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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
dark
reflective
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:
No
This book was gripping, but didn't leave me with much in terms of political analysis or action-oriented thought.
This novel fits right into the wheelhouse of stories that I like - our recognizable universe, but with an interesting (and not necessarily explained twist). In this case, it's the mysterious way that evolution begins to run backwards. I'm okay that the "why" of this not explained in the course of the plot, but I would have liked more description of the "how" as this is only alluded to in a few places.
I found the narrator an interesting one, yet would have liked more development of one of the not insignificant aspects of her character - she's a convert to Roman Catholicism. While this is evidenced in her reverence for saints, particularly the Native American Kateri Tekawitha, I would have liked to see more connections made. At the heart of my practice of the Catholic faith is a reverence for how God is present in the physicality of creation. There is speculation by the narrator that perhaps the God behind the drive of evolution has withdrawn from creation and this why everything is devolving. This is an interesting thought and I would have liked more of this religious/scientific/cosmological speculation woven throughout the plot.
I found the narrator an interesting one, yet would have liked more development of one of the not insignificant aspects of her character - she's a convert to Roman Catholicism. While this is evidenced in her reverence for saints, particularly the Native American Kateri Tekawitha, I would have liked to see more connections made. At the heart of my practice of the Catholic faith is a reverence for how God is present in the physicality of creation. There is speculation by the narrator that perhaps the God behind the drive of evolution has withdrawn from creation and this why everything is devolving. This is an interesting thought and I would have liked more of this religious/scientific/cosmological speculation woven throughout the plot.
I wanted to like it more than I did, and there were elements I liked but in the end I felt unsatisfied and bummed out
Future Home of the Living God is deeply intimate, philosophical, haunting, meditative, beautiful and grim all at the same time. The book takes place in an eerie present-future where evolution is devolving and theology takes the place of a secular government. While I didn't speed through this novel, I often found myself dwelling on it when I wasn't reading it.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual violence
Note: After a discussion with friends who are both authors and avid readers, I have decided to stop putting stars on my reviews. That star rating thing is just too fraught and open to gaming and manipulation and wildly varying interpretations.
Review:
I have read several Louise Erdrich books, and I always enjoy her writing. Her characters resonate, and her descriptions put me in the scene. As usual, the writing here is compelling.
Cedar is a Minnesota woman in her mid-twenties, unexpectedly pregnant at a time when the world has started to devolve (maybe) or evolve in a new way (maybe.) Animals and plants are changing rapidly. Chickens look more like lizards. Broccoli is growing in the form of its bushier ancestor plants. And humans...well, there's a reason the new faction that has seized power is rounding up and monitoring all pregnant women.
A good chunk of this story takes place on Ojibwe land and through the lens of Ojibwe traditions -- very common and appreciated in Erdrich's stories.
I was completely taken by this tale for the first 85 to 90% of the book, and then it kind of petered out with some unresolved story lines. I'm not a stickler for tidy endings. I like things left a little messy, but this a little too un-ended for me. I'd still say it's worth reading because there are some downright beautiful passages, the main character is multi-layered and sympathetic, and it's thought provoking.
Review:
I have read several Louise Erdrich books, and I always enjoy her writing. Her characters resonate, and her descriptions put me in the scene. As usual, the writing here is compelling.
Cedar is a Minnesota woman in her mid-twenties, unexpectedly pregnant at a time when the world has started to devolve (maybe) or evolve in a new way (maybe.) Animals and plants are changing rapidly. Chickens look more like lizards. Broccoli is growing in the form of its bushier ancestor plants. And humans...well, there's a reason the new faction that has seized power is rounding up and monitoring all pregnant women.
A good chunk of this story takes place on Ojibwe land and through the lens of Ojibwe traditions -- very common and appreciated in Erdrich's stories.
I was completely taken by this tale for the first 85 to 90% of the book, and then it kind of petered out with some unresolved story lines. I'm not a stickler for tidy endings. I like things left a little messy, but this a little too un-ended for me. I'd still say it's worth reading because there are some downright beautiful passages, the main character is multi-layered and sympathetic, and it's thought provoking.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No