woman within the web.
Cheryl Dolby, a local fine artist best known for her Native American sculptures, is also the author of several books. Last week I squeezed in the time to read one of her more recent book published in 1996, Woman Within the Web. Not knowing really what to expect from this book, I was very pleasantly surprised to be hooked from the start, and found myself reading Woman Within the Web not only while cooking dinner, but also eating dinner. I just couldn’t put it down. Cheryl herself is one of the main characters in the novel, a woman rediscovering herself after an emotional abusive marriage that has finally ended after a long 30 year span, and a mother still struggling with her son, Charlie’s, paranoid schizophrenia.
The book begins with Cheryl’s trip to France to engage in a month long class with an eccentric sculptor. While there, Cheryl also hopes to find a clinic she’s heard of that has had much success in treating individuals with mental illnesses. The story continues by moving between Cheryl’s time in France, where she meets many friends who have been reincarnated from the past, and her marriage as she struggles through her husband’s alcoholism and her son’s schizophrenia in hopes of finding a successful treatment for him. Woman Within the Web is a truly compelling story that gives you a heartening glimpse into real events from Cheryl’s life and then weaves them magically into poetic fiction that is sure to capture your heart and touch a small piece of your soul.
You can purchase this book from Cheryl when she’s downtown, most Fridays and Saturdays, on the Roanoke City Market. You can also find used copies of Woman Within the Web
Ms. Elenaeous Said,
August 27, 2007 @ 4:13 pm
I was going to stop by and say hi on Saturday but you seemed so absorbed in your book I didn’t want to bother you. Was it Woman Within the Web?
Rebecca Said,
August 27, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
It was! I guess I should have been paying better attention to everyone stopping by, but the book was SO good! Feel free to interrupt anytime though. I don’t mind.