Hunters and Gatherers

by Francine Prose

Reeling from the shock of a failed romance, Martha, a fact checker at a chic fashion magazine, falls in with a group of New Age feminist goddess worshipers. She follows the group and their accident-prone leader, Isis Moonwagon, from the upscale beaches of Fire Island to the inhospitable Arizona desert, where a Native-American healer bullies them through the punitive rituals of the sweat lodge and the vision quest. But as petty tensions and major crises escalate out of control, the women’s longing to return to the "caring nurturant" ways of primitive hunters and gatherers shatters under the pressures of a more predatory reality.

Genres: Fiction, Literature, Contemporary

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

Francine Prose is the author of twenty works of fiction. Her novel A Changed Man won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and Blue Angel was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her most recent works of nonfiction include the highly acclaimed Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife, and the New York Times bestseller Reading Like a Writer. The recipient of numerous grants and honors, including a Guggenheim and a Fulbright, a Director's Fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library, Prose is a former president of PEN American Center, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her most recent book is Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Madeline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read Francine Prose's nonfiction Reading Like a Writer in college and loved it, so when I saw this in a used bookstore, I decided to buy it and see what her fiction writing was like. And, okay, the writing is pretty good. It's the central idea behind the book that I had some major problems with.

Our heroine is Martha, a lost woman reeling from a breakup and needing to find a place where she is accepted. Walking on a beach one day, she encounters a group of New-Age goddess-worshipping women, and saves their accident-prone leader (her name is Isis Moongarden, if that gives you any indication of where we're going with this) from drowning. Next thing we know, Martha has become a member of the group and is preparing to go on a vision quest with them.

This is very much a satirical book, and most of the satire was admittedly funny and pretty on-point - the best part was how well Prose rips apart the concept of white women paying a Native American to take them on a fake vision quest, and I almost wish that the majority of the plot was spent at the retreat. Where we venture into awkward territory, however, is when it comes to the other targets of Prose's satire.

Look, hippy-dippy New Agers are a great target for satire. But Prose's main source of humor seems to stem from the fact that a group of women tried to create a peaceful and supportive environment that fell apart because they couldn't stop being catty bitches to each other for longer than five minutes. There's petty relationship drama, middle-school-level jealousies, and also there's a mother-daughter pair in the group that's just a minefield of tired jokes you hear from middle-aged male comedians at an open mic night. The mother is flighty and encourages her daughter's eating disorder, because LADIES BE DIETING, AM I RIGHT GUYS. The problem here is that the women themselves are often the target of Prose's humor, and the level to which she constantly runs them over in the service of her own cruel satire is disheartening. At least two of the women in the group have experienced sexual abuse, and several of them are gay. The fact that the cult is probably the only safe environment available to them is not acknowledged or discussed.

And you can't tell me that this is all subtle brilliant satire and Prose is really supporting feminism instead of mocking it, because the book ends with two of the characters literally being rescued by a man. A man who mentions at one point that he hated Thelma and Louise, prompting one of the women to say that she didn't like it either. The whole scene just reeked of "See, I'm not like other girls, I'm a cool girl! Bitches and their drama, hahaha!" and it was (sing along if you know the words) PROBLEMATIC.

[Andrea Dowd · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel was supposed to be a satire on goddess religions/cults in contemporary New York. The women are horrible to each other and themselves (what goddess do you know who is anorexic)and the main character has serious self-awareness issues.

Maybe it was to satirical for me, but I could not get beyond the bickering and actions that any goddess I can think of, would loath. She would have killed them all.

Read if you can handle it.

[Ali Chakir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read and liked her book 'Reading as a Writer' I probably expected more of her than was delivered in this novel. The plot is quite good and the characters are pretty clearly defined. The end had great potential but ended up somewhat limp.

I just kept thinking it could have been so much funnier. I kept wishing Tom Robbins had written it instead.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Francine Prose has such a good ear for the pretentious/self-absorbed type of conversation that is so common in so many ways. I enjoyed this book for the idea of a group of Goddess-worshiping women who bring each other down and hack away at each other's psyches instead of nurturing and building each other up. Satirical, and I would only say it is funny as an afterthought, as it's almost too realistic to be funny.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Francine Prose is an amazing writer. I know this from other books of hers that I have read.mso I picked this book up to continue the reading pleasure. However, I found her main characterbMartha to be mostly sympathetic in her insecurities, but I couldn't tolerate the ironic view of the Goddess group members. Each was a perfect parody of a "type" of searching feminist. And the problem with parodies is that they are not enjoyable characters with whom you want to spend a day or 2

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as "A Changed Man" or "Blue Angel". Making fun of goddess worshipers is like shooting fish in a barrel. You have to do it a bit better than this to make it worth reading. And Martha, through whose eyes we see the whole thing, is not a very richly drawn character. And the little epiphany at the end with the cactus?

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't find Household Saints so I got this one and started reading it. Although it's a topic dear to my heart (wiccans and goddess-worshippers with all their foibles), I did not find the writing style very exciting. It reminded me a lot of Anne Tyler's "Digging to America," another book which had an exciting topic but flat characters.

