Seducing the Spirits

by Louise Young

When Jenny Dunfree, a graduate student in tropical ornithology, is banished to a remote, Panamanian-sponsored birding project near the Columbian border, she is given one directive by her superior: Don't tick anyone off. Almost immediately, Jenny encounters problems with this assignment. The study site where she's sent to observe nesting harpy eagles is located near an indigenous village, and upon arrival she's informed that her attendance is mandatory at many community functions. Jenny finds the native Kuna people to be a prickly lot, quick to take offense; their values, language, and customs incomprehensible to her. Equally confusing is the surrounding rainforest with its myriad of unknown and impossible to identify species. Her bewilderment extends even to the nesting eagles which the project's founder, a prominent raptor authority, insisted were rare harpy eagles but as far as Jenny can tell are a lesser species of no interest to the Republic of Panama or any other national entity. With no option out, Jenny slogs on with the research and her required attendance at weekly town hall meetings in the Kuna village. Jenny's liaison with the native people is Pedro, a man whose early education at a mission school left him fluent in English but cynical and detached from his own culture. As weeks pass, Jenny becomes acquainted with other members of the community: Eulogio, the handsome and charismatic leader; shy Iris who married and then was abandoned by Jenny's predecessor in the harpy eagle project; the racially prejudiced Anselmo; and Ceferino, in whom Jenny discovers a shared passion for the natural world. In this lawless frontera, Jenny also encounters outsiders with their own agendas for the Kunas and the surrounding rainforest. Through her eyes, the reader is drawn into Kuna culture and its struggle to retain a traditional identity in the face of erosion from both outside and within the community.

Genres: Fiction

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Louise Young has worked as a social worker, fire tower worker and model. At the University of Victoria, she completed two BFAs - one in creative writing and the other in painting. Her stories have appeared in The Malahat Review, The Louisville Review and Prism International, while her play, Hungry Ghosts, won the CBC Playwriting Competition in 1989. Icarus is her first novel. Young lives in Victoria, B.C.

Reviews

[Bint Arab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most anthropologists write fiction disguised as ethnography; in Seducing the Spirits Louise Young has written an ethnography disguised as fiction. Some reviewers here on librarything describe this book as a romance because of the love relationship between the main character, Jenny Dunfree, and Ceferino, a Kuna man living on the island next to Jenny's field site, but I don't see it as a romance at all; the relationship takes a backseat to the higher purpose of imparting cultural information. It's not good fiction either. It's not even good ethnography.

The story is told in the first person present tense from Jenny's point of view. Maybe that's why Jenny does everything right. I know it's hard to describe your own experiences in the field without depicting yourself as always right. I don't hold this against Young -- it just makes for boring fiction. Though this story is fictional, it's based on the author's actual field experience working with Kuna in Panama. Here's the premise of the story: Jenny is an anthropology grad student who came to South America to work on one site but ended up having a brief affair with her field advisor who then got rid of her by packing her off to a new field site, an island used by a community of Kuna. Jenny arrives at the field site with no guidance -- don't worry, the advisor gets his comeuppance at the end of the book -- and the graduate student whom she's replacing flees the site as soon as she arrives. Poor Jenny: she wants to do the right thing, but no one's making that possible for her, not even the Kuna who tolerate having strangers on their island. Of course, that "reticence" is not their fault; only a couple of them know Spanish or English, so the burden of communication falls on Jenny. In fact, the burden of a lot of things falls on Jenny in a very political-correctness-for-anthropologists way, like how to wear a Kuna skirt or how to cook the foods readily available on the island. It's the kind of political correctness that anthropologists often have to adopt with audiences who are pre-disposed to be disdainful of other cultures; it's the kind of political correctness that pushes anthropologists to the equally insulting extreme of depicting other people as "noble savages."

