Customer Reviews

Love Medicine

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It just does not seem fair that someone could claim this work as her first novel. It is so intricately woven, and the multiple narratives are so expertly spoken, that I find it very difficult to believe it came from a novice.

At this point, I have read approximately 15 Native American works/novels, including Momaday, Silko, Welch, Dorris, Alexie and Sa--and I think I must say that Erdrich's "Love Medicine" tops them all. It is well thought out...almost too well thought out.

It is funny and disturbing intermittently, but most of all, it is about families, rivals, and life. It is about connections.

Forget the fact that it is a "Native American Novel" and concern yourself only with the fact that it is one of the most engaging stories in contemporary fiction.

Warning: one must be on one's toes while reading this! Snooze for two paragraphs and you may be sorry. Much like Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich is a very deliberate writer...everything is written for a reason and you had best believe that every little detail is connected to something. This is a book you will insist upon reading at least twice.

P.S. Beware! There are two different versions of this novel out there...one of which is missing four valuable chapters. Before buying or borrowing, make sure your table of contents has "The Island," "Resurrection," "The Tomahawk Factory," and "Lyman's Luck." -Having read the more complete version of "Love Medicine," I absolutely cannot fathom doing without these four chapters. Avoid depriving yourself if possible.

Simply fantastic. It is a shame though, that she is not included in the canon of literary geniuses of American history. Her stories read beautifully and her artistic ability to paint a picture with words is amazing. Read all her books, they are all wonderful.

First off, let me say that I might have liked this book better if I had not read other books by this same author. The problem is that, to me, they all seem the same. I see plot elements reused from title to title, and within the story itself. Even if I hadn't read other books from this author, I would be hard pressed to give this a positive review. Like others here have mentioned, it jumps around so much, it almost makes you nauseated, and not just from character to character, the story is not even written with anything even vaguely resembling chronological order. It jumps back forth from decade to decade in an almost humorous manner. Also, you'll find yourself flipping to the family tree at the beginning of the book constantly in a likely futile attempt to figure out how all the seemingly random characters tie together.

In conclusion, the potential value of this story and the morals that it is meant to portray are largely lost in its random construction and nearly cliche plot elements.

I never got this text! I ordered four books, this one has yet to be delivered to me. I have sent emails to the seller and have never gotten a response, same thing when I emailed Amazon. I did check this book out of the library to read for a class...it is an excellent Novel-I highly recommend it, just not from this seller.