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p_t_b's review against another edition
4.0
goes on a shelf with Lonesome Dove/Ron Hansen 1980s neo-realist westerns, but from an indigenous writer and from the perspective of an indigenous main character (with a few departures). i got sucked into this book so thoroughly that I couldnt really get much else done until I finished it, even though it became clearer with each passing chapter that it was gonna end on a galactic downer. welch does something remarkable in creating scene/mood through his command of ritual, lore, cosmology, rather than through the prose, although the prose is perfectly serviceable. spirituality, for lack of a more precise word, plays a huge role in this novel - both faith in and doubt of a belief system. Sort of a bildungsroman set at the end of the world. it's not my place to talk about what native americans were, have been, are, will be, so i won't, but i will say that this is a thoughtful and intense text for people who feel white to reckon with wrt the sloppy slow and fast cruelty that our country grew on and lives in
so_darling's review against another edition
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
charliegirl21's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing book. I’m pissed no one ever assigned it to me in all my education in Montana public schools and an English degree from University of Montana. In the rise in Indigenous stories on screen, I wish someone would take on this epic.
huntressskyfire's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
kflats's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
jeremysdailyreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
5.0
It is a lot 😥
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Genocide, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
shadylane00's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
_alwaysreadinginbed's review
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
paola_mobileread's review against another edition
3.0
A very interesting book for me, and one I am very glad to have read. The "native-indian" style of writing (in which days are counted in terms of sleeps, months in terms of moons, seasons in terms of the expected arrival of Cold Maker, and so on) plunges the reader immediately inside the Lone Eaters camps, and there are so many little details that provide a very vivid picture of what life was like for the Indian Blackfoot Tribes at the end of the 19th century, how they felt, what made their society click and turn.
For this alone I think Welch well deserved all the praise he got for this novel. But in terms of narrative, to me it felt perhaps too preoccupied with using the characters to provide the information, and in this way they come around somewhat flat. Many of the characters are wisdom and patience personified, and in this the novel seems to perpetuate the mith of the "good savage" which I find hard to swallow especially as what is portraied is a society in which superstition is so engrained. In many ways this novel reminds me of Achebe's [b:Things Fall Apart|37781|Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)|Chinua Achebe|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1352082529s/37781.jpg|825843], which is however much more edgy and convincing.
For this alone I think Welch well deserved all the praise he got for this novel. But in terms of narrative, to me it felt perhaps too preoccupied with using the characters to provide the information, and in this way they come around somewhat flat. Many of the characters are wisdom and patience personified, and in this the novel seems to perpetuate the mith of the "good savage" which I find hard to swallow especially as what is portraied is a society in which superstition is so engrained. In many ways this novel reminds me of Achebe's [b:Things Fall Apart|37781|Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)|Chinua Achebe|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1352082529s/37781.jpg|825843], which is however much more edgy and convincing.
seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and War
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Slavery