Reviews

The Beet Queen: A Novel by Louise Erdrich

shanat's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny fast-paced
  • 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

katiegilley's review against another edition

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4.0

This book is full of the most interesting characters! I loved catching peeks of some of my friends from other books in the Love Medicine series and getting to know a few more. This gives us the backstory of Dot Adare - the woman who married Gerry Nanapush in Love Medicine. Dot's family history is fascinating and I loved every minute of reading about it.

I gave it 4 stars because I felt like there were a lot of unresolved threads at the end of this book, but I'm pretty sure they'll be tied together as the series go on. I reserve the right to change my rating in the future!

laurap_'s review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.5

fkshg8465's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Such a weird story. To me, it comes down to a fork in the road and a lot of questions stations with, “What if it never forked?”

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chelregel's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-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

3.75

orangepeaches's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It's a great narrative following a family in a creative and interesting way 

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minty's review against another edition

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1.0

I am simply NOT into this book at all. I suddenly was struck with the urge to check out a new book from the library in anticipation of this one ending, checked how much time I had left on this, saw it was 5 HOURS (I was 53% done) and said "life is too short." Like all Erdrich's books, it's beautifully written, but here it's about people I do not care about. 

amathison's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The ending is unsatisfying. What happens with Jude? Other things are left unsettled 

sungmemoonstruck's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

A meditation on jealousy, obsession, and love, a portrait of a town's transformation, and a look at the complexities of inter-generational relationships and the scars family can leave. I especially enjoyed the vivid depiction of North Dakota small-town life and the changes wrought by industrial agriculture--there's a specificity to every single detail that makes the book feel so grounded and present, even though it's set in the past. This doesn't feel as tremendous or captivating as some of Erdrich's other works, especially after rereading Love Medicine earlier this year but the quality and clarity of her writing and the complexity of her characters is remarkable as always. 

catforister's review against another edition

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2.0

biggest red herring of a title ever. there was nowhere in this book where i knew where it was going. it was distinctly irritating.