Jenny embodies that attitude. For example, the Kuna on the neighboring island expect that Jenny knows how to cook; when they discover otherwise, a Kuna woman sets out to teach Jenny. There follows truly irritating scenes of Jenny's obsequious "I'm sorry I'm so stupid" behavior with her instructor which has the opposite effect of what I think was intended: it makes Jenny seem patronizing toward her Kuna neighbors.

Good and pure soul that she is, Jenny does everything right despite not having been told what the "right" thing is. Even when she thinks she's doing something wrong, it turns out to be the right thing; thus she earns the Kunas' approval. She always says the right things, is appropriately humble (even self-deprecating), is generous and compassionate, is a keen scientist, has utmost respect for Kuna beliefs and ways of being, and never, ever holds the Kunas' differences from her against them. They're always right -- she's the stupid one. In other words, Jenny is everything a good anthropologist should be, not what we really are. As explained in the book jacket, the author Louise Young wanted to avoid the "armchair anthropologist" voice so typical of ethnographic/anthropology writing, but she ended up re-creating that air of detached observation anyway. That may have been a consequence of wanting to squeeze a lot of ethnographic detail into the 304 pages of this book.

As fiction, this story lacks a compelling central conflict to drive events and motivate Jenny's actions. The romance that "develops" between Jenny and Ceferino is only mildly understandable; it seems mostly like a ploy to justify certain plot turns and the revelation of more ethnographic details. However, there is one HUGE redeeming factor about this story, an element of realism so astute and so perceptive that it makes all other contrived elements come off as more natural: Jenny is depressed. Like many an anthropology grad student doing fieldwork, she doesn't even realize how depressed she is, and she attributes it to being angry because of her advisor's unfair treatment. In the course of the novel, Jenny comes to recognize some of her loneliness and depression and to embrace her differences from the others (white and Kuna alike); this confrontation represents some character development.

The part where Jenny is threatened by a wild spirit is fascinating. Actually, a lot of this novel is fascinating in a National Geographic way: it is ethnography for the (white, North American) masses. It's not good fiction, but it lacks the kind of meta-narrative/constructive insight that makes for good ethnographies.

I got a reviewer's copy of this book through LibraryThing. The cover has a fold-out dust jacket of good quality with vivid colors. The inside pages are also strong, high-quality, very white paper. There was about one mistake for every two pages which good proofreading would have fixed easily. The editor's office didn't reply to my query about this, but I sincerely hope they addressed the issue.

At the very least I hope they changed the spelling of Columbia (like the university) to Colombia (like the country) -- c'mon, Louise, with all the grant applications you had to write to get out there for your fieldwork, don't tell me you never learned how to spell the name of the country! How politically incorrect and ethnocentric is that?

~bint

[Donna Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seducing the Spirits [return]by Louise Young[return]Book: 320 pages[return]Publisher: Permanent Press[return][return][return]When you read Seducing the Spirits , I m not quite sure who is really being seduced. As the reader, you will find yourself unable to avoid the seduction and allure created by the the author, Louise Young, who has a natural sensitivity and suavity for storytelling.[return][return]A lush tropical jungle somewhere bordering Columbia becomes the home for Jenny Dunfree, a grad student in tropical ornithology. Banished to this remote location by her insensitive slug of a boss, ostensibly due to a brief tryst they had, she is given two directives: first, continue the valuable research observing the rare harpy eagles and, second, don t annoy or anger the Kuna indigenous people. Or more delicately put, 'Don't piss anyone off.'[return][return]She is disturbed to find out her presence is required each Saturday at a town meeting on the Kuna island. The project is very important to the Panamanian people, and her days are long and arduous. The weekly spectacle is the last thing she needs, but these meetings will become her lifeline. She makes friends with a host of characters who Young has defined with adroit perfection. The writer, who has lived among the Kuna people, gives you a sense of identity as she creates living characters who you would expect to find in the sultry seclusion of the rain forest.[return][return]When Jenny arrives for her first obligatory function, she becomes instantly overwhelmed with the cultural dissimilarity and odd array of villagers in attendance. Fortunately, she has the support of Pedro, a villager who speaks English and he becomes her liaison and friend. Although these meetings are an intrusive obligation at first, Jenny comes to rely on them as an essential insightful bridge to assimilation. Little does she realize they are for her protection as well. She is treated with respect and kindness by most villagers, but her blond hair is an enigma. When the Kuna people refuse to address Jenny by name, she is bewildered. She leaves with a sense of foreboding, knowing her acceptance will be a bit more complicated than she originally anticipated.[return][return]When Jenny meets Ceferino, a handsome, charming villager, he is an instant temptation, as if a seducing spirit lives within his hot body. They enjoy walking the paths of the mainland forest. They take pleasure in their surroundings, the stimulating scents of bountiful bouquets of erotic beauty. Jenny becomes entranced by the abundant animal life that shares equal space, undisturbed. She lives alone on the mainland, bravely. The Kuna people believe in a spirit world that can assume the body's soul, so they leave the mainland at night. When Jenny becomes seduced by the spirits that try to envelope her, it may be too late.[return][return]Louise Young writes in living botanical color, providing breathtaking visions of a perfect paradise. The delicate balance of living among indigenous people while respecting their values, culture and lifestyle is a lesson well learned in Seducing the Spirits .[return][return]Wisteria Leigh

[Kaitlin Blaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaitlin Blaker
Mrs. Pulliam
English 12
18 November 2009
Seducing the Spirits
This book is all about understanding. It's easy to see after reading it and finding out a little bit about the author. Louise Young wrote Seducing the Spirits to help people understand the Kuna Indians of South America. Not only does it do that, but you learn things about people in general. Well, first you need to know what this book is about.
Seducing the Spirits is the story of an ornithology grad. student named Jenny. Now, much as I like Jenny's character, I have to be honest. She's not always the sharpest tool in the shed. In fact, she says it herself at one point in the book. Jenny was studying animals in South America when she got "involved" with her supervisor. This supervisor had a history of this behavior, but he also did something else. He always sent his ex-partners into remote locations that were...not fun. This, of course, happened to Jenny, and she is sent to Sugatupu, Panama, where there was a nest of harpy eagles. Once there, Jenny met a host of people, all of whom can be found to have twins (personality wise) here in America. She lived across an inlet from a village of Kuna Indians, and these were the people she associates with most. At first, it was really hard for Jenny to do anything. She didn't know anything about the people, the language, even the project and the eagles themselves. Slowly, ever so slowly, things start to change. She made friends in the village: a man named Litos who prefers men and is the perfect best friend, and Iris, a woman who was married to a previous researcher and left behind when he left. Eventually, Jenny found her place in the community, and learned about herself in the process.
I really liked this book. I have to say, it does swear, and it can be very blunt about certain things, but the story is good and it never goes into detail. You simply know what happens. It had me thinking about how I would feel if I was in the same situation as Jenny. A new place, new people, and a language you can't speak. Sure, some of the Kunas could speak Spanish, but not enough to make much of a difference . I learned a lot about the Kuna culture and nature in general in the course of reading this book. It has some very funny parts, but it's not for the faint of heart. At its core, this book is about understanding ourselves and other people, and as such it can get very intense. I really identified with Jenny and the struggles she faced throughout the book. I couldn't help but cheer her on every time something went her way, and I was very satisfied with the way it ended. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn and have a good read at the same time.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louise Young’s novel Seducing the Spirits might provide a wise seduction for many spirits: The readers’ spirits most certainly and delightfully; that tortured American scientist spirit that wants to believe in innocence despite the ravages of power; the legalistic religious spirit that paints the world black and white and fails to see its own shades of gray; the conquering spirit of supposedly civilized pride…

The novel starts somewhat confusingly, and perfectly so. The narrator has landed on the shore beside the jungle and is going to spend the next few months observing an eagle’s nest. She’s there because she’s annoyed the program director. And she’s there, seemingly, without help or backup or even any clear instructions on what she must do. The only rule is “don’t piss off the natives,” which apparently includes an injunction to go to their meeting every Saturday even though she feels like a tall white alien.

