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Voodoo Dreams: A Novel of Marie
Laveau
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Rating:
 PENS!!!!
New
Orleans, money, and voodoo
Just in time for the Halloween
"holiday" celebrated by real and replica ghosts, witches, and goblins, an
old story of New Orlean's most renowned Voodooienne, Marie Laveau is a
perfect read. Rhodes takes great detail to write a historical sketch on the
lives of three generations of Voodoo Queens; Grandmere`, Maman, and finally
Marie. All three women are named Marie, but the most revered of them is
the last one born. The money hungry and foul tempered John and Marie's
sweetheart of a husband, Jacque, serve as love interests to add an
interesting twist to the storyline once Marie answers the call of Damballah,
the ultimate god in the African spirit world who would only possess the body
of a voodoo priestess. Characters like Ziti, Nattie, Bridgette, Louis and
Ribauld add spice to the mix of the story line as the reader delves into
Marie's life story from childhood to the end of her long "career" as a
spiritual healer/vessel for African spirits.
Though the book may appear
daunting in length, once I opened up the book, Rhodes weaved a spell on me
from start to finish by making me wonder where the history ended and where
the fiction began in this book. There are so many mysteries surrounding
Marie Laveau's life that I was pleased to have a few questions answered and
simultaneously be schooled on some of the history of the religion brought
over from the African American homeland. Was/is voodoo just a way for blacks
to make money by praying on the hopes of those who believed in voodoo's
"dark powers" during a time period when job opportunities were scarce for
freed blacks in the late 19th century? Exactly how long did Marie
live? These were just a few of the questions that I wanted answered when I
picked up this book ... and in the true nature of this mysterious religion,
I was given just enough information to whet my appetite as I flipped from
page to page looking for more answers.
I would recommend this book to
anyone who is as enthralled as I am with the history of the city full of
spirits, mysteries, and an American history that could rival the Egyptian
hieroglyphics in its complexity. Looking for more than just a good book to
read at the beach? Pick this one up. Faint of heart or a scaredy cat of this
highly notorious religion? Read the book anyway. You just might be surprised
at how much fear can be dispelled by learning what the "unknown" is all
about.
Anna
R.E.A.L. Reviewers
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