Bones Of Plenty (Borealis Books) [Paperback]

Lois P. Hudson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Borealis Books | Publication Date: March 15, 1984

Hudson's powerful novel centers on a proud, determined, and independent North Dakota wheat farmer, his hardworking wife, and their family as they struggle during the Depression years of 1933 and 1934.

Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press (March 15, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873511751
• ISBN-13: 978-0873511759
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unearthed Bones: A Diamond In the Rough, June 30, 2001

By 

Greg Ryan (Woodland Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bones Of Plenty (Borealis Books) (Paperback)

For years, it seemed, I'd hear bits & pieces about a book entitled "The Bones of Plenty": how great it was, how its story, about bleak farming life on the harsh plains of North Dakota during the Great Depression, rivaled even Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath". But I knew, of course, that connoisseurs of fine literature, in possession of their full faculties, would respond to such a claim with a vitriolic & sarcastic "okay, sure". Well, I, oddly enough, discovered this weighty piece of work, penned by Lois Hudson, published 1962, not for casual reading but as research material. Its story's geography and flavor, you see, was to quench my thirst for much-needed data for my own next novel.

I scanned editorial reviews of Hudson's "Bones" on the Internet, and saw, to my surprise, that a few critics did indeed rank it with "Grapes". I, of course, remained skeptical. Now, having read "The Bones of Plenty", I must agree: It is rugged & truthful, hopeless & brutal. It is magnificent in every way.

Is "Bones" the absolute equal of "Grapes"? Perhaps not, perhaps due to its safe distance of time from the Depression Era; an era that Steinbeck's words, in real time, painted so artfully. Perhaps since North Dakota doesn't hold the Hollywood charm for film as did Steinbeck's golden California, and, just maybe, because readers suspected Hudson no doubt drew inspiration from Steinbeck, & not vice-versa, "The Bones" could not quite climb that "Grapeful" platitude. Who knows? But it DOES rank. READ IT! It is amongst the rarest & best works of fine literature. And, dare I admit this? IT HAS BROKEN INTO MY TOP 10! As an avid reader myself of classics, I was at first stunned by how The Bones so quickly took its rightful place alongside The Old Man, Eden, Mockingbird, Fountainhead, Deliverance, King's Men, Lonesome Dove, etc., on my very exclusive list; hallowed ground, stingily reserved.

So I re-read Modern Library's 100 Greatest 20th Century Novels and similar published rankings, certain I'd find my "Bones" comfortably amongst the elite. But nothing. "Bones" made not one list! Hmmm...where & why were "The Bones" buried? Why Hudson - a great writer's ghostwriter - lack of notoriety? Was Hudson's beautiful "Bones" buried in the early-60's avalanche of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? Joseph Heller's Catch 22?: great books both, and both, like The Bones of Plenty, notched in my personal Top 20. Perhaps we'll never know. I suspect North Dakota's writers receive about as much respect & fanfare as does the humble state from which they come.

So my hat's off to Lois P. Hudson; a woman whose politics, I've gathered, could not be more distant from my own conservative views. (I was not pleased by her recent comments on GWB!) But, politics aside, it is my testimony to say that readers of fine works are a little less blessed for not having unearthed & wept over Lois' "Bones". I suggest they grab a shovel. The literary world owes her a belated thanks for this glorious book. Thank you, Lois. Greg Ryan

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An overwhelmingly honest book, October 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bones Of Plenty (Borealis Books) (Paperback)

As a farmer of 20 years myself, Lois Hudson has touched a nerve with her novel. The roller-coaster of emotions and vivid descriptions she gives of agriculture in the Dakotas are suprisingly true to this day. The sense of pride for an honest way of life, the anger springing from the lack of control over events, people, weather and markets,and the ultimate indifference to the farmers existence displayed by urban populace stings like salt in a wound. I only wish that more Americans would read and experience this wonderful novel. Perhaps they would better understand the small minority that works to feed them.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Things fall apart in North Dakota, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bones Of Plenty (Borealis Books) (Paperback)

My father grew up on a farm in South Dakota during the Depression, and endured many of the things described in Ms. Hudson's fine book: dust storms, locusts, mind-deadening work, and a sense of futility. I am surprised that I had never heard of this book until recently, when I read about it in Ms. Norris' "Dakota", a book that was exasperating but worth reading just to find out about "Bones of Plenty".

Since Ms. Hudson spent her early years in North Dakota, I suspect that her book is largely autobiographical. She is to be commended for presenting her characters realistically, and yet sympathetically. Some of the people in her book may appear to be villains, but, ultimately, all of them are victims of the same awful combination of environmental and financial collapse. This is one of the many books that one can read that makes one proud of our farmers at the same time that one questions their judgment in choosing a career that is both demanding and risky.