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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I taught this novel as part of a survey of American literature. Erdrich's style is similar to Faulkner in that she has multiple narrators and a fragmented time line. Several characters take turns explaining the significance of a young Native American named June who appears in the opening chapter. But we get more than that. We see characters entangled over decades by family ties, love ties, tribal ties, and just the proximity of living together in a small community of a reservation. This novel is one of several that focus on the same set of characters and their extended family members. Rich, engaging and heart breaking. Erdrich is a master storyteller. Not only did I learn about native people of the Great Lakes area, I learned more about the human condition through themes that engage us all: loyalty, sacrifice, jealousy, etc.
Love Medicine is a beautifully written novel that explores love, anger, loss and redemption through the stories of several Chippewa families living on the reservation in North Dakota. Erdrich is a fantastic storyteller who manages to bring us into her characters' lives by perfectly capturing their voices in her prose. She has a rare gift. Read this --you'll love it!
I never got around to finishing the last 60 or so pages of this. I had to read something else for my book club, and never picked it up again. It was good while it lasted, but didn't have me laughing out loud as much as The Beet Queen.
challenging
emotional
I think I might actually give this one 5 stars, it was that good and moving. I am a big fan of multi-generational stories and stories told from multiple character view points. This book has both and just so happens to also be beautifully written. It has the perfect touch of sadness, a very human despair (much different from the over the top, depressing just for the sake of it Oprah books), but it is not without some joy. "The Red Convertible" broke my heart and I really enjoyed Lipsha's chapters, especially "Love Medicine". I have read one of Erdrich's novels before, but this was my first of her Native American fiction and it will not be my last.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
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
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes