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pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
Absolutely amazing; I didn't think I liked Erdrich - this was just fascinating. Can't wait to talk about this at the book group.
tschonfeld's review against another edition
4.0
I love this author. I always learn something important about life when I read her work.
mnboyer's review against another edition
5.0
Bring on the mother-daughter issues!
I have to first and foremost tell you that I wrote about this novel in my Master's Thesis and actually think that is probably the second best Erdrich book to date (outdone only by [b: The Round House|13602426|The Round House|Louise Erdrich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352999408s/13602426.jpg|19195697]). This story weaves the traditional past and the contemporary through a tribal drum that the protagonist, Faye Travers, brings back to the Ojibwe reservation.
There are clearly mother-daughter issues throughout this book. In fact, much of this novel is about mothering and motherhood and the ways in which mothers sometimes let their children down. In turn, the question is whether or not the children can every forgive their mother for her misdeeds.
Some of the flashbacks are phenomenal! Again, if you're going to read one of Erdrich's novels I really think this is one that you need to try. Erdrich is not for everyone, admittedly, but this is one of her best novels. You don't even have to read the others to follow this storyline.
I have to first and foremost tell you that I wrote about this novel in my Master's Thesis and actually think that is probably the second best Erdrich book to date (outdone only by [b: The Round House|13602426|The Round House|Louise Erdrich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352999408s/13602426.jpg|19195697]). This story weaves the traditional past and the contemporary through a tribal drum that the protagonist, Faye Travers, brings back to the Ojibwe reservation.
There are clearly mother-daughter issues throughout this book. In fact, much of this novel is about mothering and motherhood and the ways in which mothers sometimes let their children down. In turn, the question is whether or not the children can every forgive their mother for her misdeeds.
Some of the flashbacks are phenomenal! Again, if you're going to read one of Erdrich's novels I really think this is one that you need to try. Erdrich is not for everyone, admittedly, but this is one of her best novels. You don't even have to read the others to follow this storyline.
lrcartee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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
4.0
lindageorge's review against another edition
4.0
I guess this is one of those rare books that you want to give up on but then you don't...and you are glad you didn't. This book is rich in many ways. If you enjoy the story-telling of Native Americans, like to read about the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, and have ever felt the pangs of love and death, this book may be for you.
laratboulos's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dllh's review against another edition
3.0
This one was a bit start and stop for me especially early on and didn't leave me with the sort of awe I have after reading some of Erdrich's books, but it does contain some of her characteristic lyricism, complex if sometimes puzzling relationships, sense of family and community, and lovely glimpses of some of the culture of the Native Americans she writes about (also the awful legacy of immigrant Europeans).
leab11482's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
michaelacabus's review against another edition
5.0
On the national news, many people "speak out", even surrounding obscure stories that seem to want to be shocking.
"Speaking out" is a modern form of storytelling, perhaps a reflection of the love of a personal confessional. However, storytelling can be this sacred, powerful act, something even bigger than the personal...a story can (and should) be communal, the sharing of which facilitates change, or healing, or social functions that it is impossible to get from elsewhere.
Erdrich understands this deeper meaning of storytelling, and one reads her with a sense of having some shared experience. Much of the novel centers around the concept of rescue, of reclaiming things that are lost, and even inventing placeholders to make up for loss. What is healing about this is the notion that living with myth can be a bridge space; our scientific minds may miss the benefit of myth psychologically and socially, and may become ignorant to how we all create personal myths, stories that border on truth and falsehood, without even noticing. These movements can heal us more than acts of putting things back together as they once were, help us make a transition into finding new meaning.
This is lost on some of the characters in the novel; who seem to collect physical objects (and stories, and memories), and forget of their existence, piling them all together (that the drum is rescued from such a collectors trove of Native American artifacts, without individual meaning, means that when its gone the owner hardly notices, and is an apt metaphor for how we can lose the most important things without recognizing it).
Erdrich conveys these ideas within a story that also has humor; with complex characters you grow attached to. It's a perfect novel to the very end, one you are sad to part with.
A+
"Speaking out" is a modern form of storytelling, perhaps a reflection of the love of a personal confessional. However, storytelling can be this sacred, powerful act, something even bigger than the personal...a story can (and should) be communal, the sharing of which facilitates change, or healing, or social functions that it is impossible to get from elsewhere.
Erdrich understands this deeper meaning of storytelling, and one reads her with a sense of having some shared experience. Much of the novel centers around the concept of rescue, of reclaiming things that are lost, and even inventing placeholders to make up for loss. What is healing about this is the notion that living with myth can be a bridge space; our scientific minds may miss the benefit of myth psychologically and socially, and may become ignorant to how we all create personal myths, stories that border on truth and falsehood, without even noticing. These movements can heal us more than acts of putting things back together as they once were, help us make a transition into finding new meaning.
This is lost on some of the characters in the novel; who seem to collect physical objects (and stories, and memories), and forget of their existence, piling them all together (that the drum is rescued from such a collectors trove of Native American artifacts, without individual meaning, means that when its gone the owner hardly notices, and is an apt metaphor for how we can lose the most important things without recognizing it).
Erdrich conveys these ideas within a story that also has humor; with complex characters you grow attached to. It's a perfect novel to the very end, one you are sad to part with.
A+
annakim's review against another edition
3.0
I've never read anything by Erdrich before this, but I enjoyed it, though I couldn't help but wonder if there was easier introduction. There were times when I got a bit confused with the sequence of the story, but it was easy enough to get back on track.