Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: May 2015
Gaialands, a bucolic vegan commune in the New Zealand
wilderness, is the only home fifteen-year-old Poppy has ever known. It’s the
epitome of 1970s counterculture—a place of free love, hard work, and high
ideals . . . at least in theory. But Gaialands’s strict principles are shaken
when new arrival Shakti claims the commune’s energy needs to be healed and
harnesses her divination powers in a ceremony called the Predictions. Poppy is
predicted to find her true love overseas, so when her boyfriend, Lukas, leaves
Gaialands to fulfill his dream of starting a punk rock band in London, she
follows him. In London, Poppy falls into a life that looks very like the one
her prediction promised, but is it the one she truly wants?
The Predictions is a mesmerizing, magical novel
of fate, love, mistakes, and finding your place in the world.
To be honest, I'm not really sure what to say about The Predictions. It was kind of a weird journey for me. The book begins when Poppy is 15 and living in a commune in New Zealand. They essentially live off the grid trying to be completely self sufficient. The children have no idea who their birth parents are since all of the adults have raised them together. After newcomer Shakti shakes up their peaceful existence, Poppy flees to London with Lukas to find her true love.
Maybe it's because I have no frame of reference for communal living or the "Age of Aquarius" that I had a hard time warming to the book initially. I found the way they lived odd and disturbing. I can't imagine giving birth and having to share my baby with other women, especially when it came to breast feeding. It wasn't until Poppy gets to London that I began to feel more comfortable with the book.
I really liked Poppy's character and was really rooting for her to find her own way in the world and in love. Far from the twisted communal living, the insights that she discovers about herself as a woman and as a mother were interesting. I loved the scene with her mother when she realizes that she was loved by all of the adults each in their own way.
This is definitely a book that I think I will keep in the back of my mind for a long time. I do encourage you to give it a try and judge for yourself.
Maybe it's because I have no frame of reference for communal living or the "Age of Aquarius" that I had a hard time warming to the book initially. I found the way they lived odd and disturbing. I can't imagine giving birth and having to share my baby with other women, especially when it came to breast feeding. It wasn't until Poppy gets to London that I began to feel more comfortable with the book.
I really liked Poppy's character and was really rooting for her to find her own way in the world and in love. Far from the twisted communal living, the insights that she discovers about herself as a woman and as a mother were interesting. I loved the scene with her mother when she realizes that she was loved by all of the adults each in their own way.
This is definitely a book that I think I will keep in the back of my mind for a long time. I do encourage you to give it a try and judge for yourself.
About Bianca Zander
Bianca Zander is British-born but has lived in New Zealand
for the past two decades. Her first novel,The Girl Below, was a finalist
for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, and she is the recipient of the
Creative New Zealand Louis Johnson New Writers’ Bursary and the Grimshaw
Sargeson Fellowship, recognizing her as one of New Zealand’s eminent writers.
She is a lecturer in creative writing at the Auckland University of Technology.
Purchase Links
Bianca’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, May 5th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, May 6th: Stephany
Writes
Thursday, May 7th: From the TBR Pile
Friday, May 8th: Ageless Pages Reviews
Thursday, May 14th: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
Monday, May 18th: In Bed with Books
Monday, May 18th: Bibliotica
Tuesday, May 19th: Living in the Kitchen
with Puppies
Wednesday, May 20th: Book Loving Hippo
Thursday, May 21st: Good Girl Gone Redneck
Monday, May 25th: Every
Free Chance Book Reviews
1 comment:
It was definitely a different time, that's for sure!
Thanks for being a part of the tour.
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