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joaniesickler's review against another edition
5.0
When I spotted this book at my local library book sale, I knew the author's name was familiar. There's a library in Santa Fe named after him. Oliver LaFarge was an anthropologist who went to the Southweatin the 1920s and lived with the Navajos. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Laughing Boy, which tells an intense love story between a young traditional Navajo brave and an "Americanized" Navajo woman who was taken from her family and educated by Americans. She's searching to find her place back with her people but isn't ready to give up all of her old life. It's set in 1915 and is beautifully authentic. A remarkable piece of history and emotion.
carlylottsofbookz's review against another edition
1.0
This is a terrible book about native people that portrays all natives as unintelligent (putting it nicely). Terribly written I just don’t get how this book was published, let alone selected for the Pulitzer.
Ugh.
Ugh.
drewmoody321's review against another edition
4.0
Read my full review here: http://thepulitzerblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/entry-63-laughing-boy-by-oliver-lafarge-1930/
lilnoto's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
“I do not know what you mean, but i know her, that girl. She is not bad. She is good. She is strong. She is for me”
asktheleaf's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
4.0
Laughing Boy is an elegantly written love story, vast in its emotional substance. There was a poignant moment in every chapter. I love it when such a little novel can be so loaded. Young love for Laughing Boy and Slim Girl deftly mirrors the struggling relationship between the Navajo reservations and the modernizing Americans; the thin string that it all hangs so delicately from. La Farge writes with confidence and clarity. I will have to read this book again!
nancidrum's review against another edition
3.0
I love stories about Native Americans. This Pulitzer prize winning story set in the southwest of America in 1915 had the premise of being everything I typically would love. Somehow that just didn't happen. The story waxed and waned a bit too much for me and just didn't come through as powerful as I was hoping. I found myself skimming it from time to time to get through the slow parts. The ending was well-done, but by and large the rest of the book just left me wishing for more. As my 3 star rating indicates, I liked it, but it sure doesn't rate in the top third of books I've read.
halfcentreader's review against another edition
4.0
I think the author did a great job portraying the inner thoughts of Laughing Boy and Slim Girl. I appreciated the way Laughing Boy worked through his grief or his doubts. His beliefs help sustain him and keep him on the path of beauty.
uncle_remus's review against another edition
3.0
This book may be important from a historical / cultural perspective, but as a pure novel, it is not shabby or shoddy, but not all too great either. Where it shines is not so much the characterization of Laughing Boy, but the *historical Navajo* characterization of Laughing Boy, and to a lesser extent Slim Girl. The historicity is quite unique, and perhaps unique only to the time period represented. A different slice of 'Americana'. About page 140, I was thinking only 2 stars, but the pace picks up (predictable throughout, but well done). It is a story with heart: Laughing Boy for Slim Girl, for the Navajos and the land in which he lives. 3-3.5/5 stars.
ecahilly's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0