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pastelwriter's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
From a more objective standpoint, this is a good book. It simply did not work for me.
The main reason this book didn’t work for me was because I didn’t like Cedar. I’m unfortunately one of those readers that has to either bond with the protagonists or not be explicitly bothered by them. In this book, the protagonist just did not work for me. Between her religiousness and her hopeful outlook in absolute everything despite the world being absolute chaos, I just couldn’t deal with her.
In addition, the author is the audiobook narrator...and I did not like her as a narrator. I’m usually a fan of when authors narrate their books, but it did not work for me here. It just made Cedar feel even more annoying to me.
Regardless, I was intrigued by the change the world was going through in this book. I appreciated the premise and was intrigued by it. I thought there was a realistic portrayal of what the world may come to if the events of this book were to occur in real life. The premise was what kept me reading because I did genuinely want to know what would happen next.
At the end of the day, my thoughts aren’t worth much because it was for incredibly subjective reasons that this book didn’t work for me. I would still highly recommend it. Form your own opinion on it.
The main reason this book didn’t work for me was because I didn’t like Cedar. I’m unfortunately one of those readers that has to either bond with the protagonists or not be explicitly bothered by them. In this book, the protagonist just did not work for me. Between her religiousness and her hopeful outlook in absolute everything despite the world being absolute chaos, I just couldn’t deal with her.
In addition, the author is the audiobook narrator...and I did not like her as a narrator. I’m usually a fan of when authors narrate their books, but it did not work for me here. It just made Cedar feel even more annoying to me.
Regardless, I was intrigued by the change the world was going through in this book. I appreciated the premise and was intrigued by it. I thought there was a realistic portrayal of what the world may come to if the events of this book were to occur in real life. The premise was what kept me reading because I did genuinely want to know what would happen next.
At the end of the day, my thoughts aren’t worth much because it was for incredibly subjective reasons that this book didn’t work for me. I would still highly recommend it. Form your own opinion on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
corinnereads7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy
datamonkey's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy
laurnd11's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization
alsoapples's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Animal death and Torture
wildflower37's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Drug use
glitteringeyes418's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This past weekend I absolutely devoured this dystopian read by a beloved Indigenous author. I read Erdrich's earlier novel Love Medicine, and though I enjoyed it as well, this one was much more fast paced and absorbing.
This novel follows Cedar Hawk Songmaker, a 26 year old woman who is pregnant during very strange, end of days times in which evolution is going backwards, affecting the viability of babies and all animals are devolving. Cedar was adopted by Minneapolis liberals, never seeking out her birth parents until she becomes pregnant and seeks out family medical history and Ojibwe roots. This novel is written exclusively in second person from Cedar's perspective to her unborn child.
This book is SO GOOD! I enjoyed it so much and absolutely sped through this novel, reading it in just over 24 hours which is very unusual for me. It seems like this book had some mixed reviews, which I could see (Erdrich doesn't fully explain the mechanism/implications of reverse evolution in this world). However I was 100% here for the personal impact of a broader disaster, i.e. how it impacted her personally. Since pregnant women are required to turn themselves in to be studied in a hospital per government request, Cedar is impacted by this policy. I loved the surging hope, the unique and memorable cast of characters and the tense and urgent vibe. Some of the camaraderie here reminded me of Girl, Interrupted. Some other comps are Bird Box and The Handmaid's Tale.
I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for a propulsive dystopian read and enjoy the focus on the personal impact of the end of days rather than the minutiae of such downfall. I give this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐, though I may rate it higher depending on the long term resonance.
"I don't know why it is given to us to be so mortal and to feel so much. It is a cruel trick, and glorious."
"This is how the world ends, I think, everything crazy yet people doing normal things."
"Where will you be my darling, the last time it snows on earth?"
This novel follows Cedar Hawk Songmaker, a 26 year old woman who is pregnant during very strange, end of days times in which evolution is going backwards, affecting the viability of babies and all animals are devolving. Cedar was adopted by Minneapolis liberals, never seeking out her birth parents until she becomes pregnant and seeks out family medical history and Ojibwe roots. This novel is written exclusively in second person from Cedar's perspective to her unborn child.
This book is SO GOOD! I enjoyed it so much and absolutely sped through this novel, reading it in just over 24 hours which is very unusual for me. It seems like this book had some mixed reviews, which I could see (Erdrich doesn't fully explain the mechanism/implications of reverse evolution in this world). However I was 100% here for the personal impact of a broader disaster, i.e. how it impacted her personally. Since pregnant women are required to turn themselves in to be studied in a hospital per government request, Cedar is impacted by this policy. I loved the surging hope, the unique and memorable cast of characters and the tense and urgent vibe. Some of the camaraderie here reminded me of Girl, Interrupted. Some other comps are Bird Box and The Handmaid's Tale.
I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for a propulsive dystopian read and enjoy the focus on the personal impact of the end of days rather than the minutiae of such downfall. I give this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐, though I may rate it higher depending on the long term resonance.
"I don't know why it is given to us to be so mortal and to feel so much. It is a cruel trick, and glorious."
"This is how the world ends, I think, everything crazy yet people doing normal things."
"Where will you be my darling, the last time it snows on earth?"
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Miscarriage
kelseak96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm recognizing that I'm not a big fan of this-is-how-the-world-ends books... That being said, I appreciate how ambiguous Erdrich left so much of the political context in this book, because I bet the end of the world is a lot of confusion, grey areas, and the average person not knowing what's happening as it all collapses. I definitely have a lot of questions lingering, but nothing that feels unfulfilled, necessarily. I feel like I knew exactly as much as the narrator did, which isn't much. Per usual, Erdrich's writing about nature and families are some of the best there is, all of the characters were complex and fairly sympathetic, and the story itself is a beautiful blend of heartbreaking and inspiring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Forced institutionalization
willohreadz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Vomit
btaylorb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Kidnapping
Moderate: Infertility and Miscarriage