Fiction

The Sentence CD

The Sentence CD

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-27 11:21:05
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Louise Erdrich
  • ISBN：0063144867
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Summary

In this powerful and timely novel， National Book Award winning author Louise Erdrich explores how the burdens of history， and especially identity， appropriation， exploitation， and violence done to human beings in the name of justice， manifest in ordinary lives today。

Revolving around a small independent bookstore in contemporary Minneapolis， The Sentence follows a turbulent year in the life of a strong though vulnerable Ojibwe woman named Tookie。

After serving part of an outrageously long sentence， Tookie， who “learned to read with murderous attention” while in prison， naturally gravitates toward working at a bookstore。 There she joins a dedicated community of artists and book lovers and begins to build a new life for herself。

When Flora， the store’s most persistent customer， suddenly dies， her ghost refuses to leave。 Flora returns on All Soul’s Day to haunt the bookstore and in particular， Tookie。 Why？ The mystery of this revenant’s appearance leads Asema， a fellow Ojibwe bookseller， and Tookie to a shocking personal discovery with historical reverberations。 Tookie finds that this year of disease， violence， and political upheaval is， on a worldwide scale， a year of ghosts and hauntings。

A complicated love finds Tookie as well when Pollux， who has been in love with her for years， proposes， and they marry。 Pollux was the tribal police officer who arrested Tookie all those years ago for a crime which turned out to be more serious than Tookie knew。 How Pollux and Tookie overcome past betrayal and learn to trust each other is a challenge that will either deepen or destroy their love。

The Sentence begins on All Soul’s Day 2019 and ends on All Soul’s Day 2020。 Its mystery and proliferating ghost stories during this one year propel a narrative as rich， emotional， and profound as anything Louise Erdrich has written。

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Reviews

Alicia ，

https://wordnerdy。blogspot。com/2021/1。。。So I always love whatever Erdrich writes， but man， I LOVED THIS。 It's a bit of a departure in that it’s not set in Erdrich's usual fictional world—BECAUSE IT'S SET IN THE MF-ING BOOKSTORE THAT SHE OWNS IN REAL LIFE！ Are you kidding me？！ I am pretty sure all the characters are fictional （except for， you know， the owner Louise， who appears here and there in the background）， and probably her store is not actually haunted by a very annoying deceased customer？ https://wordnerdy。blogspot。com/2021/1。。。So I always love whatever Erdrich writes， but man， I LOVED THIS。 It's a bit of a departure in that it’s not set in Erdrich's usual fictional world—BECAUSE IT'S SET IN THE MF-ING BOOKSTORE THAT SHE OWNS IN REAL LIFE！ Are you kidding me？！ I am pretty sure all the characters are fictional （except for， you know， the owner Louise， who appears here and there in the background）， and probably her store is not actually haunted by a very annoying deceased customer？ Aaaaanyway， the protagonist and narrator is Tookie， who gets a job at the bookstore after being released from prison （her sixty year sentence was commuted）， and at first you’re like， this is going to be a fun and sweet book！ Tookie has an interesting personal life and their coworkers are an amazing cast of characters！ And then you get to a heading that reads “February 2020” and the realities of the past year and a half hit you in the face like a brick （not just Covid—the bookstore is in Minneapolis， and the sadness of the George Floyd murder and the protests play a part）。 Not to mention the ghost going from annoying to slightly more sinister。 And yet Erdrich somehow brings it all home。 So good。 A。__A review copy was provided by the publisher。 This book will be released on November 9th。 。。。more

Lovely Loveday ，

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich is a captivating read that pulled me in from the beginning。 The character development， including a brilliant backstory of the protagonist， is well-written and full of unexpected insights that slowly come to light at just the right time to pull you in even more。 Overall， a fast-paced read that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat。 

