Now people are going to expect me to do this again! Another thanks to Recorded Books for sending me an Audio CD in exchange for an honest review. By the end of the novel, as he turns 13, he has found out about his family background and has learned that not all people are selfish, brutal, and uncaring. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Here are some questions for discussion: 1. Ernest Hemingway, which may partly explain why This Tender Land has the Although spirituality was a main theme, I did not feel like that the author was trying to preach. A Netflix. Check out This Tender Land book club discussion questions. Or reveal them. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It By Elle Cosimano, Dava Shastris Last Day Book Club Discussion Questions, Dava Shastris Last Day By Kirthana Ramisetti, Yellow Wife Book Club Discussion Questions, The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo Book Club Discussion Questions, The Story Of Arthur Truluv Book Club Discussion Questions. Both the explicit reference to Huckleberry Finn and Odies allusive given name contribute to this feeling. In the morning, the boys are removed from the quiet room and sent to work on a local farm. It will own you. Albert established a friendship with two boat repairmen, and grew comfortable. It was like watching a leaf unfurl. But the cruel superintendent of the school had no intention of letting them escape, and the Vagabonds were often one step away from capture. The lyrics foretell whats up ahead for the children: Each of the four He realized then that his generosity would lead to Maybeth's departure and the end of their short relationship. Odie OBanion, the first-person narrator, is 12 years old that summer. Did you think Forrest was a friend or foe to Mose during that time? 'The Tender Bar' tells the story of a young boy named JR (Tye Sheridan), who grows up in Long Island, raised by his mother and her family, on account of an absentee father. Two days later, Odie arrives in St. Louis. Even in his elderly years, he speaks of a sycamore tree as a thing of such beauty.. All four characters begin their journey at a brutal reformatory-like institution called the Lincoln Indian Training School. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. As they swig and chat, we learn that: Riley's parents are dead, the Fireflies . Loke said PIA is the third busiest airport in Malaysia, and the last time it was upgraded was in 2013. A form of isolation and trauma. Not affiliated with Harvard College. perhaps the real magic lies in reading or re-reading it [a coming-of-age story] later, when it serves to remind us about the people we used to be. As the hardest and most upbeat worker, his storyline is even more heartbreaking. Krueger compares Odies wrestling with God to his own. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Your comment about the title as an important theme is thought-provoking. . This Tender Land study guide contains a biography of William Kent Krueger, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. 1932, Minnesotathe Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. . Mose is able to keep an upbeat demeanor despite enduring cruelties himself and seeing them at the Lincoln Indian Training School. What did you think of it?If you enjoy th. Hope you check it out. What are some similar books youve read? Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Odie O'Banion and his older brother Albert, orphans, are the only two white boys in the school. Our mystery group discussed Ordinary Grace and thought it was wonderful. The book begins with 12-year-old Odie and his brother, Albert, being taken in by Thelma and Clyde Brickman, who work for the Lincoln Indian Training School. Instructions. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. freeing, roller-coaster time, when theres a sense of hope mixed with The Vagabonds how four orphaned William Kent Krueger, author of "This Tender Land," Wednesday, July 31, 2019. Ordinary Grace Book Club Questions and Food Ideas - Book Club Bites, Malibu Rising Book Club Questions and Recipe - Book Club Bites, The Vibrant Years Book Club Questions and Recipe, The Librarian Spy Book Club Questions and Recipe. They're welcomed and given food, but later are again forced to flee, chased by police with dogs. Your email address will not be published. That's when he felt what many writers feel after a hugely successful book, especially after a first bookOh, my god! Kruegers fascination with Minnesota began when he moved here 40 years ago. Published by Atria Books, an imprint of . Moses tongue had been cut out. Pour the chicken broth into the pot and whisk in the packet of Ranch seasoning. Of killing and kidnapping and children pursued by demons of a thousand names. Pig scarer takes them to a room in the barn where they are held captive and forced to work the farm. His face was like a diamond, a hard thing cut at sharp angles. He had a black patch over one eye. But they too were sentenced to hard labor cleaning cement, while the boys were treated like slaves by a heartless farmer, his farm on the school grounds. This book had a lot of heart! If you liked This Tender Land you may also like other books in our Fiction Category. While they fight and reconcile, ultimately they don't end up together. But at the end of the day, evil is evil no matter the circumstances, no matter how many good deeds you've done. children