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Indian Winter
On a hard-scrabble Montana Ranch in 1970, Fourteen-year-0ld Winona dreams of escape from the cruelty of her stepfather and the narrowness of her surroundings. In the context of her family story, Indian Winter deals with relations and tensions on the reservation and between the white community and the Native Americans.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 7, 2012
INDIAN WINTER
Jane Goldsmith introduces her narrator, Winona, in the prologue. On the first morning of her return to the Montana ranch of her childhood, Winona awakes, panicked, from a dream where smiling fish glide by while she searches in vain for a vessel in which to save them. Later, as she sorts through an old trunk and discovers relics from her early life, including her mother, Marie’s, journal we are drawn into her story.
Winona’s story begins in 1970, when she is fourteen years old, and encompasses her own coming-of-age and her family’s drama set against the intransigent racism that pervades her school and community. The narrative is Winona’s, with Marie’s journal entries interspersed as separate chapters. The story of Winona’s relationship to a fellow student, Bell, an Indian, is central to this beautifully written, engrossing novel that depicts the rural America of Winona’s youth with insight and accuracy.
in this first novel, Jane Goldsmith has crafted a beautiful vessel for Winona’s fish.
Jane Goldsmith introduces her narrator, Winona, in the prologue. On the first morning of her return to the Montana ranch of her childhood, Winona awakes, panicked, from a dream where smiling fish glide by while she searches in vain for a vessel in which to save them. Later, as she sorts through an old trunk and discovers relics from her early life, including her mother, Marie’s, journal we are drawn into her story.
Winona’s story begins in 1970, when she is fourteen years old, and encompasses her own coming-of-age and her family’s drama set against the intransigent racism that pervades her school and community. The narrative is Winona’s, with Marie’s journal entries interspersed as separate chapters. The story of Winona’s relationship to a fellow student, Bell, an Indian, is central to this beautifully written, engrossing novel that depicts the rural America of Winona’s youth with insight and accuracy.
in this first novel, Jane Goldsmith has crafted a beautiful vessel for Winona’s fish.
September 13, 2013
This book s a wonderful read. Goldsmith has precisely and expertly captured the feel of first love between teenagers, but the book is about so much more than the love story. The characterizations are terrific, especially the main character Winona, her sister Jess, and her boyfriend Bell. Set in a small Montana town in 1970, the narrative deftly captures the feel of those tumultuous times, here through the rise of AIM, the American Indian Movement of Russell Means and Dennis Banks. Goldsmith's ability to portray with sympathy the feelings of both the white, dominant ranching society and the American Indians living alongside but not with them is well-nigh perfect. Some of Goldsmith's insights about family relationships are priceless. I have reread several passages to extract their wisdom. Neither predictable nor formulaic, the book is well worth your time. Highly recommended.
July 18, 2013
Wonderful novel. A real page turner, but one with multidimensional characters, that really moves you at the end.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews