Reviews

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

clara_reads_books's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

plbeyer70's review

4.0

Early on in the book I was getting disappointed because I was hoping for more story around the termination of government support for the tribe. That's definitely in there and the story centers on that, but there's more about the people in the tribe and their daily lives than anything else. I was letting my expectations color my opinion. But as the story continued I found I was getting absorbed into those unique lives and their challenges. They've been terribly exploited, had land repeatedly taken away, and continue to have to fight, even today, for what they were promised. I recommend reading this with no expectations and rather let the stories about the lives of people who lived through these things pull you in and open your eyes to how others live.

disreputabledog's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

5.0

anicole_williams's review

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

tzlumy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Death of parent, and Trafficking

Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Animal death

btwscot's review

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

happylilkt's review

4.0

First half - 4.5 stars
Second half - 3 stars
Final rating: 3.5 stars

This is the first Erdrich novel I have finished (I started [b:Future Home of the Living God|34217599|Future Home of the Living God|Louise Erdrich|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499188017l/34217599._SY75_.jpg|55268475] a few years ago and didn't finish it before I had to return it to the library). I read it as part of a Native American literature(s) class I was taking in the summer of 2022.

This was an engaging novel, richly capturing a singular time and place through many perspectives. The characterization was done broadly, which comes with some downsides, but I didn't dislike the approach. I absolutely loved the first half of the novel, but the second half felt more disjointed and I was especially disappointed in some of the character development (or lack thereof).

Regardless, for its importance as a historical novel, I can see why it won the Pulitzer, though perhaps it was more of a nod to Erdrich's stature as a writer. I will definitely be reading more Erdrich.

For those who like listening to audiobooks, the performance by the author is fantastic. (I alternately read and listened.)

Note: contains some sexual content

sainte_v's review

emotional lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

bhalstead04's review

I enjoyed this book.

hchen5's review

slow-paced

2.0