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38th out of 405 books
—
247 voters
Four Souls
This small but incredibly rich chapter in Erdrich's ongoing Native American saga is a continuation of the story of the enigmatic Fleur Pillager, begun in Tracks (1988).
Four Souls begins with Fleur Pillager's journey from North Dakota to Minneapolis, where she plans to avenge the loss of her family's land to a white man. After a dream vision that gives her a powerful new na...more
Four Souls begins with Fleur Pillager's journey from North Dakota to Minneapolis, where she plans to avenge the loss of her family's land to a white man. After a dream vision that gives her a powerful new na...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
July 5th 2005
by Harper Perennial
(first published 2004)
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First of this review is basically a review of everything Louise Erdrich has written. This book is amazing and its spiral, we'll-get-there-when-we-get-there method of storytelling is storytelling at its best.
Let me just end this review with a booklover's highest praise- after reading this book i went to the library and checked out everything by this auther and have now read half of her books. So far none of them have disappointed. They don't have to be read in order, but if I did it over I would...more
Let me just end this review with a booklover's highest praise- after reading this book i went to the library and checked out everything by this auther and have now read half of her books. So far none of them have disappointed. They don't have to be read in order, but if I did it over I would...more
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It started as a native American women from a reservation in Minnesota traveled to the city to seek revenge upon a timber baron who stole and ruined her land. She wormed her way into the household and eventually became the man's wife. Four Souls' story is told through two viewpoints: the eyes of a tribal elder through the eyes of his culture and the sister of the white woman who was previously married to the timber baron.
However, the middle of the bo...more
However, the middle of the bo...more
1 like · like · see review
I've actually read this book twice-- for two separate classes (same professor, different semesters).
I love this book. There's a great balance of humor and seriousness. It's really different from any other book I've ever read either, so that's pretty cool too.
You've got this mysterious woman, Fleur; her friend Nanapush (who is hilarious-- he's my favorite character); Nanapush's wife, Margaret; Polly Elizabeth Gheen (one of Fleur's in-laws). There's strange marriages and children, odd in-law relat...more
I love this book. There's a great balance of humor and seriousness. It's really different from any other book I've ever read either, so that's pretty cool too.
You've got this mysterious woman, Fleur; her friend Nanapush (who is hilarious-- he's my favorite character); Nanapush's wife, Margaret; Polly Elizabeth Gheen (one of Fleur's in-laws). There's strange marriages and children, odd in-law relat...more
Jul 10, 2011
Snickerdoodle
added it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I really liked this book. But even more, really liked reading this book. It got me out of a reading rut and I devoured it in a couple days. There is not a lot of variety among the authors that I read. They are overwhelmingly white and mostly American or British and they more or less write about the world they know(to my credit I think I read an equal balance of men and women, though I'd have to check the hard facts of my goodreads account). Anyway, Louise Erdrich writes about the people she know...more
Jan 02, 2013
Lexy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2013,
senior-citizens-book-club
My first Erdrich read but not my last. I see from previous reviews this follows "Tracks", so it is going to be my next Erdrich read.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
Fleur Pillager sets out to avenge the theft of her land. She takes her mother’s name, Four Souls. She becomes the laundress in the family home of the land baron who robbed her family. She cures the ailing mogul, because she wants him healthy and strong minded when she kills him. In her close contact with Mauer, she seduces and is seduced by him.
The most fascinating aspect of this narrative is the fact that Four Souls does not tell her own story. Nanapush, an elder tribesman and Polly, the gentee...more
The most fascinating aspect of this narrative is the fact that Four Souls does not tell her own story. Nanapush, an elder tribesman and Polly, the gentee...more
Erdrich has been universally hailed as one of the most talented writers of her generation, one who has captured the social, cultural, spiritual, and magical nature of the Ojibwe people and the rural landscape of North Dakota. Most critics agree that in the tragicomic Four Souls, narrated by three people, Erdrich is in top form, her magical realism and lyrical storytelling as vibrant and powerful as they were in the first books in this series, Love Medicine and Tracks. Only The New York Times tak
...more
Louise Erdrich’s style of, “stories that branch off and loop back and continue in a narrative made to imitate the flowers on a vine,” challenge and delight me. Four Souls is the most straightforward narrative I have read to date. Fleur Pillager, who I met in Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse, walks the train tracks to Minneapolis to seek revenge on the lumber baron who, “had taken the land from so many, it was impossible to remember just who they were.” Her adopted father, Nanapush,...more
Kind of hard to read. Different people describe their perspective of events and it is kind of dry.
