Genealogy Books - The Plague of Doves: A Novel

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Summary: The interconnectedness of everything
Comment: THE PLAGUE OF DOVES was stitched together from a number of short stories, many of them previously
published in "The New Yorker". There is a bit of disjointedness, but it is remarakable how well the
patchwork comes together to make a whole, integral quilt (a metaphor that I see has occurred to
other reviewers as well).

The novel covers a century of life in North Dakota, focusing
on the lives of several Ojibwe Indian families and the Europeans who interact and intermarry with
them. The central event is the murder, in 1911, of a farm family (save for an infant daughter who
is overlooked and reappears near the end of the book), and the subsequent lynching of three Indians,
rashly and wrongly accused of the murders (though sparing a fourth Indian, who, much later in life,
is a central figure in the narrative). "The Plague of Doves" is the story that opens the book, and
it features an almost surreal scene (I think of Ingmar Bergman) in which the inhabitants of rural
North Dakota go forth from the Catholic Church, led by a priest with a makeshift censer, into the
fields to beat and shoo away hordes of doves -- or, apparently, passenger pigeons -- which cover the
terrain. But throughout the novel there is a lot of dove-like beating of wings in people's souls
and bodies, and there are several references to the dove as the incarnation of the Holy Spirit and
there is a sense in which some of the characters' anxieties can be traced to a little too much
religious fervor.

Typical, perhaps, of a small town on the high plains, everyone seems
to be related somehow to someone else and to some of the legendary or mythical events of the past,
especially the 1911 murders and lynchings. As Judge Coutts says, "Nothing that happens, nothing, is
not connected here by blood."

Throughout, there are numerous references to the life of
the contemporary Indian (specifically, the Ojibwe), but in a casual, off-hand manner, without ever
even beginning to coalesce into a screed or polemic. Rather than the plight of Native Americans,
the novel is more about various aspects of the plight of human beings. And the subsurface message is
that humans come and go in the continuous transformation of the universe. Indeed, entire towns and
peoples come and go.

In addition to moments of tragedy and human cruelty, there are
also moments of love and episodes of high hilarity. Indeed, THE PLAGUE OF DOVES is narrated, for
the most part, in voices (there are four different narrators) of love and good humor. The novel is
not uniform in quality, and it is not a "great" novel, but it is quite well-done and well worth
reading. It was the first of Louise Erdrich's novels that I read, and I will make a point to read
more of her work.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Plague of Doves
Comment: Louise Erdrich writes complex, fascinating novels. Plague of Doves continues her tradition by
focusing on the murder of a farm family a few generations earlier in North Dakota. As in the
author's previous tales, plots weave in and out to form a tapestry, this time, of intermarriage
between Ojibwe and white, false accusations, family truths which are only true for them, historical
injustice, love, and lies.

The narrators are Evalina Harp, Marn Wolde, Judge Antone
Bazil Coutts and Doctor Cordelia Lochren. Evalina tells of her Grandfather Mooshum's recollection of
his first encounter with his wife... "'And there she was!' Mooshum paused in his story. His hands
opened and the hundreds of wrinkles in his face folded into a mask of unsurpassable happiness." He
goes on to describe how they both were young teens attempting to scare away the thousands of doves
invading their fields. The couple ran and didn't look back. But they do come back and play a major
role in the tale.

The narrators tell their stories; however, the tapestry remains
unfinished, waiting for the next generation to weave their own pattern. We, the readers, know some
truths before the inhabitants of the story. Stamps, violins, and a hanging tree all play small, yet
important parts.

Erdrich is a master. As the tale unfolds, she draws us into the
compelling community that on the surface is ordinary and mundane, and underneath is full of the high
drama of humanity. She excels at portraying people, people most of us would never meet, yet people
who will remain in our consciousness.

by Judith Helburn
for Story Circle Book
Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Customer Rating:

Summary: A Satisfying Read
Comment: I am a big fan of Louise Erdrich and have read most of her books. 'Plague of Doves' may not quite be
her best, which I still think is 'Love Medecine' (which I totally recommend) but it's a very
satisfying read if you like big novels with interlocking stories. 'Plague of Doves' is almost like
'The Hours' in the way that it interweaves plots from various timeframes and draws parallels between
past and present events-although Erdrich's book has the advantage of also being a pretty good,
suspenseful murder mystery. I found Erdrich's evocation of the historical setting of the Dakota
Territory circa 1910 to be totally convincing and could easily picture this book as a TV
mini-series. The best sections, though, are the ones that deal with everyday reservation life in the
1970s, which seemed to me completely convincing. There are lots of good, well-drawn characters here
that you can identify with, especially Evelina, who narrates long portions of the book. In the end,
I found the resolution of the murder slightly anti-climactic and really enjoyed the book most for
its compelling sense of place and for all the small narratives interspersed throughout. All in all,
a really good book to pack in your carry-on bag during a long vacation-which is how I read it!

Customer Rating:

Summary: Disappointing
Comment: This was the first book I read of this author, and although I persevered through it, when I reached
the end, I decided it was rather a waste of time. I couldn't remember who was related to whom, and
why I should care. True, some of the writing was quite lyrical--maybe that's why I finished the
book--but when I got to the end, I had to go back and figure out why the murder had been committed
in the first place. I really couldn't relate to any of the characters, particularly, although I was
moved by the tragedy of the lynching. Otherwise, Erdich's violin and all the music around it fell
into a black hole for me. I wouldn't recommend this book.

Customer Rating:

Summary: I can still do it
Comment: Read a book in one sitting and tell about it.
I did wait to have a friend loan me this book
because I think
25.95 USA is too expensive. My friend did not like PLAGUE OF DOVES.
/>Howsomever, this author has done it again. There seems to be a whole
new cast of characters
and I could not reconize any (but will read it again and see) as it made me laugh and cry as I did
with her first book LOVE MEDICINE.

Her manner of drawing one in with chapter titles
such as "a little nip"
wherein not only do the old men sit around nipping on good whiskey, the
pinto horse takes a nip out of nosy priest's arm and is just one of the many reasons this is a page
turner.

I do wonder why she writes much about Dakota when the action is mostly in
Minnesota and Montana. I think I know a man who has family who had connection to "MUSTACHE MAUDE"
but will be surprised at love affair with Chief Gall. But was there really a Louis Riel?
/>

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