Nov 22, 2008

The Beet Queen | Characters

The action of The Beet Queen covers forty years — from 1932 to 1972. Erdrich, however, does not present a detailed chronological narration, however, and the story sometimes jumps as much as a decade between scenes.

After Adelaide's abandonment of her three children at the opening of the novel it appears that Mary and Karl Adare will be central characters. But Karl vanishes and Mary moves to the forefront of the action. Soon it becomes evident that several characters, in addition to Mary and Karl, are important: Celestine James, Mary's native American friend; Sita Kozka, Mary's...