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knbee's review against another edition
5.0
Felt like this one was meant for me. Strong emphasis on people and place and the ties that bind. Loved the writing as well, straight forward with poetic tendencies. There is an unexpected turn at the end that I found really dark and haunting and... brilliant... because of its unexpectedness and seeming authenticity- a warning in case a lighter read would better serve right now. Great debut.
jntidmore's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.0
I kept reading in the hopes that something would happen. It never did.
blogginboutbooks's review
2.0
Ironically enough, I just told someone last night that I don't give two-star ratings on GR because if I'm really not enjoying a book, I DNF it. So, why did I keep reading CROOKED HALLELUJAH? Other than needing to read a book set in Oklahoma for a reading challenge, I really have no idea. If it hadn't been for the challenge, I would definitely not have finished it. Even with the challenge, I contemplated putting it down more than once.
I was intrigued by the premise of this book as well as several of its themes (racial/cultural identity, extreme religion, mother/daughter relationships, etc.). The story starts out alright, with a teenaged Justine talking about her grim life of poverty, her dysfunctional family, and the repression she experiences because of her membership in a strict fundamentalist church. When she becomes pregnant after being raped by an older "boy," it changes everything. After that introduction, the story bops around both in perspective and time. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of who's who and when's when, making the tale feel discombobulated and confusing. The novel has no actual plot, which certainly doesn't help things. It meanders here, there, and everywhere, even introducing perspectives that have no bearing at all on the story. Speaking of perspective, I was hoping CROOKED HALLELUJAH would give a unique one on the Native American experience. It doesn't. Instead, it reinforces all those "Indian" stereotypes: poverty, alcoholism, violence, unreliable men, broken women, etc. Add to all this the fact that the book is unrelentingly grim and depressing and, honestly, I'm not sure why I kept reading it! CROOKED HALLELUJAH was, unfortunately, an almost wholly dissatisfying and disappointing read for me.
On the bright side, Ford does know how to create a mood. Her settings are vivid in their bleakness and her characters are...not boring. The book does have themes that are worthy of discussion. It could also very well be that I'm missing the whole point of the novel. I do prefer straightforward stories that don't bury their points in abstraction.
I was intrigued by the premise of this book as well as several of its themes (racial/cultural identity, extreme religion, mother/daughter relationships, etc.). The story starts out alright, with a teenaged Justine talking about her grim life of poverty, her dysfunctional family, and the repression she experiences because of her membership in a strict fundamentalist church. When she becomes pregnant after being raped by an older "boy," it changes everything. After that introduction, the story bops around both in perspective and time. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of who's who and when's when, making the tale feel discombobulated and confusing. The novel has no actual plot, which certainly doesn't help things. It meanders here, there, and everywhere, even introducing perspectives that have no bearing at all on the story. Speaking of perspective, I was hoping CROOKED HALLELUJAH would give a unique one on the Native American experience. It doesn't. Instead, it reinforces all those "Indian" stereotypes: poverty, alcoholism, violence, unreliable men, broken women, etc. Add to all this the fact that the book is unrelentingly grim and depressing and, honestly, I'm not sure why I kept reading it! CROOKED HALLELUJAH was, unfortunately, an almost wholly dissatisfying and disappointing read for me.
On the bright side, Ford does know how to create a mood. Her settings are vivid in their bleakness and her characters are...not boring. The book does have themes that are worthy of discussion. It could also very well be that I'm missing the whole point of the novel. I do prefer straightforward stories that don't bury their points in abstraction.
em_harring's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up.
Overall, I liked this. I particularly loved the mother/daughter dynamics, and how each relationship affected the next. Crooked Hallelujah is a great look into intergenerational trauma and how we find ourselves stuck in cycles of being––especially those of us affected by setter colonialism, violence, and genocide.
Where I felt this novel needed more work was in the pacing and overall structure. The last half feels almost like interconnected short stories rather than part of a whole narrative. I didn't care for the POVs outside of the women (primarily Justine and Reney); I'm unsure what they really added to the story or why they were there. I think the narrative would have benefited from cutting those and spending more time in each time period with the women. The book jumps in time without giving the reader a sense of how much time has passed––which is fine; I just prefer my family narratives to be more drawn out and to give us more moments on the page with each family member. Instead, we get snippets from when Justine was young, then fast forwarding to when she's a young mother and Reney is around 8, then fast forwarding to when Reney is like 20 and acting just like Justine––there wasn't space to allow the characters to breathe on their own.
I'll definitely read more by Ford. I think she's a strong writer and I, for the most part, enjoyed the characters we followed.
