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joaniesickler's review against another edition
3.0
Beautifully written just like his Dr. Apelle's. Intense. Tragic. Grim.
beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
Another book that disappointed me. I was very intrigued to see how the author's point of view on the WWII era involving the Indians and Germans. Seeing as to the author is Ojibwe. I thought he would have a great point of view. I got about half way and this was a long fought half way and sadly put the book down. The authors were alright but they did not pull me in. In fact the first half of the story was hazy. I can't remember what happened. The characters are unmemorable. There was not much happening in the first half. The meat of the story seemed to come in the middle but again without memorable characters and there was a lot of cursing that I was not expecting, I could not keep reading. This story was more fluffy then I was expecting I wanted more hard core substance.
sarah_reading_party's review against another edition
2.0
while i like the writing style of the author (at least as much as i am able to ascertain from the audiobook), the story itself fell flat for me. it was depressing and slow - which isn't always bad, but there were SO many characters and half-finished plot lines (and disappearing characters) that i wondered why i was supposed to care about characters and situations. a predominant theme throughout the book is sexuality. again, not bad, but somewhat unexpected given the description of the book. some of the 'sex scenes' are pretty graphic and off-putting to an extent... all in all, there is some good stuff here but it is lost in the immensity of the story the author is trying to tell. is it worth the read? i can't really say. i did want to read on to the end to find out what happens, if that helps you make a decision. i am okay putting a book down but didn't chose to do that here.
Spoiler
and there is also a homosexual relationship that drives the plot too. it's not that i was offended by this but rather that i wished the characters' grappling with it would have been delved into morehollireads's review against another edition
I don’t know how to rate this book. It was sad. It showed the trauma of war and racism. There was entirely too many scenes of men getting pleasured or pleasuring themselves for no plot related reason I could discern, other than to show how women were treated like things and men apparently only think of one body part. Constantly.
anplica's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
wafer's review against another edition
2.0
This is a hard one to score, because there’s some truly promising aspects of this novel that are engaging. The beginning chapters and constant shifting of limited third person POVs is done stupendously. The author is wonderful at using subtlety in the narrative to get a character across.
That being said, the book as a whole feels unfinished. The romance between Frankie and Billy needed more time dedicated to it, and Frankie himself for all of his supposed importance is not given enough time with the audience to be truly appreciated.
And as for the titular Prudence, I’m honestly not sure what her purpose or presence brings to the story. Am I to sympathize with her as a person for losing her sister and being a victim of sexual abuse as a child? Or am I to hate her for committing rape in what is the most disturbing section of the novel? Does it matter? Why should I care?
The ending seems rushed as well, on top of it all. The book ends with a stream of consciousness much like Toni Morrison’s Bluest Eye or William Faulkner’s Sound and the Fury. But unlike those novels, here it feels unearned and spur of the moment for a character I ultimately feel little sympathy for.
That being said, the book as a whole feels unfinished. The romance between Frankie and Billy needed more time dedicated to it, and Frankie himself for all of his supposed importance is not given enough time with the audience to be truly appreciated.
And as for the titular Prudence, I’m honestly not sure what her purpose or presence brings to the story. Am I to sympathize with her as a person for losing her sister and being a victim of sexual abuse as a child? Or am I to hate her for committing rape in what is the most disturbing section of the novel? Does it matter? Why should I care?
The ending seems rushed as well, on top of it all. The book ends with a stream of consciousness much like Toni Morrison’s Bluest Eye or William Faulkner’s Sound and the Fury. But unlike those novels, here it feels unearned and spur of the moment for a character I ultimately feel little sympathy for.
happyglowlucky's review against another edition
5.0
This book is set in both 1942 and 52, mostly in Minnesota, at a family reunion, where the main event happens: an accidental shooting that will effect the lives of the main characters. I found this book easy-to-read, yet engaging. I liked that the characters were fully-formed, not just flat characters that didn't seem real.
Each of the chapters in this book are told from a different main character's viewpoint. If you don't like this kind of book, be warned. However, keep in mind that it's really well-done...some books that do that can be confusing, but this one isn't - it's perfectly seamless, and not confusing.
I don't want to spoil any part of the book, so won't say too much about the plot, but I will just say that it's a page-turner, and that it brings up a particularly interesting topic, which is the details about Native Americans.
I see a few reviews here where people were disappointed in the book, but that wasn't my experience. I found it nicely written, and the writing is clear and crisp, and I got very pulled into reading it, as the characters seemed both real and sympathetic.
Each of the chapters in this book are told from a different main character's viewpoint. If you don't like this kind of book, be warned. However, keep in mind that it's really well-done...some books that do that can be confusing, but this one isn't - it's perfectly seamless, and not confusing.
I don't want to spoil any part of the book, so won't say too much about the plot, but I will just say that it's a page-turner, and that it brings up a particularly interesting topic, which is the details about Native Americans.
I see a few reviews here where people were disappointed in the book, but that wasn't my experience. I found it nicely written, and the writing is clear and crisp, and I got very pulled into reading it, as the characters seemed both real and sympathetic.
babsellen's review against another edition
4.0
A sad, beautifully-written book whose characters are restricted from leading full lives because of the society and times they live in, and by themselves. Set in the north woods of Minnesota in the first half of the 20th century, the story focuses on several significant days in August 1942 and a decade later. Equally important to the storyline are the waning months of World War Two. I found this to be a page-turner.
affiknittyreads's review against another edition
3.0
I don't even know how to articulate what I didn't like about this book. It could be that almost every character was completely unsympathetic, to varying degrees. It could be that the story didn't seem to flow very well. The ending was too abrupt, and the very last line didn't ring true to me -- it sounded like the closing line of a B(minus) movie. Several different things are going on in the book, and it's not at all clear how they are supposed to be related, even thematically, but the author definitely wants to you to feel that it is All Connected. It could be the multiple detailed descriptions of ejaculations (seriously).
I'm giving it three stars instead of two, though, because one chapter -- the one told from the perspective of Mary -- was fantastic.
I'm giving it three stars instead of two, though, because one chapter -- the one told from the perspective of Mary -- was fantastic.