Love Medicine [Paperback]

Louise Erdrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 1993

The first book in Louise Erdrich's Native American series, which also includes The Beet Queen, Tracks, and The Bingo Palace, Love Medicine tells the story of two families--the Kashpaws and the Lamartines.Now resequenced by the author with the addition of never-before-published chapters, this is a publishing event equivalent to the presentation of a new and definitive text. Written in Erdrich's uniquely poetic, powerful style, Love Medicine springs to raging life: a multigenerational portrait of new truths and secrets whose time has come, of strong men and women caught in an unforgettable drama of anger, desire, and the healing power that is Love Medicine. Discover the writer whom Philp Roth called "the most interesting new American novelist to have appeared in years" all over again.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This reissue of Erdrich's exquisite first novel includes five new sections that color and complement the original multigenerational saga of two extended families who live on and around a Chippewa reservation in North Dakota. Each chapter is narrated in a memorable voice like the one of Lipsha Morrissey, a young man who is believed to have "the touch," with which he attempts to bring his wandering grandfather back to his long-suffering grandmother with a love medicine made from goose hearts. By placing us right inside the heads of her remarkable characters, Erdrich allows us to feel the despair that insensitive government policies, poverty, and alcoholism have brought them. For those who have yet to discover this magical novel and for those who will have the pleasure of reexperiencing its heartbreak and its hope, this new version is highly recommended.
- Barbara Love, St. Lawrence Coll. , Kingston, Ontario
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Erdrich has added five new ``chapters'' to what in 1984 was originally called a novel. Then, and especially now (given the easy add-ons, the ready slotting of the new material), this formal insistence seems hollow and a bit pointless. The stories--which is what they are: none comes with narrative inter-hooks other than the times and constellation of Indian characters they encompass--remain vivid, often haunting, as at ease with the spirit world as they are able to mourn yet not discount the awful worldly circumstances that surround. The new stories are not equal to the best of the old here, but also do no particular damage to the net effect. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Expanded edition (November 17, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060975547
• ISBN-13: 978-0060975548
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Louise Erdrich is the author of twelve novels as well as volumes of poetry, children's books, and a memoir of early motherhood. Her debut novel, Love Medicine, won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her most recent novel, The Plague of Doves, a New York Times bestseller, received the highest praise from Philip Roth, who wrote, "Louise Erdrich's imaginative freedom has reached its zenith--The Plague of Doves is her dazzling masterpiece." Louise Erdrich lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Love medicines...something of an old Chippewa specialty.", May 13, 2005

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Love Medicine (Paperback)

Published in 1984, this stunning collection of interrelated short stories won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction. Focusing on the lives of several Chippewa Indian families, and the white families with whom they interact and/or marry, author Louise Erdrich depicts their traditional culture through some of the early characters, and, through later characters, the way the old ways change or become compromised through education, the introduction of religion by missionaries, and contact with modern society. The stories are set in North Dakota on or near a remote reservation, not far from the Canadian border, similar to the place where Erdrich grew up and where her parents worked as teachers for the Bureau of Indian Affairs

The stories reveal fifty years in the lives of the Kashpaw and Lamartine families from the 1930s to the 1980s, as they interact, intermarry, and ultimately try to figure out who they have become. Through her selection of details and her often lyrical descriptions, Erdrich creates vibrant local settings within which her characters tell their stories in lively, colloquial voices. Emotional, matter-of-fact, tormented, and sometimes angry, the characters are equally well drawn for both men and women.

The separate stories of Marie and Nector Kashpaw, which come together when they marry, occupy much of the very early years covered by the collection, but their stories also involve Lulu Lamartine, with whom Nector has a long affair. In the 1980s, Marie and Nector's grandson, Lipsha Morrissey, tries to create a "love medicine" for his elderly grandparents in an old age home, a story filled with ironies and, ultimately, dark humor. Between these stories time flashes forward and back as other generations, other children and parents from the same families, try to deal with the immediate aftermath of war, the harshness of the prison system, unemployment, and poverty.

