3.5 ( )

Interesting coming of age story. Rain is born to the queen of a race of all female warriors. But she was the result of a horrible gang rape, and as a result her mother has rejected her since birth.

Still, Rain is determined to prove her worth to her people, becoming the best horse-woman in their society.

Really interesting look at a mythical race of Amazons. The women are the only people able to tame horses and bees, more fierce and powerful than any of the male dominated civilizations around them.

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The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman is the YA story of Rain, born of rape and shunned by her mother, the Queen of the Amazons. As the Queen’s daughter, she is destined to be the next Queen and so her life is one of strenuous training. The Amazons are superb horsewomen and warriors and Rain feels that she must be the best of them all. But even as she trains to ride, shoot and kill, she still feels unaccepted and alone. She has doubts as to whether she is meant to be the queen and when her mother gets pregnant, Rain is sure this new child will grow to take her place. She is also finding that her feelings toward her enemies is changing, she should be merciless and bloodthirsty but she finds that she feels pity for her enemies and during battle she is shocked to find herself giving mercy to men.

This was an excellent coming-of-age story as Rain questions her destiny and tries to interpret her prophecy with the help of the high priestess. She eventually understands what the future should hold for her and chooses to defy tradition. The author captures the primitive yet spiritual rhythms of the Amazons and instead of a straight forward novel, the book reads like a series of impressions as Rain grows and becomes a woman of strength and character. The Foretelling is a moving mythological story that is beautifully written, and although I found the characters fairly one dimensional, the author’s alluring imagery was a joy to read. ( )

Despite Hoffman’s elegant prose, this feminist/lesbian story comes off as a so-there counter punch to the Taliban ideology. What would a primitive tribe of women be like? Would they devalue men as mere slaves and sperm donors? I prefer Hoffman’s other works. ( )

This was beautiful.

What a beautifully written book. It's a quick read and is beautifully written by a wonderful author. I enjoyed reading it. ( )