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amandalachelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Incest, Torture, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Suicide, and War
shawnna_reads2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Violence, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
kmcfall's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book was published on September 5, 2023, and noonish on that day, I put a hold on the ebook at my library. I was finally able to check it out at the end of January. Popular book!
I’ll say first off that I enjoyed the book. Well, I enjoyed it after I got into it, and I do recommend it. I gave it three stars, and for me—just like in a staff performance evaluation—3.5 stars meant the book was doing its job and was doing it pretty well.
I’ve been a huge fan of the author. His book This Tender Land is a favorite book of all time for me. I read it first as an eBook and then my husband and I read it to each other, aloud. And it the writing is gorgeous, and more than that, it tells a powerful story of an odyssey. While it’s historical fiction, It’s a book I think of as literary fiction. That is not how I would characterize The River We Remember.
William Kent Krueger sets his books—both his stand alone books and his Cork O’Connor detective series—in Minnesota, though I’ve not read the series yet.
The River We Remember is historical fiction had more of a detective novel vibe—and that’s typically not my genre. Set in a small town along the fictitious Alabaster River, the book begins with the death of prominent person that everyone hates. To a person, no one is sad about this death. He was that kind of guy.
Once I got into the book, I had a hard time putting it down. But I had a hard time liking the main character initially—he really pissed me off. 😊 And I did not get fully immersed until about halfway through. Your individual mileage may vary.
This book calls out the racism and sexism of the day. William Kent Krueger quite often features Dakota characters—and through his storylines points to the injustices done to them. Both this book and This Tender Land include descriptions of the US – Dakota War of 1862, as well as the mass arrests and executions.
Beyond that, we see the impact of trauma from WWII on several characters.
Krueger doesn’t pull punches.
And I mentioned that he did highlight the sexism of the day, but at the same time, one of the characters, a Japanese woman is continually described in diminuitive terms. She “looked small and childlike.” Her hands were tiny, etc.
Interestingly, in a Q & A with the author, he originally thought the character of the female attorney would tell the story from her perspective. And I would hope that at least she wouldn’t spend so much time focusing on the stature of Kyoko.
Okay—there’s a thing that bothered me. Friends who read the book back in September mentioned it on social media, so I knew it was coming.
LUTHERAN PASTOR FATHER GREGORY.
Do you see that?
Given where Kreuger sets his books, I would expect him to know that Lutheran clergy do not have the Father title. (I’m thinking of the female Lutheran pastors I know—goodness, they’d not be called Mother.)
I tend to geek out over location in Krueger novels. For anyone who is curious about exactly where this book may be set, follow and check out a separate video I have on that.
With everything I’ve said, I heartily recommend the book.
Graphic: Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Sexual assault, Racism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Child abuse
astoriareader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
- It is Memorial Day 1958 in Black Earth County in Jewel, Minnesota. Jimmy Quinn, a wealthy landowner, is found dead in the Alabaster River with a shotgun wound.
- Sheriff Brody Dern is investigating. Before an autopsy is done, the town’s residents are already assuming the Quinn was killed by Noah Bluestone, a local Dakota Sioux Indian. Noah is also married to Kyoko, a Ngasaki native.
- This is my first novel by Krueger, and I hope to read more by him. He’s very talented.
- There are a lot of characters, and I did find it hard to keep them all straight in the first half of the book.
- Many tough topics are discussed in this book. I would recommend checking out trigger warnings.
- Krueger shows the strong prejudice and racism against Noah & Kyoko, as well as the hatred among the community from WWII against Asians.
- This is a slow burn with complex characters & dysfunctional families. Historical fiction. Starts maybe a little slowly, but picks up about a third of the way.
- Also, I loved the addition of Hector and Fuji 🐶🐶
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Incest, Death, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, War, and Cursing
Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Infertility, Vomit, and Terminal illness
bameadors18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Rape, Domestic abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Incest, Violence, Gun violence, War, and Racial slurs
loririder71's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Incest, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder, and War
gay_for_jay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
This is not the genre of book that I would typically read. With that said... in the first chapter, when the novel's focal point was revealed, I knew it would be intriguing. The book's characters and setting were wonderfully developed, but there was just so much to keep up with that I frequently got lost.
I described this book to a friend as a warm single-family home designed for your traditional nuclear family, and I stick to that description. While it will not likely be a book I revisit, it is well worth the read.
Graphic: Gun violence and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Racism
ellinlolis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Animal death and Rape
laurajenkins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Minor: Physical abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Murder
rly's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: War, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Rape, and Incest