The story pulls the reader in quickly with musical words and birdsong, with the taste of corn and chocolate, and the sticky sweat of jungle heat on the skin. Natives change from a blur of strangers into recognizable characters with different cares and concerns and even names. But the protagonist seems to have lost her own name. Defining herself by work, mocking her own insufficiencies and failures and feeling scorned and unloved by all around, her spirit waits to be seduced. Then slowly, she learns from those she’s been taught to believe are less than she.

The narrator’s uncertain faith—a memory of the story of the Good Samaritan and Jesus’ kindness to strangers—is contrasted first with the strident force of a travelling evangelist, and then with the loving touch of indigenous belief. Love indeed proves the stronger call. Meanwhile the identities of eagles are called into question, and their value proves greater to those who watch with love than it is to those who define with knowledge and power.

The author’s ability to convey the spiritual experience of the Kuna without evangelizing, criticizing or even rationalizing is amazing, letting the reader share in something beautiful, filled with love. By the end of the novel, the narrator is empowered by that love. The reader has enjoyed a wondrous seduction. And the author, as I learn on the back flap of the book, has chosen to work with the indigenous Kuna people, bearing witness to all that she’s told. Whatever our beliefs, if our eyes are closed to love then we’re the ones who need seducing for our spirits to be healed.

[Clark Isaacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louise Young’s debut novel, Seducing the Spirits, shows promising potential by a new author taking center stage in the literary world. Starting with a slow and peaceful pace, it quickly traps you into becoming involved in the jungle world of a 23-year-old graduate student who is studying harpy eagles in a rain forest. Main character, Jenny Dunfree, breaks some of the taboos which she had been warned about and interacts with the natives.

Set in the jungles of Panama, she spends many isolated days and nights on an island where her only company are animals and occasional visitors who pop in on her. She views the mating and birth of the eagles. Paid to watch, she surprisingly develops an unusual dedication to her job. Many of her predecessors did not; they left after short stays, some as soon as a day.

The Kuna tribal language is neither a Spanish off-shoot nor one that contains English. We learn various native words by progressing through the book. It is a tribal language, one from a real tribe, which the author met while working as a biologist and fiber artist. She states that writing this book as one of fiction and gives her an opportunity to introduce the Kunas to others in a way that will reflect what she has learned about them, but at the same time shall not violate their trust in her. Very little has been written about these people except for anthropological studies in the late twentieth century as they were very academic according to Young. She says, other books contained half-truths and misinformation.

Louise Young’s writing style is clear, concise, and entertaining. Descriptive passages of sitting in tribal counsels and not understanding the language are factual. When an interpreter is introduced, it becomes almost akin to a visit to the United Nations. First, the words are spoken in Kuna, then Spanish, and finally English. The reader will get a flavor of all languages, since nothing is left out. Also, just by repetition, many Kuna phrases will become a part of your vocabulary.

Above all, a love story develops between Jenny and one of the tribesmen. Interaction and good relationships makes this an unusual book. It is outstanding because of Young’s ability to bring insight into the lives of jungle people and is highly recommended. In fact, the publisher is nominating this book for consideration in two book-award contests.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars if I could.

This book (which I won through GoodReads... hooray!) is written by a female anthropologist who has been studying and working with the indigenous Kunu people in Panama since the mid-90s. According to the book jacket, she set out to write kind of a National Geographic-style travelogue about the Kunu people but it just wasn't working for her. Instead, she decided to write a work of fiction that incorporated a lot of what she learned about the Kunu. Probably a good thing.

The book was an effortless read that was quite enlightening about a part of the world and a people that I knew nothing about.

