Hello readers!
Time to share another book worth your attention – This Tender Land. (Believe me, I read books I don’t share here because they just don’t make the cut!) Read the description below to see if this one interests you. Although I usually review books aimed at women, this historical fiction would definitely be of interest to men as well.
Living through The Great Depression is hard enough. Throw in four orphans involved in a crime and on the run from an abusive Indian school by canoeing down the rivers of Minnesota toward the Mississippi and you have an intense coming-of-age adventure reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.
Odie and Albert O’Banion are the only white children at the Native American school. After a crime is committed, they flee with their friend Mose, a young Sioux at the school who is mute. At the last minute they include another friend, Emmy. As the four journey down the river, they rely on their instincts and the kindness of other people struggling through the depression. As kids, they need to learn to discern who to trust, and they don’t always get it right. Loyalties and friendships are tested along the way. The journey includes displays of kindness, forgiveness, generosity, acceptance and self-discovery with a dash of mystery and a lesson in morality.
In a snapshot of The Great Depression Krueger has captured the essence of the American landscape including a traveling show with a faith healer, rail riders, and shantytowns dotting the banks of the rivers. William Kent Krueger has written This Tender Land so masterfully, I expect it will endure the test of time.
The book runs over 450 pages, but you wouldn’t want it to be any shorter. You may even find yourself wishing for more! These four children will touch your heart in a special way as you journey along with them .
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