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The Master Butchers Singing Club

Louise Erdrich

Start date: March 1, 2023

Finish date: March 31, 2023

Discussion: Author's Pick

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What Members Thought

Feb 11, 2022 Jan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, german, american, fiction, historical, audible-books, authors-of-color

This is a masterpiece! I listened to the book on audible.com with the author narrating. Her voice is gentle and pleasant, and she seamlessly changes with each different character. She even sings to us!

The book is set primarily from 1918 to 1954 and mostly in Argus, North Dakota. The main characters are Fidelis Waldvogel; Eva Waldvogel who befriends Delphine Watzka; Cyprian an Ojibwe acrobat' Step-and-a-Half the town junk collector; Roy Watzka who is Delphine's father and a hopeless alcoholic; an ...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Alana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: foreign-culture, historical-fiction

The first book I read by Louise Erdrich was The Painted Drum and it was so awful that I thought, "Ok, a lot of people like this author, she can't be THAT bad," so I determined to try a different one. Wow, what a difference! Erdrich richly folds together the lives of a German immigrant family, a vaudeville act, a drunk father, a strange wandering woman and a homosexual man, all in the time-frame between the world wars, a time rife with change and turmoil even without this broad variety of charact ...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Booknblues rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Louise Erdrich’s The Master Butchers Singing Club set in the bleak landscape of Argus, North Dakota from the 1920’s through World War II is told primarily through the perspective of Fidelis Waldvogel and Delphine Watzka. Erdrich is so adept at characterization and creating a setting that one can even imagine the taste and smells from the oven and so it is a pleasure to immerse oneself in Argus and get to know the cast of characters who populate the town. She is also skilled at setting the stage Louise Erdrich’s The Master Butchers Singing Club set in the bleak landscape of Argus, North Dakota from the 1920’s through World War II is told primarily through the perspective of Fidelis Waldvogel and Delphine Watzka. Erdrich is so adept at characterization and creating a setting that one can even imagine the taste and smells from the oven and so it is a pleasure to immerse oneself in Argus and get to know the cast of characters who populate the town. She is also skilled at setting the stage and what happens earlier in the novel and seems without importance becomes vital later.

Fidelis a German sniper by way of the war and a butcher by trade spends 12 days walking home after the war ends. Fidelis known for his strength continues his journey to tell his best friend’s pregnant fiancee, Eva of his death, he falls in love with her and marries her. His life changes when he sees the wonderful bread produced in America, in Seattle and decides he will live there. He packs his butcher’s knives and his father’s sausages which he sells to take him across America, he only has enough to take him to Argus where he sets up shop.

Delphine is from Argus and uses the stage and her acting abilities to leave behind a drunk father and be laughed at and looked down upon from the community. Because of her strong stomach muscles she is chosen by an acrobat, Cyprian to assist in a balancing act and they travel the west together. Upon returning to Argus, Delphine meets Eva:

“Today her hair was bound back in a singular knot, the sides rolled in smooth twists, the knot itself in the shape of the figure eight, which Delphine knew was the ancient sign for eternity. Eva rose and turned away, walked across the green squares of linoleum to punch some risen dough and cover it with towels. As Delphine watched, into her head there popped a strange notion: the idea that perhaps strongly experienced moments, as when Eva turned and the sun met her hair and for that one instant the symbol blazed out, those particular moments were eternal. Those moments actually went somewhere. Into a file of moments that existed out of times range and could not be pilfered by God.”

Louise Erdrich is so gifted in the way she describes simple moments that it is a pleasure to read her books. I loved that she was able to create so many layers to the simple town life of Argus, North Dakota. There are so many ideas to think of within this story that I strongly recommend it. ...more

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Jun 28, 2023 Aldon Hynes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: multiculturalfiction

I read The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich back in 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been meaning to read more of her work and found some folks talking about The Master Butchers Singing Club here on Goodreads. As much as I enjoyed The Night Watchman, this book, in my humble opinion, far surpassed it.

Over the past few months, I took clinical pastoral education (CPE) at a local hospital. I stood by the bed of dying people and with families after a loved one had passed. There is something sacre ...more

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