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bethmc's review against another edition
Because I only needed to read "The Red Convertible" for class.
emma_astrida's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gorecki's review against another edition
I admit I am biased when it comes to Louise Erdrich. As one of my all-time favorite authors I really believe she's one of the best contemporary American writers. The narratives she creates and the stories she weaves are realistic and magical, emotional and raw, upsetting and uplifting all at the same time. I have rarely seen such perfect combination of humor and sadness within the same page.
In this collection of short stories, you can find the essence of her writing and the key to most of her main body of work. These short stories are the elements that build up the core of most of her novels, as she herself puts it in the foreword, and while reading them you can really notice that most of these stories are chapters from some of her novels, or stories of the characters you can find in them. All of them (except for the last few) have in some form already appeared as main stories or topics in her books, and while in those books they are developed further and more elaborate, in this short story collection they are a concentrate, a concoction - short, concise, and strong. If you would like to experience the essence of Louise Erdrich's writing, then this collection if just the book for you.
On a more personal note, some of these stories simply made me sigh and clasp the book to my chest while reading. This book contains many favorite stories that will haunt me for a long time and I am very happy that I can always just pull it off the shelf and dive into them again and again every time I just feel like it. To name just a few - "Saint Marie", "Snares", "Fleur", "The Leap", "The Fat Man's Race", "Father's Milk", "The Gravitron", "History of the Puyats", "Naked Woman Playing Chopin", "Shamengwa", "The Shawl".
In this collection of short stories, you can find the essence of her writing and the key to most of her main body of work. These short stories are the elements that build up the core of most of her novels, as she herself puts it in the foreword, and while reading them you can really notice that most of these stories are chapters from some of her novels, or stories of the characters you can find in them. All of them (except for the last few) have in some form already appeared as main stories or topics in her books, and while in those books they are developed further and more elaborate, in this short story collection they are a concentrate, a concoction - short, concise, and strong. If you would like to experience the essence of Louise Erdrich's writing, then this collection if just the book for you.
On a more personal note, some of these stories simply made me sigh and clasp the book to my chest while reading. This book contains many favorite stories that will haunt me for a long time and I am very happy that I can always just pull it off the shelf and dive into them again and again every time I just feel like it. To name just a few - "Saint Marie", "Snares", "Fleur", "The Leap", "The Fat Man's Race", "Father's Milk", "The Gravitron", "History of the Puyats", "Naked Woman Playing Chopin", "Shamengwa", "The Shawl".
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
I've enjoyed all of the novels that I've read of Louise Erdich. I don't find her a particularly easy author, but something about her work keeps me coming back for more. This collection of short stories only adds to my admiration of her writing. The 36 short stories were written over 30 years. All but six of them have been previously published. This collection is almost 500 pages, so I read it over a period of two weeks--dipping into a few stories one day and then not coming back for several days. As in her other work, most of the main characters are Native Americans--often of mixed ancestry--like the author herself. Worth reading, but not a book that I would take to the beach.
dan4241's review against another edition
Stories weren’t connecting with me. Might try again at a future date.
mrvm's review against another edition
2.0
The stories were very interesting, and I don't mind that they are all out of order and don't follow a timeline. What made me give it 3 stars is the fact that characters names, history, and personalities were changed so you were left very confused. I get that it is just a collection of her short stories and she changed and wrote them at different times, but it just left me confused and with a mild headache.