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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
It took me forever to really get into this story. I found the first half slow and a bit disjointed, but once I got into the second half it started to come together and I really enjoyed it
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think I found a new favorite Indigenous character. This book is hilarious as much as it is heart warming/breaking. I can see all these stories reflected in my own community - the nicknames, the people, the banter, the heartache, and the border town shittiness.
Gansworth has officially become an auto-buy, gotta-have, hot-off-the-shelf author. His cleverness and deep roots are all over these pages. I want more. Give me more please!
Gansworth has officially become an auto-buy, gotta-have, hot-off-the-shelf author. His cleverness and deep roots are all over these pages. I want more. Give me more please!
I wasn't really sure what this book was when I requested it from Netgalley, but was excited to get a copy and knew I wanted to read it during Native American Heritage Month, as I recognized the author's name as a notable YA indigenous author I'd had several books from on my middle school library's shelves. While this one is most certainly not for middle schoolers, I'm not quite sure who it is for, despite it being marketed as YA. However, I truly hope it finds its audience, as My Good Man is some gorgeous storytelling.
Brian is a young reporter at the local newspaper, where his main beat is covering small crimes from the nearby Tuscarora reservation where he grew up and where everyone he knows still lives. When he sees a familiar name come across the crime ticker, that of his mother's former boyfriend's brother Tim (a relationship definition that really buries the lead in terms of how he and Brian really know each other), he dreads returning to cover this story, but knows he must. Gansworth then takes us back to Brian's childhood and leads us fully through his teenage years before bringing us back to the present, and what the reader gets is an in-depth character study of Brian and those around him.
This book is long (or felt long on my kindle anyway), but that length helped to fully embed Brian into my thoughts and heart. The unique perspective Gansworth gives us, of a native teen seeing and processing the reservation and its people through white Tim's view, was compelling in a way I wasn't expecting. Brian doesn't necessarily explain everything about the Haudenosaunee language that is used or cultural habits and traditions the practice, but he does sometimes analyze what those things might be like for a white person living among them. Brian, while not flawless, is easy to love, and his self-reflection is admirable for someone his age. I'm not really sure what this story was about (the mysterious premise is not really in fact a mystery), but I think I loved it. Gansworth's writing is thoughtful, beautiful, and raw, and I think it would be a great selection for a book club or a class lit circle or something where it could be discussed. If you end of picking it up, I'd love to hear what you think!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Levine Querido for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
Brian is a young reporter at the local newspaper, where his main beat is covering small crimes from the nearby Tuscarora reservation where he grew up and where everyone he knows still lives. When he sees a familiar name come across the crime ticker, that of his mother's former boyfriend's brother Tim (a relationship definition that really buries the lead in terms of how he and Brian really know each other), he dreads returning to cover this story, but knows he must. Gansworth then takes us back to Brian's childhood and leads us fully through his teenage years before bringing us back to the present, and what the reader gets is an in-depth character study of Brian and those around him.
This book is long (or felt long on my kindle anyway), but that length helped to fully embed Brian into my thoughts and heart. The unique perspective Gansworth gives us, of a native teen seeing and processing the reservation and its people through white Tim's view, was compelling in a way I wasn't expecting. Brian doesn't necessarily explain everything about the Haudenosaunee language that is used or cultural habits and traditions the practice, but he does sometimes analyze what those things might be like for a white person living among them. Brian, while not flawless, is easy to love, and his self-reflection is admirable for someone his age. I'm not really sure what this story was about (the mysterious premise is not really in fact a mystery), but I think I loved it. Gansworth's writing is thoughtful, beautiful, and raw, and I think it would be a great selection for a book club or a class lit circle or something where it could be discussed. If you end of picking it up, I'd love to hear what you think!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Levine Querido for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated
The threads of continuity that run through Eric Gansworth’s other works also connect this novel. Each work stands on its own as its own piece, but they share a setting of the same interconnected community. That shows. This is the third novel I’ve read by this author; the main characters of his other novels are background characters in this one, as Brian is a background character in the others. While each novel can stand on its own, they also build on each other to paint a deeper picture of life and community on the Tuscarora reservation near Niagara Falls in the late 20th century. It’s a specific, fascinating niche - we are lucky to get the glimpses of this community that Gansworth gives us. This novel is deeper and more introspective, feels less YA and the musical framing takes a backseat to the characters and storytelling. I hope to read a lot more from this author.
I feel like this book must have some literary merit, but I really struggled to get through it. It was so slow for so long and for a long time it felt like there was no direction for the plot or the main character. The main character's loner lifestyle was hard for me to identify with in any way, which made it hard to empathize or feel sympathy for his plight in any way. His relationship with Tim was clearly the focus of the story - but it just came around in such a strange way that it took me a long time to get on board.
I truly struggled - yet I could tell that it has good theme, character development, and connections within the text. It just felt like a slog to get through.
I truly struggled - yet I could tell that it has good theme, character development, and connections within the text. It just felt like a slog to get through.
I loved this book and I do not agree with the other commenters saying that it was too long. I enjoyed the in depth nature of the story and the long sections of detailing different relationships. I would say it is definitely not for a YA audience. I would say it's an adult book.
Sometimes I did not understand what was going on in the mystery plotline, and there were definitely a lot of characters to keep track of. But I was invested the whole time, the plot kept moving, and I enjoyed reading it.
Sometimes I did not understand what was going on in the mystery plotline, and there were definitely a lot of characters to keep track of. But I was invested the whole time, the plot kept moving, and I enjoyed reading it.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated