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This was the first book that I have read by Louise Erdrich, and I plan to read many more.Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet The incredible life of Father Damien is chronicled with very entertaining and humorous details as she manages to survive some incredible obstacles that lead her to the role of priest at a Native American village in Minnesota. The life that she inherits allows her to come very close to the native lifestyle of the village and the inhabitants are a group of brilliant and very humorous characters that have already created a very impelling saga of their own.
Through it all the persona of Father Damien shines. Give this book chance, it's metaphors run deep. I can only write this: if you are a fan of paranormal fiction and the strangeness of Catholicism, you will find this book has plenty of both. A complex and weird individual, Agnes/Father Damien brings to light all the hypocrisy of Christianity and all the good of the human soul especially when it comes to sexuality. The Angel Hunter The words at times are spine chilling. The plot is detailed and at times confusing.
Beautiful, disturbing, at times funny, haunting. This is a book that resonated deep in my mind (dare I say soul). with scenes that have revisited me long after I finished reading it. Last Report falls in the category of books for me that I would term 'perfect.' The characters are richly drawn, the writing is deft and lyrical, and the storyline itself is an amazing journey. In short, a perfect book. This is the book (imho) that puts her solidly in the 'literature' category. Erdrich has proven herself again and again as an accomplished writer. She explores many of her favorite issues of faith, spirituality, doubt, regret and redemption.
Curiously enough, most of the people she served knew she was a female who had a secret and compelling reason be their priest, and she was accepted by them as the priest she thought she had become.Louise Erdich created a most unusual life with this book, one I will want to read several times. This is the most marvelous story of a woman who felt she was needed as a man rather than as a man, so she became a Roman Catholic priest and missionary to a group of Ojibwehs (Native Americans) in northern Minnesota and North Dakota and in southern Manitoba.
I would only recommend this if you really had lots of time on your hands and nothing better to do. Quite dark. Unbelievable story with very effective, if often disturbing, imagery. Very choppy.
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