The plague of doves

Adrián Astur Álvarez reviewed The plague of doves by Louise Erdrich

Review of 'The plague of doves' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This is an ambitious novel overflowing with stories and family legacies and history back and forth in time. I have to say parts of this didn't quite flow for me and I thought a lot of the sweeping arcs of plot were uninteresting or seemed to be full of holes BUT the little flourishes of narrative here and there, the small character arcs, and the individual voices were well very well written and that kept me reading.

This is my first Erdrich and while I think I may have chosen the wrong entry point I have no regrets about starting here.

Eric Beckman reviewed The plague of doves by Louise Erdrich

Review of 'The plague of doves' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Masterfully written. Explores important themes of revenge and intergenerational trauma. A quotation that stays with me
"But when Neve Harp said that she was going back to the beginning of things and wanted to talk about how the town of Pluto came to be and why it was inside the original reservation boundaries, even though hardly any Indians lived in Pluto, well, both of the old men's faces became like Mama's--quite, with an elaborate reserve, and something else that has stuck in my heart ever since. I saw that the loss of their land was lodged inside of them forever. This loss would enter me, too. Over time, I came to know that the sorrow was a thing that each of them covered up according to their character--my old uncle through his passionate discipline, my mother through strict kindness and cleanly order. As for my grandfather, he used the patient …

Masterfully written. Explores important themes of revenge and intergenerational trauma. A quotation that stays with me
"But when Neve Harp said that she was going back to the beginning of things and wanted to talk about how the town of Pluto came to be and why it was inside the original reservation boundaries, even though hardly any Indians lived in Pluto, well, both of the old men's faces became like Mama's--quite, with an elaborate reserve, and something else that has stuck in my heart ever since. I saw that the loss of their land was lodged inside of them forever. This loss would enter me, too. Over time, I came to know that the sorrow was a thing that each of them covered up according to their character--my old uncle through his passionate discipline, my mother through strict kindness and cleanly order. As for my grandfather, he used the patient art of ridicule."
p. 84

AliCorbin reviewed The plague of doves by Louise Erdrich

Review of 'The plague of doves' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The story of a small town, from its platting to its near death, when it's blowing away in the wind, told through a series of intertwined vignettes, stories and letters. The town was so small that, not only did everyone know each other, but they all dealt with each other constantly, and, after a few generations, were all related. There'd been a brutal murder early on, followed by a lynching, which echoed through the lives of both perpetrators and victims along with their descendants.

Sharyl reviewed The plague of doves by Louise Erdrich

Review of 'The plague of doves' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This was a great read. Louise Erdrich tells these stories so well, and the inter-connectedness of all of them feels like a great discovery, for the reader. If that makes any sense. I must add that Erdrich knows how to write a funny funeral! Her humor balances the tragedy so perfectly.

unicorndeburgh reviewed The plague of doves by Louise Erdrich

Review of 'The plague of doves' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Interlinked short stories give the effect of reading a novel.

The plague of doves

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