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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This is one of Alexie’s first publishing successes. It is a collection of inter-connected short stories. There are several recurring characters, though each story can easily stand alone. The stories focus on the Native American residents of the Spokane Indian Reservation. Thomas Builds-the-Fire is a storyteller who is frequently ignored, but is nevertheless compelled to relate his allegorical tales. Victor Joseph is another central character. We meet him in the first story as a nine-year-old trying to understand and save his parents from their alcohol dependence. Recurring themes include alcohol dependence, a desire to return to tradition, laughter shared with friends, the differences between reservation Indians and urban Indians, and, of course, basketball. Alexie began as a poet, and his writing reflects this. He has an ability to craft a phrase that will take your breath away.
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
Emulating my Goodreads and blog friend, Buried in Print, I stretched out my reading of this short story collection for almost a month! I didn't blow through it like a novel, which had been my short story habit before. I LOVED this collection, savoring my daily story. It's got that Alexie mix of sad and funny, full of quirky details, some mundane, some magical. Each story is an exploration of being an Indian (Alexie's term) in America, both on the reservation and off. Lots of broken families and broken dreams, but also love, basketball glory, dancing, and delicious fry bread. I re-watched the movie "Smoke Signals," which is based on a story here, and it was good, as I remembered it. If you've never read an Alexie story, you really need to pick this up.
It took a while to get through these beautifully written stories because, while there is humor and humanity throughout, they are so sad
This was such a wonderful re-read. Revisiting this book 17 years later this text resonates in a different way for me. There is much melancholy and sadness in this book, but it's so beautifully written. Sherman Alexie poetically paints stories of what reservation life is like for the Spokanes in the Pacific North West. Definitely looking forward to my next Sherman Alexie read, he can depress me, make me laugh, and really crave authentic Native American frybread and chilli. If you gotta recipe, hook a girl up.
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
I picked up this book again last weekend- it had been years since I'd read it. Since "Smoke Signals" is one of my favorite movies, it's not a big surprise that I enjoyed this book. At the risk of sounding a bit obtuse, however, I have to admit that I have a hard time understanding several of the stories. For example, I read " The Trial of Thomas Builds the Fire" several times and still felt that I was missing the underlying meaning of the story. Maybe I need to brush up on my history at bit before I tackle this one again.
My favorite moments:
From: All I Wanted to do was Dance"
"It happened that way. He thought one more beer could save the world. One more beer and every chair would be comfortable. One more beer and the light bulb in the bathroom would never burn out. One more beer and he would love her forever. One more beer and he would sign any treaty for her."
From: The First Annual All Indian Horseshoe Pitch and Barbeque"
"There is something beautiful about broken glass and the tiny visions it creates. For instance, the glass from that shattered beer bottle told me there was a twenty-dollar bill hidden in the center of an ant pile. I buried my arms elbow deep in the ants but all I found was a note that said Some people will believe in anything. And I laughed."
"How can we imagine a new alphabet when the old jumps off billboards down into our stomachs? Adrian, what did you say? I want to rasp into sober cryptology and say something dynamic but tonight is my laundry night. How do we imagine a new life when a pocketfull of quarters weighs our possibilities down?"
My favorite moments:
From: All I Wanted to do was Dance"
"It happened that way. He thought one more beer could save the world. One more beer and every chair would be comfortable. One more beer and the light bulb in the bathroom would never burn out. One more beer and he would love her forever. One more beer and he would sign any treaty for her."
From: The First Annual All Indian Horseshoe Pitch and Barbeque"
"There is something beautiful about broken glass and the tiny visions it creates. For instance, the glass from that shattered beer bottle told me there was a twenty-dollar bill hidden in the center of an ant pile. I buried my arms elbow deep in the ants but all I found was a note that said Some people will believe in anything. And I laughed."
"How can we imagine a new alphabet when the old jumps off billboards down into our stomachs? Adrian, what did you say? I want to rasp into sober cryptology and say something dynamic but tonight is my laundry night. How do we imagine a new life when a pocketfull of quarters weighs our possibilities down?"