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

OUTSTANDING !

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

The right voice for this Erdrich story

Would you listen to The Round House again? Why?

Yes. The voice grows on you, with its reservation pauses and pronunciations. The story spirals through time, with details in its diversions that will take more than one listen to catch.

What other book might you compare The Round House to and why?

Not a book, but a Joni Mitchell song--Cherokee Louise

Which character – as performed by Gary Farmer – was your favorite?

Mooshum

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

Cappy, because he'd be good company and easy on the eye, from what I hear

a rubik's cube kind of story

First time author, very interesting. The author is part Chippewa who grew up in Minnesota with her Cjhippewa roots in North Dakota where this story takes place. The author went to Dartmouth as part of the first time ever co-ed class there in the 1970's when the school was introducing Native American studies. She met and married a professor in that program. They had a family, moved away, she got her Masters at John Hopkins then the marriage fell apart. She moved home to Minnesota to be close to her family and write stories with Native American themes and backgrounds. I read in the reviews of this book that it's a coming of age story and it is that. But I suspect it's more than that. Many authors write from their personal experiences. I suspect at least some of this book is a confessional and a way to heal and move forward from her own past and something for her children to learn and grow from. I invite you to research the author's background and come up with your own conclusions. I invite you to google image the author and see for yourself if you don't see a sadness in her eyes. Whatever you conclude it's a very interesting story. Enjoy

Phillip Roth was right - it is a marvelous book!

Would you listen to The Round House again? Why?

Excellent, powerful writing and an intriguing story. It felt more like a male was writing than a female and this is not meant to be sexist. Erdrich competes with the best authors I have ever read (and that does include Roth).

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

A Native American accent and speech enhance the story.

Reflective and Thoughtful

What did you love best about The Round House?

The narrator's voice and style matched the cultural context and storytelling of the native people very well.

What did you like best about this story?

Promotes culture values and beliefs, while providing an excellent well developed plot.

What about Gary Farmer’s performance did you like?

Excellent!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the woman that was raped set up and spoke when she heard the baby's name mentioned in a conversation, who she was protecting by her silence.

Wonderful like all Erdrich.

If you could sum up The Round House in three words, what would they be?

Nice to get the male perspective.
Great story.
Lives up to her tradition of greatness.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Round House?

The scene in the hospital.

Which character – as performed by Gary Farmer – was your favorite?

The father

If you could rename The Round House, what would you call it?

The Round House

Left Field Ending

I really wanted to like this book and I persevered through the end but it was a struggle. Perhaps it is cultural but I simply could not connect with the characters. The ending appeared out of nowhere and resolved nothing.

Narrator was perfect for the book.

Slow and rather boring

I managed to get through the whole book but it really didn't catch my attention at any point. When I bought the book I was expecting a thriller which this is not. I should have probably find out more about the author before purchase... Just not my kind of story.

Story touched my heart

Would you listen to The Round House again? Why?

Probably. There are a lot of layers to this story that made me think.

What did you like best about this story?

The book was a lot like Angela's Ashes for me. It had both deep tragedy and light hearted moments - often layered on top of each other,

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

He sounds native American; so it is as if the man the boy became is telling you the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both. Sometimes one right after the other.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book and have to several people. It was not what i expected - the story was more nuanced and interesting than I anticipated.

Terrific story, terrible narration

I almost gave up on this wonderful story because of the terrible narration. As others have mentioned, Mr. Farmer seems to have no idea where to start or end a sentence. It made for very tough listening, but stick with it and you will be well rewarded with a fantastic story, full of both the best and worst of human nature. I will definitely get the book, as I know I blanked out listening to parts of the first half. Does Audible ever re-record books? If not, stick with the print copy. Certainly worth having in your library.