Rating: 
Summary: Forget this book--read THE LONE RANGER & TONTO
Review: Maybe I would have liked this book had I not read Alexie's incredibly moving "Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven" first. While "Lone Ranger" is original and real, "Reservation Blues," by comparison, is full of platitudes and stereotypes. It drives its transparent and hackneyed message home hard again and again on almost every page of the book. It belittles the characters' experiences because they are so predictable--any stereotype you've ever heard or conceived of about life on an Indian reservation can be found here. I'm sorry I wasted my time with this book; on the other hand, I will not let this experience besmirch my attitude about "Lone Ranger," which I consider a must-read for all literature fans.
Rating: 
Summary: The blues written down
Review:
The blues, unlike any other music I've ever heard, has the astonishing ability to yank your heart out of your chest while making you laugh at the same time. In his first full-length novel, Alexie brings that same quality to his story about five Indians and a rock and roll dream.It's been said that there are two stories in the world: one, someone sets out on a journey, and two, a stranger knocks on the door. In "Reservation Blues", a stranger arrives on the Spokane Indian Reservation at the end of a long journey. The stranger turns out to be the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, who made a scant 29 recordings before dying of poison in 1938. In the novel, it turns out that Johnson faked his death in an attempt to escape the "Gentleman", an enigmatic figure that anyone familiar with the Robert Johnson mythos will recognize. Johnson leaves his guitar in the back of storyteller Thomas Builds-the-Fire's van, which sends the plot rolling through themes of identity, alienation, tragedy and redemption. All of this, with a liberal sprinkling of the deft comic twist that is a hallmark of Alexie's style, and of the blues itself. Being a musician, or any kind of artist, requires sacrifice--whether it's not getting enough sleep because you have to get up for your day job no matter how late you played the night before, or making a choice that results in losing something you care deeply about for the sake of your art. "Reservation Blues" shows how well Alexie understands this, and how even failure can be turned into success. I first heard of this book in a review journal put out by a science fiction/fantasy bookstore, but Alexie integrates the fantastic elements of his story far more deftly than most writers of fantastic fiction can manage. Although the construction of the story is non-linear, Alexie never loses track of the threads of the tale, and the result is a great read that I've enjoyed over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and shattering
Review: This book moved me to both laughter and tears. A better novel I have not read in years, with the possible exception of Ursula Hegi's Stones from the River. I consider this book a must read. A life-changing book.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm still laughing!
Review: Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues was hilarious. The story starts with guitarist Robert Johnson (You know him right?) giving his, out of this world guitar to the Spokane Indian Thomas-Builds-The-Fire. Thomas.... then starts his own first new rock group "Coyote Springs" with other two funny characters Victor and Junior. Then the fame, love, tragedy takes place. For more details, read the book!
Rating:
Summary: A first novel that almost pulls it off
Review: Sherman Alexie's characters have been on my mind ever since I read his collection of short stories, especially the amazing, "This is What it Means to say Phoenix, Arizona." Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire return (along with Junior and some new cast members) in this beautifully-told novel of music, suffering, love, family and racism. The connections he makes are intriguing: linking the black experience to the Native American experience, for one; or showing the importance of basketball and history in a tour-de-force chapter that slips in and out of flashback, dream and regular narrative. The simple elegance of the prose moves the story along at a leisurely pace, until the surprising death of one of the characters jolts the narrative, too much for this reader. Alexie gets too close to sentimentality and melodrama in his closing chapters, although his ending is effectively realistic, a"non-Hollywood" happy ending. He has given us all a lot to think about and remember in this first full-length outing. -- Michael Jaspe
Rating:
Summary: darn good and funny--wish I wrote it myself.
Review: This isn't a book about cops. It's about an Indian (Native American variety) rock band. They go from playing gigs on the Rez to being offered big money faster than you can say "Redbone." Along the way, they encounter wannabe groupies, car trouble, money troubles and mojo troubles. Sherman Alexie writes about the simple and mundane in a way that is exhilarating. He writes about the incredible as if it were very ordinary. It is a funny, satiric look at Indians, men and women, music, mythology and American society in general. Read the book before somebody makes it into a movie. with Mexican actors playing the IndiansAmerican society in g
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Alexie grabs you by the throat and then by the heart.
Review: Having grown up on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation in Idaho, I find many of the names and experiences of the characters in Reservation Blues and "Tonto" like reliving moments of my youth. The mixture of despair and contemplative joy (never taking happiness just for granted) rends the readers emotions. I appreciate Sherman's ability to relate to those of us who are white who grew up on the rez and are sometimes confused about who we are. Read the book with your mind open, there are many tales being told within the one
Rating:
Summary: A tale which goes way beyond the world of music!
Review: Robert Johnson shows up at the Spokane Indian reservation trying to outrun the devil. Now that's a premise for an inspiring novel. Five Indians unknowingly catch Johnson's fire and passion for music and the suffering which that passion brings along. This novel brings to life the vibrant and the sad sides of Indian reservation life. It weaves a tale of black magic, possession, abuse and dreams--dreams of riches, dreams of fame, dreams of pain and dreams of suffering. The songs which Coyote Springs perform in this book illustrate the fate they are destined to endure as well as the past they are destined to remember. It leaves the question: Is there any escape from fate or from your dreams; or for that matter, from your nightmares
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting and haunting
Review: Any book that starts off with Robert Johnson (who didn't
*really* die in 1938) showing up where you'd least expect
him, guitar in hand, is going to be good. (And if you don't
know who Robert Johnson is, shame on you. Get thee to a
music store right now.) "Reservation Blues" lives up to its
promise. The story and characters are engaging on multiple
levels; Alexie's straightforward, deceptively simple style
draws you in almost without your being aware of it. This is
a masterful story told by a master storyteller.
Rating: 
Summary: Looking forward to seeing the movie!
Review: This picks up some characters from Alexie's earlier works: Thomas Builds-the-Fire and Victor Joseph. They were the main characters in Alexie's movie "Smoke Signals" were also in his collection of stories "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." Now, they are the lead singer and guitar player in a would-be Indian rock and roll band. The story itself is fairly straightforward, but it is woven through with elements of mysticism, magic, and deals with the devil. I keep wondering how Alexie will translate this to the screen. Following simply the story line, there is plenty to show: humor, hope, despair, addiction, love, hate, racism, and of course the commercial music world. But then there are the characters and incidents which push the story into the "wooo-wooo" world. How did Victor suddenly gain the ability to play the guitar? Who is Big Mom and where does she get her powers? There are also a great many dream sequences, which I found getting old after a while. Alexie has written a number of poems/songs supposedly created by Thomas, and there is of course also the challenge of providing the music for the soundtrack. It will be interesting to see what makes it to the screen.Alexie's skill as a poet is evident all through this book, as is his wit.
|