Libriar ，

4。5 stars。 This contemporary ghost story set in Minneapolis at the start of the pandemic has lots of different， interesting threads that come together in a sometimes darkly humorous but never scary way。 It will make for a great book club book because there are so many things to discuss: Native American identity， systematic racism， the pandemic， books， and the meta way that Erdrich places herself as a character in the book。 ARC provided through NetGalley。

Linda ，

This novel is so complex， so current， and so passionate that it begs to be read and not just summed up in a review。 One of my favorite things is the author has written herself and her real-life bookstore into the book！ Parts of this story are difficult reading as it deals with the painful events in Minneapolis during the summer of 2020 but it also has ghosts， COVID， a possible werewolf， drugs， and some Native American history。Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC to read a This novel is so complex， so current， and so passionate that it begs to be read and not just summed up in a review。 One of my favorite things is the author has written herself and her real-life bookstore into the book！ Parts of this story are difficult reading as it deals with the painful events in Minneapolis during the summer of 2020 but it also has ghosts， COVID， a possible werewolf， drugs， and some Native American history。Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC to read and review。 。。。more

Jessica ，

Thank you to Harper for selecting me to be one of the 25 winners of an advanced copy of The Sentence by Louise Erdrich in the Goodreads giveaway。 This was the first book I read by this author and it will not be the last。

Melinda ，

There aren't enough stars for this book。 There aren't enough stars for this book。 。。。more

Janet ，

Pandemic novels will surely be part of our reading landscape for the foreseeable future。 The Sentence is the first one I’ve read set during the pandemic。 To be more specific， the story begins on All Souls Day 2019 and ends exactly one year later。 It’s set in Minneapolis， in fact in Louise Erdrich’s own bookstore， “Birchbark Books”。 （As a personal aside， I well remember my one visit to this wonderful bookshop in 2017 while in town for a conference， when a bunch of us librarians made a pilgrimage Pandemic novels will surely be part of our reading landscape for the foreseeable future。 The Sentence is the first one I’ve read set during the pandemic。 To be more specific， the story begins on All Souls Day 2019 and ends exactly one year later。 It’s set in Minneapolis， in fact in Louise Erdrich’s own bookstore， “Birchbark Books”。 （As a personal aside， I well remember my one visit to this wonderful bookshop in 2017 while in town for a conference， when a bunch of us librarians made a pilgrimage to this very special store）。 Erdrich appears in the novel as herself， and Tookie， the narrator， like Erdrich， also a Native American， works at the store。 Tookie is haunted by the ghost of Flora， a recently departed customer。 Why Flora haunts Tookie and how Tookie and her family and friends work together to solve this mystery is the predominant plot line， buttressed by a few others， including how a love of reading can radically change lives for the better。During this pandemic year， the May 2020 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd and all that followed “as the City grieved and burned” are passages written with a visceral sense of authenticity; they are recounted by a local who knows every street， every shop and restaurant that were to become part of national and international video footage showing protesters clashing with police， first in Minneapolis， then lighting a spark of protests in cities all over the U。S。 and around the world。 During this year of the plague， much happens: a baby enters into Tookie's life， a city is pulled apart by George Floyd's death， sickness threatens。 And yet， the story is often funny， while sometimes dark， and always engaging。 A highly recommended novel。 Grateful thanks to the publisher for having made a copy available via NetGalley 。。。more

Angela ，

A real life story of what it is like to work in an independent bookstore。 A fabulous book。

Mary ，

Loved this storyline and read。

Kristine ，

Hmm。 I love Tookie。 I loved her life and her loves， and her insecurities and worries。 And the book store during covid vibe was spot on。 It was a little esoteric at times though。 Erdrich is a brilliant writer and the facts she blended with the fiction are appreciated and much needed by readers。

PfromJ ，

This is perfect Erdrich， reminiscent of her earlier work。 From its incredible beginning through its rich characters and story， to the gift of a bonus reading list at the end， I’d call The Sentence exquisite。