[cheese]

this book actually made me want 2 barf. Took me a while 2 understand the satire but was genuinely hard 2 read without losing my mind over white spiritualists.

[june3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seem to have enjoyed this book much more than most others on this site. This is at least the third time I have read this, and I enjoy it more and more.

As far as satirical goes, it is hardly even over the top. While I have little to no experience with Goddess-culture, I have certainly spent more than enough time in women-only (or women-mostly) hierarchies (PTA, prom committees, volunteer chaperoning). Enough said.

[Jan Priddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read most of it and then finally gave myself permission to stop. Just in case, I read the last pages.

This was an unkind book—unkind to just about everyone. I could fairly hear the author sneering at characters. I didn't like any of them much, but I kind of felt sorry for them being stuck in this novel.

[Victoria Weinstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not a big fan of books that skewer movements but aren’t funny or clever. I’m also not a fan of contempt as a key literary device.

I only finished this because it had some nostalgic value for me.

[Norrin2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It’s definitely dated. What probably felt like cutting edge satire in 1995 now feels like picking on an easy target. Upgraded to 4 stars because of Prose’s excellent characterization and for that great cover.

[Marie Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable book. I started and finished in a few days. Written in 1995, it explores the dynamics of The Goddess culture, through the eyes of a cynical and insecure female protagonist.

[Gretchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it starts out as a serious novel, by page 30 it has become satirical, and remains so throughout the book. A woman, Martha, just discarded by her boyfriend, comes upon a group of New Age female Goddess worshippers on a beach on Fire Island. She becomes a part of the group, though with reservations. The rest of the story reveals the human traits – compassion, cattiness, competitiveness, rebellion, anger, etc. – of the members, despite the reach for contemplative peace through worship. Martha, a 13 year old daughter (Sonoma) of one of the members, and various frictions within the group are the tools that let us see humans being humans. It’s humorous and has a happy ending. It’s not a book I would re-read. I felt the satirical tone needed to be revealed from the outset, and the serious thread needed to be more apparent in the satirical part of the book.

[Gia · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is the cover. Although the storyline of witches and the main character, Martha, trying to find herself, is good. The writing though is very childish, very messy. The ending is not good, it is as if, the author, couldn't think of anything else to write and leaves you hanging. I will say that although the writing of this book is not very well thought out, Francine Prose, has written a wonderful book, 'Lovers at the Chameleon Club; Paris 1932'. I had read 'Lovers...' first, I was drawn to the cover, as I was drawn to the cover of 'Hunters...' Her book 'Lovers...' was very well written, especially how the characters all intertwine. She has definitely grown (with 'Lovers...') as a storyteller since this book, 'Hunters and Gatherers' from 1995.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really digging Francine Prose more and more. This is a wonderful skewering of how rife with hypocricy and and arrogant colonialism (hmmm ... is that redundant?) the whole New Age movement is ... though I guess any indigenous person knows this anyway. My beef is that her inipi description is inaccurate, but maybe that's not so bad. If the Wannabe Tribe uses this as a model, they'll suffocate themselves and that will fix that.

[Cynthia Paschen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not to be confused with "Hunting and Gathering," which is one of my favorite books. We also read that one for our book group. This story is a satire of new age-goddess religions. It's pretty funny, though I must say the goddess lovers are an easy target. She has fun with names: Hegwitha, Natalie Cornflower (a gardener), Titania, Sonoma, Isis and (OUR HERO:), Martha. Pretty good satire, comes off funny and not mean.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Annoying and unfunny. The main character never evolves and the secondary characters don't either. They are stuck and even jaguar visions never seem to really move them into a more mature place. An embarrassing depiction, supposed satire, this book just doesnt have anything to offer the reader. Was looking forward to a story of women outside the normal cultural realm and was very disappointed. The racist chatter regarding Native Americans was also very uncomfortable to read.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Francine Prose book I read at least 5 years ago that I really liked, but which a lot of people hate! I'd have to read it again to give it a full review. I remember liking the topic as I hadn't read a novel with this sort of focus, and I also appreciated the juxtaposition between the hippy-dippy goddess worshippers who supposedly are these great feminists but who treated each other like dirt and had no respect for other women. Might read this one again some day.

[Pascale · Rating 3 out of 5]

A laugh a page, at least. Admittedly, New Age nuts are an easy target, but one feels Prose could skewer anyone. I was disappointed by the rather abrupt ending, which suggests that the central character went on to have a perfectly happy life after her encounter with the Goddess worshippers. Was that in spite of them or because of them? Still, even if it is unclear what larger point the author wanted to make with this book, her dissection of group dynamics is spot on.

[Laurie Berkowitz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this by mistake when my book group was reading "Hunting and Gathering"!! This book was just ok, not really worth spending the time, but unfortunately I was trying to be a good book group participant!

[Dustin Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francine Prose is my favorite writer by far. Each book of hers is soooo great! Please get one!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors.

[Trace Lara Hentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overall character development was amazing - but the story left me cold. (I choose books with Native American characters all the time - this one failed miserably - and yeah, I know its fiction)

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into this.

[Meg Clayton]

novel