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By Lynn · 1 post · 41 views
By Lynn · 1 post · 41 views
last updated Jun 20, 2025 08:37AM
What Members Thought
So many deeply troubled, deeply flawed characters. This is a book brimming with people poised on the brink of pain that they may or may not be able to endure: addiction, suicide, the death of a child, sexual assault, and plain, old-fashioned heartache and longing. And yet, among all the suffering, there's so much humor, deep caring, and connection that the book feels, on balance, hopeful. Quite the feat.
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I really enjoyed this book which starts with an unusual premise. When a man kills his best friend's 5-year-old son, he and his wife give them their son in return. While I liked the book, I almost thought there was a little too much going on and that the main thrust of the story got lost.
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I absolutely loved this book. I have so much that resonated for me. My first solo teaching job was on the Fort Totten Indian Reservation which is located on Devil's Lake in North Dakota. I taught in a Head Start program, one of the few agencies run by a Sioux Indian and also staffed with many native people. There was a Catholic School next to a trailer park that housed many of the white teachers who worked there, and where I lived. I wonder if that building was where the former boarding school w
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I find it hard to rate her books. There generally seems to be a story in a story; a continuum of intertwined stories. That and some to the native imagery is different/can't translate/just go with the flow and you get it.
The book is tough at times, but I like the way she works all the characters thru the situation. Life is not simple. ...more
The book is tough at times, but I like the way she works all the characters thru the situation. Life is not simple. ...more
Erdrich is wonderful, but this one doesn't do a lot for me. The premise--a man gives his son to the couple whose son he accidentally killed--is definitely compelling, and there are fine moments throughout, but mostly it's a disappointment: slow, lacking suspense (until the "climax"), an Iago-like character who is too unbelievable, some big issues (like the war in Iraq) that are raised and then dropped, etc.
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Interesting premise, albeit quite sad. A man out hunting accidentally shoots and kills his neighbor's son. As a result he lends his own son to the neighbors. Not my favorite of her books, although it was enjoyable.
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Apr 21, 2016
Michelle
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
constant-reader-tbr
May 13, 2017
Rhiannon
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
entertainment-weekly-ideas
Nov 21, 2017
Loretta
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
e-books-i-own-to-read