That was my first impression. This book needs to be digested slowly. Now that I finished, I want to re-read it so I understand more about the characters in the beginning. There is a strong Native American culture revealed in the book that I've sort of read about in other books, but this one illustrates their emotional culture excellently. I do not understand some parts of the plot, but it makes me t...more
That was my first impression. This book needs to be digested slowly. Now that I finished, I want to re-read it so I understand more about the characters in the beginning. There is a strong Native American culture revealed in the book that I've sort of read about in other books, but this one illustrates their emotional culture excellently. I do not understand some parts of the plot, but it makes me t...more
I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse" by the same author, as my review of that novel demonstrates. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I was unaware that I was missing anything. Until it was pointed out by the existence of this, her next novel. It follows the story of Fleur Pillager and what happened to her when she left the reservation for the city, seeking out the man who stole her land. She may have set out intent on revenge, but what happens is per...more
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Four Souls fills in the details of a number of stories that exist in the background of The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse - I'm not sure (unlike No Horse) that it stands alone. It's shorter, less intricate, and therefore less compelling, but there's still an enormous amount to like. Not least among the things I loved was Erdrich's reflection on the big houses in Minneapolis, their legacy as holding the spirits of trees and land from the northern reservations. It's a stinging rebu...more
There's nothing wrong with this book, in a technical sense, but I didn't like the writing style, or the story, or the semi-philosophical bits. I thought the writing style was too straightforward for most of it - it was told through various characters' eyes and the writing made them sound really stupid. Towards the ends of a lot of chapters, or segments, there were then philosophical-religious observations, like "the earth teaches us...", which I basically thought didn't really fit with the style...more
Nov 11, 2011
Rita_book
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of modern fiction
Recommended to Rita_book by:
self
Shelves:
library-book
Really liked it, especially towards the end. Erdrich uses dark humor and imagery to tell the story of Fleur Pillager, the strong-willed Anishinabe woman who goes to the "big city" to track down and destroy the man who stole her land.
Reading this book inspired me to get the book A Reader's Guide to the Novels of Louise Erdrich which, among other helpful things, features family trees of all of the different characters in all of her books. Since they are all inter-related and she tells different p...more
Reading this book inspired me to get the book A Reader's Guide to the Novels of Louise Erdrich which, among other helpful things, features family trees of all of the different characters in all of her books. Since they are all inter-related and she tells different p...more
I love Erdrich's writing, but I must admit that sometimes I don't feel smart enough to grasp everything in her books. Part of it is the world view of American Indians spirit-based view juxtaposed with my western European science-based education. I just can't wrap my mind around some of the differences. Wish I could, but, it takes a lot of time and effort... and lots more reading. I keep trying.
This book was so beautifully written; I felt that each paragraph was full of so much deep thinking that...more
This book was so beautifully written; I felt that each paragraph was full of so much deep thinking that...more
I have acquired a taste for Louise Erdrich's writing. She is a master of "show, don't tell." She delves deeply into the lives of characters I met in The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse. She is such an amazing story teller. I hope to retell one of the stories to my World Lit classes as an example of cultural story telling. She has so much to say about the strength of the American Indian spirit, and she does it with a sense of humor. I look forward to reading The Roundhouse. I heard...more
THIS is Louise Erdrich at her best! This book follows the bestselling TRACKS,which I have not read but plan to do so in the near future.
It begins with Fleur Pillager, on the road, literally. Fleur, a young Ojibwe woman is walking from her native North Dakota to Minneapolis, MN., to find, and kill, the man who stole her family's ancestral land. It is a story of revenge, and a reminder that it is a dish not served cold.
The story has three narrators (not one of which is Fleur)which can be a bit con...more
It begins with Fleur Pillager, on the road, literally. Fleur, a young Ojibwe woman is walking from her native North Dakota to Minneapolis, MN., to find, and kill, the man who stole her family's ancestral land. It is a story of revenge, and a reminder that it is a dish not served cold.
The story has three narrators (not one of which is Fleur)which can be a bit con...more
2 likes · like · see review
I struggled with this book, particularly at the beginning, through at least 50 pages before the story and the characters began to be interesting me. I didn't mind that there were four characters narrating the story, per se, I just found the language of a few awkward, choppy. Later in the book the language became more lyrical, the story somewhat clearer, the motivations more comprehensible. I can't say that I'll be inclined to read a book by this author again. I finally decided on three stars rat...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is a follow up to a previous novel, Tracks, which I didn't necessarily think warranted a sequel but there you go. I read it anyway. It was pretty good.
I guess what makes it work is the fact that the plot line is pretty unexpected given the events of the first novel. The heroine, Fleur Pillager, is a complete badass in Tracks, and arguably, she still is in Four Souls. However, she winds up marrying some wealthy businessman, which if you've read Tracks, will seem impossible. The "twist," whic...more
I guess what makes it work is the fact that the plot line is pretty unexpected given the events of the first novel. The heroine, Fleur Pillager, is a complete badass in Tracks, and arguably, she still is in Four Souls. However, she winds up marrying some wealthy businessman, which if you've read Tracks, will seem impossible. The "twist," whic...more
The novel centers around Fluer "Four Souls", a Native American woman bent on revenge against the man who stole her families' land in North Dakota. After finding the wealthy man in Minnesota, she ends up marrying him and bearing an autistic child. In a parallel story, an elder and his common-law wife, who still live on the reservation, struggle with their relationship problems. I found the writing style difficult to read at first, but the plot and messages the book offer are very good.
