The Round House

A Novel

By: Louise Erdrich

Narrated by: Gary Farmer

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

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

Great story, perfectly styled narration

This book was chosen by my book club and is one I probably wouldn't have listened to on my own. I'm so glad I had the chance to experience The Round House. It's an excellent coming of age story with beautiful imagery, distinct characters, drama woven with humor, and told with perfect narration. I highly recommend it!

A well written and engaging story

I enjoyed this book tremendously! It's an interesting story about a boy growing up on an Indian reservation in North Dakota and how he handles difficult family issues. The book is well written and the reader does a good job as well.

Absolutely gutted.

Louise Erdrich is masterful. A dark & glorious coming of age novel. You won’t regret reading.

worth every second of your time.

not necessary to read plague of doves first, but who would want to miss any detail of this complexly brutal and beautiful world ms. erdrich has created.

starting la rose first thing tomorrow.

A Great Story

An intriguing and wonderful peek into the loves, struggles, lives and culture of a segment of Native American people.

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.

Lots to love/Lots that feels unresolved

There is a lot in this story that is intriguing. The plot is good, the characters are excellent, the Native American culture is fascinating--but the story is disjointed and it can be hard to follow. There are parts that never seem to fully synchronize. I think a second reading might help reconcile the odd flow of the story. I do find the ending to be a bit frustrating...it seems unresolved, but that may be the point. I almost gave this book three stars, but its story and themes are very alive in my mind, and I'm still processing it--the fact that it stays with me and is thought provoking warrants the extra star.

I like the coming of age aspects of the main character; I like that the story addresses the complications of seeking justice in a world that separates legal issues on a reservation from the rest of the nation. There's some interesting references to twins and the Native American belief of the importance of balancing good and evil, light and dark--that one is necessary for the other. This reminded me of some Native American origin stories.

There is a lot to digest, and I think this book would lend itself well to discussion.

An engaging and worthwhile read

Coming of age on a reservation. Close friendships. Close family ties. Inequalities in administration of justice. Complex legal issues between federal government and the reserve. A horrible rape and attempted murder. Justice the illegal way. The story is rich and the reader has the cadences of First Nations peoples. The story is told from the point of view of a 13-year-old son of an Indian judge, and it is his mother who is the victim of rape. I would read more by this author.

One of my favorite (loved) Erdrich books.

The reader is perfect, just what the story needs, the voice of a native American. This book has all of Erdrich's best qualities: story, passion, mystery, humor, caritas. I will read it again & again.

local Erdrich fan

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, but only if you have read some other works by Louise Erdrich there are characters that pepper this novel from some of her earlier works that make it delightful to hear them mentioned again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Linda - she just had a mystery about her.

What does Gary Farmer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice but I felt his accent was spot on...and brought real life to the male characters especially.

If you could take any character from The Round House out to dinner, who would it be and why?

That's tough probably "ooops" I just loved him!