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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
This book was well written, but it jumped around too much, which made the storyline bumpy. Also I never really connected with either of the main characters.
Inconsistent. Boyden's technique of two characters telling their story in first-person voice, each taking one chapter and then the other the next, and back to the first, etc., fell flat for me halfway through the book, because Will is a better shaped character than Annie. I endured Annie's chapters to get to Will's story, even though the two are deeply intertwined. That said, this is a fine novel, though inconsistent.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
I continue to enjoy this author - I love his characters his sense of compassion while still naming the evils for what they are. I also love stand alone sequels which this is.
This is a beautiful crafted novel about a family in northern Ontario pulled in two directions: traditional first nation life and modern life. Will and his nieces are inadvertently pulled into a life of drug dealing and violence, ending in one of the nieces going missing and Will lying in a hospital, in a coma. Through flashbacks and Annie, Will's other niece, telling him her side of the story the story is slowly filled in. I loved this book, I loved reading about the lives of native Canadians and how destructive the influence of drug gangs can be. Joseph Boyden describes the physical setting beautifully and truthfully. A moving and powerful read.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
liked it more than the orenda but it's been a while. overall interesting read as i really enjoy reading about indigenous communities and just took a class where my prof had spent a lot of time in the james bay area so was excited to see it through the eyes of a fiction novel!