Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - This Tender Land

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This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

6 reviews

aksmith92's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

The Setup: This Tender Land is a beautifully crafted historical novel set during the Great Depression. It follows the journey of four orphans—Odie, his older brother Albert, their Native American friend Mose, and a young girl named Emmy. Fleeing the brutal conditions at the Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota, they embark on an epic journey down the Gilead River, seeking freedom and a place to call home.

The novel is rich in themes of resilience, friendship, and the search for identity amidst the backdrop of a troubled America. Krueger masterfully captures the era's social injustices, particularly the harsh realities faced by orphans and Native American children. As the children encounter kindness and cruelty along their journey, they learn profound lessons about trust, love, and the human spirit.

The story is not just about the physical journey but also explores moral choices, the complexities of faith, and the enduring power of hope. Through Odie's narration, readers are immersed in a poignant tale that skillfully balances adventure with deep emotional and spiritual growth, even for a barely thirteen-year-old!

What I Loved: This story was compelling. It was filled with vivid characters and an evocative portrayal of the American Midwest during one of its most challenging periods. All the characters were original and unique and provided interesting perspectives in the novel, even if you didn't necessarily like them. Anyone reading this story would likely be hesitant to put it down. Kent Krueger is a storyteller, and for that, I am so grateful. I loved exploring faith, love, and hope and how each person battles with that exploration and journey. I loved the tie to family and what family means. I also loved the characters and felt attached to them as they worked their way down the Gilead River to a better future. It was a complex and complicated read - this is slightly historical in the early 1930s - times were insensitive, and this novel had some challenging topics. But I was immersed and loved it.

Why Not 5 Stars? I was close to rating this five stars, but unfortunately, it just fell slightly through the cracks at the end. While I absolutely adored this novel, the ending felt rushed. Kent Krueger was trying to tie everything into a neat bow, and while I do think he did that successfully, it was all somewhat thrown at you in the end.

I must say, though, that I did like the official ending. There was a bit of a plot twist I didn't see coming. So, even if it was slightly rushed and thrown together, I did enjoy it nonetheless.

Overall, This Tender Land will stay with me for a while. It's a beautiful story with even a dose of magic (maybe!). I would highly recommend it.

Content Warnings