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judyward's review
4.0
This is a follow-up novel to Tracks. In Four Souls, Fleur Pillager leaves North Dakota and moves to Minneapolis after the theft of her ancestral tribal land. She plans on finding the land baron who now owns her land and kill him. However, Fleur finds out that revenge is more complex than she anticipated.
barnstormingbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Four Souls brings back some of Erdrich’s earlier characters from the Love Medicine series. This installment focuses on Fleur Pillager in her revenge plot against the man who stole her land. As with all the Love Medicine books, the plot and the outcome are not what anyone expected. Erdrich continues her amazing ability to create odd and complex community structures. This time adding in the sister-in-law of the man Fleur is trying to take revenge on and Nanapush as the narrators.
This is not my favorite Love Medicine book by far. While I found Nanapush a delightfully quirky character in other installments, living in his head for half the book was exhausting. He’s just too over the top and at times ridiculous. The choice to use Nanapush as a narrator stole the book, and not in a good way.
When we could ignore Nanapush and focus on the women, the story was solid, often funny and always surprising. If you are reading the Love Medicine series, this adds to the rest of the World of No Horse, but if you are looking for a standalone, there are better options.
theadorek9's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
earnestgirl's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
rollman's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a really interesting read, and it was kind of haunting that it was being read by a woman who died so tragically and inspired social change. I definitely want to read Ms. Erdrich again - her writing feels so different. My least favorite story in this one was about the older couple - I just don't have a lot of energy for men being jealous and dumb.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, Classism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Bullying
Minor: Death, Grief, and Excrement
rubyreadswidely's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
purplehulk713's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.0
So beautiful and refreshing, like jumping into a springtime lake. It also expressed so many understandings in a clear way that I was never exposed to as a white male raised in modern American society. Which is woefully sad. Erdrich’s prose, if formatted differently, could be considered poetry. But it is also not dense, and it resonated with me in a way that is hard for books or other cultures to do sometimes for me. It is not narrative-driven, so that means we understand the characters better even though the plot does come full circle. Ideas of change, nature, and identity (especially its development and in relation to the former two) is paramount to Fleur and her fellows’ journeys. A vulnerability is captured that I did not think possible, something that the novel emphasized should be emulated. What are you called?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, Grief, and Infertility
Minor: Sexual violence
kjboldon's review
5.0
A worthy companion to Tracks, and a continuation of Fleur Pillager's tale, told by those who love and fear her. Full of love, loss and humor, some of it bawdy--hurray for Nanapush and Margaret.
meromenesko's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25