This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

 

On the docket for August was This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger. This month we met in a shady spot under the trees at Krauss Park to discuss the book, and the turnout was fantastic~ so nice to see all of you! For next month, we may plan to again reserve the shelter at Paul Miller Park (it's nice to have a roof over our heads, just in case Minnesota has any last minute idea's about weather conditions), or we may find ourselves back at Krauss Park, or even together again via a Zoom meeting~ we'll check on availability and keep an eye on the weather, but when we know, you'll know! 

Up next for September is The Moment of Lift, by Melinda Gates with October's read to be determined. Susan is touching base with two local authors to determine who among them is available to join us for the meeting and chime in on the discussion. Once it's been decided, I'll add a posting to this blog to give everyone as much of a heads up as possible~ please check back often! Once October's book has been decided, we'll be collecting copies and getting them out to our members right alongside "Moment of Lift"~ feel free to accept or decline them as they become available. 

Back to This Tender Land~ 

1932, Minnesota—the Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee, he and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

This book was met with a good mix of reviews. There were a small few that really didn't care for the book, and another small few that really loved the book, with the majority falling somewhere in between. Those who felt strongly that this read missed the mark cited a good deal of long, run-on sentences, with a smattering of unbelievable characters and plot lines. Those smitten with the book stated they hardly noticed the run-on sentences, and reminded the group to consider the time and place the novel was set in. It was said several times, and almost unanimously agreed upon, that this wasn't received as a deep, powerful, literary piece of literature, rather, it's more of a cozy, enjoyable read meant more for leisurely entertainment. Krueger's other works were also mentioned, most notably his novel Ordinary Grace. Interestingly, the majority of the attendees had also read Ordinary Grace (his only other stand alone novel apart from the Cork O'Connor series) and while the story line is very different from This Tender Land, the reviews of both titles were largely the same~ it seems, you are either a fan of his work, or his writing just isn't your cup of tea. Of which opinion are you? Let us know below!

A parting thought: It was said in closing that last month's book, A Woman of No Importance, was a book of many, consecutive events and circumstances that could easily be considered coincidental and unbelievable at times. However, with the book being nonfiction and based largely on Ms. Hall's correspondence, and the correspondence of her peers, there were no coincidences after all. "If A Woman of No Importance was a novel, no one would think it was believable either." Truly, an excellent point worth reflecting on.

At the end of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-4 stars with 1 being the lowest rating: 
  3 stars