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katiegilley's review against another edition
5.0
2022 update: bumping up to 5 stars! Now that I have more Erdrich novels under my belt and am familiar with her characters, this book was much more enjoyable this go-round. Louise Erdrich is a genius!
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My rating hovers between 3 and 4 stars, but probably closer to 3 stars.
This was my first book by Louise Erdrich and I found it fascinating. I enjoyed feeling like I was living through summertime on a reservation with her characters. This was Joe's coming of age story and it included much what you'd expect from 13 year old boys! But Joe's mother is brutally attacked in this novel, which sets Joe and his friends on a mission to help the police identify her attacker and bring him to justice.
The reason I've rated this closer to 3 stars is because all of the 13 year old boy shenanigans were a bit too much for me and felt self-indulgent. If some of those scenes would have been edited or toned down, then this could have easily been a nearly 5 star book!!
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My rating hovers between 3 and 4 stars, but probably closer to 3 stars.
This was my first book by Louise Erdrich and I found it fascinating. I enjoyed feeling like I was living through summertime on a reservation with her characters. This was Joe's coming of age story and it included much what you'd expect from 13 year old boys! But Joe's mother is brutally attacked in this novel, which sets Joe and his friends on a mission to help the police identify her attacker and bring him to justice.
The reason I've rated this closer to 3 stars is because all of the 13 year old boy shenanigans were a bit too much for me and felt self-indulgent. If some of those scenes would have been edited or toned down, then this could have easily been a nearly 5 star book!!
rodile's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
neenthefiend's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I had a book club to discuss this with. There is so much to unpack. You could spend months dissecting this book. The ending shattered me.
almenm635's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
exxamino's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
laura_corsi's review against another edition
4.0
Joe Coutts is a kid of 13 living on the Chippewa reservation in Minnesota. He has an ideal mother and father who try their best to make things better for their people and take good care of their only son, until one day his mother doesn't come home as expected. When they go look for her, they find that she has been attacked and raped and barely escaped with her life. Joe looks to his father the judge to make things right, however, over the course of the summer he comes to realize that justice for the Chippewa/Obijwe nation is hard to find. We see the investigation into his mom's case through the eyes of a boy on the cusp of manhood. One minute he is all boy and teenager and the next minute he is discovering adult truths and hardships that he barely understood until now. Then, in one unbelievable instant he is a different Joe Coutts entirely. A hauntingly brilliant coming of age story.
savaging's review against another edition
5.0
I could say this is a novel about history and ideas and politics. But those novels are usually so uprooted from the material, tangible, banal moments of living in a body in the world. What I love about this book is that Erdrich is always rooted, even as she's committed to making big big statements. It's always moldy casserole, boys' shoes, uprooted saplings, banana bread, the round house, and all the other tactile objects and beings from that time and place.
When she shares her bigger vision through them, each object takes on this depth and richness of meaning that is also haunting. I loved this book.
When she shares her bigger vision through them, each object takes on this depth and richness of meaning that is also haunting. I loved this book.
chapita4's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book more but found the abrupt ending really off-putting. Good story and realistic characters but there were so many loose threads at the end that I had a hard time feeling really moved. I think that the subject matter is so important but it was lost in the story telling. The bits and pieces of law and the broken criminal justice system that rules over the reservation were lost in the telling of the story. The authors portrayal of the aftermath of rape/crime was powerful and realistic, I was glad to read a story that showed that victimization of one person affects many.
nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault