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Jan 07, 2017csrestall rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I found the premise of this novel promising, however I am giving it a two for various reasons. 1. I found the view points in some sections confusing. There were 3 or 4 times where I had to stop and think okay, whose viewpoint am I in now. There are 3 different view points in the story. Bird, Snow Falls, and Christophe/Crow. The two that were the most difficult to distinguish were Bird and Snow Falls, as they are written in the same style. 2. I found the ending flat and circular, I suppose that was kind of the point of the story, in that it expresses the simplicity of death, however after such a long book it would have been nice to have a more concrete ending. 3. Although I know a lot of people liked the book for this reason, I found the intense scenes of violence to distract me from the story, as I dont usually read books of this nature. There were parts of the story that I did enjoy, the depiction of native life and culture, as well as the importance of showing the problems with colonization. I also really enjoyed the chapter which described a traditional game of lacrosse, as well as Snow Falls and her raccoon, The chapters from the viewpoint of Snow Falls; I found were the most enjoyable. You would like this book if you like realistic historical fiction, violence or realistic depiction of death, native culture, Canada, or missionaries. I read this book for the Amnesty International Canada bookclub.