Song of the Shaman

By: Annette Vendryes Leach

Narrated by: Annette Vendryes Leach

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

What if your ten-year-old knew more about your past than anyone in the world - even you?

Sheri Lambert is the classic New York workaholic: driven ad exec, financially successful, emotionally empty. Searching for meaning in her life, Sheri becomes a single mother. From the start, her son, Zig, displays strange behavior. He recalls people and places he couldn't possibly know and leads Sheri to a startling discovery of a hidden ancestry she never knew existed. With Zig, the past alters the present and reality merges with the fantastic.

From the urban grind of present-day Brooklyn to the shamans and rituals in the rain forests of 19th century Panama and Costa Rica, two interwoven stories collide. Sheri learns she must find the courage to trust Zig and his mystical guidance to uncover the secrets of her past - or remain lost from herself and the truth about her origins.

"A beautiful and compelling novel about a mother's yearning - for her origins, for unconditional love, for the sacred, and for the secret behind her son's mysterious connections to the past." (Nancy Peske, Co-Author, Cinematherapy for the Soul)

"The opening scene is a gritty one of a woman giving birth on the Brooklyn Bridge. Which of course means I can't stop reading even if I wanted to. What a way to open a book!" (Tiphanie Yanique, Author, Land Of Love And Drowning)

"I was totally taken by the modern woman's struggle with identity and spirituality." (Catherine Texier, Author, Victorine)

"Annette Leach weaves a fascinating historical love story with a present day, single mother's quest for self-discovery. In both women work to transcend the cultural norms of their time. A well written, thoroughly enjoyable page turner." (Deirdre Fishel, writer, director, and producer, Sperm Donor X)

©2013 Annette Vendryes Leach (P)2014 Annette Vendryes Leach

Good story but mediocre narrator.

Most writers should stick to writing and leave the narration to the professionals. I very much enjoyed the story. It was well crafted and engaging.

Song of the Shaman is two stories whose paths, though intertwined, do not cross until late in the book. And that is just fine. I prefer it that way You know that they are going to, but the author slowly and skillfully weaves both tales gradually connecting the dots until the climax of the story.

Andrea Vendeys Leech is a fine author, and I will be happy to read more stories from her. However I can't say the same for her narrating skills. This southern boy found her Brooklyn accent distracting and difficult to follow at times especially when she seemed to be mispronouncing words that I felt were fairly common. I am not likely to purchase any more audio books that she narrates, although I would consider buying more if they were professionally narrated.

I received this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Very Enjoyable

I bought this book because I saw the author interviewed on a local television show and I am interested in past lives. This book was the author's first and it is fiction that is loosely based on her own life. I was a little put off that the author read it herself, but after a while, I got used to her reading it like a book rather than a more formal narration like other audio books. I thought it was very nicely written and I enjoyed the story very much. I would recommend it to others, especially those who are interested in past lives and such.

A Searching Story

The voice of the narrator added to the story. A story of mysticism and how it holds and leads an individual home.