Rating: 
Summary: Alexie has obviously lived those Rez Blues!
Review: Alexie's book about Coyote Springs all Indian band is contemporary and he does not lose any of the flavor of being "Indian" with his storytelling (so much like Thomas'). The humor, sadness, love, fame, groupies, experiences he depicts in this tale of the band members and Robert Johnson and how their lives become intertwined with the Spokane Indian Reservation is a masterpiece! I can't wait for the film and to find out who will play the characters! Keep writing, Sherman, because you have been making people like me laugh, cry and continue to be connected with other Indian people who have grown up on reservations to leave for a "better life" in the urban cities (S.F. Bay Area) but who always return "home" (Wind River Reservation, Wyoming).
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed bag of a novel that's still worth reading
Review: Blues musician Robert Johnson, who (supposedly) died in 1938, wanders onto an Indian reservation in 1992 seeking relief from his burdens. His presence inspires Thomas Builds-the-fire and two local troublemakers (Victor Joseph and Junior Polatkin) to form a rock band called Coyote Springs. Joined by two Flathead Indian women, Chess and Checkers Warm Water, Coyote Springs finds fame and fortune on the reservation, and is soon hired to play at bars in the surrounding area. An impressive performance at a "battle of the bands" contest in Spokane brings them to the attention of a national record label. Internal conflicts begin to tear the band apart; can they resolve their differences or will they go their separate ways? Alexie weaves an interesting story that is often a little too heavy with metaphors and allegories, and the plot and actions sometimes suffers from it. One may need a degree in Native American culture to make sense of it all. Despite that, the story does keep your attention, with very few lags or lulls in the narrative. The characters are fairly interesting, though Thomas and Checkers keep your affections easier than the others. Junior gains the most sympathy, being the orphaned son of two chronic alcoholics, plus he struggles constantly with alcoholism himself. Thomas and Chess develop a romantic relationship, while Checkers focuses her affections on the reservation's priest. Religion is a central theme. Alexie deftly weaves Christianity with tribal beliefs, noting the effect that both have on the Native culture, and sums it up with the eventual partnership between the priest and the tribe's mysterious holy woman. Alcoholism (used frequently as a plot point; it has touched the lives of all of the main characters) dominates the reservation, as effective as smallpox and relocations in destroying the Native American people. The abuses suffered by the Indians at the hands of whites and other Indians are also frequently brought into play-welfare, joblessness, and broken promises. One allegorical plot point, a past basketball game between the corrupt tribal cops and two young Native men, is actually left unresolved and hanging; one never learns who wins the game. A past massacre of Indians by a cavalry group is clumsily linked to the record company that tries to sign the band; it actually serves to disrupt and weaken the plot. The story moves best when the characters are interacting, slowing down when Alexie employs metaphors to make points or explain a situation. One of the more interesting aspects of Thomas' personality-his ability to tell stories-is touched on early in the novel, only to disappear without explanation. With a little tightening, this could be a great story.
Rating:
Summary: Native American point of view for this terrific storyteller
Review: A member of the Cour d'Alene tribe of Native Americans, Sherman Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian reservation. His first book, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, introduced the characters and setting that appear again in Reservation Blues. With irresistible humor and a very distinctive point of view, Alexie tells what happens when the guitar of a blues legend passes into the hands of Victor, a troubled guy who becomes the troublesome but extremely talented member of a rock group, Coyote Springs. The bulk of the story follows Victor and 2 friends as they try to pull themselves from the hard-scrabble poverty of the reservation to cope with the possibility of stardom.
Rating:
Summary: Reservation Blues
Review: Sherman Alexie uses mysticism and abstractionism in order to tell this magnificent story. In this book Alexie take the reader on a journey with Thomas Builds-the-Fire and his band made up of other reservation Indians. Through out the book the character shortcomings are made clear and understandable. Their emotional baggage eventually ends up causing their downfall. The main characters are Junior and Victor, the local reservation bullies. Junior once was a promising student who left the reservation to peruse an education but soon failed and came back and got a job driving. Victor is Junior constant companion and only true friend who tends to cause trouble. Chess and Checkers Warm Water who are members of the band from a near by tribe, who join the band after their first concert. They also have the emotional damages that is caused by being "a lesser people." Finally there is Thomas the cornerstone of the book and group. Thomas is a lovable, and somewhat crazy, man who has always been the wimp who Victor and Junior pick until he starts the band and his strength and love comes in order to lead the band. This book is a thought provoking and exciting story.
Rating:
Summary: Alexie does it again!
Review: Just as he had in THE LONE RANGER, Sherman Alexie, in RESERVATION BLUES, almost literally puts the reader in the world of the Native American Indian . . .the world of Victor, Junior, Thomas, and all others. You can almost feel the burden of poverty; the joy and pain in the rise and fall of Coyote Springs; and the blues of everyday struggle in life on a reservation and in America itself. I am again moved by the emotions and tickled by the "black humor" that have comprised this book. Alexie is well-deserving of the acclaim he has received.
Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: I finished reading this in 1 day. Bitter, gritty, some sweet. Dreams, myths, personal and community. Not so subtle on the historical message, but nice handling in its descriptive and metaphorical delivery. Worth reading twice. Yes, I can picture a movie from this one, but it has to done well to give the story justice.
Rating:
Summary: The Native Struggle
Review: This is a brilliant example of Native American literature. It has a magical sense of the Indian experience. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. I had mixed emotions towards the characters and the effects. Sometimes it would make you want to laugh and other times it would make you feel saddened. It gives you the reality of the Native American people which is usually blown way out of proportion by movies and t.v. shows. After reading this novel it gave me an interest in Native American literature and other Sherman Alexie books. I would reccomend this novel to anyone looking for an adventure through an exciting cultural experience.
Rating:
Summary: Reservation Blues
Review: Sherman Alexie writes another poignant novel about tragedy and triumph on the reservation. This book is thought provoking and heartbreaking. Irony and sarcasm gets the point across loud and clear, as only a Native American can express. You can't help but root for the underdogs (Thomas and Victor) as they try to make the American Dream come true for them.
Rating:
Summary: RESERVATION BLUES
Review: I think that this book shows reality, it shows how the Indians really have it in the reservations. Athough a fictional novel, it really stimulates us. This book makes people really think and look at Indians in a whole different perspective. It kind of shows us what really goes on in the reservations. I enjoyed reading it, and Alexie really shows he has skills I would love to read more of his work.
Rating:
Summary: A good book
Review: This was a good book, it was well written.
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