This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Length: 464 pages
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

In the midst of the Depression, four orphans flee the Lincoln “Indian” School in search of something they can call family.

From the Publisher

“1932, Minnesota—the Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee, he and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own…”

The Draw

– I adored Ordinary Grace by Krueger.
– Four orphans during the depression.
– An epic novel steeped in Americana.

{My Thoughts}

My expectations for This Tender Land were very, very high because I so loved his earlier novel Ordinary Grace. That story focused on a 13-year old boy, his family and a terrible tragedy that completely devastated them all. Like This Tender Land, Ordinary Grace was set in Minnesota, but its era was 1961, rather than the Depression. Ordinary Grace came before my blogging days, but I journaled about every book I read and gave it my very top grade at the time, A+. So why am I talking so much about a book I’m not reviewing? I suppose it’s that I want you to understand how high the bar was set, and why This Tender Land fell short for me.

As the book opens readers meet brothers Odie (the story’s narrator) and Albert, 12 and 16 who ended up at the school four years earlier after first their mother, then their father died. Close to both, is Mose a hulking Native American boy left mute when someone cut out his tongue. Rounding out this group that will soon leave the school is Emmy, the young daughter of one of the school’s teachers who is killed in a storm. While the school has many kind people working there, an awful woman runs it, having more interest in money than the children.

The four flee the school in a canoe, beginning their journey down the Gilead River. Though scared and without any great plan in mind, they have each other and a strong desire to find something more. So, the set up is good, some have compared it Huck Finn by Mark Twain. It’s been SO long since I read Huck Finn that I can’t possibly speak to that, but I can say that for me this book was just okay.

My biggest issue was that I just didn’t care about these kids. I never felt close to them and there was a lot that was hard to buy into. Also, too many lucky coincidences made the story feel forced. For example, communication with Mose was possible for all because it just happened that Odie and Albert’s mother had been deaf and taught them sign language. They in turn taught Mose and Emmy. This ability came in very handy on their quest, but really? Over and over, I had to overlook plot points that I found really difficult to believe.

The story was compelling enough to keep me going, but sadly not one I can truly recommend. Krueger’s writing is gorgeous and the Goodreads ratings are INCREDIBLY high, so you might not want to pay ANY attention to me!

“I’d heard little kids at Lincoln School cry all night long, and I’d heard Mose, too, but I couldn’t recall ever hearing a man cry this way. It made me think that no matter how big we grew or how old, there was always a child in us somewhere.”

If you’re a great lover of Depression era historical fiction, or particularly like stories centered on children, then This Tender Land may work very well for you. Otherwise, I’d skip it. Grade: C

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger – In my opinion THIS is the book to read. It’s a beautifully told story or one awful summer in a young boy’s life.
• The Guineveres by Sarah Domet – The story of four lone girls, all named Guinevere, placed at a convent school, each wanting nothing more than to leave. (my review)

Note: I received a copy of this book from Atria Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post