Magical Realism Collection (The Witness Tree; Wolf's Rite; Giver of Gifts)

"Three award-winning books in one package! "When Persun writes of man/nature, he writes of us-not just to us-and shows us images we can't simply blink away." -Robert Fulton Jr., author of But. . .You Know What I Mean Praise for The Witness Tree "Persun weaves an imaginative tale exploring the complex relationship between art and madness." -Tim W. Brown, Small Press Review "The Witness Tree is a unique and engaging novel about the relationship between the creative and the practical sides of human beings and their spiritual and psychic connection with nature, so necessary to being balanced and whole I an increasingly complex world." -James A. Cox, The Bookwatch Praise for Giver of Gifts "A rich and inspiring novella from award winning author Terry Persun. Highly recommended." -USA BookNews ". . .a beguiling portrait of a dying man who discovers romance in truth and the joys of living in the promise of death." -Adrianne Harun, author of A Man Came Our of a Door in the Mountain Praise for Wolf's Rite "Persun tells his story with skill and insight, both of Wolf's inner struggle and his Native American experience." -M.E. Morris, author of The Sand Crabs "Persun is adept at conveying the complexities of human inner struggle." -Today's Librarian "This is well worth reading. Not only is it a very good Native American story, it also show how even the most incorrigible person can change. Two thumbs up." -BookLore Reviews."-- Provided by publisher A troubled, brilliant artist's story, told in the voice of a magnificent tree that becomes his inspiration and guardian. This fascinating tale relates the passions and sacrifices that make up an artist's life. A boy's self-developed talent grows into an artistic genius with a very special connection to nature. But touching nature so deeply leads to intensity of feeling and vision that unsettles his life. His twin brother becomes his manager and an anchor of stability in the human world Failed relationships mar artistic success. All this is witnessed by the tree, which narrates the story with an understanding that is beyond human yet linked deeply to the artist's vision. This exceptional novel tells a compelling story of personal growth, while also exploring the connections between creativity, love, madness, beauty and man's relation to nature, Its unusual narrator tells a gripping story while at the same time giving us a new perspective on the place of humans in a larger natural reality. Dying Of Cancer, Lost In A Snowy Forest, Jim Mysteriously Connects With A Deer And Rediscovers Love And Nature's Grace. A Lyrical And Insightful Meditation On Mortality And Spiritual Life, Giver Of Gifts Tells The Story Of A Schoolteacher Who Has Lost His Daughter And Becomes Estranged From His Family And His Life. Now, Facing Untreatable Cancer, He Needs To Rediscover How To Give Of Himself. Alone In The Forest On A Winter's Day, Jim Has A Mysterious Encounter With A Deer That Gives Him The Key To Reopen His Heart To His Wife And Son, To Reconnect With His Own Feelings And To Share His Deepened Appreciation Of Nature And Life. A Rich And Inspiring Novella From Award Winning Author Terry Persun Highly Recommended. - Usabooknews.com (giver Of Gifts Was A Finalist In The Usabooknews Best Books Of 2006 Awards) ...a Beguiling Portrait Of A Dying Man Who Discovers Romance In Truth And The Joys Of Living In The Promise Of Death. - Adrianne Harun, Author Of The King Of Limbo And Other Stories "After his daughter's death in a car wreck, fifty-eight year old Jim finds himself detached from the world. He and his wife are fond but distant; he barely knows his married son. Without a sense of purpose, the news of his cancer pushes nice-guy Jim face to face with his mortality. Aware of his terminal condition, Jim embarks upon a hunting expedition with friends. Never a serious hunter, he finds himself reflecting upon his life as he wanders the woods. Shocked into the moment by a chance encounter with a magnificent trio of deer, he experiences a miraculous moment that definitively alters his outlook on his life and his family."-- Provided by publisher An ad exec, led to spiritual awakening by mystical Native Americans, discovers love and violence at the edges of sanity. Wolf, a predatory New York ad man on a mid-life path to self destruction, meets with a mysterious band of Native Americans who send him on a spiritual journey in the New Mexico desert. There's no turning back, as his life falls apart around him. Accused of murder, implicated in his friend's suicide, his marriage irrevocably broken, Wolf's sanity and very survival are at stake in his profound personal struggle to banish his own aggressive egotism, to connect with people and nature and to rebuild his life. The life of New York advertising executive, Llewellyn Smith, is turned inside out when he is forced to experience a Native American vision quest. Accused of murder after the experience, he confronts the damage done to family and friends by his former self. -- Publisher's description