I absolutely adored Eugene novelist Cai Emmon’s enchanting new book ... In this eco-feminist fable, Emmons explores themes that resonate for us in today’s world: global warming, gender power struggles, the role of the media, the importance of community. Her writing style is literary, rich and evocative, with a lush plethora of adjectives creating a vivid sense of place ... Though clearly immersed in a thoughtful concern for our world, Weather Woman finds exactly the right balance by tipping towards the individual human concerns and passions that make a compelling story. Recommended.
Emmons does a masterful job convincing the reader of the weather woman’s growing capabilities ... The reader witnesses Bronwyn’s emerging powers in scene after scene, sometimes from inside her perceptions, sometimes through the eyes of others ... Bronwyn would make a great superhero, should Emmons be writing for the comic genre. Or she could be a figure in a science fiction novel. However, this book challenges the reader in a real-time way to embrace the possibility of human abilities that go far beyond the rational. It’s a fun read, and it is timely, addressing current concerns about catastrophic weather events that accompany climate change ... Who among us hasn’t thrown up a prayer or plea to stop lightning, or to summon rain? I wanted to believe, and so I did, at least for the time I lived within the novel.
The novel may fit the definition of a work of magical realism, but its appeal lies in its deeper truths ... The novel doesn’t lead with its politics, but it still functions beautifully as an ecofeminist allegory ... Elevated, elemental language moves the story along. In Bronwyn’s confrontations with nature, lines are both scientific and seductive. She gathers a small, appreciative, and awed cohort and travels far to explore her potential; it is a worthwhile trip, inviting celebration of—and activism to preserve—our one shared home.
Emmons...paints a convincing portrait of a young woman on the cusp of self-discovery. But other plot elements, such as a romance with a Florida newspaper reporter, remain sketchily drawn, as do the undercurrents of sexism faced by both woman of science. The story shines in its descriptions of weather phenomena, but the magical-realism elements leave more questions unanswered in their wake. A charged premise that provides an occasional spark but not the high-voltage intensity it promises.
