Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

9 reviews

lorenag5's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Confinement, Slavery, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Rape, and Trafficking

d3nim_diva's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Classism, Grief, Sexual assault, Racism, and Trafficking

ekmook's review

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Racism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Forced institutionalization, and Gun violence

republicofben's review

emotional hopeful inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Although the synopsis and subject matter of this book piqued my interest, I found it hard to stay engaged with the story. Aside from the slow pace of the story's main events, the part that made it hard for me to make it through this book was the large cast of characters. One theme of this book - and also something I expect the author hoped readers would take away - is the diversity of people part of and that interact with a community. I did enjoy meeting and getting to know the wide cast of characters, but the constant switching of narrators caused the pace of the book's main events to be slow and drawn out. My rating breaks down to the book not suiting my tastes, but one I would still recommend to someone looking for a book that deals with Native American stories and history or a true ensemble book that flips between narrators.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia

Minor: Alcoholism, Grief, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Bullying, and Genocide

kimveach's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Such a good story - based upon the true fight by the Turtle Mountain band of the Chippewa against the government's plan for the termination of the reservation and support of their people. She brings to life so many different characters and elements of reservation life in the 1950s.  I love these characters and hated to leave them when the book ended.  I'll be reading more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Racism, Rape, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Grief, and Incest

alyx's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A modern classic. The Night Watchman is defined by its beautiful prose and masterful storytelling, uniquely illuminating the lives of a wide variety of characters, yet also informing readers of an oft-erased period of neocolonial history and violence in the United States

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Trafficking

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Confinement, War, Pregnancy, and Genocide

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Violence, and Religious bigotry

womanwill's review

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Racism, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Confinement, Animal death, Alcoholism, and Addiction

kylieqrada's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Um ok this just came right out of left field for me and I am so glad it did. I picked this up on a complete whim while scanning a huge chunk of documents at work one day. I've of course heard of Louise Erdrich, but have admittedly been intimidated by her work, which has often been lauded as modern classics. While some of this book definitely did go over my head, I really really enjoyed it!! The main thread of this story, which is based on the author's grandfather, follows Thomas, the chairman of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Indian Advisory Council, as he works to fight House Resolution 108, which sought to terminate Indian tribes and end treaties put into place in perpetua by the U.S. government in recompense for the theft of Native lands. The story is gorgeously written, and in being told from a range of different perspectives, gives an in-depth look into life on the reservation in the 1950s. I learned alot, and would have given this 5 stars except for one scene that was just not my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, and Trafficking