I do want to add: I find it odd how some reviewers are saying that the novel isn't Native enough. This book is all about the trauma of colonialism (the great grandmother was a survivor of boarding schools and what happened to her there greatly affected the family...obviously). It is very much a novel set in Indian Country about what has happened to our communities because of colonialism. I don't really know what people were expecting? There is no one way to be Native--not all of us grow up on our ancestral lands or with our communities. TLDR: This is very much a Native book and if you don't see the various ways that it is indeed Native, that means that you have to do some reading and research on your own time. Not every book about Natives is going to completely rehash our trauma so you understand why things have happened the way they have. Also, maybe keep in mind that it's not for you, because you're not the audience (e.g., Native).
Overall, I liked this. I particularly loved the mother/daughter dynamics, and how each relationship affected the next. Crooked Hallelujah is a great look into intergenerational trauma and how we find ourselves stuck in cycles of being––especially those of us affected by setter colonialism, violence, and genocide.
Where I felt this novel needed more work was in the pacing and overall structure. The last half feels almost like interconnected short stories rather than part of a whole narrative. I didn't care for the POVs outside of the women (primarily Justine and Reney); I'm unsure what they really added to the story or why they were there. I think the narrative would have benefited from cutting those and spending more time in each time period with the women. The book jumps in time without giving the reader a sense of how much time has passed––which is fine; I just prefer my family narratives to be more drawn out and to give us more moments on the page with each family member. Instead, we get snippets from when Justine was young, then fast forwarding to when she's a young mother and Reney is around 8, then fast forwarding to when Reney is like 20 and acting just like Justine––there wasn't space to allow the characters to breathe on their own.
I'll definitely read more by Ford. I think she's a strong writer and I, for the most part, enjoyed the characters we followed.
I do want to add: I find it odd how some reviewers are saying that the novel isn't Native enough. This book is all about the trauma of colonialism (the great grandmother was a survivor of boarding schools and what happened to her there greatly affected the family...obviously). It is very much a novel set in Indian Country about what has happened to our communities because of colonialism. I don't really know what people were expecting? There is no one way to be Native--not all of us grow up on our ancestral lands or with our communities. TLDR: This is very much a Native book and if you don't see the various ways that it is indeed Native, that means that you have to do some reading and research on your own time. Not every book about Natives is going to completely rehash our trauma so you understand why things have happened the way they have. Also, maybe keep in mind that it's not for you, because you're not the audience (e.g., Native).
rebeshelton's review
3.0
"Crooked Hallelujah" is a book that I had high hopes for, given its intriguing premise, but it fell a bit short of my expectations. Firstly, the timeline was quite challenging to follow. I often found myself lost in the chronology of events, which made it difficult to fully engage with the story. Keeping track of the characters was another hurdle. There were moments when I had to pause and try to remember who was who, which interrupted the flow of my reading experience.
There were parts of the story that felt incomplete or missing. This left me with a sense of dissatisfaction, as if I were only getting a glimpse of a larger, more complex picture that never fully materialized. It's a shame because the glimpses I did see were compelling and well-written, but they just didn't come together in a cohesive whole.
While it had its moments of brilliance, the confusion in the timeline and the complexity of its characters, combined with the feeling of an incomplete story, made it a challenging read. I believe it has potential and could appeal to readers who enjoy piecing together a puzzle-like narrative, but for those looking for a more straightforward read, it might be a bit too perplexing.
There were parts of the story that felt incomplete or missing. This left me with a sense of dissatisfaction, as if I were only getting a glimpse of a larger, more complex picture that never fully materialized. It's a shame because the glimpses I did see were compelling and well-written, but they just didn't come together in a cohesive whole.
While it had its moments of brilliance, the confusion in the timeline and the complexity of its characters, combined with the feeling of an incomplete story, made it a challenging read. I believe it has potential and could appeal to readers who enjoy piecing together a puzzle-like narrative, but for those looking for a more straightforward read, it might be a bit too perplexing.
lizaroo71's review
3.0
Interwoven stories of three generations of Cherokee women in Oklahoma and Texas. I think I liked the way the first third of the book was told, but then some of the side stories of characters around the main characters weren't as engaging to me.
I wanted more of the three main women’s stories. There is such a string of sadness that ties all of the stories together. A lot of pain and unhappiness.
I wanted more of the three main women’s stories. There is such a string of sadness that ties all of the stories together. A lot of pain and unhappiness.
jensi171's review
2.0
I really enjoyed the book until I was about halfway through. I feel the author lost her focus, the mother/daughter storyline ended up being undeveloped. Just when Reney leaves to go off on her own, we lose her voice until the very end and only find out second-hand what happens to her (I wanted to go on that journey WITH Reney!). The random POVs thrown in were distracting, and the ending hit me out of nowhere (the apocalypse???!!!).
manaledi's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this. It falls into one of my niche categories of multi-generational family sagas with strong women and diverse characters.
katesaysyep's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
snabb1's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape