Customer Reviews

Shell Shaker

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

LeAnne Howe is one of the most talented writers I have read to date. Her characters are amazing, her voice is distinct and powerful, her stories are fantastic. I've been a fan of LeAnne for years and her work just keeps getting better and better!

LeAnne Howe's "Shell Shaker" is a novel that ties the present and the past generations together to show the importance of a community. Two political leaders, one from the 18th century and the other from the 20th century originally intend to do well for their communities but are later overtaken by greed. Both political leaders, Redford McAlester and Red Shoes, divide their communities by making war. With the help of the spirits the members of the communities must individually make sacrifices for the benefit of the whole community in order to obtain a balance between the tribes. The emotions of the characters in this novel range from romance to violence and murder. I enjoyed this novel because the characters have such an extensive list of emotions which caused me to identify with them as well as sympathize for them, therefore making each character seem real.

I just finished reading LeAnne Howe's novel, Shell Shaker, and was pleased to learn that it has won an American Book Award for 2002. The book concerns Choctaw society and takes place over three centuries. Howe does an excellent job of melding it all together, producing a story that holds your interest, and grips your imagination. The bridge between ancient Choctaw
history, and today's Choctaw culture is flawless. Shakbatina, Anoleta, Divine Sarah, Auda Billy and her family; all the strong, proud, funny, and scary women of this book teach us to endure and laugh at that endurance, knowing that, in the end everything really IS everything. The men are equally as interesting, flawed or heroic, this is definitely not a 'girly' book.
This book is a combination of mysticism, and mystery,
humor and tragedy, and keeps you guessing as to the outcome.
The research behind the novel is painstaking, and brings a realism that makes you care about the characters, even the bad guys. Redford McAlester didn't start out bad, nor did Red Shoes, but greed and power can turn souls.
Hope to see more of Ms. Howe's work in the future!

One character in LeAnne Howe's Shell Shaker describes the events of the novel as being "too fantastic." Another character remarks that she feels like she is living a "B rated movie." These are both good descriptions of Shell Shaker. It is a lively read but not a great novel. The story is full of bizarre plot twists and supernatural appearances. Unfortunately, Howe's writing is not fine enough to support so much intrigue and the novel ends up being simply episodic and strange. Howe's writing also fails to accommodate her many references to Choctaw culture and history. Howe is clearly trying to capture the rich cultural heritage of the Choctaw people, however she tries so hard that many of her cultural references sound artificial, as though forced into the narrative against common sense. The dialogue in Shell Shaker is particularly awkward, as when Adair says to her aunt Dovie, "The dining table represents consumerism. The things the English and the French taught the Indians: to love foreign things above all else. Auntie, you're describing internalized colonization. If you think foreigners' things, ideas, and religions are better than what your own culture has, then you're internally colonized."

Shell Shaker, by LeAnne Howe is one of the best modern novels I have read in a long time. On a purely entertainment level, the plot was intriguing and kept me interested until the end. Howe's in-depth portrayal of each character ensured that not one of them was merely a plot device, and I found myself relating to at least one aspect or characteristic of almost every character. Shell Shaker is a beautiful hybrid of traditional Choctaw culture and modern storytelling methods. Howe masterfully balances the drama and subtly modern audiences look for, without downplaying native storytelling traditions. Shell Shaker has all the elements of an epic, including the hero-cycle, fantasy, romance, betrayal, death, birth and warfare, making the story one we can all relate to at some level through its literary archetypes. These archetypes are far from stale, however, as Howe gives them new context, new flavor, and new meaning. Howe's narrative transition between the two time periods flows well largely, I think, due to the connections she draws between the women in the two times. The parallel plot lines, characteristics and actions of the women in 1738 and in1991 helped to clarify each other and provided the reader with additional insights into each part of the story. Howe's skill amazed me in every way, and I truly enjoyed getting to know the places and the peoples she portrays in Shell Shaker.

The ease of transition from generation to generation in this book was marvelous. The magic and power of these women and how it affects their everyday life was so real. It was astounding how the story plays out with such detail and realism that the reader gets the idea this isn't fiction at all, but real life events disguised as fiction. Great insight into the behind the scenes action of today's Native American political scene and how it relates to ancient traditions (or doesn't relate . . .)
A MUST READ FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY AND/OR MYSTERY. Thanks Leanne!! Any sequel coming?

Shell Shaker, by LeAnne Howe is one of the best modern novels I have read in a long time. On a purely entertainment level, the plot was intriguing and kept me interested until the end. Howe's in-depth portrayal of each character ensured that not one of them was merely a plot device, and I found myself relating to at least one aspect or characteristic of almost every character. Shell Shaker is a beautiful hybrid of traditional Choctaw culture and modern storytelling methods. Howe masterfully balances the drama and subtly modern audiences look for, without downplaying native storytelling traditions. Shell Shaker has all the elements of an epic, including the hero-cycle, fantasy, romance, betrayal, death, birth and warfare, making the story one we can all relate to at some level through its literary archetypes. These archetypes are far from stale, however, as Howe gives them new context, new flavor, and new meaning. Howe's narrative transition between the two time periods flows well largely, I think, due to the connections she draws between the women in the two times. The parallel plot lines, characteristics and actions of the women in 1738 and in1991 helped to clarify each other and provided the reader with additional insights into each part of the story. Howe's skill amazed me in every way, and I truly enjoyed getting to know the places and the peoples she portrays in Shell Shaker.

I've been waiting for a novel from Howe since I read some of her short stories in a couple of anthologies of Native American literature. It's been worth the wait.

I had expected Shell Shaker to be a book full of sharp, honest dialogue, full of emotional power, full of humor, and full of real Indian characters (not real *charicatures*). That I got. What I also got, and was blown away by, was the book's marriage of historical drama, modern drama, realism, mysticism, and *mystery* (the book turns out to be a real who-done-it).

In Shell Shaker, Howe weaves together a collection of stories of characters from Colonial Mississippi through present day Oklahoma in which she reveals a long, intertwined bloodline of betrayal, revenge and deliverance. Ultimately, Shell Shaker entwines its reader into a couple hundred years of Choctaw history, culture and personality.

This Choctaw supernatural odyssey is the first novel by author and playwright LeAnne Howe, who has been published in anthologies such as Spiderwoman's Granddaughters, Earth Song,Sky Spirit, Returning the Gift, and Through the Eye of the Deer.

Red Shoes, a Choctaw warrior in the 1700s, was assasinated by his own people for acts against the Choctaw nation. Red McAlester, a Choctaw tribal chieftan in the 1990s, is murdered for acts against the Choctaw nation. What these two men have in common, and the impact they have on the women in their lives, forms the basis for a fascinating read about Choctaw society then and now and the very important place family holds in Choctaw society.

I have been following LeAnne Howe's writing since I saw her play Indian Radio Days in 1993. Her story An American in New York has been published in the United States, Italy and Denmark. I have the tape Hawk in Hand, which is live performance of several of LeAnne's stories set to music. LeAnne has researched many aspects of Choctaw society, such as bone-picking and early interactions with French settlers.

All in all a good read. I look forward to seeing more of LeAnne's work in the future.

I disagree with the negative comments about this book. It is very readable with fun and interesting characters. I plan to teach it to undergrads and have no doubt they are smart enough to read it easily. Overall, Howe does a wonderful job of showing a Choctaw family in the late 20th century, with their families and living in a not overly-idealized Southern Oklahoma town.