The Sentence

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Indigenous and tribal customs, beliefs and folklore, particularly around death - I must admit that I admired the concepts of these sections a lot more than I either really understood or enjoyed them Tookie's prison experience had certainly helped form her -- specifically regarding books: "There, I had learned to read with a force that resembled insanity", and this great passion for books and reading certainly comes through in The Sentence. It's not just her: a small crew of friendly weirdos sells books in there. Outside of the characters’ conversations, the antics grow ever wilder in The Sentence, which becomes a bit of a carnival and a bit of a soap opera. Louise Erdrich pushed the entertainment factor further than I expected, and Tookie “feels” a lot, carrying part of her teenage candidness into middle age, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Not many authors could include all the things Erdrich does in this novel and make it work. A haunting, a bookstore, COVID, motherhood, George Floyd’s death and the ensuing protests, marriage, quarantine, and more.” A rather unusual story that is multi-layered, haunting, and perceptive and combines a lighthearted ghost story with a woman rebuilding her life after being freed from prison. Then add a heavy dose of Covid reality and a shifting political world, and you have the makings of an excellent story that embraces literature, the meaning of words, and the healing power of books.

Karen Louise Erdrich is a American author of novels, poetry, and children's books. Her father is German American and mother is half Ojibwe and half French American. She is an enrolled member of the Anishinaabe nation (also known as Chippewa). She is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant Native writers of the second wave of what critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renaissance. Berresford Prize for significant contributions to the advancement and care of artists in society [68] Kakutani, Michiko (August 20, 1986). "Books of the Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved November 6, 2019. Dartmouth 2009 Honorary Degree Recipient Louise Erdrich '76 (Doctor of Letters)". Dartmouth.edu. June 7, 2010. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014 . Retrieved October 23, 2013.Dissatisfaction is a positively voracious reader. After reading Deacon King Kong, he tells Tookie that he’s been transformed. Tookie ruminates, “That he could change because of a book brightened me up. It was the same with a lot of people who called to buy books.” I've been a lover of Erdrich's work since her debut, Love Medicine, with its unforgettable first scene in which June Nanapush lays down in the snow and [redacted]. This and her prior novel are standalones but most of her fiction features recurring characters, families, across place and time. She's been a master of character. I was pleased while reading her trilogy to encounter some of the same characters from the Love Medicine series. Her books are low-key though tragic events occur. They're character-driven. Comments on literature - the bookshop workers commonly recommending books to or discussing them with their customers Erdrich's interwoven series of novels have drawn comparisons with William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha novels. Like Faulkner's, Erdrich's successive novels created multiple narratives in the same fictional area and combined the tapestry of local history with current themes and modern consciousness. [46] Birchbark Books [ edit ]

I focused elsewhere. The stroking was so nice. Finally she coaxed my gaze to her and spoke as though I was the unreasonable child”.But the novel also moves beyond that, especially in its treatment of the different relationships -- always as seen and experienced by well-meaning if sometimes too headstrong Tookie. Louise Erdrich, The Round House – National Book Award Fiction Winner, The National Book Foundation". Nationalbook.org. October 24, 2012 . Retrieved October 23, 2013. We’ve also culled a few books from Tookie’s recommended reading as our recommendation for your next great read. I’m so glad I did because I may not have otherwise read this remarkable book from award winning writer Louise Erdritch.

I tried with The Sentence, I really did, but I got to this paragraph at 50% into the book and it just reiterated the fact that it was doing none of those things for me. I’m sad to say it was my first DNF of 2022. Sentence , a word of multiple meanings - the sentence that the main character, an ex con named Tookie serves in jail, the sentences in this book and the so many other books mentioned here, (thankfully Erdrich gave us a list at the end), the sentences the characters sometimes impose on themselves . I decided to live for love again and take the chance of another lifetime’..... and this my friends was my favourite message from this very unique and enchanting book where sentence after sentence, word after word I became engrossed in Tookie’s story. After all, wouldn’t a ghost, Tookie asks her husband, want to visit “people like me? … People who dishonor the dead.”Gates, Jr., Professor Henry Louis (Host) (2010). "Louise Erdrich". Faces of America. PBS. {{ cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) Louise Erdrich: Voices From the Gaps: University of Minnesota". Voices.cla.umn.edu . Retrieved October 23, 2013.