Louise Erdrich always satisfies. This story of a strong Ojibwe woman, Four Souls, who sets out to revenge herself upon the man who stole her forested land; and Nanapush, her adopted father and a lovable fool,who has his own troubles living amicably, let alone lovingly, with his wife. Full of humor and compassion, the stories unfold to deepen our understanding of humans and their shortcomings and to strengthen our compassion and love for them. I highly recommend Erdrich and this novel.
Feb 03, 2013
Holly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Holly by:
book club member
Shelves:
favorite-fiction,
fiction
Nanapush, our narrator for a good portion of ''Four Souls'', tells us that names have power. That power will not help Fleur Pillager when she takes her mother's name to give her the strength for vengeance. ''Such a name was Four Souls...Once she took it, the name owned her.'' This revenge-gone-wrong story fills the reader with pity for its protagonists, for their passions and foolishness. As "Tracks" did for ''Four Souls'', this book sets the stage for the beauty and spirituality of Last Report...more
Basically Tracks: The Sequel. Literally picking up where Tracks leaves off... this addition to the tale of Fleur Pillager is less fantastical than its predecessor but just as moving and maybe even the most accessible (thus far in my reading) of Ms. Erdrich's works. Good stuff. Nanapush, though unreliable as a narrator is an entertaining guide and Miss Polly Elizabeth Gheen was hilarious yet touching, and a welcome breath of fresh air as the alternate narrator of this tale.
I may have read this before, because I remember the story about the meat locker in Argus. OTOH, there are parts I know I read in LAST REPORT OF THE MIRACLES AT LITTLE NO HORSE (about my favorite book ever) that also appear here.
Many of the same characters as LAST REPORT -- and chapters are told from several points of view including Nanapush, Margaret, Pauline (later Sister Leopolda and subject of the REPORT and the housekeeper of Mauser, the white man who stole Fleur's land. She travels to St. P...more
Many of the same characters as LAST REPORT -- and chapters are told from several points of view including Nanapush, Margaret, Pauline (later Sister Leopolda and subject of the REPORT and the housekeeper of Mauser, the white man who stole Fleur's land. She travels to St. P...more
Absolutely loved this novel which tracks all sorts of people, mainly Fleur Pillager, as she heads hard from her Ojibwe home to St.Paul and Minneapolis in order to "retrieve" land stolen from her ancestors.
Amazing story.
I loved the chapters told by Margaret and Nanapush, lovers and spouses, allies and enemies.
The dress is the key.
And Miss Gheen...what a piece of work she is.
Wow!
Not a Goodread; a Greatread.
Amazing story.
I loved the chapters told by Margaret and Nanapush, lovers and spouses, allies and enemies.
The dress is the key.
And Miss Gheen...what a piece of work she is.
Wow!
Not a Goodread; a Greatread.
Nov 03, 2009
Juliana Marez
added it
I really enjoyed this book. It was like going home to visit my grama Kate and her siblings. The love and tenderness that is woven with bad plans and spy vs spy one upsmanship made me laugh. Catching someone else off guard, keeping one another on their toes and forever returning to the heart made me remember life and times in my own family. Sometimes we become the victim or the grateful recipient of our own doings.
I loved this book...i love all her books and read this within 2 days on a lonely beach in Mendocino County - I've been told her style of writing is 'magical realism' but i find it fantastic. Her characters appear in multiple novels (not a series though, thank GAWD) yet increase in complexity and I've found myself actually becoming attached to a specific character...very thoughtful and beautifully written...
Is there anything better than a Louise Erdrich novel, especially one about the Love Medicine families?!? This short novel features Nanapush a lot--he has always been one of my favorites, and his partner Margaret Kaspaw. Beautiful writing as always...maybe not the most elaborate of her plots, but more background on some of the most important characters in her life. A treat, a pleasure, a happy thing.
I like Louise Erdrich a lot. She's got style. This one is about an Anishinaabeg woman who goes to this white guy's house to reclaim the land he has taken from her and/or exact revenge, and the events that unfold as a result of this act. It is told from a couple different points of view, including the guy's sister-in-law. In a bigger way it's about change and loss, both cultural and physical.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Citizens ??!!: **JANUARY 2013 CHOICE, Four Souls | 41 | 24 | Feb 03, 2013 01:42pm | |
| Fleur's final name | 1 | 15 | Nov 16, 2009 10:16pm | |
| I'm Hooked on Erdrich | 1 | 12 | Jun 08, 2009 12:34pm | |
| K.sultan | 1 | 8 | May 02, 2008 03:56am |
Karen Louise Erdrich is a American author of novels, poetry, and children's books. Her father is German American and mother is half Ojibwe and half French American. She is an enrolled member of the Anishinaabe nation (also known as Chippewa). She is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant Native writers of the second wave of what critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renais...more
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“To sew is to pray. Men don't understand this. They see the whole but they don't see the stitches. They don't see the speech of the creator in the work of the needle. We mend. We women turn things inside out and set things right. We salvage what we can of human garments and piece the rest into blankets. Sometimes our stitches stutter and slow. Only a woman's eyes can tell. Other times, the tension in the stitches might be too tight because of tears, but only we know what emotion went into the making. Only women can hear the prayer.”
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Jan 02, 2013 06:25am