Nuu’Chahlnuth territory in Vancouver experiences many traumas over generations since the arrival of Europeans. Brutality, interference and neglect as the Europeans changed their lives and culture. Celia knows she must heal her village with the help of family.

Really enjoyed this moving novel. Well written and well narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Celia sees and experiences things that cause pain and trauma within her family. The old ways need to return and be honoured. Great characters, deep love for those in need, forgiveness for those who deserve it and justice served on the cruel and evil. Enjoy.

In the book Celia Song by Lee Maracle is a book told by a narrator who is a shifter and I’m going to be honest and say for the most part of the book 90% I was confused I thought the first chapter was really good and just thought that was going to be the intro to the book something poetic but no that’s all the rest of the book one as well with nonsensical ramblings and statements that I’m sure are supposed to be profound but just sounded ridiculous… I hate to give a mean review but I have to be honest this book made no sense to me. at one point she says emotions have no brains and that always is like a lie another part way further in the book a woman is writing a check to pay one of her bills and then in the very next sentence a boat capsizes and a serpent eats everyone on board these are not stories that are led into it’s more like a LSD dream. It seemed like this book was trying to be epic sci-fi and contemporary which in my opinion don’t go together plus it wasn’t a cohesive story when I say I was confused I’m being so serious. I’m sure their will be those who love it because after all it was published and put on audio by the way the narrator sounded like she herself was bored. I’m giving it two stars only because I don’t like giving books any less I mean it was written it was produced and I did get to listen to it so there’s that. Maybe you’ll like it so if you want to give it a try I myself did not and I cannot think of one positive thing to say except that the first chapter was pretty good. I want to thank dreamscape media and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

As someone who studied the harrowing effects of colonialism on communities around the world, I had to request this audiobook arc. And even though this book was published in 2014, I had never heard of it.

But I'm so glad I listened to the audiobook! The fact that the audiobook narrator, Columpa Bobb, is the author's daughter puts the icing on the cake. Her narration really set the story's mood.

Celia's Song is one of those novels written in a way that feels like it's a tale told throughout generations and with more information/stories added on with each subsequent generation. It's literary fiction told through the lens of magical realism. There's a dreamlike quality at times, but the nightmare of overt and covert colonial practices shatters that dream pretty quickly.

Some of it is metaphorical (especially with the two-headed snake), and it took a while to click in my head. But when I finally understood what it all meant, I realized this was less dreamlike and more nightmarish.

Overall, I'd recommend this if you're a fan of literary fiction mixed with magical realism, especially if you're looking for Indigenous voices.

Thank you to ECW Press Audio and NetGalley for this arc.