I was eager to read Louise Erdrich' book The Plague of Doves until I started it...it was a book I ended up struggling through, not because it was difficult to read, but because it was difficult to navigate. There were too many characters to keep track of, they bounced all over place and time, and ultimately connected at the end, but by threads so thin, it was very hard to see how. I was not the only person to share these same sentiments when we discussed the book. I was hoping the discussion would bring a little clarity to the book. I feel like I have a bit more understanding of the book, but am still left feeling frustrated. A family tree would have been very helpful. I understand that Erdrich has done that for her later books, as a great many readers complained that they could not follow her stories without one! I am glad I read her book, I am not sure if I will read another one, I promised if I did it would be on my own time, not in book group! In this youtube video, Erdrich discusses her book:
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Jennifer Mcgillis
I have been working at the Morse Institute Library for 18 years, and running the Wednesday evening book group since February 2005. |