Reviews for The Night Birds

The average rating for The Night Birds based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-10-28 00:00:00 Jaskaran Singh If you feel the need to jump into a time machine and travel back in time to Minnesota in 1862, during the great Sioux uprising that left hundreds of German settlers and Dakota Indians dead, just open the pages of this book. It actually spans the years between 1846-1876, with an epilogue that takes us to 1921. Asa Senger is a young boy just on the brink of manhood when his Aunt Hazel comes to stay with them. Her tales of her childhood enthrall him, and reaches a place deep inside him that changes the course of his life. The paragraph above is a simple recap of the basic plot, but gives you no inkling of the depth of this book. This first novel by Thomas Maltman takes us there in mind and spirit, putting you inside two room cabins and teepees on the plains. The characters on both sides of the conflict are real enough to make you feel both joy and pain at events, making you hope for the best, even when you know it's impossible. We get both sides of the story, from the white settlers who take and take and take, trying to make a better life for themselves, and the Dakota Sioux, watching their land and livelihood disappear because of the greed of the white man who assumes superiority. There is, of course, love and hate in these pages, but also mystery and spirituality, shame at what we are doing to destroy the natural world, and the importance of family, no matter what color your skin is. This book comes under the heading of one of my favorite book genres, pioneer tales, showing us the courage and determination of the people who settled this country, and the people who were here before us. A lot of this tale is based on historical fact, with special guest appearances by a flock of passenger pigeons (now extinct), and Frank and Jesse James. Those scenes, along with the quality of the writing, put this book over the top for me.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-08-12 00:00:00 Xiong Lee 4 🤕 🤕 🤕 🤕 I have a picture of my great great grandparents and their nine children. They immigrated to Minnesota from Europe to claim land and farm shortly after the time period of this story. They look severe, unhappy, and worn out. I bet they had some stories to tell. Little house on the prairie this most definitely is not. If there was any romantic notion left in me about coming of age or homesteading in late 1800s America it has been chewed up, spit out, and consumed by locusts. A worthy and brutal historical fiction read where no one is spared, not the Native Americans, not the animals or children, and certainly not the reader. Despite the author's vain attempt to reward those of us still reading with a bone via the epilogue, it beat the buffalo chips out of me. I wonder if my ancestors ever wished they could return from whence they came?