As the characters overlap and interact throughout the stories, the author conveys Chippewa culture, the families' resistance to and acceptance of change, the roles of strong women in holding families together, the hostility towards the federal government, and the sometimes overwhelming despair of those who live on the reservation. The characters' sense of pride and endurance elevate even the saddest and most wrenching stories, however, while the bleak humor keeps them from becoming morbid or sentimental. Dramatic, thoughtful, and powerful, Erdrich's collection creates an unforgettable portrait of two families who represent a changing Chippewa nation. Mary Whipple

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Come to the "res" and get to know some very special people.., March 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Love Medicine (Paperback)

Colorful characters, vivid detail, and a whole range of emotion await the reader that embarks on a journey through Louise Erdrichs' 1985 book Love Medicine. Those who have no prior knowledge of life on an Indian Reservation will come away with a better understanding of Native American life in the twentieth century, while those who are familiar with life on "the res" will certainly find many things to relate to. Erdrich has managed to weave what may at first seem to be unrelated chapters into a colorful history of the lives of the Kashpaw and Nanapush families spanning five decades. Intertwined in the story are many other reservation residents all of whom add their unique contribution to this literary tapestry.

Each chapter is written in the style of its' primary character and reflects the individuals' point of view. Family alliances and feuds are played out, relationships become evident, and secrets are uncovered with each turn of a page. Events are often retold elsewhere in the book from another persons' perspective and the plots continue to thicken. Hopes and dreams often give way to stark reality. Some characters remain on the reservation accepting their lots in life and triumph despite personal tragedies, dysfunctional families, and adversity. Other characters don't cope as well and attempt to escape to the city only to find out that no matter where they go they cannot escape themselves or their destinies. Then, there are those that are so tortured by their life experiences that they see no other way out but the ultimate escape from life itself. Yet, despite tragedy and hardship, life endures. Each character has unique coping mechanisms and skills, and philosophy about life. As the book progresses the reader gets to know all the key characters very well.

Remarkable throughout the book is the connection and sense of extended family that exists in this community. Especially poignant is the way the matriarchs hold all aspects of reservation life together through good times and bad. Children are fostered as needed without question and raised alongside natural children, frailties accepted, those in need are cared for, eccentricities are tolerated, and indiscretions either forgiven or ignored. Doors are always open to friends and relatives, commodities shared, and family loyalty is a way of life. The community is interdependent on all its' members, as is clearly demonstrated when all the families in the community are included as employees of the short-lived Tomahawk Factory, and reap from both the success and failure of this trailblazing endeavor. The ways and superstitions of the Old World weave their way throughout the book adding interest, and sometimes mystery.

Using the personal experiences as a German-Native American and her keen insight into all aspects of life Erdrich brings to light the challenges of everyday life for this marginal population; those that live both in the old world and the new, and sometimes don't fit into either. With her skill at presenting a total picture of modern Native American lifestyle on the reservation the author brings to the readers' consciousness various socio-political messages. The presence of alcohol abuse and its' consequences resurfaces throughout the book both from the abusers' point of view and that of the victims. After an intimate look inside the lives of these fictional characters the root causes of what are often looked upon as hereditary traits become apparent. People need to feel valued, productive, and that there is hope for something better in their lives. Historically, reservation life has encouraged dependency on the government rather than self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship. The effects of parental alcoholism on children in the form of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome also cannot be ignored as a cause of this unfortunate cycle that clearly needs to be broken.

Come, spend some time at the "res", and if you aren't ready to leave when you turn the last page don't despair - this need not be the end. Step into the books' sequel The Bingo Palace. One can only wonder and imagine what further adventures and mysteries await within the walls what used to be the infamous Tomahawk Factory!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Plunge of the Brave, May 2, 2000

By 

Jason P. Gubbels - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Medicine (Paperback)

Native Americans have not been treated well in fiction. Too often, authors merely fall back on old stereotypes (such as Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales), but authors also risk the danger of reverse racism, in which a minority group is portrayed as so noble and godlike that they insult the human traits of the group (Dances With Wolves, for example). A realistic portrait of Native Americans is desperately needed, and Louise Erdrich fills this void impressively.

This is a deep, complicated book, encompassing many years and characters, jumping back and forth through time, alternating viewpoints with every chapter. Faulknerian in scope, the book is also blessed with a rich sense of humor, which lightens the mood and rounds out the characters. Yes, these people suffer in the book, and the plight of reservation life is presented without romance or any softening of the blow. Yet we laugh as much as we cry throughout "Love Medicine," because Erdrich is a gifted enough author to replace pathos with witty perserverence. This book requires patience and time, but has rich rewards. For an uplifting look at Native American life, and an insightful view on human nature in general, try Louise Erdrich.