The Beet Queen | The Beet Queen

At a glance:

Author: Louise Erdrich
First Published: 1985
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Domestic realism
Time of Work: 1932-1972
Setting: Primarily Argus, North Dakota; Minneapolis; Florida; and a Chippewa reservation
Genres: Long fiction, Short fiction, Domestic realism, Family literature
Subjects: 1950’s, Maturation or coming of age, Values, 1960’s, 1970’s, Blizzards, Family or family life, Self-discovery, Mothers, Parents and children, Tradition, Dogs, Gay men, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Love or romance, Suicide, 1940’s, Abandoned children, Midwest, Brothers and sisters, 1930’s, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Native Americans or American Indians, Small-town life, Ethics, Abandonment, Eccentrics or eccentricities
Locales: Florida, Argus, ND (fictive), Chippewa Indian Reservation, Minneapolis, MN

Mary Adare, daughter of the novel’s principal family. Abandoned by their mother, Adelaide, she and her brother Karl flee Minneapolis, she to her Aunt Fritzie and Uncle Pete’s butcher shop in Argus, which she eventually takes over. Her rivalry with her cousin Sita is balanced by her lifelong friendship and work-partnership with Celestine, the half-Indian mother of Dot by Karl. As her fierce motherliness focuses on Dot, she grows into a formidable, eccentric, and occasionally mystical woman.

The Beet Queen | The Beet Queen

At a glance:

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