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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
A heart aching read that flows brilliantly between spiritual folklore and devastatingly real life. This is the beautiful story of family struggling to exist alongside insurmountable grief, calling on the strength of the generations before them in order to keep going.
This book is breathtaking and powerful.
This book is breathtaking and powerful.
Reading this book was like being on one big acid trip. I just didn't get it. I hated Edgar's parts and didn't quite get what the heck was going on with Sonja until the very end. The only saving grace of this book, and the reason it's getting a 2-star rating from me and not one, was Maria. I wish the whole book centered on her point of view because she was the only one I connected with. This one just went right over my head. It was disjointed and confusing. Didn't like it at all.
Interesting book. There was a lot of imagery and symbolism unique to the Cherokee people. Having grown up in Oklahoma I found some of the references to be familiar. I especially liked the passages that covered the Trail of Tears and found those touching.
Picked up after reading a review of the multi narrator cast including Gary Farmer and Shaun Taylor-Corbett, this is a family tale steeped in Cherokee myth. It was heavy, enlightening, sad and flawed. I was more interested in some stories than others, and think this is a must on audio. I don’t think reading it would have kept my attention.
I loved the blending of Cherokee myth with the current times. I loved the different points of view.
This was the second BOTM I read in a row that I thought about DNF'ing about a third of the way through, but again, I am glad I stuck it out because I really ended up liking it! I now know to trust BOTM, so I won't consider DNF'ing one of their picks again lol. This novel follows the Echota family in the days leading up to the 15th anniversary of their son and brother's death. Teenager Ray Ray was killed by a police officer and 15 years later, the family is still dealing with his loss, all in their own ways. This was a haunting and emotional read that weaved in Cherokee mythology. I personally loved the chapters that focused on Cherokee ancestor, even if they didn't make complete sense when I read them at the time. Parts of it seemed really strange to me, but everything tied together and made sense at the end. I especially loved the POV of the mother as she dealt with her husbands Alzheimers, trying to bring her family together for the anniversary of Ray Ray's death, and fostering a 12 year old boy who reminds her a lot of Ray Ray. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and think its worth it to work through the slow beginning. I also think I would get a lot more out of it on a subsequent read, now having the context of what happens and how everything connects.
This is a troubling book, full of loss & pain & trauma. I feel unsettled here at the end, but that also seems right given the subject. The story is of the ongoing sorrow after the murder of a young Cherokee man & its lasting effects on his family.
This one was just not for me. I think I am too grounded in reality to really be able to appreciate the mysticism and spirituality that was woven in 80% of this story.
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on this book. It was a bit all over the place. Not bad, but not something I would recommend to anyone.