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alex_ellermann's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I didn't care for this book.
I understand that it's a landmark, the vanguard of the Native American literary renaissance. Its publication, in 1968, let loose a flood of Native American fiction that hasn't slackened to this day.
With a pedigree like that, I really wanted to like 'House Made of Dawn.'
However, I found it tedious and self-indulgent. I felt like its author was more taken with the beauty of his prose than his obligation to tell a compelling story. And, yes, his prose is beautiful. But his story is so frightfully dull that I felt it violated the first obligation of the storyteller: to fascinate.
Perhaps, had I come to this novel already fascinated by the Native American cultures of the Desert Southwest, this novel may have spoke to me. But I didn't. It didn't. I found 'House Made of Dawn' a slog, and a pretentious slog at that.
This book came strongly recommended, but I not every book his for every reader. Take this review as one datapoint. Many people love 'House Made of Dawn.' You may be one them. But it was not for me.
I understand that it's a landmark, the vanguard of the Native American literary renaissance. Its publication, in 1968, let loose a flood of Native American fiction that hasn't slackened to this day.
With a pedigree like that, I really wanted to like 'House Made of Dawn.'
However, I found it tedious and self-indulgent. I felt like its author was more taken with the beauty of his prose than his obligation to tell a compelling story. And, yes, his prose is beautiful. But his story is so frightfully dull that I felt it violated the first obligation of the storyteller: to fascinate.
Perhaps, had I come to this novel already fascinated by the Native American cultures of the Desert Southwest, this novel may have spoke to me. But I didn't. It didn't. I found 'House Made of Dawn' a slog, and a pretentious slog at that.
This book came strongly recommended, but I not every book his for every reader. Take this review as one datapoint. Many people love 'House Made of Dawn.' You may be one them. But it was not for me.
anniedrows's review against another edition
4.0
Read for the BookRiot Read Harder challenge. Beautiful imagery. Very sad story of the intersection of a Native American WW2 veteran returning from war, reentering his home/reservation life and subsequent challenges/troubles.
glaseramy's review against another edition
2.0
This book was beautifully written. Some of the sentences were so wonderfully crafted that I had to read them again because it was so beautiful. But the story skipped around a lot and at times it was hard to follow. It seemed a bit disjointed to me.
schenkelberg's review against another edition
4.0
For a book I picked up off the shelf, this was absolutely stunning (although I did pick it up since it had the pulitzer winner banner, so its not like I chose this completely at random)
The author, N. Scott Momaday, was a Kiowa Indian who lived on a number of reservations, and this was his first novel. The realism and power in imagery, and the incredible variety of voices that sound off throughout the book leave it unforgettable. There were parts that had me lost for a while, but by the end everything had been thrown into sharp, horrible clarity as the main character made the final turns of his descent into hell.
The author, N. Scott Momaday, was a Kiowa Indian who lived on a number of reservations, and this was his first novel. The realism and power in imagery, and the incredible variety of voices that sound off throughout the book leave it unforgettable. There were parts that had me lost for a while, but by the end everything had been thrown into sharp, horrible clarity as the main character made the final turns of his descent into hell.
rowan_was_reading's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
plant_the_read's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
matildazq's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like my brain was too run-down to really absorb this. It has the relentless stream-of-consciousness feel of Joyce or Camus (both of whom I love), and when I wasn't too exhausted to lower myself into the stream of images and emotions, it had that same power to place me in a completely altered state. But when my brain would not brain hard enough, I found myself having to fip back pages or chapters to re-read.
The setting is beautiful. The plot—in so far as it has one—is devastating, yet the last two major sections of it are, if not hopeful (because, how could they be), suffused with warmth and abiding love for humans. The celebration of connections, even painful, difficult ones that serially challenge and disappoint have left me thinking in a way that "devastation porn" novels in the mainstream never could. It's a pathetically obvious thing to say, but even though Momaday speaks often about his dual cultural identity, this is so not a "white" novel.
The setting is beautiful. The plot—in so far as it has one—is devastating, yet the last two major sections of it are, if not hopeful (because, how could they be), suffused with warmth and abiding love for humans. The celebration of connections, even painful, difficult ones that serially challenge and disappoint have left me thinking in a way that "devastation porn" novels in the mainstream never could. It's a pathetically obvious thing to say, but even though Momaday speaks often about his dual cultural identity, this is so not a "white" novel.
jdvough's review against another edition
3.0
Ironically, weeks after reading The Night Watchman, a Pulitzer winning novel about Native American culture, our book club chose to read House Made of Dawn, a Pulitzer winning novel about Native American culture. While acknowledging the quality of writing of the first book, I had to give it a lower rating based on lack of personal interest. Not in a way that Native American literature is not important or even gripping at times, but in a way that says I like sappy science fiction or adventure novels much more. House Made of Dawn was even less to my liking because much of it was written in a poetic prose. As uncultured as I am, any poetry more profound than Dr. Suess is lost on me, and I often do not get the pleasure or inspiration that others do from reading it. Therefore much of this story was a bit foggy. I understood the narrative but the poetic descriptions of people, places and attitudes was truly lost on me. For that reason the three star rating is mine alone, and I again acknowledge that most people would probably rate it much higher. I can see the quality and import, I am just not the person to appreciate those things.
gudgercollege's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't actually finish this. I wanted to love it because I saw Momaday in the Ken Burns documentary about the West and really enjoyed his segments but this style of book, primarily visual and sensual, is not something I really respond to as a reader. It's a beautifully written book, but not for me.
**
I felt guilty about not finishing this because it's the kind of pretentious thing with fancy credentials that I love (oooh, a Pulitzer!), so I put on the audiobook and listened to it all day, but I just did not connect to this. It's mostly full of meandering impressions rather than, like, plot or characters, and there's a part where some guy is giving a sermon that lasted I swear to god 30 minutes in the audiobook. It all went in one ear and out the other. So it's the same result as when I DNF'd this like 8 years ago but I got closure.
**
I felt guilty about not finishing this because it's the kind of pretentious thing with fancy credentials that I love (oooh, a Pulitzer!), so I put on the audiobook and listened to it all day, but I just did not connect to this. It's mostly full of meandering impressions rather than, like, plot or characters, and there's a part where some guy is giving a sermon that lasted I swear to god 30 minutes in the audiobook. It all went in one ear and out the other. So it's the same result as when I DNF'd this like 8 years ago but I got closure.