• The Round House

  • A Novel
  • By: Louise Erdrich
  • Narrated by: Gary Farmer
  • Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (3,829 ratings)

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The Round House  By  cover art

The Round House

By: Louise Erdrich
Narrated by: Gary Farmer
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Publisher's summary

National Book Award, Fiction, 2012

One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and 13-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.

While his father, who is a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning.

Written with undeniable urgency, and illuminating the harsh realities of contemporary life in a community where Ojibwe and white live uneasily together, The Round House is a brilliant and entertaining novel, a masterpiece of literary fiction. Louise Erdrich embraces tragedy, the comic, a spirit world very much present in the lives of her all-too-human characters, and a tale of injustice that is, unfortunately, an authentic reflection of what happens in our own world today.

©2012 Louise Erdrich (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

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What listeners say about The Round House

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OUTSTANDING !

An excellent read, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Well written and narrated, I recommend it highly!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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I Love Louise Erdrich

She is a Wonderful Writer. I always enjoy her incredible stories. Thank you for another one!

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Never Disappointed

Absolutely loved this book. Louise has a beautiful way with language, and Gary Farmer was the perfect narrator.

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More!

Keeps you wanting more! I liked the story a lot. I just feel like I'm left with more questions than answers. Happy i took the time though!

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What a Story Teller.

A better example of how discrimination could not have been written. If one did not believe before, anyone would see now.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Terrible Narration

The story itself is okay - it gets silly at times, and people are sometimes caricatures instead of characters. Although the narration improved very slightly after the first chapter (which was really, really awful), it did nothing to improve the book. There were even clear mistakes in the reading that should have been edited, but weren't. Not great in anyway.

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Beautifully written

Enlightened by the Native American perspective and the wisdoms of the storytelling. I think this is a book men would enjoy as much or more than women.

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Required fiction for college

I listened to this story to hasten my time in my college literature class. It is required reading and I drive a lot, so I thought it would be easier to listen. The story is quite good, compelling, interesting, and encompasses a lot of issues and symbolism. The narrator, however is a large problem. They were right to choose a Native American male voice, as is the character, but that's all that is correct. The voice should sound middle-aged but instead sounds 20 years older than that. He mumbles often. Some passages were obviously recorded on a different day as his voice sounds totally different, to the point I considered they may have switched the narrator. Some passages sounded like they were sight-read instead of practiced. Some worlds were clearly pronounced wrong, and not as a style choice. I think it should have been recast and re-recorded. It's actually one of the worst audiobook narrations I have ever listened to.

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Engaging, authentic.

I loved this book and listened every chance I got. The lives of the characters was authentic according to my experience, with captivating events that drew you deeper into the mystery.

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A beautifully evocative novel, and beautifully delivered.

The language is perfectly simple, the images are beautifully painted, the many different themes of family, friends, community and Native American persecution are woven together seamlessly, and always with a light touch. The humorous episodes in chapter 9 are lethal and unadorned. Just a terrific read (listen in my case).

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