The Antelope Wife Book

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by: Louise Erdrich

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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: Rating: - Not Erdrich's best work I must say that I was somewhat dissapointed with this book. I expected more depth from the characters than what they could give. I miss characters like Lipsha, as complex as the stories of which they were a part. As usual, all the characters are tied to one another in a knot which has no beginning or end. Unfortunately, the depth which they lack makes this, as another person commented "hard to follow". Erdrich ties them together for the sake of having them tied; many of the connections among them are forced at best. The big, loose, loopish, way in which the story is written makes this the most authentic piece of Native American Fiction Erdrich has ever written. Had the characters been more developed, it would have been one of her best. Rating: - Erdrich is back on track with this novel I was disappointed in Louise Erdrich's previous novel, Tales of Burning Love, which I thought was overly sensationalistic--a bit "Hollywood" for my taste. In The Antelope Wife, however, she has returned to an approach that is reminiscent of her first and most triumphant novel, Love Medicine. She writes in a style that may be difficult for some readers to accept--no,it's not "obscure" in the sense of a James Joyce novel, but she changes voices, time frames, and situations constantly. The result is a tapestry-like narrative that is uniquely effective, in my view. Erdrich has a way with words that is rare in today's literary world, despite the countless novels that are published annually. Moreover, because of her own Native American heritage, she is able to convey with incredible effectiveness the realities of past and present life and consciousness within those Indian cultures with which she is familiar. This is a fine work, one that makes me look forward all the more to Louise Erdrich's next book. Rating: - A beaded tapestry The theme of this Erdrich novel is beaded tapestry and how our lives are smilarly woven into a pattern. She also shows the interweaving of past and present, the animal world with the human world, and myth with reality. Common wisdom says that narrative should almost always be in one voice and that stories should move in a linear progression. Erdrich, as do many of the best Native American writers, shows that this is not necessarily so. Though I did find myself frustrated sometimes trying to follow the connections of past and present, and how different people were related, it became clear in the end that the tale was told in a circle, and eventually it all made sense. Erdrich does not tie up all of the loose ends, however. There remains some mystery, for example, in the characters of the two grandmothers, which is what gives the story a lasting value and keeps you thinking long after you've finished reading. The one flaw, for me, though, was that the weavi!ng still had some loose threads. Like the telling of a family history, everything is included, even the parts that are not necessary to the plot. Perhaps I missed something in my reading or interpretation, but I felt that the story of Sweet Heart Calico (the true antelope wife) and Klaus could have stood alone. While it was fascinating and well handled in and of itself, it really was not necessary to the main story. Also the story of the German soldier was a bit superfluous. Of course, Erdrich was not really writing a family history. She was writing a novel about family histories, and as such, she could have done a little more weeding and honing. In spite of its small flaws, however, this is still a beautiful and well-written work.

The Antelope Wife Book

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