January 21, 2022

Looking Back - Love Medicine

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.


Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
Fiction
2001 Harper Perennial (first published in 1984)
Read in January 2001
Rating: 1/5 (Meh)

Publisher's Blurb:

The first book in Louise Erdrich's highly acclaimed "Native American" trilogy that includes "The Beet Queen," "Tracks," and "The Bingo Palace," re-sequenced and expanded to include never-before-published chapters.

Set on and around a North Dakota Ojibwe reservation, Love Medicine is the epic story about the intertwined fates of two families: the Kashpaws and the Lamartines.

With astonishing virtuosity, each chapter draws on a range of voices to limn its tales. Black humor mingles with magic, injustice bleeds into betrayal, and through it all, bonds of love and family marry the elements into a tightly woven whole that pulses with the drama of life.

Filled with humor, magic, injustice and betrayal, Erdrich blends family love and loyalty in a stunning work of dramatic fiction.

My Original Thoughts (2001):

If it weren't for a book club selection, I never would have finished this book. I thought it was terribly confusing (even with family trees - my own attempt) and dull! I felt no connection to any of the characters.

My Current Thoughts:

I know Erdrich is a beloved author of many readers, and I have a couple of her more recent novels in my TBR stacks, but this one was a big miss. Maybe I'll give a second read sometime after reading some of her other books, but it was not a good introduction to her writing. 

15 comments:

  1. I have not tried her early novels, but after the Night Watchman I might like to try her new one The Sentence since part of it is about a bookstore. I don't think her books are for everyone ... but she's a fairly good reader of her audiobooks so I'd plan to try another.

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    1. Susan, I will definitely give her more recent novels a chance. I have La Rose and The Rounding House on my TBR shelf.

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  2. I have Erdich on my TBR as well. I haven't read her yet - I don't think I will start with this one though. Lol.

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    1. Erin, I plan to read the two books of hers that are on my TBR shelf (La Rose and The Rounding House). I hope I enjoy them better than I did this one!

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    2. That should read The Round House!

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  3. I tend to love this author but, haven't read this one so - no need too I gather. Her latest book is --very very different but, I liked it a lot.

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    1. Diane, I know a lot of my friends love her books and I plan to read either La Rose or The Round House.

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  4. I've never heard of this book and the blub sounds like it would be good. After reading your original/current thoughts, I think I'll pass.

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    1. Vicki, there are probably more by Erdrich that are much more enjoyable.

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  5. I've enjoyed a few of her later novels and plan to read The Sentence sometime this year. Thought I'd go back and try her early stuff, but maybe I'll wait a while longer. ;-)

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    1. JoAnn, have you read La Rose or The Round House? Which would you recommend?

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    2. Les - I started La Rose on audio, but stopped listening. Planned to get back to it, but never did. I have not read The Round House either. I enjoyed her short stories in The Red Convertible and also the novel Shadow Tag, which I think was a change of pace for her.

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    3. JoAnn, I have those two books in print, but thanks for your comment about the audio of La Rose. I still plan to give them a try... eventually. I'll also look for the other two you mentioned.

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  6. I always want to like Erdrich's novels, but I had trouble with one I read years ago and haven't gone back to read her others.

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    1. Helen, I'm willing to give her another chance, especially since this one was her debut. Maybe her writing is more accessible now?

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