Nov 22, 2008
The Beet Queen | The Beet Queen
At a glance:
- Author: Louise Erdrich
- First Published: 1985
- Type of Plot: Family
- Time of Work: 1932-1972
- Setting: The small town of Argus, North Dakota
- Principal Characters: Mary Adare, Karl Adare, Sita Kozka, Celestine James, Dot Adare, Wallace Pfef
- 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
The Novel
The Beet Queen narrates the adventures of several characters of mixed Native American
and European background from Louise Erdrich’s first novel, Love Medicine (1985),
as they interact with Mary and Karl Adare. The novel illuminates the lives of these characters over
a forty-year period.
The Beet Queen’s sixteen chapters fall into four parts. Most are recounted by a
single character; some are told by several characters. The chapters include short scenes sketched by
an omniscient narrator who seems more detached than the characters. Each...
[The entire page is 2913 words long]
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