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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While this book was well written, these characters just didn’t land for me. I think the most interesting dynamic was Crystal and Martin, but that was in the background behind Gary and Kismet who had me cringing the whole time. I try to have empathy for Kismet to say sometimes we do dumb things when we’re teens, but like, if a dude was trying to marry me and I didn’t want to I wouldn’t pretend? I’d tell my mom to help me? Not lie to her? Anyway, I did like that this book taught me something about farming.
3.5*
PLOT ELEMENTS OF The Mighty Red
*Teen love triangle with mother of one teen apparently unhealthily invested in seeing her son marry immediately. Object of his affections ambivalent on the subject.
*Mysterious snowmobile tragedy last winter. More going on than the townspeople know, much more than the reader knows
*2008 financial collapse shitting on everyone. Also, local man absconds with church renovation funds and illegally mortgages his partner's home. Partner and daughter under suspicion, pariahs in town.
*Local sugar beet agri-biz is not real or healthy farming. Disagreements about agricultural practices. Post-apocalyptic imagery.
*A rash of bank robberies in the region carried out by an apparent master of disguise.
I really disliked that so much of the book was told from the points of view of teenagers. Their thoughts and actions did seem to improve/mature somewhat after the first, say, third of the book but the weird, swoony adolescent love and insanely stupid decisions of early chapters left a bad taste in my mouth.
Apart from the YA aspect, Erdrich tells a story about farming and economic ruin and the potential to rebound from a destructive path. This part of the book is perhaps too understated.
Worth a read.
PLOT ELEMENTS OF The Mighty Red
*Teen love triangle with mother of one teen apparently unhealthily invested in seeing her son marry immediately. Object of his affections ambivalent on the subject.
*Mysterious snowmobile tragedy last winter. More going on than the townspeople know, much more than the reader knows
*2008 financial collapse shitting on everyone. Also, local man absconds with church renovation funds and illegally mortgages his partner's home. Partner and daughter under suspicion, pariahs in town.
*Local sugar beet agri-biz is not real or healthy farming. Disagreements about agricultural practices. Post-apocalyptic imagery.
*A rash of bank robberies in the region carried out by an apparent master of disguise.
I really disliked that so much of the book was told from the points of view of teenagers. Their thoughts and actions did seem to improve/mature somewhat after the first, say, third of the book but the weird, swoony adolescent love and insanely stupid decisions of early chapters left a bad taste in my mouth.
Apart from the YA aspect, Erdrich tells a story about farming and economic ruin and the potential to rebound from a destructive path. This part of the book is perhaps too understated.
Worth a read.
Loved loved loved this book. The intrigue was set up and continued nicely. Felt connected to the characters.
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a sizable fan of Louise Erdrich, it was to my great surprise that I found myself surprisingly disconnected with The Mighty Red. I enjoyed Erdrich’s distinct prose as usual, but I managed to get through the entire book without the cast of characters and the plot being able to pull me in like past works of hers that I read were successfully able to. I’d still rank it a solid read overall, but overall, definitely does not join the ranks of my favorite Erdrich novels.
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-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
I found this book to be a satisfying read, with layers to the plot and characters that unfolded across the book. I particularly appreciated the epilogues demonstrating the passage of time.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Gorgeous and painful. Rich characterization and themes- namely its criticism on harmful practices used to tear resources from the earth.
“She gasped suddenly- for pain shot through her at the widening arc of her knowing. She had seen a lot by now. The deadened dirt, the perfect row crops without bugs or weeds. She had talked to Diz about how this perfection was accomplished. She could see it now. Practically everything she and the Geists did, and even her mother’s job was destroying what she had just witnessed- the joinery of creation.”
I will not get over this.
“She gasped suddenly- for pain shot through her at the widening arc of her knowing. She had seen a lot by now. The deadened dirt, the perfect row crops without bugs or weeds. She had talked to Diz about how this perfection was accomplished. She could see it now. Practically everything she and the Geists did, and even her mother’s job was destroying what she had just witnessed- the joinery of creation.”
I will not get over this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Infidelity