as main characters (in adult fiction) fascinate you. great classical writers like John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and From a young age Native children were sent to these schools, where they learned about Christianity and European-centered cultural and social history and values. Dhruv Trivedi. Along the way, theyll encounter faith healers, displaced families, rowdy riverboat men, and lost souls as they struggle to define what family means and try to find a place to call home. They were emotionally, physically, and sexually abused. The Native character whom readers get to know best is Mose, and he is mute and "speaks" only through sign language. All along their journey south Odie and company come across its signs: masses of people who have lost their homes and jobs traveling somewhereanywherelooking for work, and the Hoovervilles these nomads created, mostly in cities where they hoped to find work. Before he could tell her his plan, however, Aunt Julia revealed that she was Odie's real mother. . I appreciate that there are many issues that arouse a passionate response in him, but I thought the inclusion of so many of them in one story diluted the impact of each on the reader. The book takes place during the Great Depression. As such, they leave for their travels again, where they next stop off at Mankato and meet a young girl, Maybeth Schofield, and her family. Tye Sheridan as JR in 'The Tender Bar'. Chapter 4 Sausages with scrambled eggs and potatoes with diced onions and bread Volz and Albert rescue Odie and Mose from the Quiet Room, Chapter 12 A loaf of bread, peanut butter, apple butter, and oranges the first meal on the river- (Next meal-bologna and cheese), Chapter 18 Chicken and roasted carrots from the pig scarer (Jack) after building his still, Chapter 20 Chicken and mushrooms and moonshine when the still is finished, Chapter 22 Catfish from the Sioux, Forrest, and later from Mose, Chapter 23 Chicken soup from the revival, Chapter 25 Lemon drops and licorice from Sister Eve, Chapter 38 Ginger cookies, cider, apple slices and cheese with bread in Hopersville when Odieplayshis harmonica, Chapter 51 Lentil soup and bread the first night at Gerties plus sandwiches of bread, cheese, sliced beef, tomatoes and lettuce for the workers and rice pudding as John Kellys mother labors, Chapter 61 Scrambled eggs, ham, toast and raspberry jam, grits, and fried green tomatoesbreakfast at Aunt Julias the morning after Odie arrives. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. However, the orphanage is cruel, and the brothers steal some money and escape, with their new friends Mose and Emmy Frost. . Hi Olivia! To get a feel for the mood of the novel you may want to listen to Shenandoah, a melancholy folk ballad, Odies favorite song, he plays on his cant-live-without harmonica, his hobo harp. Music is one of the saving graces in a merciless place that has the audacity to be called a school. Good-hearts at the school were the exception. : INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! We find out why they are the only white boys in school of Indian children later in the book. Thanks for reading. I appreciate that there are many issues that arouse a passionate response in him, but I thought the inclusion of so many of them in one story diluted the impact of each on the reader. They dont have the heart to leave her with Mrs. Brickman, whom they call the Black Witch, and her husband. At 444 pages, This Tender Land is 56 pages shy of qualifying as a Big Book. I loved the other characters in the book too. It was a real challenge for me to get those two voices to merge smoothly so there wasnt a stumbling on the part of the reader when I shifted from one point of view to the other, Krueger said. Krueger did a great job with the setting. A lot of history is embedded in the prose. I could have sworn I heard the cracking of every vertebra as his spine straightened. There are three ways to approach this book: The novel opens at an Indian training school in Minnesota, one of many boarding schools in the U.S. created to transform Native children into good citizens. The others are tired of constantly moving around, so Odie pursues their Aunt on his own. I was scared to death. An editor in the dirt, the rain, the sky, the trees, the appls, the stars in the . And Emmy Frost is searching for her role in life. Learn how your comment data is processed. Krueger does a good job in developing Odies character as he travels on the Mississippi. There have been only a few scattered productions of . At a place where two rivers meet, the child fugitives come upon a shantytown, a community of temporary shelters assembled by the many poverty-stricken homeless, lost souls, and victims of the Depression who've had their lives disrupted. Tender: To tender is to invite bids for a project, or to accept a formal offer such as a takeover bid . In fact, it feels like an epic. one year ago. The four form a bond early on when they worked together at an apple orchard on a farm that had fallen on tough times, indicative of the hard hit Midwestern farmers during the Depression. Other Books in our Fiction category Mose during that time main characters ( in adult Fiction ) you... Pursues their Aunt on his own as he travels on the Mississippi the pot and whisk in barn. With God to his own Land you may also like other Books our. 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