Reviews

This is the worse book in the Love Medicine series, so far. It is really a companion novel to The Beet Queen, as much of the focus is on Dot. Erdrich does make some interesting choices: centering the novel on Jack Mouser, the male figure in June Morrisey’s death scene, and turning her attention to Sister Leopolda’s possible canonization, explored more in the next book, The Last Report on the Miracle at Little No Horse. The main failure of this novel, though, is that the characters aren’t as interesting as Lipsha, Lyman, Lulu, Nanapush, Eli, and others.

cseibs's review against another edition

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1.0

It pained me to read this book because I ordinarily love Erdrich. The story here never became a story - it felt as though Erdrich had about a half dozen ideas and could settle on one so she just threw them all in together. She tried to make Jack the unifying element, but he was such a nonentity that the story never coalesced. These women can profess to love Jack all they want, but I certainly never saw any reason why they would. The extended scene in the car put me over the edge. It brought me back to an Intro to Creative Writing course in college where the professor told us never to set a story in the car because you box you characters in and no action can happen. This is exactly what Erdrich did. The stories that were told were not in any way authentic and the action in the car became farcical instead of harrowing. Overall, this was a real disappointment.

norameid's review against another edition

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emotional 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

caleb_tankersley's review against another edition

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5.0

I love all of Erdrich's books. She's my favorite author alive. But damn if this one isn't especially well done. It's one of her longer reads but also one of her most satisfying. I'm surprised someone hasn't found a way to combine this with The Bingo Palace into a movie. If you're reading this, Louise, please give me the rights and I'll do it. In the meantime, I loved this book.

lindsayb's review against another edition

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3.0

It took me a few years to read this book. It is not the punch-in-the-stomach Erdrich read as most other of her books. There are moments of brilliance, but it takes a bit of patience to get to each in this one. Still, she's one of the few writers that give me pause while reading to admire how much she fiercely loves her characters. Even if this isn't my favorite, Erdrich still has the main line to my soul.

lovetoread62's review against another edition

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3.0

I didn't actually finish this book the first time because I lost interest at about page 250. The whiny, fighting ex-wives was enough for me! But my daughter convinced me to finish saying it all came together in the end. And it did. The writing was beautiful, but the plot sometimes drawn out. I am glad that I finished it though.

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