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mishacoleman's review against another edition
4.25
I went into this blind and came out with a new favorite. There were moments along the way where the storytelling took sharp turns and I felt a little lost, but not in a bad way. I am a child of the Great Plains and Erdrich writes about them evocatively. She approaches religion and gender identity from angles that were new to me, very carefully rendered and thought-provoking. This book will be on my mind for years to come.
wwwait_whatsup's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful writing and one of the most unique novels I've read but plot really drags towards the end.
lil_poundcake's review against another edition
5.0
Gorgeous, hilarious, deeply moving -- everything Louise Erdrich is known for.
s_cross_ob's review against another edition
3.0
Very difficult to describe this one. It is interesting how the story depicts the spirituality of a Catholic priest and juxtaposes it with the Ojibwe way of life. There were passages that were beautiful but I found it choppy reading at times. Somehow, I didn't feel very invested in the characters. I found the narrative around Nanapush's passing to be very amusing. Some redeeming factors but, all in all, I wasn't too sad when the book came to an end for me.
jessicalou_mn's review against another edition
5.0
This epic spans generations but centers around the life of the fascinating Father Damien. Every aspect of his story is compelling, as are the journeys into the lives of other characters on the reservation. Erdrich deftly balances depth and breadth to create a vast yet intricately detailed and rich web of personalities, relationships, and histories. The tension between Catholicism and traditional Ojibwe spirituality is explored poignantly without demonizing either side.
Erdrich writes with a powerful, vivid clarity and characterizes her subjects with such depth and truth that I cannot wait to read the rest of her novels. I enjoyed Love Medicine a few months ago and was thrilled to see many of the same characters in this novel.
In the end notes, she thanks Paybomibiness (Dennis Jones), who taught at the University of Minnesota while I was a student there and spoke to my American Indian philosophies class about Ojibwe spirituality. He was fascinating and funny.
Erdrich writes with a powerful, vivid clarity and characterizes her subjects with such depth and truth that I cannot wait to read the rest of her novels. I enjoyed Love Medicine a few months ago and was thrilled to see many of the same characters in this novel.
In the end notes, she thanks Paybomibiness (Dennis Jones), who taught at the University of Minnesota while I was a student there and spoke to my American Indian philosophies class about Ojibwe spirituality. He was fascinating and funny.
annaka_haynes's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite of Erdrich's books to date. The story is layered and engaging, and definitely worth multiple rereads.
moeeyc's review against another edition
4.0
I hope the folks who are kind enough to read my reviews do not mind that I don't summarize the plot - I am satisfied for the most part with what GR has to say and so many reviewers summarize it too - and I just don't have the time, so I just give you my reactions - thanks if you keep reading. This was a book club selection - I could not finish it in the time I allotted before the meeting. My bad, given that I am the leader of the club...but I was heartened when no one else had finished by the time of the meeting. That being said, I really did like this book, and the fact that her latest work earned a major book award just underscores the fact that I am just a regular reader, and not any sort of literary scholar. I enjoyed the spiritualism, and how it compared and contrasted with the Catholic faith, I found some aspects of the early part of the book to be just bizzarre - especially Agnes' bond to music, then replaced by sensuality - and then her journey to to the Ojibwe. It was in a sense mythological on its own. Part of my enjoyment I am sure was sourced from the fact that I adored mythology as teen, from anywhere on the planet, including Native American. I am pleased that it ended the way it did, with the focus of possible beatification shifting to the true hero/heroine.
oldaq_001's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. Possibly the best English story I have read in the magical realism genre.
At some points the story slows down, then when each individual thread you just read joins, it's rewarding that you kept going.
For me it was hard to keep track of all the names and family relationships, there is a handy family tree in the book.
At some points the story slows down, then when each individual thread you just read joins, it's rewarding that you kept going.
For me it was hard to keep track of all the names and family relationships, there is a handy family tree in the book.