Reviews

LaRose by Louise Erdrich

hildamarie's review against another edition

4.0

A stunning collection of characters inhabit the word of LaRose, many seek redemption, revenge, or just recognition for their struggles. Beautifully written tapestry of what it is to be human in the most difficult of circumstances.

robertrivasplata's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

Novel about the experience of growing up Indigenous, across multiple generations, as well as the connections between the reservation and the outside (mostly white) society. The boarding schools figure prominently, with some characters having ambivalent relationships with them, & Romeo having positive feelings about his time at the boarding school. Quite upbeat for a book where a young child is killed on the first page. Features a Chekhov's (unloaded) rifle. Characters include ghosts, spirits, a hot priest, & a dog (who survives). Romeo's revenge plot is a little anti-climactic. I was interested in Romeo, but I couldn't get that interested in whatever big bad secret he was sitting on. Set 1999-2003, with such millennial era markers as Y2K preppers & the start of the Iraq war. Will need to re-read to be fully prepared for the book club meeting. 

torihoo's review against another edition

4.0

It took me a little while to get used to Erdrich's prose - very direct and matter-of-fact. But once I learned how to sit still and let Erdrich's way of narrating carry the story, I couldn't put it down. A beautiful, deep exploration of the human capacity for forgiveness. Can we ever forgive fully? What does it mean to love someone who has done the most horrible thing?

grinberit's review against another edition

4.0

I thought I would hate this book or wouldn't be able to get through it, based on the premise, but I ended up thinking it was really thought provoking and liked it. A great book club read because there is a ton to discuss!

rachelclarareed's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

4.25

toebean5's review against another edition

4.0

The description of this book suggested that this would be a really heavy read; and while parts were, it was not overly so. Even the bulk of the book group enjoyed it, although many thought there was "too much going on." (Not going to lie, the priest angle felt unnecessary, but the rest was just the right amount for me.) I think this has a great deal to discuss, and our group got a good discussion going about boarding schools, native spirituality, and redemption.

blueflovver's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

erine's review against another edition

4.0

This was a long, slow, dense read. I can’t tell you how many times I picked this up just to put it down again. Or read a few pages only to pick up something else. Dialogue was hopelessly entangled with description, with no punctuation to distinguish it. The story begins with the accidental death of a five year old, then continues with grief, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts. There are timeline interruptions for deeply sad tales of abandonment and haunting, boarding schools that tried to “kill the Indian” and save the human. The timeline continues with teenage sexual abuse, various affairs, and bitter woes.

And yet, for all that, I still enjoyed this. The book’s unflinching take on reality and its difficulties, small triumphs, large tragedies, the spiderwebs of our relationships, and the ways we make the world bearable for each other was — not uplifting, yet not depressing — it was incredibly SOLID. This story was just incredibly real.

Spoiler

It was heartbreaking and yet also heartwarming to see how Maggie and LaRose came together to support their suicidal mother. The question of who is to blame for an accident permeates the entire story, along with how to heal that tragedy and whether revenge is ever worth it. And yet many of the players in the story grow and develop in positive directions.

The long backstory of Landreaux and Romeo was also heart wrenching. Their friendship turned to indifference and yet still there is care between them: Landreaux raises Romeo’s son Hollis. Even Romeo’s misplaced vengeance, which almost leads to Peter killing Landreaux outright, is foiled by LaRose himself and things turn out ok.

My 2020 pandemic and election-ravaged attention span was not a fan of this book. But the themes of community and caring for others made it a worthwhile struggle.

marieobr's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

booksmacked's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.5