The main character is a young ornithologist who is sent by a prof (who banished her to the jungle after a brief affair that he felt guilty about) to a remote, remote, remote corner of Panama to continue an on-going study of Harpy eagles. She is the only "white person" within what seems like a thousand miles. The book is all about how she first endures and eventually learns to integrate with the indigenous Kunu people nearby.

The beginning is kind of silly. She's very young and it unclear why she stays in this rediculous situation. She also doesn't seem to really know much about birds and she's supposed to be some sort of expert. She's not remotely freaked out by being in a tiny tent in a dense jungle absolutely alone every night. Her main reason for being freaked out is that the Kunu people all have a pact to never, ever say her name. Yeah, at some point this would probably get to me, but there would be about 1000 things that would freak me out before getting to that!

Maybe I just missed something, but there's this kind of creepy guy who's always feeling her up. I couldn't figure out why she didn't push him away. It wasn't until about halfway through the book that I finally understood that he was quite obviously gay, so she wasn't threatened by him. At another point, there's an American evangelist who arrives in the area and is almost beyond a caricature. Other than those (actually minor) problems, I really enjoyed this book.

Recommended for a very different read that is an effortless anthropology lesson!

[stormhawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was introduced to Seducing the Spirits through the FirstReads program at goodreads.com. This is not the sort of book that I would ordinarily choose, however, the description was interesting enough that I responded to the offer to read and review this book.

Seducing the Spirits is the fictionalized account of the author's experiences as an ornithology graduate student in Panama, and time spent with a tribal group, the Kuna. The author continues her association with the tribe, managing a women's cooperative. It's implied that she went to the jungles of Panama to learn about wildlife, and ended up learning about herself. Jenny at the end of the novel, however, seems much the same as Jenny at the beginning.

The first person voice of the novel makes it read more like a journal than a novel, but with far less introspection and insight than I would have expected.

There is a soft, dreamlike quality to the writing, at least in the early chapters. It lends an un-reality to the scenes and settings Ms. Young chooses to tell her story, but the places and people seem as alien to her as a spaceship would be to her readers. She remains an observer throughout, not an experiencer, a fine position for an ornithologist watching her eagles, but for the novelist revealing the minds and hearts of her characters, the technique falls short of success.

Sometimes her prose is simple, but flowing, other times the beauty she could be describing is halted by reference to epiphytic plants, requiring the reader to pull back from the story and derive meaning either from a dictionary or context.

The narrator's cluelessness of her own sexual power, despite her admitted experience was perplexing. She recognizes her sexual impact on a variety of men, plays, teases, but nearly always withholds herself, much in the same way that she withholds herself from the scrutiny of her readers.

On reaching the last page, I realized how little I understand about the Kuna, and also about Jenny.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the thrill of winning this book from the giveaways. I couldn't wait to read it. The title grabbed my attention and I was excited. As seems to be my pattern recently, what I thought the book was going to be about did not even begin to resemble what the book was actually about. Sometimes this is a bad thing because you build yourself up for a certain reading experience only to be let down. I thought this was going to be a ghost story and because horror and supernatural topics are my favorite. Looking back I should have read the description, but didn't because the title told me all I needed to know, I thought.

This book is actually about a young female trpoical ornitholgy grad student in a remote rain forest in Central America. In an effort not to disclose the plot of the story, Jenny, the grad student, is sent even deeper into the rain forest where she encounters a remote tribe of people, the Kunas.

Louis Young, the author, wastes no time starting the story with a bang. We barely get to know our heroine before we set off on the journey with her. Young writes in such descriptive clarity that the reader can imagine their suroundings as they unfold in words before them. There doesn't ever seem to be a dull moment in this book. I was thankful when the action slowed down so taht I could get my barings before the next wave came in. Louise Young knows her subjects and paints such a candid portrait of the Kunas people that a reader with limited imagination will have no problem seeing this tribe in their minds.