Kathy N ，

The sentence。 A brilliant title， intertwined throughout the book in all of its definitions。 That alone gets the five star rating。 Deep， thought provoking and all the other buzz words that describe a book that takes your heart and stomps on it， tossing it around until you don’t think you can take anymore。It explores the issue of the COVID 19 pandemic， the uproar and tragedy that was the summer of 2020， and even more of the pandemic。 I thought it would be too soon， how would it be possible to proc The sentence。 A brilliant title， intertwined throughout the book in all of its definitions。 That alone gets the five star rating。 Deep， thought provoking and all the other buzz words that describe a book that takes your heart and stomps on it， tossing it around until you don’t think you can take anymore。It explores the issue of the COVID 19 pandemic， the uproar and tragedy that was the summer of 2020， and even more of the pandemic。 I thought it would be too soon， how would it be possible to process 2020 and put into words a year later？ By taking a deep dive into one woman’s journey through a tumultuous year。 Well done。Thank you NetGalley。 。。。more

Candie ，

WOW！ This book blew me away。 I love Tookie！！ The thought of having our least favorite customer haunt our bookstore was terrifying。 Seriously the description of the anxiety of working in the bookstore during the height of the pandemic was absolutely spot on along with being grateful for customers。 The feelings about George Floyd and the terror in the streets- just so well crafted。 Along with all that， there were scenes that made me laugh out loud。 This was such a satisfying book to me as a bookse WOW！ This book blew me away。 I love Tookie！！ The thought of having our least favorite customer haunt our bookstore was terrifying。 Seriously the description of the anxiety of working in the bookstore during the height of the pandemic was absolutely spot on along with being grateful for customers。 The feelings about George Floyd and the terror in the streets- just so well crafted。 Along with all that， there were scenes that made me laugh out loud。 This was such a satisfying book to me as a bookseller， reader and human being。 Thank you Louise！ 。。。more

J。 ，

I found this book to be mesmerizing。 It also， to me at least， screams out to be a book group choice。Flora a rather obnoxious do-gooder book store regular dies but doesn’t go to her final rest she stays at the bookstore。 She is haunting Tookie， an amazingly well read ex-con who works there。 Why？ How to get rid of her ？ These questions plague Tookie while she deals with life around her。 Life that includes George Floyd and Covid-19。 Set in Minneapolis and covering the period between November 2019 t I found this book to be mesmerizing。 It also， to me at least， screams out to be a book group choice。Flora a rather obnoxious do-gooder book store regular dies but doesn’t go to her final rest she stays at the bookstore。 She is haunting Tookie， an amazingly well read ex-con who works there。 Why？ How to get rid of her ？ These questions plague Tookie while she deals with life around her。 Life that includes George Floyd and Covid-19。 Set in Minneapolis and covering the period between November 2019 to November 2020 it was timely。 As a reader I relived the George Floyd and COVID-19 outbreak， relating my experiences to the wonderful characters。 。。。more

Georgette ，

Tookie is one of my favorite Erdrich leads in a LONG time。 I saw the big reveal coming， but it was still a very good read。

Rachel ，

Tookie， the main character is a convicted felon， who now works at an indie bookstore in Minneapolis。 Married to Pollux， a former tribal cop， she leads a comfortable life until she finds the bookstore haunted by a former customer， and the events of 2020 begin to unfold。 In spite of the heavy topics （pandemic， police violence， Native justice）， this book was oddly delightful and made me laugh。 The cast of characters was perfectly weird in all the right ways。 The haunting plot did not always make se Tookie， the main character is a convicted felon， who now works at an indie bookstore in Minneapolis。 Married to Pollux， a former tribal cop， she leads a comfortable life until she finds the bookstore haunted by a former customer， and the events of 2020 begin to unfold。 In spite of the heavy topics （pandemic， police violence， Native justice）， this book was oddly delightful and made me laugh。 The cast of characters was perfectly weird in all the right ways。 The haunting plot did not always make sense but this was an overall 5 star read and highly recommended。 #TheSentence #NetGalley 。。。more

