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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Good mystery and a clear-eyed approach to Native-federal difficulties.
I’ve had others share insights on what life on the reservation is like in the desert and it matches a lot of what is portrayed for the Lakota tribe. I enjoyed learning about the ceremony and customs of the tribe as I tried to figure out how the suspense would play out.
A Native American vigilante living on a reservation takes justice into his own hands when heroin affects his family. This fast paced thriller has an intriguing mystery and shares fascinating information about life on reservations. Truly a great read for anyone who wants their main characters to be complex. Most of the characters were complex and had interesting stories. I would highly suggest this to anyone who enjoys thrillers, mysteries, Native American characters, cheaters you are messy, and/or action.
Great characters, great thrills, and a lot of information. I learned more about life on a reservation than I knew before, particularly with respect to justice and its administration or lack thereof. I really hope this is the first in a series.
This is a story of a man living on a reservation who, because the feds rarely prosecute crimes on reservations, acts as an enforcer. Basically, he beats the shit out of people who do things like molest children, beat women, etc. But since his sister's death, he's also been taking care of his nephew, who gets mixed up in some unfortunate things. This is basically a hardboiled detective novel on a reservation. It was entertaining and, as I always find books about reservation life (fiction or nonfiction), enlightening. (The feds don't bother to prosecute a lot of crimes on reservations... sigh.) Overall, it's a good read.
Lakota Country Noir
Review of the HarperAudio audiobook edition, released simultaneously with the Ecco hardcover (August 2020)
Winter Counts is the first novel from David Weiden of the Sicangu Lakota, and it takes place in a fictionalized version of the Sicangu Rosebud Reservation located in South Dakota. The title comes the Lakota calendar system of winter counts where the dramatic events of each year are represented pictorially.
Although the overall story is fictionalized, author Weiden does stress in his Afterword that the issues of the lack of Federal enforcement for sexual assaults and abuse and the consequent need for tribal enforcers to mete out some level of punishment is a real one. So the vigilante profession of the protagonist Virgil Wounded Horse is drawn from a real life basis.
Weiden does an excellent job of making our enforcer Virgil Wounded Horse out as a sympathetic character which one would not initially expect. He is the uncle & caregiver of his orphaned nephew Nathan who has substance abuse issues which become progressively worse with legal complications as the story unfolds, to the point where Virgil sets out to shut down the opioid drug trade in Rosebud which originates from gangs in Denver. There are several characters involved and some of them prove to be too good to be true as betrayals and twist discoveries appear.
There is also a considerable amount of Lakota history and ritual which is covered in the occasional digression that Weiden has carefully spread throughout, so the book also has the benefit of providing a good dose of non-fiction information. This includes information on the Six Grandfathers (now known as Mt. Rushmore) and a fun side-trip to Carhenge in Nebraska.
The narration by Darrell Dennis in all voices in the audiobook edition was excellent. I hope that I'll see the return of Virgil Wounded Horse in further stories.
I listened to Winter Counts thanks to the Audible Daily Deal on February 8, 2021.
Review of the HarperAudio audiobook edition, released simultaneously with the Ecco hardcover (August 2020)
Winter Counts is the first novel from David Weiden of the Sicangu Lakota, and it takes place in a fictionalized version of the Sicangu Rosebud Reservation located in South Dakota. The title comes the Lakota calendar system of winter counts where the dramatic events of each year are represented pictorially.
Although the overall story is fictionalized, author Weiden does stress in his Afterword that the issues of the lack of Federal enforcement for sexual assaults and abuse and the consequent need for tribal enforcers to mete out some level of punishment is a real one. So the vigilante profession of the protagonist Virgil Wounded Horse is drawn from a real life basis.
Weiden does an excellent job of making our enforcer Virgil Wounded Horse out as a sympathetic character which one would not initially expect. He is the uncle & caregiver of his orphaned nephew Nathan who has substance abuse issues which become progressively worse with legal complications as the story unfolds, to the point where Virgil sets out to shut down the opioid drug trade in Rosebud which originates from gangs in Denver. There are several characters involved and some of them prove to be too good to be true as betrayals and twist discoveries appear.
There is also a considerable amount of Lakota history and ritual which is covered in the occasional digression that Weiden has carefully spread throughout, so the book also has the benefit of providing a good dose of non-fiction information. This includes information on the Six Grandfathers (now known as Mt. Rushmore) and a fun side-trip to Carhenge in Nebraska.
The narration by Darrell Dennis in all voices in the audiobook edition was excellent. I hope that I'll see the return of Virgil Wounded Horse in further stories.
I listened to Winter Counts thanks to the Audible Daily Deal on February 8, 2021.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
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
Solid entertaining read while also educating the reader. South Dakota proud