A reader's guide to the novels of Louise Erdrich

Abstract

Divided into two main sections, the guide provides insight into the geography, genealogy, chronology, and characters of the six novels. In Part I, Beidler and Barton provide a skeletal outline of each family included in the novels. They have sorted familial relationships into genealogical charts and placed each book's most important events in chronological order. A map of Erdrich's North Dakota, both actual and fictional, is also included in this chapter.Part II, the dictionary of characters, forms the heart of the book. The dictionary includes all major and most minor players and provides, in chronological order, the events in each character's life. It also serves as an index to Erdrich's many characters by listing every chapter in the novels where each character appears. Finally, a bibliography is provided, citing the most significant critical responses to Erdrich from the past fifteen years.