Saturday, November 19, 2011

Review: The Birchbark House

The Birchbark House
by Louise Erdrich

Having never read either series, I coincidentally read this book just after finishing the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. I loved it - hands down. Louise Erdrich's series is a wonderful blend of realism and fantasy that weaves day-to-day details of Ojibwa life with supernatural/spiritual flourishes. Also to the author's credit, this and the following two books, The Year of the Porcupine and The Game of Silence, are not without sadness. It would make a good project to read Wilder's Little House on the Prairie in comparison to Erdrich's The Birchbark House. Both fictional stories take place in the late 19th century and are written from a young girl's point-of-view. Both stories take place during the time of pressuring Indians out of their homeland to move onto reservations. This tense theme lurks in the background without overshadowing each simple, heartfelt story. I cannot wait to find out if there will be a fourth book! (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)