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rexpostfacto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcoholism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Mental illness, Racism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, Pregnancy, Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
abloom's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicide
r_dolan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Death, Grief, Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide and Addiction
Minor: Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Rape
chambersaurusrx's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, and Suicide
lettuce_read's review
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Racism, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
libo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Moderate: Suicide
storiesofsophie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Racial slurs, Bullying, and Alcoholism
annemaries_shelves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There's so much to unpack in this novel about specific Dakota experiences (such as the Minnesota-Dakota war of 1862), intergenerational trauma, the importance of family and community, the reciprocal relationships with the land and water (and how modern day colonial farming practices are actively harming those relationships), and most importantly, the literal and metaphorical importance of seeds.
And while I'm sure it wasn't the goal of the author, I personally learned a lot about Dakota history and colonization in Minnesota, especially with respect to the role seeds have played in historical and contemporary Dakota culture.
While Rosalie was our main character and provided the majority of the perspective for the novel, we did spend some time (but not enough) with a few other women. I would have loved some additional chapters with Marie Blackbird or Gaby Makepeace. I felt they had a lot to offer the story and could have rounded it out even further. Some POVs from Rosalie's family (especially her mother or grandmother) would have also worked well.
My favourite part is probably the absolutely stunning nature writing that was woven throughout this novel. If you're a fan of Braiding Sweetgrass or other nature writing I think you'll love this aspect.
Overall, The Seed Keeper was a beautiful story with memorable characters with a strong message of strength, resilience, and hope. It was an absolutely pleasure to read and I made a lot of annotations of various passages and scenes that stuck with me.
It also didn't hurt that it was partially set in the deep Minnesotan winter and I could relate while reading with my current frigid snowy Canadian winter.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: War, Suicide, Sexual violence, Addiction, and Forced institutionalization
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I absolutely loved The Seed Keeper, a female-centred, multi-generational novel exposing the obstacles indigenous people (in this case Dakhóta but much will be more universal) have faced in trying to maintain their culture, specifically practices relating to the saving and usage of seeds. Many of these obstacles are well-known - wars with white colonisers, residential schools, harmful foster care systems and, sadly, so much more. But other factors, possibly less commonly thought of, have been equally as harmful and have had widespread negative environmental impacts as well. These factors include chemical fertilisers, genetically-modified seeds and the industrialisation and commercialisation of agriculture.
Things that especially resonated with me were the importance of the past and of ties to the land. I also appreciated seeing a nuanced depiction of a cross-cultural marriage and the tensions that can arise. I always love stories about strong women and this book certainly delivered. It’s beautifully written, multi-layered, sometimes heartbreaking, yet never without hope. It also folded in a lot of factual information and left me with plenty to think about. And it left me with a renewed appreciation for the miracle that is a seed.
Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Racism, and Suicide