The Return of the Goddess

“Cunningham knows her landscape and characters in a very rare and deep fashion.” —New England Review of Books “Cunningham’s characters are lovingly realized, her chapters tightly spun about evocative themes, her prose is lean and empathic, and her politics correct.” —Yoga Journal “This contemporary treatment of the popular goddess theme is virtually unique in present-day fiction.” —Wisconsin Bookwatch “The Lady permeates this book with her irrepressible sensual magic.” —Ione “A literally charming novel about a modern day woman’s discovery of the Goddess.” —Starhawk, author of The Spiral Dance and Dreaming the Dark  “There is no let-up in the unfolding of this celebration of how four remarkable people grow into godhood, the journey all love tries to make. Cunningham tells how the wise body wakes up and learns the thrilling—but also blessing—movements of the ancient dance, where personal love slowly learns to protect the world all around its once selfish frenzy. A book to make us close to the earth, and to each other.” —Robert Kelly, author of Cat Scratch Fever, The Scorpions, and Doctor of Silence “This is an extraordinary book to share with all those you love—family, friend or lover. A good story told with wit, compassion and sexiness, it’s about the most important things in our lives. And it has the power to build bridges across a gap of silence.” —Robin Larsen, Author with Stephen Larsen of A Fire in the Mind: Life of Joseph Campbell  “A magical tale of spiritual renewal…Brings together themes of interest to women such as earth-centered life, the need for feminine rituals, and the link between spirituality and sexuality.” —Values and Visions “This is how we long to meet the Immortals—in the flesh! In The Return of the Goddess the double entendre of passion drives the plot. The Church of our Fathers and the Mother’s sacred ground collide and explode into sparks. The pace is perfect, her images linger. She’s packed a terrific story into a full deck of divinatory cards, playing with everyone’s current marital and spiritual discord. Such a pleasure to read—so sweet and sexy and politic—laced with mother wit and ultimately satisfying.” —Nor Hall, author of The Moon and the Virgin and Those Women  “One of the best novels I’ve read in some time…The story is the type that wraps you in a cocoon of warm delight, engulfing you in the living, breathing fires of its characters.” —Friends Review  “An entertaining novel written with grace, humor and perceptiveness…A delightful rarity.” —Convergence “This compelling novel tells many stories on different levels. The legendary, the mystical and the poetic weave in and out of the characters’ lives. The novel is about truth and fighting against evil, about the earth and its riches, about the goddess’s fight against the Father Church, and about women’s struggles to create themselves.” —The Christian Century “A wonderful book…A love son to the land.” —Gazette Advertiser “A tremendously entertaining novel of self-discovery.” —Taconic Week “Readers will be fascinated and caught up in the fanciful spirit.” —West Coast Review of Books