amdawson's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lorena and Elisa are two halves of a whole growing up on the Oklahoma prairie. They have their own language, often unspoken, and few pretend to understand them. One day, Elise’s desire to keep her older sister close leads to near disaster. Add to the fact that the sisters fall in love with the same man and what seemed inseparable, fractures beyond repair.
Michael Parker will have you rereading lines to soak them in and laughing in the next paragraph. As deep as it is whimsical.
Michael Parker will have you rereading lines to soak them in and laughing in the next paragraph. As deep as it is whimsical.
lagobond's review against another edition
I really expected to love this, but frankly I'm annoyed with the writing. It feels pretentious, like it's trying too hard. Couldn't get into it. Disappointing :(
sextance's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
pawstoodream's review against another edition
2.0
This book was hard for me because I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and it was difficult to read because I didn’t have any idea what the story was about.
It’s hard to give a rating. It’s not a DNF.
It’s hard to give a rating. It’s not a DNF.
bohemianbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
A tale about the sacrifices and settlements we make with ourselves and others as we attempt to navigate romantic and familial relationships. It was a tale that explores the power and strength of kinship on the harsh American frontier that appealed to me as I picked up Prairie Fever by Michael Parker.
The book primarily follows the story of the two Stewart sisters over the decades. The dreamer Elise and the pragmatic Lorena. The sisters are inseparable until an impulsive decision changes the course of their lives. That and a schoolteacher, Gus McQueen, who drives a wedge between the two. It is all about the consequences of our choices.
It is not a traditional historical fiction in terms of writing style. The structure and dialogues are more contemporary. That said, the writing is lyrical. It brings the settings vividly to life. You are transported to the cold harsh winters of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma to the dry arid West Texas. The book is also interspersed with wry humor.
Time was an element that fell like snow from the sky. The sky was stitched together with safety pins, but sometimes the pins worked loose, and out came the elements and one of them was time.
The characters are what make the book. I liked the interplay of relationships. At its heart, the book may seem about sibling rivalry, but it is a lot more. A father who is an idea man. A mother coming to terms with the loss of her children. But apart from Lorena’s character (that I felt was shortchanged and whose story was not explored much), none of the other main characters really captured my interest.
What primarily did not work for me was the narration. The initial few pages are quite confusing. It took me a while to get into the book. Also, the constant switch between the first person to the third person narrative and then the epistolary was too jarring. The ending too quite weak.
I have mixed feelings about the book. But I would love to check out more books by the author simply for the lyrical prose. If you enjoy offbeat historical novels with lots of wordplays, do pick up this book.
The rating is more of a 3.5.
I received this book from Algonquin Books for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The book primarily follows the story of the two Stewart sisters over the decades. The dreamer Elise and the pragmatic Lorena. The sisters are inseparable until an impulsive decision changes the course of their lives. That and a schoolteacher, Gus McQueen, who drives a wedge between the two. It is all about the consequences of our choices.
It is not a traditional historical fiction in terms of writing style. The structure and dialogues are more contemporary. That said, the writing is lyrical. It brings the settings vividly to life. You are transported to the cold harsh winters of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma to the dry arid West Texas. The book is also interspersed with wry humor.
Time was an element that fell like snow from the sky. The sky was stitched together with safety pins, but sometimes the pins worked loose, and out came the elements and one of them was time.
The characters are what make the book. I liked the interplay of relationships. At its heart, the book may seem about sibling rivalry, but it is a lot more. A father who is an idea man. A mother coming to terms with the loss of her children. But apart from Lorena’s character (that I felt was shortchanged and whose story was not explored much), none of the other main characters really captured my interest.
What primarily did not work for me was the narration. The initial few pages are quite confusing. It took me a while to get into the book. Also, the constant switch between the first person to the third person narrative and then the epistolary was too jarring. The ending too quite weak.
I have mixed feelings about the book. But I would love to check out more books by the author simply for the lyrical prose. If you enjoy offbeat historical novels with lots of wordplays, do pick up this book.
The rating is more of a 3.5.
I received this book from Algonquin Books for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
sweetlybsquared's review against another edition
3.0
While this book was somewhat historical fiction, the words used were what was important to the fictional Stewart sisters and Gus McQueen in telling their stories.
Reading Prairie Fever was reading about the Stewart sisters and Gus McQueen. While there are a few events in the book, the story was about the main characters’ perceptions of the events. Their descriptions were each unique, and sometimes beautiful. Unfortunately, it was somewhat redundant to read of the same event as it happened to three different people.
