Monkey Beach: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Monkey Beach - Informative and Insightful
Review: A very descriptive book of the B.C. North Coast, also very descriptive of the Native American (Canadian) spiritual beliefs. Woven into an easy to read novel it provides a glimpse into the life of young people today growing in a society where they are learning to adjust the ways of today and integrate the beliefs of their ancestors into their daily life. This is a book from which todays parents and educators may learn a great deal to assist them in bringing forth the best from their children and students.

Rating:
Summary: Bigfoot at the Powwow
Review: Eden Robinson's first novel is as intriguing as it is fun. The greatest strength was the detail with which she fleshes out each character, even those more minor characters. Her brother Jimmy, her friends Frank, Pooch and Cheese, her cousin and grandmother, even Spotty the crow has a personality! The incidents seem almost real-life like the father's ill-fated attempt to raise chickens. These are characters who grow on you and stay with you. The setting in Canada among the Indian population is fresh; and Eden mines the pastoral description to give a real sense of place in the book. The mystical aspects of the story are intriguing, the forboding little red-haired man that shows up and sits on the dresser. I was a bit confused by the ending, but I have my theory which I will grace you by NOT sharing here! Read the book to see! I think you'll find universal appeal, individuality, and certainly enough suggestion to keep you glued to the page.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating and evocative
Review: Monkey Beach is the most original and entertaining novel I have read in recent memory. It was a suprise that, despite the less ordinary setting of a native community in northern BC, so much of the coming-of-age scenario was evocative of my own. Unlike my usual life, however, after finishing the book I continue to see giant cedars, mist rising on the water, and little red-haired men at the edge of my sightline. It really stays with you.