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The Painted Drum cover art

The Painted Drum

By: Louise Erdrich
Narrated by: Anna Fields
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Editor reviews

The painted drum at the center of this lovely book is Ojibwe. It is found, radiating shamanic power, by estate appraiser Faye Travers. That Faye herself is Ojibwe is the first of many repeating motifs in this narrative of linked stories about the people whose lives have been changed for good or ill by the drum. Anna Fields's performance is a tour de force. She was coached in Ojibwe pronunciation and is as convincing as gruff Ojibwe Bernard Shaawano, whose grandfather made the drum, as she is portraying the light voices of the doomed girl children who haunt the book and the smoky timbre of an old Indian woman.

Summary

When Faye Travers is called upon to appraise the estate of a family in her small New Hampshire town, she isn't surprised to discover a forgotten cache of valuable Native American artifacts. However, she stops dead in her tracks when she finds in the collection a rare drum, ornamented with symbols she doesn't recognize and dressed in red tassels and a beaded belt and skirt, especially since, without touching the instrument, she hears it sound.

From Faye's discovery, we trace the drum's passage, from the reservation on the northern plains to New Hampshire and back. Through the voice of Bernard Shaawano, an Ojibwe, we hear how his grandfather fashioned the drum after years of mourning his young daughter's death, and how it changes the lives of those whose paths its crosses. And through Faye we hear of her anguished relationship with a local sculptor, who himself mourns the loss of a daughter, and of the life she has made alone with her mother, in the shadow of the death of Faye's sister.

Through these compelling voices, The Painted Drum explores the strange power that lost children exert on the memories of those they leave behind, and the intricate, transformative rhythms of human grief. One finds throughout the grace and wit, the captivating prose, and surprising beauty that characterize Louise Erdrich's finest work.

©2005 Louise Eldrich (P)2005 BBC Audiobook America, Inc. & HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Erdrich draws us into her exquisitely detailed world effortlessly....Hard to believe, but Erdrich just keeps getting better." ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about The Painted Drum

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Brilliant Read

This book was recommended by a friend and I have loved listening to it. It's beautifully written and in a way which invokes great imagery to the listeners. Performed wonderfully and I loved the rhythm of the storytelling.

This is not a book I would have picked for myself, but it has truly snuck into my soul as a favourite that I'm sure I'll return to again. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone even if you think you may not enjoy this as I feel you will be pleasantly surprised by the enjoyment you get from this read/listen.

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My favourite bit of prose is here

The closing chapter of this wonderful story is about life, love, loneliness....to hear it read out what bliss. I have often quoted it to people as a fine example of her profound works. I have listened to that part over and over again just to hear how delicious the words are.
Her work always resonates with me and lingers in my memory long after I have put the book down.

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Enjoyable

I found this an enjoyable book. Not exactly riveting or gripping, but nonetheless very interesting and I love the insights into the Native American culture very much.

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Beautifully Written

Louise Erdrich is one of my favourite authors and this book did not disappoint in its writing and descriptions. However I found the story lacking, started out interesting but seemed to lose its way and felt disconnected.

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One great quote at the end

I struggled to finish this. It did not engage my interest. I read a quote from the book - about living life to the fullest essentially - and thought the book worth a listen. It wasn't.

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Beautiful story

Wonderful story with so much imagery. I loved learning about the customs of the Native Americans and the significance of the drum.

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