Rating: 
Summary: This book has very little to do with men
Review: Although not a terrible use of one's time, this book promises far too much in the title than it delivers. Two of my friends read it and I was supposed to cast the deciding vote. Gong, but only because I'm not all that interested in the real topic of the book.
Rating:
Summary: This book has very little to do with men
Review: Although not a terrible use of one's time, this book promises far too much in the title than it delivers. Two of my friends read it and I was supposed to cast the deciding vote. Gong, but only because I'm not all that interested in the real topic of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling Characters make this an intriguing read!
Review: As I read this book, I couldn't help feel the power of Fidelis Waldvogel, as well as the strength of Delphine Watzka. They were both wonderfully drawn characters who, though from different worlds, managed to share a similar destiny. Ms. Erdrich also created other characters with fascinating stories of their own while at the same time linking them all together in a meaningful way.I've read some reviews stressing disappointment in the stark landscape portrayed in this tale. I, however, found the descriptions of life in Argus, North Dakota of the 1930s intriguingly real and the images were refreshing to a metro New Yorker who has never visited that region of the U.S. I also found the Native American history enlightening and important. My only negative admission is that I found myself skimming the final couple chapters because the description got a bit tedious at that point. The ending, however, did not disappoint and I look forward to reading more of Louise Erdrich's writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Her best yet.
Review: I have to admit that I had a hard time engaging this book the first try. I found the setting and initial characters to be a bit contrived and put the book down until I was in the 'mood' to read such a novel. However, the second attempt kept me going until the end and wished it did not end. Her writing is probably one of the best examples she's ever done. I have found her other novels to be somewhat repetitive in theme. This story spans several generations and cuts across the Old and New World. This may be one of those rare books on my shelf that will deserve more than one read. If you think the combination of characters is contrived, wait until the last page of the book... when you find out that she writes her fiction from life. No regerets. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Good but runs out of steam
Review: I thought this was a good book - plenty of interesting characters and situations and an interesting writing style, but I couldn't help get the feeling that the author got tired of writing it. It lost it's steam towards the last 1/3 or so of the book. It goes into "fast forward" mode and the important relationships that are formed and intense happenings are merely skimmed over. The characters became impersonal and therefore hard to identify with. Great potential of a book that unfortunately lost it's steam towards the end.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy this trip to Argus, N.D. --- you won't be disappointed
Review: It is impossible to escape the past. There are a hundred quiet reminders of this in Louise Erdrich's lyrical new novel, THE MASTER BUTCHERS SINGING CLUB: the weight of the butcher knives that help pay Fidelis's way to America; the stain that cannot be scrubbed out of the bed he shares with his first wife, Eva; the town drunk father of Eva's best friend, Delphine, who cannot stay off the sauce; and the physical scars from World War I on Delphine's friend Cyprian, which don't compare to the emotional ones. Erdrich's book examines them all and, through her two strong heroines, drives to one conclusion. No matter where you come from, you must always move forward --- you must remember the past without becoming crippled by it. This is certainly a point close to Erdrich's heart. After all, her real-life husband killed himself in the midst of a sexual abuse investigation several years ago. If anyone knows how to impart these lessons, it's this half-German, half-Native American author. The story chronicles two very different women and their eventual intersection. The German Eva marries the butcher Fidelis after World War I. Fidelis, an expert sniper, was best friends with Eva's fiancé --- killed during the war --- and the two soon embark for a fresh start in America. They settle in Argus, North Dakota, a town well known to Erdrich fans. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Delphine, daughter of the drunken Roy, mother unknown. Delphine returns to town after running away with Cyprian, a mysterious half-French, half-Indian balancer with a sexual identity crisis. She and Cyprian settle into normal Argus life once more --- as normal as life can be after discovering three bodies in your father's cellar and your supposed boyfriend's preference for men. Eva and Delphine form a deep friendship despite a limited time together; it's not giving anything away to reveal that Eva dies early of cancer. How Delphine deals with her pain and helps her friend's family of four sons and Fidelis survive becomes the focus of the book. Erdrich tells wonderful stories and sketches intimate pictures of her decidedly non-stock characters. Everyone has a unique identity and unique emotions. All of them, from the town's other butcher to the sheriff to the