After reading this book, my desire to travel to South and Central America has increased tremendously. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be told a story that they will not only enjoy, feel that they have gained something, but also delight in the imagery words can create. I believe it will be released in bookstores and online in November. Get a copy. You won't be sorry.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to get my hands on this book, as I rather like the idea of documenting societies, their histories and ways of life, through fiction. The artistry of an honestly written novel taps into something inherently more truthful than the compilation of facts we find in the pages of a history book or anthropological study.

Seducing the Spirits seems to have found this truth through rich, full-bodied characters and through an obvious (though never worshipful) appreciation of Kuna culture. Young offers a fascinating document of Kuna life that invites us to explore the mysteries of the jungle without descending into exoticism. She achieves this balance by telling the story from the point of view of Jenny, an American ornithologist who spends as much time studying the Kuna people as she does the eagles. A true scientist, Jenny observes without judgment and eventually develops love and respect for the locals, compelling the reader down the same path.

I have only two small complaints about this book: First, it offers an image of an evangelical Christian that is not only flatly villainous, but stereotypically so. I felt as though this is the same idiotic missionary that I have met in a number of different books, films, etc. My second complaint is about the cover art, in which the color of the jungle vegetation appears distorted, almost like thermo-imaging. Not only is it ugly, but it gives the impression of something exotic within its pages, an exoticism that Young was careful to avoid in her writing.

Don't judge this book by its cover! This was an excellent read, highly recommended, with a sweet romance and unforgettable descriptions of the Panamanian landscape.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about an ornithologist studying the Harpy Eagle in Panama, the country's National Bird. Having just come back from a birding trip to Costa Rica and staying at the Tiskita Jungle Lodge which is very close to the Panamanian border; much of Young's subject material about the topography, the stifling heat and humidity, and birds brought back vivid memories of that trip. However, the Panama that Young writes about is on the further edge of civilization; involving the native Kuna tribe that lives in the San Blas Islands, off the Atlantic coast of the mainland.
​Jenny Dunfree's duties, funded by a foundation, are to study a nest of Harpy Eagles, a rare species, and keep notes on their behavior, their feeding habits, and any eaglets which may appear. Just 25-years-old, she has to live near the native Kuna tribe in Sugatupu in the San Blas Islands. She is expected to appear at the village meeting house every Sunday evening, without fail, despite the fact that she does not understand the Kuna language.​ Over the course of her time there, she makes friends with a number of men and women of the tribe and becomes sympathetic to their culture.

Young, herself an ecologist who began working in the San Blas islands in 1996 had intended this book to be a National Geographic-style travel piece, but found a fictionalized account worked better. The novel becomes deeper with Jenny's growing understanding of the Kuna culture. One cool thing I learned is that the women of the San Blas Islands are famous for making molas, elaborate cutwork of abstract designs from nature--using as many as 9 layers of colored cloth.

Young's writing style is clear, concise and entertaining; and brings insight into the lives of jungle people. Enjoy.

[Yvette Ward-Horner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book in the Good Reads pre-release giveaway. I have to say I enjoyed reading it. It's not perfect, but it is engaging and the story interested me. A pretty young grad student, Jenny, ends up banished to the Panamanian jungle to study eagles. There, she must rely on the prickly indigneous community, the Kunas, for supplies, and learn to abide by their customs. The book started out very well and I was pleased that the author did not romanticize the Kunas. In fact, she made them seem downright unlikable at first. Over time, Jenny gets to know a few of them and learns to understand their culture. I thought this part of it was handled well and enriched by the fact that the author has spent considerable time working with the Kuna people in Panama.

There were a few elements I didn't like. Toward the end, things get a bit confusing. It's not clear if Jenny is suffering from dengue fever or if the book has made a big leap into magical reality. I have a low tolerance for magical reality, so this pulled me out of the story. I also thought the ending was unrealistic. I won’t get into why I thought that because I can't elaborate without giving the whole thing away.