Jessica Woodbury ，

This is an unusual book in a lot of ways， which isn't surprising since it takes place mostly in 2020， and certainly couldn't have been written all that far off from that time。 A pandemic book should be different， shouldn't it？ I think it's also going to be a very subjective experience， where readers will have a variety of opinions。 For me it didn't quite gel together， but those are reasons that are very much about me。In a way the hodge podge of this book feels true。 We get to see so many sides o This is an unusual book in a lot of ways， which isn't surprising since it takes place mostly in 2020， and certainly couldn't have been written all that far off from that time。 A pandemic book should be different， shouldn't it？ I think it's also going to be a very subjective experience， where readers will have a variety of opinions。 For me it didn't quite gel together， but those are reasons that are very much about me。In a way the hodge podge of this book feels true。 We get to see so many sides of Tookie， and you certainly can't say the book doesn't immerse you deeply in who she is as a character。 For people who love books about bookstores， there's a lot to love。 Full disclosure: I am not one of those people！ I do love a bookstore， but I have been mostly a library person and a person who discovers books on their own， so I don't have that bookseller devotion some， that close relationship with an indie that some may have。 If you find the idea of finding a book for someone to be an almost-sacred experience， your time with this book will certainly be different from mine。 （I didn't mind any of it， but I did see plenty of the thing that does irk me about indies， where it's like genre fiction basically doesn't exist。）And it's not exactly the pandemic stuff that was hard for me， it was the Minneapolis protests at George Floyd's death。 That was not something I felt ready to dive back into in detail。 It still feels like too fresh of a wound， and I felt myself backing away from the book during those sections instead of diving in。 There was a lot to enjoy and the central story was very satisfying， as were many of the little side stories that were intwined。 I just never hit my stride with it the way I wanted to。 。。。more

Barbara Burd ，

Tookie， recently released from prison for transporting a body with drugs， is currently working at a small bookstore specializing in Indigenous peoples。 Flora， a customer who is described as a "wannabe"， dies on All Saints Day and her ghost haunts the bookstore and， more importantly， Tookie。 Tookie's husband， Pollux， was Tookie's arresting officer but is now focused on preserving the culture of his people。 And Hetta， Pollux's daughter comes to live with them bringing her baby as the vivid epidemi Tookie， recently released from prison for transporting a body with drugs， is currently working at a small bookstore specializing in Indigenous peoples。 Flora， a customer who is described as a "wannabe"， dies on All Saints Day and her ghost haunts the bookstore and， more importantly， Tookie。 Tookie's husband， Pollux， was Tookie's arresting officer but is now focused on preserving the culture of his people。 And Hetta， Pollux's daughter comes to live with them bringing her baby as the vivid epidemic rages。 In the midst of this， George Floyd is killed and many Native Americans feel a connectedness and a need to protest against the injustice。 Erdrich takes on many contemporary issues and the "messiness" of life as Tookie tries to unravel her latent feelings about Flora， Pollux， and herself amidst the confusion and chaos of life。I'm a great fan of Erdrich， but the plot lines of this story felt rambling and sometimes tangential to the story。 At times the story lost its focus for me。 。。。more

Kim McGee ，

Tookie has survived more than what COVID is dishing out。 Now， out of prison and working at a local independent bookstore that specializes in indigenous titles， Tookie has another problem。 One of the bookstores more annoying customers has died and is haunting the store， particularly Tookie。 She must rid herself of Flora but can only do so by delving into Flora's claim of a native heritage while battling racial tension， COVID shutdowns and a lack of trust in her marriage。 Beautiful heartfelt prose Tookie has survived more than what COVID is dishing out。 Now， out of prison and working at a local independent bookstore that specializes in indigenous titles， Tookie has another problem。 One of the bookstores more annoying customers has died and is haunting the store， particularly Tookie。 She must rid herself of Flora but can only do so by delving into Flora's claim of a native heritage while battling racial tension， COVID shutdowns and a lack of trust in her marriage。 Beautiful heartfelt prose and witty banter combined with a strong sense of community and tribal pride this story tackles much of the fear and uncertainty we have all felt the past year and a half。 One again， Louise Erdrich has treated us to another rich and colorful story。 An added bonus is the extensive book list in the back of the book of all the titles mentioned。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more

