Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

3 reviews

sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative 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

5.0

Another addition to my 5 star reads! Louise Erdrich deserves all the accolades she’s received and more for her writing.

This story hit close to home. As it takes place throughout the beginning of the pandemic and George Floyd protests, I truly felt the confusion and terror the characters experienced. I felt comforted, too, not only by their reactions but their conclusions about the world they live in. I fell in love with the characters, especially Tookie, our protagonist. She’s sarcastic, pessimistic, and scared. She also is loyal, self-aware, and brave. Erdrich brought this character to life and gave her such a well-rounded story I truly felt as if I was reading a memoir.

My only complaint- and it is minor- is the random perspective changes to include Hetta and Pollux. While they were interesting, I didn’t feel they added much to the novel and messed a little bit with the pacing of Tookie’s story. Overall, though, this did not change my opinion about how much I loved this book and am proud to display it on my 5 star shelf.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the “human condition” and spirituality in general. There is a wonderful mix of superstition and science that doesn’t discredit the other, rather it embraces that confusing gray area where they both exist. It is also Native American literature, which I am always thrilled to read and learn more about. Overall, for anyone interested in American Lit I consider this a must-read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Racism, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual content

literarylion's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

Pros:

• Erdrich is just a beautiful writer, no matter what she writes. The composition is exquisite.
• The characters are well-developed and feel real
• An interesting take on the ghost trope

Cons:

• The plot was a bit scattered -- it seemed like it wasn't fully done coalescing, but there was probably pressure on her to publish while the pandemic was still happening/fresh in peoples' minds
• The first half and the second half seem like very different beasts. The pacing was a bit uneven.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Racism, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Animal death and Cursing