Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Sentence
Skip to main content
.us
Hello Select your address
All
Select the department you want to search in
Hello, Sign in
Account & Lists
Returns & Orders
Cart
All
Disability Customer Support Best Sellers Amazon Basics Customer Service New Releases Prime Today's Deals Music Books Amazon Home Registry Fashion Kindle Books Gift Cards Toys & Games Sell Automotive Shopper Toolkit Pet Supplies Coupons Computers Home Improvement Pharmacy Beauty & Personal Care Video Games Luxury Stores Smart Home Health & Household Handmade Audible
All-new Fire 7 Kids tablet

  • The Sentence
  • ›
  • Customer reviews

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
4,360 global ratings
5 star
58%
4 star
25%
3 star
11%
2 star
4%
1 star
2%
The Sentence

The Sentence

byLouise Erdrich
Write a review
How customer reviews and ratings work

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon
See All Buying Options

Top positive review

All positive reviews›
kathleen g
TOP 500 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 starsterrific read
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2021
Magnificent novel of love and ghosts in the time of COVID and protest in Minneapolis. And, a bonus for readers because you might, like me, find a new book to read based on Tookie's recommendations to customers (as well as from Ehrdich's list at the end). Set largely over 2020, it's the story of Tookie, who, upon release from prison for an unusual crime, married Pollux, the tribal cop who arrested her, and went to work in Erdich's bookstore in Minneapolis. She's made a home there in the stacks but now Flora, a pest of a customer, has died and her ghost has taken up residence. And Hetta. Pollux's "daughter" has come to stay along with her infant son Jarvis. I loved this for the characters- the women who work at Birchbark books as well as the customers (and their questions)- as well as for the subtleties. Yes it's a pandemic book and a protest book but Erdich keeps the people at the forefront and personalizes things that sometimes felt too big during 2020. There are wonderful small touches, such as a beloved customer's beloved dog, and the story of Jarvis' father (there's more to him than you might think initially). And Tookie's love for Pollux: has she forgiven him for arresting her? Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. Highly recommend. And the ending.......
Read more
71 people found this helpful

Top critical review

All critical reviews›
Charlotte
1.0 out of 5 starsPreachy
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2021
Although I agree with the author’s views and values, and like her writing style, the endless preaching throughout the novel is annoying and condescending. A little can go a long way — but this overdose of teaching just turns me off.
Read more
77 people found this helpful

Search
Sort by
Top reviews
Filter by
All reviewers
All stars
Text, image, video
4,360 global ratings | 203 global reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

Charlotte
1.0 out of 5 stars Preachy
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
Although I agree with the author’s views and values, and like her writing style, the endless preaching throughout the novel is annoying and condescending. A little can go a long way — but this overdose of teaching just turns me off.
77 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


joanne
1.0 out of 5 stars I served a sentence reading this
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
A plodding pretentious bore with cardboard characters I could not even bring myself to finish it
73 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


kathleen g
TOP 500 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 stars terrific read
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2021
Magnificent novel of love and ghosts in the time of COVID and protest in Minneapolis. And, a bonus for readers because you might, like me, find a new book to read based on Tookie's recommendations to customers (as well as from Ehrdich's list at the end). Set largely over 2020, it's the story of Tookie, who, upon release from prison for an unusual crime, married Pollux, the tribal cop who arrested her, and went to work in Erdich's bookstore in Minneapolis. She's made a home there in the stacks but now Flora, a pest of a customer, has died and her ghost has taken up residence. And Hetta. Pollux's "daughter" has come to stay along with her infant son Jarvis. I loved this for the characters- the women who work at Birchbark books as well as the customers (and their questions)- as well as for the subtleties. Yes it's a pandemic book and a protest book but Erdich keeps the people at the forefront and personalizes things that sometimes felt too big during 2020. There are wonderful small touches, such as a beloved customer's beloved dog, and the story of Jarvis' father (there's more to him than you might think initially). And Tookie's love for Pollux: has she forgiven him for arresting her? Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. Highly recommend. And the ending.......
71 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Signal 75
1.0 out of 5 stars HATE this book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2021
Verified Purchase
I was misled by the reviews of this book; I had believed it to be (and wanted it to be) more in the realm of a supernatural event. The author's politics are quite offensive to me; I did not purchase her book to be engulfed in more Trump Derangement Syndrome and George Floyd's martyrdom. I am struggling to finish it because I will never put down a book until the last page is read. It's horrible.
54 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Chevron Ross
3.0 out of 5 stars A Captivating Follow-up to The Night Watchman
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
Louise Erdrich follows her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Night Watchman, with another perspective on Native American culture and its ties to the spirit world. Tookie, a bookstore clerk with a prison record, finds herself haunted by Flora, a customer who mysteriously died while reading a book about a nineteenth century Indian woman. As ghostly incidents mount, Tookie becomes convinced that it was the book that killed Flora.