Despite these criticisms, I did enjoy reading about Jenny's experiences in the jungle and with the Kuna people. It's a fun, fast book and it does keep you wondering what's going to happen next. I didn't learn as much about the Kunas as I would have liked to, but perhaps the author will follow up with a second novel that explores their culture in greater depth. I'd be open to reading another book by Louise Young, though with the hope that it wouldn't involve any magical reality.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story of a graduate student in the field of ornithology who undertakes a study of harpy eagles in a remote region in Panama. The author's evident knowledge of the Kuna people makes for some very interesting characters and revelations on the Kuna culture. The strength of Young's writing was not in the story line, so much as in the development of these characters and in her sharing of a value for indigenous people, their language, and their customs. Her vivid descriptions of the region are well executed as well. It was interesting to learn that Louise Young initially intended to write more of a travelogue recounting her own experiences among the Kuna, but allowed her work to evolve into fiction in order to bring more life to her characters. This was an effective tool and resulted in an entertaining book. The relationships between the white American student and the Kunas were not always believable, but the beauty of fiction is that they don't have to be. All in all, I felt this was a good first book which would be especially enjoyed by those harboring a love of nature and anthropology.

[Pam Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt compelled to read this book after reading a review that described it as a "literary orgasm". I was not at all disappointed.

Jenny was a 23 yr. old grad. student sent to the remote jungle of Panama to live among the Kunas and observe the harpy eagles. Her only instructions were "Go to the island for the meeting every Saturday night. Don't piss them off." The story that followed was adventurous, romantic, and enlightening. The characters were well-developed and interesting; the description of the sights and sounds of the jungle were spectacularly vivid. The fascination and curiosity Jenny and the Kunas shared towards each other and their beliefs/cultures/customs were humorous at times. Their development of mutual respect and admiration was satisfying.

Jenny was certainly not perfect and she definitely made some questionable decisions while in Panama. Another review I read questioned how accurately the Kuna culture was portrayed. Though I agree, I found the story believable in spite of its fallibility.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read that I would highly recommend.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a pre-release copy of this book from Goodreads. It comes out in November '09. I really liked the book in terms of the information about living in the Panamanian jungle, the Kuna tribe, cultural differences, etc. But I struggled with liking the main character, and determining what parts are accurate and what parts are complete fiction. The author of the book did go to Panama to do research and lived with the Kuna tribe. But to tell about them while preserving their privacy, she made up this fictional story. So the reader doesn't know if the characters are based on real people or if the incidents are based in reality. I struggled with liking the main character because on the one hand, she's brave to take on such an assignment and difficult way of life, but on the other hand, she's always acting helpless and forlorn, and looking for the nearest man that she can find to cling to. It seems that every interaction she has with a male character has some sort of sexual undertone -- at least in her mind. And then the book ends rather abruptly.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in the goodreads.com giveaways. I was thrilled to be chosen to receive a free book. When I received the book, I couldn't remember why I thought I might be interested in reading this book. It has sat on my shelf since I received it until recently. I underwent a second back surgery and was grasping at my 'to read' pile. I was so pleasantly surprised at this novel. I couldn't put it down after about the 2nd or 3rd chapter. Ms. Young's descriptions of her environment in a remote area of Panama were amazing! It absolutely broke my heart when the Kunas would not use the main character's first name to address her. Later I understood just as Jenny did why they vowed never to use her first name and I adored the special 'pet' names some of the Kuna villagers gave her along the way. I was totally surprised when this novel develed into a romance between Jenny and a Kuna medicine man. I really enjoyed this book and have passed it onto my mother for her enjoyment.

[Annie Fyfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, however I didn't really like the main character, Jenny. I liked everything that she was learning about the Kunas and their lifestyle. I liked every Kuna character and thought they were very well developed and felt like I wanted to go to their village and meet them and learn more about them. On the other hand, the main female character, an American, I couldn't identify with at all. I don't feel like she was very realistic and many of the ways she responded to the Kunas was strange. There were also parts of the book that I felt needed to be broken up more, one paragraph would blend into the next and suddenly days would pass, but then one whole night would be one chapter. This structure made some parts confusing. This was a pretty short book and a quick read and I enjoyed most parts. I would recommend this to someone who is interested in research in a foreign land and learning to live with natives of that country.

