A good, compelling story but not necessarily told in the most compelling way. Like basically... she wrote down exactly what happened. "We went to protest at Wounded Knee. My husband got arrested. It was very cold." (A slight exaggeration, but not much.

Funny and really interesting. I've always wondered what it would be like to live on Antarctica, and now I know: full of bureaucratic bullshit, just like the Peace Corps.

I LOVED it, but I think a lot of my enjoyment arose from my year+ spent in the DR. For example, on the very first page I cracked up at this sentence: Despite "discovering" the New World the Admiral died miserable and syphilitic, hearing (dique) divine voices. That "dique" killed me, since Dominicans throw it out all the time to say, "I heard that.../they say that..." and distance themselves from whatever rumor or madeup thing they say. Granted, the backbone is a semi-typical "immigrant/ generational culture shock" story, but executed with panache. For added enjoyment, move to the DR.

An excellent, page-turning book. I love the richly-detailed world Erdrich has created in all her novels. I connected with all the characters and was torn between wanting to savor her prose and wanting to get on with the mystery(ies) in the plot.

A great re-read. Still a wonderful classic, although slightly more imperialist than I had remembered.

I really enjoyed this, partly because I related to it strongly. A smart & funny memoir about what it's like to live on a developing island nation.

Not my favorite of her books, but still lovely. One of the reviews on the back said something like, "A kind of characterization usually only seen in autobiographies," which I found to be totally true. Amazing characters, even if the plot wasn't anything too new.

A solid collection.

This was a sweet book, and I enjoyed it, but for me it didn't really pack the emotional punch that Kafka on the Shore did. I did especially enjoy the Beatles references, and discussions of how pop music can emotionally resonate. But still, it ultimately didn't resonate with me as much as the book's namesake does.

I just don't know about this book. It was funny at times, and had occasional bits of quirky Vonnegutian wisdom, but mainly it seemed mean-spirited. Like it was written in second-person with a basically unlikeable protagonist, so reading it made me feel unliked. Is Tom Robbins trying to test my empathy? Or is he just kind of a jerk? I just don't know.