Ashley ，

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advance copy。I really enjoyed the first 1/4 of this book but lost interest after that。 The story centers around our main character Tookie， a Native American， ex-felon woman who is now working in a bookshop that is being haunted by a recently deceased customer。 About halfway through the book， the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests happen and the ghost story gets pushed to the sidelines。 I really enjoyed the first half about the ghost Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advance copy。I really enjoyed the first 1/4 of this book but lost interest after that。 The story centers around our main character Tookie， a Native American， ex-felon woman who is now working in a bookshop that is being haunted by a recently deceased customer。 About halfway through the book， the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests happen and the ghost story gets pushed to the sidelines。 I really enjoyed the first half about the ghost in the bookstore and wish it had been better incorporated into the current events plot。 It felt like the author was in the middle of writing a ghost story when COVID hit and then decided to switch her focus away from the original story。 I would have liked the main focus to be either one or the other， because the book feels jumbled and disjointed as it currently is。 。。。more

Geoffrey ，

（Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）Tookie， an employee of an independent bookstore in Minneapolis with an indigenous focus， suddenly finds herself haunted by the spirit of a former customer - a well-meaning but also quite irritating Native American-wannabe。 Although this is certainly an occurrence that would throw everyone’s daily life for a considerable loop， it turns out to be far from the only thing on her plate for her to deal with， especially after （Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）Tookie， an employee of an independent bookstore in Minneapolis with an indigenous focus， suddenly finds herself haunted by the spirit of a former customer - a well-meaning but also quite irritating Native American-wannabe。 Although this is certainly an occurrence that would throw everyone’s daily life for a considerable loop， it turns out to be far from the only thing on her plate for her to deal with， especially after she， her family， and friends collectively enter the extremely stress-rich year of 2020。 Although The Sentence is a book filled with restless spirits， the earliest and darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic， and is set in what becomes ground zero of the 2020 police brutality protests， it’s not at all the nerve-wracking read one may expect。 Erdrich has masterfully crafted a cast of unique， memorable characters that I grew to adore， and watching them all manage a long year together was surprisingly therapeutic。 All of the numerous moments of fear and pain resulting from quarantine， election anxiety， burst tensions from overdue racial injustice， and of course the aforementioned ghost were more than balanced out and then some by the spirit-uplifting moments of tenderness and coziness。 There's even more to be enjoyed on top of that。 What I also particularly appreciated was the fresh perspective that I received from having much of last year's trauma be filtered through a contemporary native American lens。 Also， as a librarian and unabashed bibliophile， of course any book that I encounter whose narrative heavily centers around bookstores， books， reading， libraries etc。， usually turns out to be a nice little indulgent delight。 And The Sentence happily proved to be no exception in that regard。 Louise Erdrich triumphs yet again with her complex and deeply touching latest work。 。。。more

Audrey ，

If you are going to read one book， set during our pandemic year of 2020， let this be the one。 This meta read， set mostly at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis， is not only a love letter to indie bookstores， booksellers and their customers， it also highlights， the difficulties of running an indie bookstore， during a pandemic。 Spanning from All Soul's Day， 2019， to November 2020， the focus is on Tookie， a bookseller， indigenous woman， formerly incarcerated， and wife and step-mother。 One of store's lon If you are going to read one book， set during our pandemic year of 2020， let this be the one。 This meta read， set mostly at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis， is not only a love letter to indie bookstores， booksellers and their customers， it also highlights， the difficulties of running an indie bookstore， during a pandemic。 Spanning from All Soul's Day， 2019， to November 2020， the focus is on Tookie， a bookseller， indigenous woman， formerly incarcerated， and wife and step-mother。 One of store's long time customers has died and now haunts the store。 Tookie， deals with the ghost， while also assisting living customers and just moves forward in helping to keep this struggling business together。 As time passes， more social issues becoming more pressing， with George Floyd's murder and the social unrest over police violence， her step daughter and new baby as well as reconciliation with her husband's past job as a law enforcement officer。 This book just captures so many of the feelings of the last year， centering it on an indigenous woman， who is also a book lover and seller。I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own。 。。。more

Candace ，

Here's the first sentence of this novel: "While in prison， I received a dictionary。" What？ "It was sent to me with a note。 'This is the book I would take to a desert island'。" Tookie's in prison， and her sentence is for transporting a body that turns out to be stuffed with drugs。 She was set up。 But in prison she takes the books her teacher sends her and reads， and reads and reads。 When she is released， she gets a job at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis， which happens to be owned by Louise Erdrich Here's the first sentence of this novel: "While in prison， I received a dictionary。" What？ "It was sent to me with a note。 'This is the book I would take to a desert island'。" Tookie's in prison， and her sentence is for transporting a body that turns out to be stuffed with drugs。 She was set up。 But in prison she takes the books her teacher sends her and reads， and reads and reads。 When she is released， she gets a job at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis， which happens to be owned by Louise Erdrich。 Staffed by native woman who are passionate bibliophiles， all is very well until a regular customer dies and returns to haunt the bookstore。 She leaves behind a book with a sentence in it that causes a shocking reaction from anyone who begins to read it--so far， no one has actually finished that sentence。"The Sentence" captures the lives of a group of natives in modern Minneapolis。 Together they survive Covid， celebrate traditions， get salty， and live。"The Sentence" is a very enjoyable novel， and something different from Louise Erdrich。 Yes， it's her bookstore and she makes occasional appearances but the others are front and center。The love of books shines throughout， and Tookie has a suggested reading list at the end。 Don't miss it！Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for access to this wonderful title。 。。。more

Linden ，

Tookie is a convicted felon， set up by former friends， who has her sentence commuted after years in prison。 A difficult character to like， she now works in a bookstore in Minneapolis， and has married Pollux， a former tribal cop。 She's certain that a former annoying customer is haunting the bookstore， although no one else seems to notice。 Much of this novel centers on current events， such as Covid and the murder of George Floyd--I wonder if it will be regarded as a curiously time stamped piece of Tookie is a convicted felon， set up by former friends， who has her sentence commuted after years in prison。 A difficult character to like， she now works in a bookstore in Minneapolis， and has married Pollux， a former tribal cop。 She's certain that a former annoying customer is haunting the bookstore， although no one else seems to notice。 Much of this novel centers on current events， such as Covid and the murder of George Floyd--I wonder if it will be regarded as a curiously time stamped piece of writing by future readers。 Erdrich won the Pulitzer Prize for The Night Watchman， which I loved--I would be surprised if this one received that kind of recognition。 I received an advance copy from Edelweiss and the publisher。 。。。more

Laura Hill ，

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 The book will be published on November 9th， 2021。A Minneapolis bookstore is haunted by its most annoying （and recently deceased） patron。 It’s not just any bookstore — it’s Birchbark Books — the very real bookstore owned by none other but the author herself who makes cameo appearances in the story。 Tookie — a large， Native American woman who took up reading with a passion while serving a Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 The book will be published on November 9th， 2021。A Minneapolis bookstore is haunted by its most annoying （and recently deceased） patron。 It’s not just any bookstore — it’s Birchbark Books — the very real bookstore owned by none other but the author herself who makes cameo appearances in the story。 Tookie — a large， Native American woman who took up reading with a passion while serving a long prison sentence — is our narrator。 Tookie is wonderful — she keeps her “to read” pile next to her bed in two stacks: the Lazy Stack and the Hard Stack — my kind of woman。 The haunting story takes place while Minneapolis suffers first from Covid and then from being ground zero for the aftermath of the George Floyd killing。It’s a tender， multi-faceted story with characters that are so real， so nuanced， and so vibrant it made me cry to know that I would never actually be able to meet them。 Absolutely beautiful writing as always — see the quote sampler at the end。 Louise Erdrich has gone from “never read because too depressing” to “favorite author” in the last year or two。 I loved LaRose， I really loved The Night Watchman， and now I have fallen in love with her latest — The Sentence。 By the way， I loved her use of the word “sentence” with multiple meanings， both literary and punitive。The story follows personal lives through these bigger events -- their fears， perspectives （not all predictable）， frustrations， and actions — the impact on relationships。 The long buried hurts that emerge at inconvenient times。 The scenes in the bookstore with vignettes on various customers — their needs， conversation， and frequent crankiness — are priceless。 Lots of great book references and lists interspersed — I was happy to find new authors （and I read a lot — this doesn’t happen to me very often）。 As always， plenty of historical and current information on Native Americans including （as an example） the statistic that Native Americans are the most oversentenced people currently imprisoned）。 The bookstore employs a great number of “indigerati” — a term I believe Erdrich coined because I can’t find it anywhere else — I love it！ One warning — reading the first chapter I thought this was going to be a very different kind of book， and I wasn’t thrilled。 Once you get to chapter two everything works better （for me）。Quotes:“Native Americans are the most over-sentenced people currently imprisoned。 I love statistics because they place what happens to a scrap of humanity， like me， on a worldwide scale。”“Pen is one of a mass of young Native people who have book-crushes and rich book life， a true Indigerati。”“Actually， Penstemon is desperately romantic， deeply tied to her traditions， and I worry for her paper heart。”“Sometimes she worked on the collage after plane trips， claiming that in hurtling through the stratosphere she’d lost brain cells。 he couldn’t shake the conviction that pieces of her mind were scattered about in the sky。” When she came down to earth， she had the urge to glue things together。”“Once free， I found that I could not read just any book。 It had gotten so I could see through books — the little ruses， the hooks， the setup in the beginning， the looming weight of a tragic ending。 I needed the writing to have a certain mineral density。 It had to feel naturally meant， but not cynically contrived。 I grew to dislike manipulations。”“And so we sat there。 Two haunted women。 And one unhaunted baby trailing clouds of glory。”“I put my hand on my chest and closed my eyes。 I have a dinosaur heart， cold， massive， indestructible， a thick meaty red。 And I have a glass heart， tiny and pink， that can be shattered。 The glass heart belongs to Pollux。 There was a ping。 To my surprise， it had developed a minute crack， nearly invisible。 But it was there， and it hurt。”“The thing is， most of us Indiginous people do have to consciously pull together our identities。 We’ve endured centuries of being erased and sentenced to live in a replacement culture。 So even someone raised strictly in their own tradition gets pulled toward white perspectives。” 。。。more

