I Heard the Owl Call My Name

A short book...

whose story lasts a lifetime. A beautiful story of family, faith, commitment, acceptance, life, death, and the true meaning of love ...
I purchased this book right after it was published; I was a teenager then. I still have my original book. It's dog eared and looks every day its age but it will continue to capture me with its magic when I start to read it as it has for over 35 years.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Beautiful Writing

Beautiful imagery is everywhere within this book. The writing was moving and the characters engaging. Very poignant quiet piece. Possible ott on the concept of the "noble savage", though I thought there was a balance of humanizing and understanding the limits of the culture and lifestyle. Great read over all and really a wonderful book to just enjoy the journey.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of my very favorites

I love this little book and have re-read it several times. The setting for the story, the historical facts woven into the story about the customs and culture of NW Costal Indians is almost mystical. The characters are compelling - from the young, idealist vicar to the parents and children struggling to keep their way of life. It's a sad story of loss while also a compassionate story about the beauty and awe of a natural world and people in our past and one I so wish could never change. It instantly puts the reader into a different, magical and comforting place on earth.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

very memorable

At first, I thought I'd hate this book. But, as I was reading it, I found the characters to be very interesting, and the plot sadly true. I like the way it subtly suggests what's happening, and what will continue to happen, to mankind. Although it may be a little confusing and somewhat slow in some parts, you won't regret reading it. It's a story you won't want to miss.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Read this!!

I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven is a novel that shows us the changing of our times and the long path to figuring out where we belong. In it, a young vicar named Mark Brian is moved to a Native American village of the Kwakwala tribe from the city. This tribe is witnessing changes, as the young move towards a more modern life and away from the past traditions, while the old are trying to keep their heritage alive. As Mark arrives, he realizes that he is not particularly wanted there. Although the Indians are polite, there is something that tells him that he is a distant stranger. As he gets to know them by living with them, he realizes that it is people like him that are changing the tribe. The tension created by this situation puts a strain on Mark emotionally. He feels ashamed that ¿his people¿ would do something so cold to this peaceful and beautiful tribe. He tries to voice this to one of the Indians who went to school with the white man, Jim. All that Jim can say is that the way they are acting comes from experience. Mark immediately understands and drops the subject, although the question still lingers in his mind. The novel continues like this, written in very expressive sentences. Craven shows the mood of the camp by lengthening or shortening the sentences. The words that she chooses also allow for the mood to be shown. Her writing style of allowing us to see deeply into what Mark is thinking at the exact moment he thinks it is very rare and unusual. Another rarity of the novel is the subject. There are few novels with this type of recognition about the way the Native American culture has changed and what a painful journey it was, is, and forever will be for the heritage of so many. I feel that it is an extremely important subject to cover, especially since it is hard to see the Native American tribes in their own culture with hardly any influence from the modern world. Although the United States is a mix of many different cultures, each one having to bend and change to fit the lives of the younger generation, not one of them was as painful as the Native Americans¿. To be forced to leave your homeland because people from other countries are coming while being called `savages¿ and `beasts¿ is an excruciating journey that should be reflected on more often. I feel that this novel does that very well and for this, deserves the honors that it has received. I Heard the Owl Call My Name is not only a book about Native Americans and what journeys they have been through as a people, but in a way it shows us a little more about ourselves and how we may perceive our past.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Must read!

This book brings you through the life of a vicar going to an Indian Villiage deep in the jungle. These people live as no time has moved around them. He comes to know them through my trails and learns to love them and their lives. He is sent to help them but finds he is helped so much more. This book shows how two cultures can interact and help one another to find the love and respect that needs to be reached between all peoples.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

I hated this book so much. it was so boring and i could not understand it. i had to read it over the summer and it was SUCH a waste of timee!! do not read it. end of story

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

I think I'd rather die

this book sucks so bad. my english teacher made me read it...I also had to conduct the class cause I talk to much but whatever. I think Margret whatever should go die. she obviously shouldn't have gotten anything for this book. I'd pay her not to write it. thank you very much. DON'T BUY/READ THIS BOOK YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!!

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

BORING with a capital B and a capital ORING

Wow. This has to be the most boring and uninteresting book ever written. The ideas behind it are great, but the plot is just so blehh. If you like books with a lot of big hard to understand words and like to waste some money and time, then this book is perfect for you!

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

B00! This book sucks!

ehh, i have to read this book for a book report -.-. wat an awful book, its so hard 2 understand... its like for a super genius 'nerd' to be able to understand the text... which is crazy :\ this book is so boring that i recommend ppl shoudnt buy or read this book.Its a waste of time!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

third quarter book report

This book was a work of fiction. I found this book hard to under stand in the begining. But, as I reed on I learned more about the characters. The main charictor is Mark Brian who is a young Vicar who is sent to a remote indian vilage. It was confusing in that it in between chapters the author left out to much time and would skip arround making it a chopy read. Also the metaphores used where confusing adding to the strangeness of the book. on the first page of this book there is a docter and a bishop, they are talking abote mark. they are saying that he has three years to live and two of active life. so the bishop says that he will send him to a place that he would have wanted to go to. through the two years mark learns many things like how to hide his amotions. near the end of his two years he dies sudenly in a land slide. I think that if you like history this will give you a glimps of an indians life and culture. A cation to readers is that there may be some ofensive things in the way the people act but it was to be vary belivable.

english student

In 'I Heard The Owl Call My Name' i was quite bored through the whole thing. For younger readers it is difficult to understand what is going on becuase it is so confusing. There isn't many times that something major happens that makes you want to read more. I did in fact finish the book becuase i had to for english, but i would never recommend this book unless you like books that have deeper meanings to them. Also this is a really hard book to write reports on!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fair

This book may have been confusing to the younger minds, but if you have good reading comprehension, you will be fine. This book taught love, death and life, while adding history. Although some of the facts were weary, the author did well with the culture and such. I recommend this book if you have an appreciation for life and death. Not recommended for children.

i can relate

I enjoyed reading this book. I think the author has done an excellent job in her writing. She has given a wonderful perspective of life as an Indian and the losing of their culture. Also the involvement of the white man made it meaningful.

English teachers Beware!

This book, which seemed promising in the beggining, slowly deteriorated into a bumbling mess of fake prophecies and virtutes.I have been forced to read this book by a not -so kindly old honors english teacher, and the only thing that got me through was counting the pages to the end and trying to find the deeper meaning of the book. This read should not be meant for younger readers..as i am.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

English Honors is a waste

This book was okay, this book isn't the best. I found it confusing in the beginning but once it picked up it was all right. I have no choice to read it so I worked my way through.

I'm reading it for English Honors

I don't really know what to say, i don't really like the book at all. But some of the parts are little interesting. The book is reallly kinda boring actually. I don't think i would recomend it. I'm being forced to read it.

Yuck

This book was the most boring book i have ever read in my entire life, not only was it extremely eye-drooping, but it was hard to understand.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A tragic waste of paper resources

I've read many books in my lifetime, and few ever make it onto my 'Worst Books of All Time' list. However, 'I Heard the Owl Call My Name' has easily earned first place in this aspect. I regret ever having picked up this book. The lack of any plot worthy of mention was prevalent throughout the entire story, and the characters were anything but unique.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Dont Read This Book

This book was 1 of the worst i read. And i suggest that if you have better things to do with your time do them

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.