them on a path together. Each looking for healing and peace for himself, but while traveling through Central California together in search of the person they are to help, they form a friendship. J.R., a US soldier from Iraq with PTSD, is that man they are looking for. Meanwhile, J.R. is compelled to go into the mountains in search of finding a way to his own pain-free existence, and finds Wu and Francisco.
Spivey reminds us in the beginning of the book to be patient as the story unfolds. Wise words, as healing and peace are not so immediate a find. He takes his time showing us this story, mixing spiritualism, metaphysics, Native American, Western and Eastern religions, and he makes sense of it all. Time is treated as flexible, adaptable. It is an illusion to the characters. We each have our own history individually, and the world and its peoples have their collective past. "Until you find your real self you aren't a full human being." "That self is what can observe your pain and the pain of the world and sort it out and keep it at a safe distance."(p. 206).
Through friendship and compassion, we gain perspective and appreciation of others, and vice versa. By this understanding of others, we can start to fully understand ourselves and find that peace we are looking for. Spivey expresses this journey, this struggle of healing and finding peace within ourselves and within the world beautifully.
***this book was received from the author through a Booklikes giveaway.***
Spivey reminds us in the beginning of the book to be patient as the story unfolds. Wise words, as healing and peace are not so immediate a find. He takes his time showing us this story, mixing spiritualism, metaphysics, Native American, Western and Eastern religions, and he makes sense of it all. Time is treated as flexible, adaptable. It is an illusion to the characters. We each have our own history individually, and the world and its peoples have their collective past. "Until you find your real self you aren't a full human being." "That self is what can observe your pain and the pain of the world and sort it out and keep it at a safe distance."(p. 206).
Through friendship and compassion, we gain perspective and appreciation of others, and vice versa. By this understanding of others, we can start to fully understand ourselves and find that peace we are looking for. Spivey expresses this journey, this struggle of healing and finding peace within ourselves and within the world beautifully.
***this book was received from the author through a Booklikes giveaway.***
September 7, 2014
:: Favourite Quote ::
Sorrow was not a bad thing. It was a measure of respect for the good aspects of life, respect for things that brought joy in their time before passing on. (P.223)
:: The Review ::
I received a copy of The Crying Dance via a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
In an understated spirit, similar to authors such as Coelho, Spivey explores delicate themes such as karma, redemption, and the collective in a unique way. The novel works it's way through context, text and subtext to present the reader with a vivid interpretation of the collective soul.
If I were asked to describe this book using just one word.... The word would be: Intertwine.
The way in which people's lives are interconnected... the way in which the past is woven into the present and inevitably strings through the future... the way in which the wisdom of elders mesh with our own when you open yourself to it. There are other such examples.
Another aspect I enjoyed was the references to animal spirit totems and the mystical power of nature. In particular, the description of Coyote :
"People think Coyote is some sort of evil trickster, but he simply represents the part of our human minds that deceives itself so it can be special..."
This type of book is best read slowly. Take the time to contemplate the messages found within.
Sorrow was not a bad thing. It was a measure of respect for the good aspects of life, respect for things that brought joy in their time before passing on. (P.223)
:: The Review ::
I received a copy of The Crying Dance via a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
In an understated spirit, similar to authors such as Coelho, Spivey explores delicate themes such as karma, redemption, and the collective in a unique way. The novel works it's way through context, text and subtext to present the reader with a vivid interpretation of the collective soul.
If I were asked to describe this book using just one word.... The word would be: Intertwine.
The way in which people's lives are interconnected... the way in which the past is woven into the present and inevitably strings through the future... the way in which the wisdom of elders mesh with our own when you open yourself to it. There are other such examples.
Another aspect I enjoyed was the references to animal spirit totems and the mystical power of nature. In particular, the description of Coyote :
"People think Coyote is some sort of evil trickster, but he simply represents the part of our human minds that deceives itself so it can be special..."
This type of book is best read slowly. Take the time to contemplate the messages found within.
June 2, 2014
What do a cowboy with PTSD, a Native American Shaman, and an ancient Chinese Wise Man have in common? Much more than meets the eye! Take a trip through the centuries with these characters, from China to the heart of California, through each of their personal histories and onto new beginnings. The Crying Dance is a novel twist on the Magical Realism genre, which is beloved in Latin America. In the tradition of authors such as the late Gabriel García Márquez, the story crosses borders, blends the seemingly incompatible and brings many changes—both inward and outward. Much of the characters’ process of understanding themselves is deeply intertwined with their connection to the landscape – past, present, and future. This story could simply be considered ‘fiction’. However, I would describe it as a carefully crafted vehicle for helping the characters and the reader to discover a much deeper truth than could be told with another approach. It is never too late and there is redemption for us all. Accept that magic is real and enjoy the ride!
July 14, 2014
The Crying Dance is an interesting read. It reminds me a little bit of reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude in its surreal-ness.
This reminder is not a bad thing, as it adds a magical quality to the story as told through Francisco, Wu, JR, Marie, and even Padre Serra. Each brings a necessary piece of the story to make a whole.
The Crying Dance is also the story of the San Joaquin Valley - its past and its present. It shows the beauty and the violence and how closely the two can be intertwined.
The book, in the end, is a tapestry of many colors that is woven together to show a picture both stark and beautiful.
Received from Goodreads Giveaways.
This reminder is not a bad thing, as it adds a magical quality to the story as told through Francisco, Wu, JR, Marie, and even Padre Serra. Each brings a necessary piece of the story to make a whole.
The Crying Dance is also the story of the San Joaquin Valley - its past and its present. It shows the beauty and the violence and how closely the two can be intertwined.
The book, in the end, is a tapestry of many colors that is woven together to show a picture both stark and beautiful.
Received from Goodreads Giveaways.
August 24, 2014
What a gem! A veteran of the Iraq war suffering from PTSD comes upon to old men (spirits,? Shaman,? angels?,) who guide him through his personal difficulties. It doesn't matter what religious training you have had, this is a beautiful story that is extremely well written. The setting is the Sierra foothills in California. These old men come from different backgrounds and different times on earth. It is close to their time to return to The Great Mind, but they are given this one last assignment. Mr. Spivey is a master storyteller. My thanks to him and Goodreads for a complimentary copy.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews