The Basket Maker

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Summary: The Basket Maker
Review: I just finished reading The Basket Maker. I literally could not put it down. What a very powerful, intense book. It held my interest from start to finish. Very interesting how all the character's lives blended together. Full of geography, history and psychological drama. I would recommend this book highly. Bravo to Kate Niles !!!!!!

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Summary: A wonderful book and a wonderful author!
Review: I met the author of this book at a signing in Boulder. She was extremely interesting and well informed; she read from The Basket Maker but also launched a great conversation with the audience. Highly recommended!

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Summary: A meaningful story for all of us...
Review: I too couldn't book this book down. The message here applies to all of us. Niles' archeology and anthropology background complement her terrific writing to create a meaningful story and a vivid picture of the Southwest.

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Summary: Niles Weaves Intricate Plot for The Basketmaker
Review: The Basket Maker has a couple of elements that made it a super read for me. First getting into the story is like working a jig saw puzzle. Except this is not a flat puzzle with one point of view, us looking down on a picture. This is a multidimensional puzzle, presented from the points of view of four main characters in the middle of it. One by one, each views a series of events that join them to each other. That makes a complex read, guaranteed to keep anyone paying attention. The second neat thing is this: by the time we see how everybody thinks and fits together in the plot, author Kate Niles has given us the story of a litle girl facing life for the first time, and of grownups working through that life just a little ahed of her. Together they help each other face and work through problems. The Basket Maker offers a simple message: we are all community and we all support each other. We are all interrelated. We all face tough issues, but together we will find a way to manage them. Some we will actually solve. How life affirming

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Summary: With a memorable roster of supporting characters
Review: The Basket Maker is a smoothly written and deftly woven story of Sarah Graves, a young woman with a dark secret who encounters Trent, a boy at school who has suffered burns over most of his body. With a memorable roster of supporting characters, this unique and compassionate novel is presented with intelligence, delicacy, and reader-engaging passion set against the background of the American southwest. Kate Niles is the recipient of the Colorado Council of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship for Creative Writing for 2003. An accomplished writer of essays and short stories, The Basket Maker now documents her as having mastered the novel with a literary style and elegance rarely achieved and never surpassed.

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Summary: A must-read, compelling story
Review: This is a powerfully realistic novel. It is raw and compelling, written with courage, wisdom and truth. At the same time it is an uplifting story of redemption and healing. Niles' weaving of hope into her story as the main characters come together to create their basket, their container, for compassion, support and survival is nothing short of masterful. The Basket Maker is an excellent book.