BOOK
REVIEW
One Tuesday morning, our illustrious leader, Alaina, handed me a gift bag saying
that she had a present for me. Surprise, surprise, it was a book. It seems she
had met the author of One That Got Away at the Farmer’s Market the day before
and assured her that I would be delighted to review her book. When I read
the back cover I said, “Are you crazy? Did you read this? Fairy magic, voodoo
tribes, psychics, vegan farmers, are you crazy?” Alaina’s reply, “I have total
faith in you.” Oh, brother. I decided to read 50 pages and tell her no way! So,
after reading awhile, I realized that I was on page 112, totally hooked and that
I would write a review. So, keep an open mind and read away.
In 2009, Mary Howard, an artist and free spirit, believes that world peace is
attainable by 2020. She lives in her childhood home on Wilmington Island with
her pet pelican, Ouida. Along with her childhood friends, Marshall (an author
of environmental issues) and Crew (police chief of Thunderbolt Village), they
decide to start an unaffiliated and degree-free school called Wisdom Seekers
which would be housed in Mary’s five-bedroom home. The school would teach
organic gardening, meditation and spiritualism, among other things, and all of
this is possible due to the fact that all three are living on trust funds provided
by their late parents.
In order to attract students to the school, they depend on the Law of Attraction
which is a thought pattern sent to the universe to find like-minded people to join
their crusade. Mary first finds Pearle, a voodoo princess on Daufuskee Island,
who needs to escape the island before her father (Supreme Chief of the Voodoo
Nation) finds out that she’s pregnant and the father of the baby is not the man
that Pearle has been arranged to marry.
Later, Pearle accompanies Mary to Dublin, Ireland to visit her grandmamma
Sharon, who also has the same beliefs as Mary. On the plane Mary meets Omar
Victor, an Egyptian movie star, who Mary believes may be Husband #2, and he’s
totally on board with Mary’s ideas. Then there’s Fletcher, a surfer dude they
meet on a trip to Cumberland Island; Greta and Marjorie, psychic twins whose
mother drops them off; and Bo and Bridget, organic farmers they find in Florida
who need a new home. What an interesting cast of quirky characters!
Getting Wisdom Seekers off the ground is not without its problems though.
There’s Mary’s next door neighbor Mr. Nicopane, sending negative vibes their
way and DHEC, the school food nazis who demand that they wash their produce
in bleach! Yuck!
They organically grow their own vegetables and herbs, catch their own fish
from the river, shop at Brighter Day for other essentials and graphically describe
every meal that they cook. The food sounds absolutely delicious! They don’t
even skimp on the alcohol. They have lots of Dogfish Double IPAs, wine, shots
of Jameson and they smoke some home grown green leafy stuff (if you know
what I mean). They are a lively crew indeed!
I won’t say that I’ll become a total vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian (they eat
seafood), but this book really made me think about the things I eat and January
is a great time to start making healthy changes. I give it 4 roses because it can
be a little hard to read at times. Normal people don’t talk this way! For example,
Mary describing her friends’ wedding night, “I imagine them tangled in tantric
24 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JAN 2019
By Nell Klein
By Helen Greenfield
bliss, surrendering to co-mingling magnetism, achieving the Egyptian alchemy
of Horus and sex magic of Isis, as taught to Yeshua by Mary the Magdalene.”
What the hell did she just say?
But all in all, this book was a fun read and I love, love, loved it! You won’t be
disappointed (after you get past the first 50 pages!).
Until next time, think healthy thoughts and read a book. If it’s a good read, pass
it on!
One That Got Away
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