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alcyon_alcyon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
motifenjoyer's review against another edition
emotional
4.0
"It was never the end of the world. And it was always the end of the world. "
whimsofwands's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book is a collection of short stories/excerpts with some dramatically different styles - some read like standard format short stories, one is written as a greek play, another is not in english. The perspective changes a lot and the stories are largely disconnected. The writing is often beautiful and the characters are compelling, realistic, and complex.
All that in mind, I think I made a huge mistake listening to this as an audiobook, as opposed to reading it. For the first few stories, I was super confused because I was expecting a more cohesive writing style and even connected narratives (I shouldn't have expected that, considering it's a collection of short stories). The audiobook voice actors did a truly amazing job and I loved the way it sounded and felt, but I feel like a missed a lot of the variable structure and story style because I couldn't see it. Perhaps I'm more of a visual person, but I wish I'd read the paper copy, and maybe I will in the future.
All that in mind, I think I made a huge mistake listening to this as an audiobook, as opposed to reading it. For the first few stories, I was super confused because I was expecting a more cohesive writing style and even connected narratives (I shouldn't have expected that, considering it's a collection of short stories). The audiobook voice actors did a truly amazing job and I loved the way it sounded and felt, but I feel like a missed a lot of the variable structure and story style because I couldn't see it. Perhaps I'm more of a visual person, but I wish I'd read the paper copy, and maybe I will in the future.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Abandonment
bbcarote's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
siria's review against another edition
4.0
The Beadworkers is a collection of short stories, poetry, and drama by Beth Piatote (Nez Perce) which explores ideas of Native identity, belonging, and heritage language loss and reclamation. Summarising the book like that no doubt makes it sound very dry and worthy, but Piatote's writing is shot-through with lyricism and a bone-dry humour that I appreciated. I found the first few stories the weakest, though I'm not sure if it's that I just lacked the cultural context to grasp the point that Piatote might have been making. The collection grew in strength as I read, though, and I thought the closing reworking of the Classical Greek tragedy Antigone as "Antíkoni" was pointed and powerful.
sunnie's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
ruthailuj's review against another edition
5.0
Beth Piatote, a Native American author & member of Chief Joseph's Band, has written this literary combination of fiction, poetry, & dramatic writing in the tradition of the Pacific Northwest.
This collection is moving, informative, and stunning. Wonderful collection of stories and poetry to keep in your library.
This collection is moving, informative, and stunning. Wonderful collection of stories and poetry to keep in your library.
awebofstories's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Rating: One of my all-time faves!
I do not give short story collections 5 stars. I feel that there are too many variables that have to be hit for a collection to reach that high...until now.
Folks, why doesn't everyone know about Beth Piatote? She is an amazing writer. Through these stories, Piatote explores the lives of (mostly) modern Native people as they navigate their heritage, the modern world, and relationships. The prose is just beautiful and Piatote takes some real risks here. The final selection in this collection, Antíkoni, is a play retelling the Greek Antigone and explores repatriation and the debts that Native people owe to themselves. I was wary when I started it, but now I am dying to see a production of it.
There is another reason why this book worked so incredibly well for me--it is about where I live. All but one of the stories are set in the Pacific Northwest, many happen in my home state of Oregon, and one takes place (in part) in my own hometown. While I make a point of reading Indigenous literature, this is the first work I've read that tells the stories of people from my own world.
This book may be hard--but not impossible--to find. But it is worth every ounce of effort to track it down. I am so glad that I picked my copy up on a whim at a local bookstore--this one will stay with me forever.
I do not give short story collections 5 stars. I feel that there are too many variables that have to be hit for a collection to reach that high...until now.
Folks, why doesn't everyone know about Beth Piatote? She is an amazing writer. Through these stories, Piatote explores the lives of (mostly) modern Native people as they navigate their heritage, the modern world, and relationships. The prose is just beautiful and Piatote takes some real risks here. The final selection in this collection, Antíkoni, is a play retelling the Greek Antigone and explores repatriation and the debts that Native people owe to themselves. I was wary when I started it, but now I am dying to see a production of it.
There is another reason why this book worked so incredibly well for me--it is about where I live. All but one of the stories are set in the Pacific Northwest, many happen in my home state of Oregon, and one takes place (in part) in my own hometown. While I make a point of reading Indigenous literature, this is the first work I've read that tells the stories of people from my own world.
This book may be hard--but not impossible--to find. But it is worth every ounce of effort to track it down. I am so glad that I picked my copy up on a whim at a local bookstore--this one will stay with me forever.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation
geolatin's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. I didn’t culturally understand all of it, but it was still engaging. The Antigoni retelling was really interesting.