While the beginning of the narration felt unfocused, as the book progressed the style felt more like meandering prose and each narrator’s voice became more clearly developed. The word choices didn’t seem specific to the time period when the book was taking place, but they were pretty and sometimes thought-provoking.
This book would be good for readers who enjoy a slower paced book and colorful descriptions. I’d give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Reading Prairie Fever was reading about the Stewart sisters and Gus McQueen. While there are a few events in the book, the story was about the main characters’ perceptions of the events. Their descriptions were each unique, and sometimes beautiful. Unfortunately, it was somewhat redundant to read of the same event as it happened to three different people.
While the beginning of the narration felt unfocused, as the book progressed the style felt more like meandering prose and each narrator’s voice became more clearly developed. The word choices didn’t seem specific to the time period when the book was taking place, but they were pretty and sometimes thought-provoking.
This book would be good for readers who enjoy a slower paced book and colorful descriptions. I’d give it 3 out of 5 stars.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
There are plenty of stories about the American west in which white settlers go a little crazy—plenty of nonfiction stories, too. But I think that Prairie Fever, by Michael Parker, is the first time I’ve met a manic pixie dream girl in the barely colonized American west. This novel centers on two sisters, Elise and Lorena, who are temperamentally opposites but who complete each other. Lorena is the practical older sister with a penchant for correcting other’s grammar. Elise is….a very odd girl who never thinks about the consequences of her whimsy. Her actions lead to a terrible loss and a long estrangement. I have to say, I was not nearly as charmed by Elise as many of the characters in this novel are; I am firmly on Team Lorena...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
laceybeanreads's review against another edition
2.0
I received a copy from Algonquin for review.
I was super excited to read this based on the synopsis. Two sisters have a crush on the same guy. It was supposed to get into their relationship.
I honestly felt like I couldn’t get into this book. I wasn’t interested in the characters.
I DNF’ed it.
I was super excited to read this based on the synopsis. Two sisters have a crush on the same guy. It was supposed to get into their relationship.
I honestly felt like I couldn’t get into this book. I wasn’t interested in the characters.
I DNF’ed it.
aimeedarsreads's review against another edition
Sisters Lorena and Elise live outside Lone Wolf, Oklahoma. Lorena, elder by two years, spends her afternoons brushing her hair. She’s the smartest student in school and believes that knowing your limitations is the point of life. Dreamy and impulsive Elise, a talented pianist, lives in a world created by her imagination.
Each morning, their loyal horse Sandy walks them to the one-room schoolhouse and the dubious instruction of teacher Augustus McQueen whose key qualification is a skill for memorization.
During the winter, their mother swathes the sisters for warmth. Elise calls them a bag of bones under a blanket of sky, and she recites newspaper articles from memory to keep them entertained. (Parker took these from historical documents.)
One day, during a blizzard, Elise wants to skip school and ride to a nearby town to conduct research for a play she is writing. When Lorena refuses, Elise sneaks out anyway but becomes lost. In the aftermath of that tragedy, the sisters’s differences become more pronounced, and Gus unwittingly them further apart.unwittingly amplifies their schism.
With beautiful writing and fascinating historical details, Parker explores the consequences of Elise’s fateful ride. A series of letters from Elise addressed to the horse, Sandy, serves to advance the plot and provide humor with clever wordplay.
I recommend
Each morning, their loyal horse Sandy walks them to the one-room schoolhouse and the dubious instruction of teacher Augustus McQueen whose key qualification is a skill for memorization.
During the winter, their mother swathes the sisters for warmth. Elise calls them a bag of bones under a blanket of sky, and she recites newspaper articles from memory to keep them entertained. (Parker took these from historical documents.)
One day, during a blizzard, Elise wants to skip school and ride to a nearby town to conduct research for a play she is writing. When Lorena refuses, Elise sneaks out anyway but becomes lost. In the aftermath of that tragedy, the sisters’s differences become more pronounced, and Gus unwittingly them further apart.unwittingly amplifies their schism.
With beautiful writing and fascinating historical details, Parker explores the consequences of Elise’s fateful ride. A series of letters from Elise addressed to the horse, Sandy, serves to advance the plot and provide humor with clever wordplay.
I recommend
jj24's review against another edition
2.0
Although the description on the book jacket had me intrigued, I had a hard time getting into the rhythm of the narrative. The book's structure and dialogue seemed modern -- a discordant juxtaposition with its historical early 1900s setting. Others have liked it, so I'd encourage interested readers to take a look at more positive reviews if this seems like a book they'd enjoy.
Thank you to Algonquin Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Algonquin Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.