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A review by freewaygods
Fathers and Crows by William T. Vollmann
adventurous
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I have dreamed the Second Dream, have forded the Stream of Time, braved past even the Seventy-Third Rapids, seen the Floating Island of Born Swimming and Born Underwater’s dreams, made the exercises with Père Brébeuf, and I will ATTEND THE GREEN FIRE with Saint Tekakwitha.
Fathers and Crows, for it's massive length, does not feel too dense. It does, however, feel extremely digressive. If you do not find yourself caught up in the prose or the large cast of characters, you may find this novel a slog, a struggle through the rapids of the Stream of Time (this is the First Point).
Personally, I was less enraptured with the characters and the narrative as I was with the First Dream, The Ice-Shirt, but this is not to say I did not enjoy it. Vollmann's stylistics are fantastic, and the narrative voice of William the Blind is, in my opinion, strong enough to carry a reader across 900 pages.
One might be surprised to see how Vollmann handles this particular collision between the indigenous peoples of this continent with Europeans — discourse surrounding colonization has certainly developed much further than what was generally in the mainstream at the time of his writing Fathers and Crows. Thus, the novel feels certainly centered on the French/colonial perspective, and as such replicates many aspects of the colonial gaze, but in ways that often call attention to that very gaze itself. This creates an interesting reading experience, which most likely would not have been able to be written or published today.
With all this said, I will still strongly advocate for readers to attempt the Exercises, to brave the Stream of Time and read all of Vollmann's Seven Dreams, including Fathers and Crows. I would highly recommend first reading The Ice-Shirt, and also if possible, encourage readers to read Vollmann's oeuvre in order of publication, in order to acclimate to his unique style. Regardless of how you engage with his texts, and Fathers and Crows in particular, there is plenty for readers to enjoy and learn here.
Fathers and Crows, for it's massive length, does not feel too dense. It does, however, feel extremely digressive. If you do not find yourself caught up in the prose or the large cast of characters, you may find this novel a slog, a struggle through the rapids of the Stream of Time (this is the First Point).
Personally, I was less enraptured with the characters and the narrative as I was with the First Dream, The Ice-Shirt, but this is not to say I did not enjoy it. Vollmann's stylistics are fantastic, and the narrative voice of William the Blind is, in my opinion, strong enough to carry a reader across 900 pages.
One might be surprised to see how Vollmann handles this particular collision between the indigenous peoples of this continent with Europeans — discourse surrounding colonization has certainly developed much further than what was generally in the mainstream at the time of his writing Fathers and Crows. Thus, the novel feels certainly centered on the French/colonial perspective, and as such replicates many aspects of the colonial gaze, but in ways that often call attention to that very gaze itself. This creates an interesting reading experience, which most likely would not have been able to be written or published today.
With all this said, I will still strongly advocate for readers to attempt the Exercises, to brave the Stream of Time and read all of Vollmann's Seven Dreams, including Fathers and Crows. I would highly recommend first reading The Ice-Shirt, and also if possible, encourage readers to read Vollmann's oeuvre in order of publication, in order to acclimate to his unique style. Regardless of how you engage with his texts, and Fathers and Crows in particular, there is plenty for readers to enjoy and learn here.