Linda Hart's Reviews > The Painted Drum

I really enjoyed this book with interesting characters unlike any in my own world, and I learned more about native American culture and folklore. This story involves a sacred healing drum and the three or four generations of people connected to it. It is told from different perspectives, some which is oral history handed down from generation to generation. Superb description, occasional humor, and crafted writing except for occasional confusing transitions between scenes and characters.
It falls short of a 5 star rating because of the persistent dark melancolic tone (which, thankfully Erdrich overcomes with a happy ending) and for about a dozen unnecessary uses of the "F" word near the end of the story, which always offends me. A truly skilled writer doesn't need to stoop to vulgarity in order to achieve a picture of any character or scene. When a writer resorts to the use of any "four letter" word I find myself thinking "wow, it will never be on a school reading list or become a classic." Can you imagine Steinbeck, Stegner, or Dostoevsky stooping to use that word?