June Reads
A Name of Her Own by Jae Kirkpatrick
Based on the true story of Marie Dorion. An ambitious Indian woman married to a half-blood (French Canadian Indian), Pierre Dorion, wants to be wife to a successful man. Pierre works as an interpreter for the Americans seeking to make a new trading route from the old Lewis and Clarke trading trail. She hopes that he will prove himself and get the recognition that no other half-breed ever has. This does not happen, of course. Pierre wants to leave his wife in safety while he goes off on the expedition, but she forces her will so that she and her two sons accompany the expedition. The presence of a woman and children saves the troupe several times, but also challenges her definition of a mother. Does she have the right to put her sons at such risk? This is a fascinating story of the early invasion of whites into the Northwest territory, and that of a woman's place among men, as well as that of an Indian among whites.
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
Poetically written. Sometimes you wonder what the point is as the author navigates between the different viewpoints of several individuals...but if you tough it out, you are well rewarded. Faye, the daughter of a half-blood mother and a white (crazy) father, is an antiques collector. She discovers an old indian drum among several other fantastic Indian artifacts in the estate of an old Indian trader. Something drives her to hide this drum from the family estate in an attempt to find the home from where it was originally stolen. We discover that the drum was built by a father, devastated by the loss of his family. His wife leaves him for another man in an ill-fated love affair. Horribly, to survive the trek to her lover, she is forced to fling her daughter into the mouths of starving wolves in order to survive. The drum is built with the bones of the dead child inside. The spirit of the daughter incompasses this drum, lending healing and sacrifice where it is needed most.
Virgin by Robin Maxwell
Just one of the many novels that Robin wrote about Queen Elizabeth. Doesn't she have any other stories in her? Anyway, this particular book has merit via her description of Anne Bolyn. Catherine Parr, Henry the VIII's last wife, brought Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward VI out of banishment and raised them lovingly as her own. She also sought to teach Elizabeth how to be queen, despite the fact that at the time it seemed highly unlikely she would ever be queen. Caherine said this....that Elizabeth had a lot to learn from her mother Anne...especially from what Anne had done wrong. She explains that Anne was an educated woman, rare at the time, and that her education served her well. However, she had never been taught to be a queen, and so her behaviors of flaunting her dislikes, hugging her power to herself and trying to hold back the people around her, served to bring on her own demise. She instructed Elizabeth to learn from her mother's mistakes and adopt her mother's virtues.
Green Girls by Michael Kimball
This book was frustrating in how obtuse the characters can be. Beliefs and suspicions are blindly converted to "fact" and the repercussions for these errors are vast. All of Michael's characters are poor communicators, hugging their stories to themselves, and refusing to share information even with those they trust. It gets really annoying.
Based on the true story of Marie Dorion. An ambitious Indian woman married to a half-blood (French Canadian Indian), Pierre Dorion, wants to be wife to a successful man. Pierre works as an interpreter for the Americans seeking to make a new trading route from the old Lewis and Clarke trading trail. She hopes that he will prove himself and get the recognition that no other half-breed ever has. This does not happen, of course. Pierre wants to leave his wife in safety while he goes off on the expedition, but she forces her will so that she and her two sons accompany the expedition. The presence of a woman and children saves the troupe several times, but also challenges her definition of a mother. Does she have the right to put her sons at such risk? This is a fascinating story of the early invasion of whites into the Northwest territory, and that of a woman's place among men, as well as that of an Indian among whites.
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
Poetically written. Sometimes you wonder what the point is as the author navigates between the different viewpoints of several individuals...but if you tough it out, you are well rewarded. Faye, the daughter of a half-blood mother and a white (crazy) father, is an antiques collector. She discovers an old indian drum among several other fantastic Indian artifacts in the estate of an old Indian trader. Something drives her to hide this drum from the family estate in an attempt to find the home from where it was originally stolen. We discover that the drum was built by a father, devastated by the loss of his family. His wife leaves him for another man in an ill-fated love affair. Horribly, to survive the trek to her lover, she is forced to fling her daughter into the mouths of starving wolves in order to survive. The drum is built with the bones of the dead child inside. The spirit of the daughter incompasses this drum, lending healing and sacrifice where it is needed most.
Virgin by Robin Maxwell
Just one of the many novels that Robin wrote about Queen Elizabeth. Doesn't she have any other stories in her? Anyway, this particular book has merit via her description of Anne Bolyn. Catherine Parr, Henry the VIII's last wife, brought Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward VI out of banishment and raised them lovingly as her own. She also sought to teach Elizabeth how to be queen, despite the fact that at the time it seemed highly unlikely she would ever be queen. Caherine said this....that Elizabeth had a lot to learn from her mother Anne...especially from what Anne had done wrong. She explains that Anne was an educated woman, rare at the time, and that her education served her well. However, she had never been taught to be a queen, and so her behaviors of flaunting her dislikes, hugging her power to herself and trying to hold back the people around her, served to bring on her own demise. She instructed Elizabeth to learn from her mother's mistakes and adopt her mother's virtues.
Green Girls by Michael Kimball
This book was frustrating in how obtuse the characters can be. Beliefs and suspicions are blindly converted to "fact" and the repercussions for these errors are vast. All of Michael's characters are poor communicators, hugging their stories to themselves, and refusing to share information even with those they trust. It gets really annoying.
posted by Rhonda L at 7:59 PM
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