tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573357821818617458.post7109614638311577158..comments2024-01-07T11:14:15.225-06:00Comments on She Treads Softly: Dakota: A Spiritual GeographyLori Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04575196285923366103noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573357821818617458.post-72355745177529834142011-04-04T13:45:08.164-05:002011-04-04T13:45:08.164-05:00A note to those who stumble upon this review, or l...A note to those who stumble upon this review, or lack there of:<br />I removed the review several months ago after some rather personal attacks were leveled at me because I didn't like the book. Although I gave several reasons why I didn't like it, I saw no good reason to leave the whole review up.Lori Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04575196285923366103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573357821818617458.post-49225179349612065532007-03-18T12:33:00.000-05:002007-03-18T12:33:00.000-05:00Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres was immediately one...Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres was immediately one of my favorite books. After I read it, I went out and bought my own copy and then read every Smiley I could get my hands on. When you read Jane Smiley, you don't feel like she's placed herself above the people in the Midwest and looking down on them. Take Moo for example. Smiley is poking gentle fun at a stereotypical Midwestern college and it's cast of characters. Noticing the foibles and idiosyncrasies of people isn't the same as being condescending toward them. As Lisa said, Norris was "snotty" toward the people in SD. Poking gentle fun at people is different. Other writers have managed to do it without the attitude.<BR/><BR/>I didn't feel Norris had a connection with the land or earth at all. She liked to think she did. Lots of people who move out from cities like to think they now have a connection to the land once they are in a less populated area. It would have behooved Norris to maybe go out and work on a ranch or farm for awhile.Lori Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04575196285923366103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573357821818617458.post-27070635789063482682007-03-17T21:07:00.000-05:002007-03-17T21:07:00.000-05:00I read this book a dozen or so years ago and thoug...I read this book a dozen or so years ago and thought it was okay (maybe it was because I'd just moved to rural Utah...) Yes, Norris is often condenscending, but I also felt an attachment to the earth. I also knew someone who had lived in Lemon, SD and lent him the book and he said he enjoyed it (maybe he was being polite). Did you read Jane Smiley's "A Thousand Acres?" I'm wondering if there are parallels to how each writer approached life on the Plains. here via Semicolonsagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17499891950639742366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573357821818617458.post-70883296898665562952007-03-16T11:49:00.000-05:002007-03-16T11:49:00.000-05:00I feel the same way. I listened to the book on tap...I feel the same way. I listened to the book on tape while I was roller blading and it almost put me into a comatose state. What a disappointment from such a good writer.Laura Christiansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03461465700265718045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573357821818617458.post-76900885037866484022007-03-14T07:36:00.000-05:002007-03-14T07:36:00.000-05:00I also have Leaning into the Wind, and also have n...I also have Leaning into the Wind, and also have not read it! Perhaps I should take another look, but now that I've been here for 5 years it's not so urgent that I read about the state.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17401807675546808620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573357821818617458.post-73842781997576014102007-03-13T12:35:00.000-05:002007-03-13T12:35:00.000-05:00Lisa, I'm relieved to see someone else saw this bo...Lisa, I'm relieved to see someone else saw this book the same way I did, although it saddens me to see that another person was sucked into buying it. It appears we both thoguht it would be something it wasn't. I was hoping it would celebrate the people in the plains. How much more wrong could I possibly be? Mine was a used copy, so I will feel no guilt if I decide to toss it out. (I imagine, though, my kids will read this review and both want to read the book to see if it really is horrible before I get rid of it.)At the same time I picked this book up, I got a copy of Leaning into the Wind, in which women write about living on the northern plains. It's an anthology of short pieces, so perhaps it will be better, but I'm almost scared to read it now. <BR/><BR/>I used to know people on the SD arts council. I wonder if they read Norris's book? If they did it seems highly unlikely they'd be inviting her back as an artist in residence at any of the schools.Lori Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04575196285923366103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573357821818617458.post-11543570635864301572007-03-13T09:29:00.000-05:002007-03-13T09:29:00.000-05:00Lori, I totally agree with you. I moved to west ri...Lori, I totally agree with you. I moved to west river SD from Alabama in 2002. I found this book shortly after moving and was excited by the title. I thought it would be excellent for me to read. I Could. Not. Finish. She was so snotty and horrible and I didn't see how anyone in SD would ever want her back in their town. <BR/><BR/>Additionally, the different between east river and west river (The Missouri River divides the state in half, for those of you not familiar with SD geography) is so completely startling that it should be mentioned. I moved here sight unseen and drove in from the east. When you come over the hill to the river everything changes.<BR/><BR/>I still have the book on my shelf, but after 5 years I can't imagine that I'll ever want to finish it.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17401807675546808620noreply@blogger.com