The Long-Shining Waters
Ratings1
Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
Lake Superior, the north country, the great fresh-water expanse. Frigid. Lethal. Wildly beautiful. The Long-Shining Waters gives us three stories whose characters are separated by centuries and circumstance, yet connected across time by a shared geography. In 1622, Grey Rabbit—an Ojibwe woman, a mother and wife—struggles to understand a dream-life that has taken on fearful dimensions. As she and her family confront the hardship of living near the “big water,” her psyche and her world edge toward irreversible change. In 1902, Berit and Gunnar, a Norwegian fishing couple, also live on the lake. Berit is unable to conceive, and the lake anchors her isolated life, testing the limits of her endurance and spirit. And in 2000, when Nora, a seasoned bar owner, loses her job and is faced with an open-ended future, she is drawn reluctantly into a road trip around the great lake. As these narratives unfold and overlap with the mesmerizing rhythm of waves, a fourth mysterious character gradually comes into stark relief. Rich in historical detail, and universal in its exploration of the human desire for meaning when faced with uncertainty, The Long-Shining Waters is an unforgettable and singular debut. Titles and Awards: MILKWEED NATIONAL FICTION PRIZE WINNER INDIE HEARTLAND BESTSELLER ONE BOOK SOUTH DAKOTA SELECTION MINNESOTA BOOK AWARD FINALIST MIDWEST BOOKSELLERS BOOK AWARD FINALIST
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This book tells the stories of three women living by Lake Superior, hundreds of years apart, of different cultures, and yet connected by their connection to the lake. The lake itself has a persona that we glimpse, through the dreams of the women, through the stories that the characters tell about it, through the bodies (both flesh and stone) that are found there. I enjoyed reading this, but I felt the least interest in the character that the book spent the most time with–I would have liked her connection to the others to be stronger, or for the book to have spent more time with the other characters. Still, a really good read, especially for anyone interested in the history of Lake Superior.
