“Romantic love, religious ecstasy, the strange mixture of devotion and misunderstanding that runs through families—all are steeped together. The result is a rich and fragrant infusion. . . . [Written] with great poignancy and charm.” — New York Times Book Review
A darkly humorous novel of wild romance and heartbreak set against a raging North Dakota blizzard as five Native American women bond over their shared connection to one man, from award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Louise Erdrich
Five very different women have married Jack Mauser, a charming, infuriating schemer whose passions never survive the long haul. Now, stranded in a North Dakota blizzard, they have come face-to-face—and each has an astonishing story to tell. Huddling for warmth, they pass the endless night by remembering the stories of how each came to love, marry, and ultimately move beyond Jack. At times painful, at times heartbreaking, and oftentimes comic, their tales become the adhesive that holds them together—in their love for Jack and in their lives as women.
With her characteristic powers of observation and luminescent prose, Louise Erdrich brings these women's unforgettable tales to life in a tour de force from one of the most formidable American writers at work today.
This edition of Tales of Burning Love includes a P.S. section with additional insights from the author, background material, suggestions for further reading, and more.
Author Info
Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, is the award-winning author of many novels as well as volumes of poetry, children’s books, and a memoir of early motherhood. Erdrich lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore.
Reviews
“Romantic love, religious ecstasy, the strange mixture of devotion and misunderstanding that runs through families—all are steeped together. The result is a rich and fragrant infusion. . . . [Written] with great poignancy and charm. . . . Ms. Erdrich’s saints are nearly as lively as her sinners, and that’s a real achievement.” — New York Times Book Review
“Erdrich returns to the somber and beautiful landscape she has created, a landscape more and more richly populated with each book.” — Washington Post Book World
“Few modern American writers can equal Louise Erdrich for sheer stylistic brilliance. Tales of Burning Love is an enormously enjoyable book, alive with fascinating and engaging characters, full of love in all its twangy, passionate, and ridiculous excesses.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
"Her most daring and perhaps her most compelling....A wise, wonderful, and wickedly funny novel." — Booklist
“One of her most compulsively readable books—a tale of wild romance and crazy fate that unspools like a quirky road movie.” — Chicago Sun-Times
“Erdrich’s finest novel in years....Shockingly beautiful prose.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“When was the last time you read a book that was equally generous to women and men? A book that made you want to round up all the lovers you’d ever treated badly and show them the kindness they truly deserved? If you’ve craved such a book, spend a few nights with Louise Erdrich’s Tales of Burning Love.” — Boston Sunday Globe
“A triumph....[She] compels her characters to plumb the depths of human nature through storytelling.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“The sensation of intimacy this type of writing creates cannot be overestimated. It feels right, therefore, to describe this novel not in terms of literature but companionship: a comfortable, humorous and generous work.” — Chicago Tribune
“Masterful....Tales of Burning Love is a bright, loud book.” — Harper's Bazaar
“This novel is sensual, romantic, funny and wrapped in a world of snow and fire that is as irresistible as Jack himself.” — Arizona Republic
“Tales of Burning Love blazes with Erdrich’s insights about the nature of love, the force of passion. Realistic and yet romantic, it’s a novel to melt the hardest of hearts.” — Orlando Sentinel