mortician, are intriguing. It's so rare to encounter a book without a clichéd character --- that's reason enough to love this novel. But there are other reasons, too. History books can't compare to this picture of early 20th-century life. The book fleshes out the personal aspects of both world wars, the horrors of which are too often obscured by the more recent Vietnam War. The melding of so many new and old world events proves fascinating. And the symbolism of the Master Butchers Singing Club itself will fuel a thousand book group discussions. The book's one true fault is the lack of palpable tension between the two characters who are supposed to have it --- Fidelis and Delphine. The untapped passion that supposedly exists between them never climbs above lukewarm. Since Erdrich presents everything else so deliberately, perhaps this is more calculated than it comes off; whatever the reason, it doesn't inhibit the storyline. THE MASTER BUTCHERS SINGING CLUB presents a fully realized world with morally complex characters and very few certainties. Very few trips are as interesting as those to Argus, N.D. --- Reviewed by Toni Fitzgerald
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Novel with Unforgettable Characters
Review: It's a complete cliche to say that a book sticks with you long after you've turned the last page, but that is precisely the impact that the The Master Butchers Singing Club has had upon me. Delphine and Fidelis (the singing butcher of the title) are two of the most idiosyncratic and memorable characters I've ever encountered in fiction. Louise Erdrich depicts the entire spectrum of emotion in two essentially stoic people and simply breaks your heart. In the hard scrabble life desribed in this novel, a man shoots a pack of wild dogs to show his love for his sons and grief for his dead wife. The town drunk shows a lethal pettiness and then pulls himself together to sing songs of comfort to a dying woman. It is the moral complexity of these people that sticks with you for days. Some reviewers have complained that characters come into the novel and then disappear, but that is part of the novel's point. The book is the story of Delphine's life. Just as in any life, people come into her world and then move on. Her life feels more real, and less like fiction, because some loose ends are left to dangle. Not every character has an ultimate resolution. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: Good sense of place, great characters, but weak plot.
Review: Louise Erdich's latest novel has some wonderful characters, each one with his or her own horrific memories. I found myself feeling all their emotional upheavals as they played out their lives in a small town in North Dakota beginning in the 1920s. The sense of place is wonderful. But it's the people who are unforgettable. There's Fidelis Waldvogel, a German butcher who has seen death and disaster in WW1. And there's Eva, his wife, and their four sons. There's Delphine, who we first meet doing a vaudeville act with Cyprian, a good looking man who can never me more than a platonic friend. There's Roy Watzka, Delphine's father, the town drunk. And Delphine's friend Clarisse the town undertaker. And then there is the mysterious woman who roams the streets collecting junk. They all have stories, and all have secrets. And as their stories unravel I found myself drawn right into their little town with its rhythms and realities and disasters. Their lives certainly aren't simple. There's mystery and murder and natural disasters. And just plain human weakness. Time passes, the children grow. WW2 looms. The stories grow more complex. Always they are fascinating and I found it hard to put the book down. The author's descriptions of people and places are rich and dramatic. She's a wonderful writer. Some of the parts towards the end dragged. Also, like life itself, not all of the threads of stories were ever completed. Some questions raised went answered. But then there was a surprise last chapter, which pulled a lot of the mystery together. In spite of its few weakness, however, I loved the book and couldn't stop reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: Louise Erdrich weaves a magical thread through the lives of imaginary, but very real, characters. Through many related sub-plots she affirms that all life is sacred, and every act, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, has the possibility of being life changing. Some reviewers of this book were apparently looking for a more definitive ending, but real life isn't like that. It ends with as many questions as answers.
Rating:
Summary: Jaw dropping conclusion
Review: The book club I belong to had decided to read this book. After the first 50 pages, I was bored to tears. However, once the initial backdrop is established, the story started to really get good.
The book is set in post WWI where a soldier from Germany comes to America and sells sausages in North Dakota. At the same time, he crosses paths with another woman whose own life has been trying and difficult. Thru cirmcumstance, the lives of these two intertwine and the author does a good job of establishing real, three dimensional characters. Additionally, Erdrich masterfully describes the challenges of the late 20's and early 30's, before the modern conveniences we have so grown accustomed to.
After writing a moving piece, Erdrich blows the reader away with a jaw dropping conclusion that will leave you speechless.
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