Tales of Burning Love

It's intersting to read the range of opionions about this book, even among Erdrich fans. I am a big fan. She is one of my favorite writers. Although I have put down a couple of her books, and finished one that I didn't especially like, I think this is right up there among the best. She is a master of the language and characterization. These characters are believeable, 3-dimensional people. I love the way she lays the words on the page. There are also some very amusing situations.

I think I found this book by Louise Erdrich possibly the most consistently interesting book in the series, all of which I enjoyed. There's never a dull passage, and honestly the characters are easier to understand, if not always relate to, than a memorable but so "strange" (for lack of a better word) character than Fleur Pillager. I didn't like Jack Mauser one bit, though, but maybe I wasn't supposed to like him. And I'm glad I didn't read the Publisher's Weekly review before reading this, either, considering all the spoilers.

Having read some of Erdrich's novels, including Love Medicine or The Beet Queen, I was expecting an 'Indianesque' novel again. However, the only thing that reminded me of the other novels was her way of emphasizing the importance of stories, that is 'Tales of Burning Love' for our lives. In this case it is the tales that literally help the women survive. Let me start at the beginning:We get to know Jack Mauser who, yes, is a womanizer, but (we have to admit) a very fascinating and challenging persona. At least this comes to show why five women were once married to him. Now they get together at his burial (only to find out at the end that he isn't dead after all) and get stuck in a blizzard. Their only way of surving the snowstorm is by each of the respective women telling her story with Jack. What grabs the reader is that each of the women has an individual voice which shows in her way of telling the story. Although Jack is the centre of the stories, he's also at the margin, because the stories are about themselves, too. Somehow the telling revives and warms them and at the same time soothes the wounds Jack has caused. Finally they are rescued and resume their lives with renewed strength. Once again Erdrich succeeded in creating such an intense atmosphere that I had problems putting the book down. I hope she will forever go on telling us tales...

This is the first of Erdrich's books I've read and I'm hopelessly hooked. Pure prose. Her characters are burned into my mind and heart. The story, told from the perspective of Jack's four wives, was beautiful and riveting. I loved each of their tales. I got this book from the library but plan to buy it so I can read it over and over. Definitely a keeper!

Effortlessly Erdrich weaves a web of words that quickly unravels the skeen of the characters lives. We are told where they've been, and yet where they are and where they are going is as swirling and directionless as the snow in a squall. And so much of the characters lives are indeed revealed during a snowbound incident. There they must come to grips with the truths in their lives and what it means to love, lose, and love again. I highly recommend this novel. Of all Erdrich's work it most fully encompasses what it FEELS like to be stumbling through love and life.