Reviews with content warning for Drug use - The Night Watchman

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The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

11 reviews

oproy's review against another edition

inspiring reflective slow-paced

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? No

3.0

I found the backdrop to the story extremely interesting and awe-inspiring. The plight of the Native Americans in the not so distant past is unfathomable, and this novel brings their stories to life. And the entire idea of the termination bill and that people can just be used as chess pieces is a sad reality many face.

However, rating just the novel, I did not enjoy. The way Erdrich intertwined magic/mysticism with the rest of the story sometimes confused me. I felt I had to finish it just to finish it, not because I enjoyed turning the page. I understand that the point of Patrice is that she is coming of age emotionally while also having to take care of her family, but she was just unlikeable to me.

I did find that the author’s way of leaving certain things to our own mind (Vera’s whereabouts, Parantau’s abuse) was well done.

Overall, I did not enjoy but mostly because I felt like there was always something I was missing just beyond the grasp of my understanding.

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maryfranvs's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative 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

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madelinemarigold's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad 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? No

4.75

Very informative historical fiction, discusses the attempt to disband (destroy, exterminate) the turtle mountain band of the Ojibwe and the community that came together to stop americas attack on indigenous sovereignty. Language, sisterhood, whiteness, love, indigenous (ojibwe) cosmology, and Mormonism are all explored

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tlaynejones's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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retroreader17's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.0

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erica_palmisano's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

Fascinating and surprising. I haven't spent a lot of time in places like North Dakota & Minnesota during the 1950s, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The story was vivid and covered some difficult realities, but also kind and grounded in the details of daily life and simple pleasures. The audio narration was straight-forwardly lovely – cadence and style were simple and it was good to hear the fragments of the Chippewa language pronounced properly too. So glad I read this and got to meet these characters!

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smlemire's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 to 4 stars, this is a good but slow book. Not sure I would have picked it up on my own but that being said I would recommend it to those looking to learn more about native reservations and life for natives in the mid 20th century. The ending in particular really soured me, as I felt that the whole book was leading up to one thing which happened off screen and left me unsatisfied.

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