Diana ，

All of the sudden I find myself reading a lot of small， weird pandemic novels that some of my favorite writers wrote while they were hunkered down during this international emergency。 I liked this one quite bit。The main character is Tookie， a native American ex-con in Minneapolis who happens to work at Birchbark Books， Louise Erdrich's bookstore。 Louise herself is a very minor character。 Tookie is complicated， someone who has survived an abusive childhood as well as 10 years of trauma in prison。 All of the sudden I find myself reading a lot of small， weird pandemic novels that some of my favorite writers wrote while they were hunkered down during this international emergency。 I liked this one quite bit。The main character is Tookie， a native American ex-con in Minneapolis who happens to work at Birchbark Books， Louise Erdrich's bookstore。 Louise herself is a very minor character。 Tookie is complicated， someone who has survived an abusive childhood as well as 10 years of trauma in prison。 Her love of books pulls her through， and this novel is suffused with this love。 Also at the heart of this novel is the love between Tookie and her husband Pollux， who happens to have been the tribal cop who arrested her before her prison time。 I love the way Tookie and her husband talk to each other， how they care for each other。 The novel starts on All Soul's Eve in 2019 and ends on All Souls' Eve in 2020， so Minneapolis and Tookie go through the pandemic， of course， but also the murder of George Floyd and the protests that rocked the city after that。 There's also a ghost。 The ghost of an incredibly annoying customer， a "wannabe indigenous person" haunts Tookie and Birchbark。The scope of this isn't like that of Night Watchman or LaRose or The Round House。 It's a weird little pandemic novel。 But I liked it。 I wanted to know what Erdrich thought of this strange age we're living through。 It gave me a lot to think about。 。。。more

Shelby ，

While many of Erdrich's novels take place in the past， or on a rural reservation， this one is ever-present and urban。 It's an experimental pandemic novel that delivers a new tone from the author。 This tone speaks of undying love for her bookstore and employees while also parsing out the complexities of a life and love after incarceration amidst national unrest over police violence。Louise has 5 stars in my heart， but I'm giving this book 3 because the "ghost story" left me feeling confused and un While many of Erdrich's novels take place in the past， or on a rural reservation， this one is ever-present and urban。 It's an experimental pandemic novel that delivers a new tone from the author。 This tone speaks of undying love for her bookstore and employees while also parsing out the complexities of a life and love after incarceration amidst national unrest over police violence。Louise has 5 stars in my heart， but I'm giving this book 3 because the "ghost story" left me feeling confused and unresolved。Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced e-galley。 。。。more

Steve ，

I loved this book。 It is great at character development， including a brilliant backstory of the protagonist。 I found all the characters highly sympathetic and loved their trials and tribulations and their growth through the book。 I loved the discussion of the lives of Indigenous Americans and the real-life events in Minnesota from November 2019 to November 2020。 There was also one scene in the book that was very funny。 Louise Erdrich’s writing is captivating and I couldn’t put the book down。 On I loved this book。 It is great at character development， including a brilliant backstory of the protagonist。 I found all the characters highly sympathetic and loved their trials and tribulations and their growth through the book。 I loved the discussion of the lives of Indigenous Americans and the real-life events in Minnesota from November 2019 to November 2020。 There was also one scene in the book that was very funny。 Louise Erdrich’s writing is captivating and I couldn’t put the book down。 On the other hand， the book is not remotely “wickedly funny” aside from the scene mentioned above。 There was some amusing banter between characters but not a lot。 It’s also not much of a ghost story; the ghost story only forms part of the setting of the story。 As a plot line， it moved along agonizingly slowly。 But it didn’t really matter as the strengths of the book far outweighed this。 Ultimately， I loved the book。 Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins Canada for the advance reader copy。 。。。more

Margaret ，

This is a delightful novel despite mostly taking place during the miserable year of 2020。 It's a ghost story， an homage to books and the bookish community， a memorial to everything that happened in 2020， a glimpse into racism against the Indigenous community。 It's a lovely novel， quite different in tone than previous novels I've read by Erdrich， but still with the same deep character development。 It's less biting， more hopeful， and I think that's what readers need right now。 This is a delightful novel despite mostly taking place during the miserable year of 2020。 It's a ghost story， an homage to books and the bookish community， a memorial to everything that happened in 2020， a glimpse into racism against the Indigenous community。 It's a lovely novel， quite different in tone than previous novels I've read by Erdrich， but still with the same deep character development。 It's less biting， more hopeful， and I think that's what readers need right now。 。。。more

Cassie ，

SAL Nov 10， 2021

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Sentence CD

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Sentence CD&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Sentence CD&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0