Genealogy Books - The Plague of Doves: A Novel

Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: Interesting read but not satisfying
Comment: Though very well written and interesting in parts, I had a hard time feeling satisfied with the book
as a novel. It was disjointed and had so many characters that I couldn't keep everyone straight. A
family tree diagram would have been helpful. The ending and reveal of the murderer was totally flat
with no motive given for the killings. It didn't even make sense. I found some of the sexual
situations too descriptive for good taste. It seemed that they were more gratuitous than actually
necessary for the plot. I plodded along through the whole book hoping that in the end it would all
come together. But when I was finished, I wondered why I had bothered to read it. I was very
disappointed with the book as a whole.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Not as good as I thought it would be
Comment: When I read a review of this book in Vogue, I got so excited about it I searched for it for weeks. I
finally found it in Borders, but having only $20 on me, I couldn't afford the $25 hardback. When I
finally found the book in my local libary, I snatched it off the shelf!
The Plague of Doves
is a story that chronicles a dying town in North Dakota. Along with tales of how the town was
founded, the story centers around the murder of an entire farm family- of which only a sleeping
infant was spared, and of the hanging of several town residents unfairly blamed for the crime. Tales
of the town's mixed race residents (American Indian and French) are also included, told from the pov
of Evelina, a girl who constantly hopelessly falls in love, her aunt's lover the Judge Coutts, and
even her aunt's lover's former lover, among many. While interesting, the story doesn't seem to
really have a point, and when the truth behind the murder is finally revealed (on the last page) the
reader is left wondering what all the hype was.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Plague of Doves
Comment: My review is very prejudiced as I am a great of fan of all Susan Erdrich's works. Like most of her
stories about Fleur's family and tribe this story is so interwoven and immersed in the past it makes
the recently forgotten past all the more painful to read about. Americans think of themselves as so
future oriented it is surprising to find ourselves just as trappped and burdened by the past as the
rest of the Old World. Keep it coming Susan Erdrich!

Customer Rating:

Summary: The Majestic Rocky Mountains of Contemporary Literature?
Comment: I am a huge Erdrich fan, and it pains me to say that this book, like Last Report from Little No
Horse, seems to have two or three monumental chapters that stand above the rest--the chapters that
have also been published as short stories--and many of the other chapters seem to be a way from
getting from one mountain to the next. Though it is not in my mind one of her best books, it is
still an EXCELLENT book--even the weakest of Erdrich's books are brilliantly conceived and written.
I also applaud the overall theme and message of the book: that one act of violence can affect
generations of people, and that we must work to uncover the racist inequities of the past to heal
the present. Recommended.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A Plague to Read
Comment: What a struggle to read through these disjointed tales of 3 generations. I was so anxious to read
Erdich's latest; I've read and been nourished by all her preceding works.

Our summer
cabin is on tribal land; I understand the culture. But who can keep track of all the characters?
(and then their nicknames). If it wouldn't be so much work, I would re-read the entire book, with
lists at hand, writing down names of characters and plot development.

As an English
teacher, perhaps some transition is needed before another chapter and cast of characters bounds onto
the page.

Yes, I did read the same book the 5-star reviewers did; I'm just glad that
I'm done with the struggle and can return the book to the library.

Back to The Plague of Doves: A Novel

Showing page 5 of 7
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |