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The Round House

Louise Erdrich

Start date: February 1, 2013

Finish date: March 31, 2013

Why we're reading this: Winner of the Bookmarks Selections' poll…more
[close] Winner of the Bookmarks Selections' poll

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Apr 26, 2013 Alison rated it really liked it

Powerful.

The Round House first came onto my radar when it won the 2012 National Book Award for Fiction. I didn't know anything about the book, but I wanted to know why it was getting so much praise.

Part coming of age story, part lesson on injustice, THE ROUND HOUSE was a powerful novel.

Joe was a 13 year old boy whose mother was brutally attacked. She withdrew from her family, friends, and community, and Joe essentially lost his mother during a crucial time in his life. He found refuge with his Powerful.

The Round House first came onto my radar when it won the 2012 National Book Award for Fiction. I didn't know anything about the book, but I wanted to know why it was getting so much praise.

Part coming of age story, part lesson on injustice, THE ROUND HOUSE was a powerful novel.

Joe was a 13 year old boy whose mother was brutally attacked. She withdrew from her family, friends, and community, and Joe essentially lost his mother during a crucial time in his life. He found refuge with his friends, other elders in the community, and creating relationships that were not all together healthy.

Unfortunately, due to tribal and federal laws, the exact location of the crime against Joe's mother could not be determined, leaving the case without clear jurisdiction. Lacking the authorities' claim to investigate, Joe and his friends take it upon themselves to find the attacker. The band of boys, who were more like brothers than friends, get themselves caught up in the search, while succumbing to the temptations that usually confront teenage boys - beer, girls, and a change of faith.

Joe's voice provides a strong narrative that gives readers an in-depth look into Ojibwe culture, as his family and community members share the history and folktales in order to provide Joe with a sense of who he is and what may come of his family.

Note on the Audiobook:
I usually don't even read the synopses of books I know I'm going to read. The Round House was one such book. It won the National Book Award, and that was enough for me to put it into the rotation. It also didn't hurt that I won a copy of the audiobook from HarperCollins! I had no expectations, so it took me a bit off guard when I started listening to the audiobook and the cadence of the reader was that of a Native American. At first, it just sounded odd, as I was not used to his rhythm and wasn't sure why he was speaking the way he was; but once I settled into the story, I not only grew used to the narrator's voice, it added an extraordinary amount of style and atmosphere to the novel that I would not have experienced otherwise.

I highly recommend this award winning novel. ...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Kerry rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, kindle, audible

Wow...I guess I love this author. I have been avoiding her books for many years (since my college freshman roommate proclaimed The Beet Queen as the best book she ever read). Would not have ever discovered how wrong I was if not for my book club (and most did not like the book!) So now I have read 2 of her books (Plague of Doves and this one). I think this book was enriched by reading POD before but it was not necessary...just gave more insight into a couple of the characters...it's kind of a se ...more

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Feb 20, 2014 Amanda rated it it was ok

Books about rape are just always hard to read. I liked the perspective of the story from the eyes of Joe, a 13 year-old boy. I enjoyed the tribal legends told. Just didn't love the book, well written as it was. ...more

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