Ledfeather

I had been trying to find an affordable copy of this book (it's an earlier work by Stephen Graham Jones, written long before he became a bestselling author) and was seeing it elsewhere for $30 to $40. I found a good copy from this seller for much, much less. Thank you!

"Ledfeather" represents a breakthrough for author Stephen Graham Jones. It is his most perfect novel to date, exceeding even the brilliant "All the Beautiful Sinners." An overreaction? Perhaps. My strong reaction to this novel may have more to do with my growing understanding and appreciation of SGJ's prose in general rather than the story told in "Ledfeather." Most likely it's a combination of both.Reading SGJ is challenging. His books do not make for easy reading. And thank you, Stephen, for that. Casual readers who gravitate to the bestseller list would probably not get past the first few pages of "Ledfeather" (or "All The Beautiful Sinners" and particularly not "Bird Is Gone: A Manifesto"). And what a shame, for the rewards to the reader who takes on the challenge are many.I forgot who said it, though I suspect it was not just one individual, but reading is an active (as opposed to passive) activity. Reading someone like Dan Brown is akin to watching Zoolander (a movie I admit I like more than I should). Reading Stephen is more like watching a film by Bergman or Lynch or Tarkovsky, for example. And these three directors are typically not grouped together. The point I'm trying to make is that, like all great literature and film, the experience affects everyone differently, but it does affect them, not just entertain them. Meanings and linkages that are not readily apparent upon initial reading creep into the reader's minds later -- sometimes days, weeks or months later."Ledfeather." The novel opens with a blank page save a single sentence: "I remember you." Perfect for so many reasons, which, again, man not resonate until well after the last page is read. The main character -- Doby Saxon -- is SGJ's most memorable character to date. When he sits in the snow by the side of the road and begins to read Dalimpere's letters, written ages ago, the author begins a narrative-transition device that seems so simple at first. But the transition that SGJ pulls of is so subtle and effective that you almost forget about Doby altogether after the first few letters. Claire. Claire. God how he (Dalimpere) must have hurt. His torment is almost tangible. The slow slide into madness (or is it just uncaringness?) is breathtaking. And then the eventual return to Doby's world and THAT NIGHT. Again, perfect.I admit I didn't "get" SGJ's earlier novels. But that's a poor way of expressing what I'm trying to say. Sure, "Bird Is Gone: A Manifesto" confused the heck out of me, and "All the Beautiful Sinners" remains the most complex "thriller" I have ever read. But when I finished both of those books, I didn't know exactly how I felt. Certainly not dissatisfied, and not necessarily confused, but... something else that I hadn't felt after concluding any other novel.As I've stated elsewhere, SGJ's language or voice or whatever you want to call it -- it takes time to appreciate, like a fine wine. At least it did for me. But now I feel I've broken through partially, and the connections are slowly revealing themselves. This makes me want to to revisit those novels again (and "Demon Theory" and "Bleed Into Me: Stories," too). And also to finally take "The Fast Red Road: A Plainsong" off the shelf and give it the reading it deserves (the sole novel of this author that I have yet to tackle)."Ledfeather" deserves wide recognition, and should be a contender for one of the many literary awards. It's that good. Unfortunately I think the majority of mainstream readers will never know about this magical book. But that is their loss, and should not be yours.Thank you, Mr. Jones, for sharing these words with us. I don't know how autobiographical any the story was, but I can't help but feel I understand you a tiny bit more now. I also realize this is patently false, as I firmly believe that it is impossible to truly understand anyone except yourself (and even that is exceedingly difficult), particularly through a work of fiction. But still, I like to kid myself that maybe it is possible if the stars are aligned. And maybe that's what "Ledfeather" does for me.Highly recommended.

Ledfeather is another excellent work by Stephen Graham Jones. Although it begins abruptly, it will stay with you to the end and beyond.Ledfeather, is a story of survival, but also a story of identity. A young Native American teen, Doby Saxton tries to discover his true identity outside the boundaries of the reservation that he lives on. Doby soon discovers that his identify is more complex than he thought. The novel is more complex than I thought it would be when I started to read this. I’m sure that we are all familiar with novels that expand upon the identity of a character over a given amount of time, however, Ledfeather is different. Jones quickly embeds another seemingly unrelated plot line into the novel, the inclusion of an Indian Agent 100 years before Doby. Through the struggle of the Indian Agent Dalimpere, readers start to understand the challenges that Doby encounters in his own time. It really makes you wonder if all struggles are eternal.The plot itself is easy to understand despite the various folds, and incongruities that occur throughout the novel. The effect is there not to be flashy, but instead to make you think ‘outside of the box’. Sure, these tropes come up time and time again in modern fiction, however, Jones skillfully crafts Ledfeather into a novel that has great storytelling inside of a greater artistic medium; the novel. Outside of the plot line, the novel is a journey in itself. It changes in real time while reading it. For example, an event that took place earlier in the novel can suddenly come back with a bang in later chapters. Things that don’t seem significant at the beginning will suddenly become clearer near the end of the novel. The best part is that you don’t have to scrutinize the novel for meaning. You just have to be willing to read it, and think about it while reading.This novel is so much more than identity and survival. Ledfeather will surely challenge you, but will also reward you for reading it at the same time. If you are not sure about buying or reading Ledfeather I would encourage you to do so. Sure, it’s a difficult read, but it’s a read that will give you a heightened sense of clarity with regards to fiction written in this decade, and also a greater awareness of Native American writers. While reading this novel, the writers heritage will not even be an issue. Ledfather is honest, and also rooted in reality. By the end of the novel, you will start to question just how much of what you read is real, and just how much that reality matters in the end. Sometimes struggle is worth it. In the case of Ledfeather it surely is.

Ledfeather is Stephen Graham Jones at his best! It is that narrative that's so distinctly his voice, but then it's him in the 1800s too.The book starts off on an Indian reservation in Montana and is so easily digestable from the first page. Jones paints such a vivid picture of what it must be like to live near a Blackfeet rez, and his writing is like he's just sitting there, telling you this story about Doby Jackson and so many other characters.And then he takes you back 100, 125, years in the past and there is an Indian Agent for the Blackfeet, Francis D., writing these letters to his wife. And Jones makes it feel so real and personal. And he shows you how horrible the government treated Indians back then.From suicide, to getting "stoned" to death, to gambling, to community, Ledfeather is the complete package and it's a book that should be read.

This book was very good. I had to get it for a class but wound up liking. However, without my whole class reading this in-deapth, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much since it travels between two (realities isn't quite the word) and can be very confusing. We had to have charts and everything to keep the number of characters straight too. Still a good read though.