The story follows the curve of the life cycle as The Girl of Four Summers grows into the respected Old Woman in the memories of her spirit. In the process of the journey the reader is invited to meet a culture of long ago based on cooperation and effort in Pre-Colonial America. With wit and heart pouring from her pen, Zanger’s Old Woman recalls the trials and tribulations of abandonment, abduction, growing up, love and family while highlighting the interplay of dazzling characters from a variety of life experiences. From the ocean to the highlands, from the potter’s cottage to the basket weaver’s lessons, from the winter’s frosty danger to the summer’s embrace, the reader follows a woman’s realization that “everyone is your people.”

The Spirit Voice guides Old Woman through her travels while reminding her “you can’t remember the good without the bad.” In this regard, the reader is held transfixed throughout the turning of pages by constant conflicts that arise in the life of this Girl of Four Summers. Whether facing the realization of death and change early in life or fighting with the natural predators of the wild, the novel speaks to the heart of life in its observation of the perseverance and joy that intermingle in the lives of people of all times. Within the conflicts that arise, the humanity of the character is on display in the inspirational commitment to the art of basket weaving by Old Woman and the bonds of love that are built between the harsh moments.

As with most first attempts, the storytelling falls into the trap of over-telling at times, and the pacing of the book falls into the occasional crevice, but throughout the story the conflicts and character interplay provide a wonderful backbone to observe the spirit of humanity alive and well in the memories of a past generation.

Readers thirsty for the follow-up to Khaled Hosseini’s "A Thousand Splendid Suns" find a complimentary project within the covers of this book, and with the passage of pages this book is sure to grab the heart of the attentive participant in a similar manner. To purchase this novel one may simply contact Dream Weavers Enterprises for the opportunity to partake in the Old Woman’s memory.

After all, as the Spirit Voice reminds us, “too much in life goes unspoken until death purges the soul.” With that in mind, take some time to hear the voice of Old Woman’s life.

Zanger, Laura Lee. Spirit Voice. Augusta, Georgia: Dream Weavers Enterprises. 2007. 212pp. $16.95 Paper. ISBN: 9780980096002.