Helpful Score: 2
Fidelis Waldvogel survives WWI as a German sniper, recovers at home and then sets out to the home of Eva the girlfriend of his best friend Johannes who died in combat. Fidelis means to inform Eva of her lover's death but ends up marrying her, fathering Johannes's unborn child, and three other sons including twins.
Fidelis emigrates to America, sets up his butcher shop and then sends for Eva and his sister Tante. Eva befriends Delphine, who is just as much a main character as Fidelis is in this book. Delphine has a mysterious background, and a best friend Clarisse the town undertaker.
Louise Erdrich is a master at creating living breathing characters, and I would have given this book more stars if more of these great characters were given the attention and ending I felt they each deserved. There were so many great themes and plot lines in this book -- great first loves, the American dream and allegiance to the Mother Land, marriages of convenience that blossom into true love, surrogate love... Maybe The Master Butchers Singing Club should have been 3 separate, more complete books.
At its end I was left with an appreciation of the writing, sympathy for lots of characters, but also aggravatingly unanswered questions like: How did Clarisse get syphilis? Why didn't bff's Clarisse and Delphine talk truthfully to each other about their relationships? How could Sherriff Hock have a case against Clarisse if he was the one who ripped her dress apart?
Fidelis emigrates to America, sets up his butcher shop and then sends for Eva and his sister Tante. Eva befriends Delphine, who is just as much a main character as Fidelis is in this book. Delphine has a mysterious background, and a best friend Clarisse the town undertaker.
Louise Erdrich is a master at creating living breathing characters, and I would have given this book more stars if more of these great characters were given the attention and ending I felt they each deserved. There were so many great themes and plot lines in this book -- great first loves, the American dream and allegiance to the Mother Land, marriages of convenience that blossom into true love, surrogate love... Maybe The Master Butchers Singing Club should have been 3 separate, more complete books.
At its end I was left with an appreciation of the writing, sympathy for lots of characters, but also aggravatingly unanswered questions like: How did Clarisse get syphilis? Why didn't bff's Clarisse and Delphine talk truthfully to each other about their relationships? How could Sherriff Hock have a case against Clarisse if he was the one who ripped her dress apart?
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