[Sandi k · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what to think of this book. While I enjoyed it for the most part, there were things that bothered me. There were big gaps in the narrative. One paragraph she's planning a trip to the air strip with the missionary and the next she's waking up in her hut. Later she's ending her womanhood cermony and the next paragraph meeting Fleming and David at the airstip. Those gaps always threw me off balance.

I also had a hard time with the language. I understood they were talking in spanish throughout the whole novel, unless otherwise noted, but I didn't pick up on the Kuna words like Jenny seemed to. Towards the end she's saying lots of Kuna words to the women preparing her for her cermony and I couldn't follow the conversation. It was very distracting.

[Jennifer Osterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the characters were engaging and the plot was interesting. I became so engaged in the story that I found myself looking for Banana Soup recipes in order to more fully appreciate Jenny's experience in Panama. I wasn't sure I was going to like the main character at first, because she seemed to be full of self-loathing, but through her interactions with the Kuna people, the author demonstrated her growth. Acceptance and appreciation for other cultures' ways are things seen rarely in this world, and the author demonstrated the benefits of both. I felt enriched by this book.

[Karen Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway, I started it as soon as I received it but lost interest in the first 58-60 pages. I picked it back up yesterday and wanted to finish it. I came to like it midway, I enjoyed the fact that Jenny stuck it out and was herself and by being herself, she became a part of the community and was welcomed. I was wondering if she would do something about the facts she discovered about the eagles she had been observing. I am glad she did but would have liked a bit more to the ending.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful, young, female, graduate student is sent to a remote area of Panama to to take over a longstanding field study of a rare eagle's nest. She's given strict instructions not to piss off the natives who live nearby. It turns out that she's the first white person these natives have encountered who does not look down on or try to change their culture, and she gains their respect and love, with significant setbacks along the way. It's a compelling, though probably not particularly memorable, account of a cross-cultural encounter, one of my favorite kinds of stories.

[Karl Kronlage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book transports you to another world - Panama with the Kunas. It's not predictable and curious. I completely enjoyed it. The only think I didn't like was the way the main character acted toward men. They'd put their hand on her knee, basically grope her and she'd ignore it in her prose. No angry outbursts or lust thoughts - she's so objective in her prose that when she talks of these men's advances it makes you wonder if she's human. Of course there is a heart buried in there and a love story emerges. Still, my favorite passages are the ones with the missionary.

[Beth (MrsGinTN) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just won this on first reads! I can't wait to get it!

I enjoyed this book, but it really wasn't what I expected it to be from the title. It is an interesting look at the Kuna tribe in Panama, but the premise is a little unusual. The ending was very abrupt, but overall, I felt it was a fairly good book.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. Different than anything I've read in awhile. I liked her relationship with the Kunas and how she didn't force her ideas on them, unlike the crazy missionary. She did a good job of explaing how loney you would be living in the jungle by yourself. One thing she didn't mention was bugs, except pretty butterflys. They would be big and everywhere.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won an ARC of this book in the Goodreads.com first reads giveaway!

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It started off slow, but got more interesting as it went on. There are several parts that drag on & then the ending seems rushed & abrupt.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review has been published at Internet Review Of Books. Check it out.

http://www.internetreviewofbooks.com/...

[Delascabezas · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://delascabezas.livejournal.com/6...

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but a little unbelievable. Very accepting of cultural differences. Some behavior if some characters not really believable. Nice story. Ending not well supported by story.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story of one white woman's study of the Harpy eagle as a lone white person on a remote island off of Panama written in fiction format, excellent!

[Joggingt · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in cultural anthropology, this is a great book. It starts a little slowly but the richness of the culture and descriptive language places you in the jungle with Jennie.

[Jean Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Panama - Round the world reading challenge