The Sentence is packed with character gems, from a rebellious daughter transformed by motherhood, to a cranky bookstore customer for whom reading is his lifeblood, to a young man who believes himself the descendent of an immortal spirit.

There are gems of writing as well:

“The sky was so gray it matched the cool bark of the trees.”

“The dress rattled in a friendly way.”

“We skied weightlessly through the days as if they were a landscape of repeating features.”

Other observations show how Tookie’s vocation mirrors a vanishing American culture: “Small bookstores have the romance of doomed intimate spaces about to be erased by unfettered capitalism.”

There’s so much to like in this novel of marriage, family, and conflict. Erdrich even manages to weave into her story the COVID pandemic, the George Floyd murder, and the 2020 Presidential election.

It’s a shame that this superb novelist has contaminated The Sentence with pervasive foul language. It reflects negatively on her characters and on herself. For that reason, I must downgrade this captivating book to a three-star rating.
Customer image
Chevron Ross
3.0 out of 5 stars A Captivating Follow-up to The Night Watchman
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2021
Louise Erdrich follows her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Night Watchman, with another perspective on Native American culture and its ties to the spirit world. Tookie, a bookstore clerk with a prison record, finds herself haunted by Flora, a customer who mysteriously died while reading a book about a nineteenth century Indian woman. As ghostly incidents mount, Tookie becomes convinced that it was the book that killed Flora.

The Sentence is packed with character gems, from a rebellious daughter transformed by motherhood, to a cranky bookstore customer for whom reading is his lifeblood, to a young man who believes himself the descendent of an immortal spirit.

There are gems of writing as well:

“The sky was so gray it matched the cool bark of the trees.”

“The dress rattled in a friendly way.”

“We skied weightlessly through the days as if they were a landscape of repeating features.”

Other observations show how Tookie’s vocation mirrors a vanishing American culture: “Small bookstores have the romance of doomed intimate spaces about to be erased by unfettered capitalism.”

There’s so much to like in this novel of marriage, family, and conflict. Erdrich even manages to weave into her story the COVID pandemic, the George Floyd murder, and the 2020 Presidential election.

It’s a shame that this superb novelist has contaminated The Sentence with pervasive foul language. It reflects negatively on her characters and on herself. For that reason, I must downgrade this captivating book to a three-star rating.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
35 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant as always
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
I am constantly impressed by Erdrich's ability to write quality book after book on a yearly basis. This more contemporary account of the past year as well as a ghost story is quick, enjoyable read headlined by a charismatic narrator.
16 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Dolores T.
3.0 out of 5 stars Strong writing - weak story line
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
Louise Erdrich came out of the gate running with The Sentence and I was neck and neck with her and then something happened. I don’t really know what. The book just somehow got off course.

In fact, if I was asked what this book was about I am not sure I could answer. Relationships? Native American customs? The pandemic? The George Floyd tragedy through the eyes of Indigenous people? Ghosts? Or all of the above with a love story about books running through it?

This is not to say Erdrich doesn’t write beautifully and precisely. Nothing beats her description of holding her grandson, Jarvis, for the first time. Or that her characters are not well drawn. Or that some of the mini-plots weren’t of interest. Or that she is not just plain excellent at writing funny, witty lines. It is just that as a whole there was not enough of a story to propel me forward except for the fact that I was facilitating our book club discussion so was forced to finish it. Which led me to start flipping ahead when the ghost showed up (always a bad sign). And I never missed a thing.

There were definitely some profound passages that made me pause and ponder - which is a good thing right? But some were also puzzling. Like when the main character, Tookie, a recovering drug addict turn book addict, begins to wax eloquently about how transparent some books are and then rifts on (criticizes) books by Elena Ferrante and Kent Ted Krueger. Really? This Tender Land? Are you kidding me?

This graph reminded me of those uncomfortable moments when someone with ADHD blurts out an inappropriate comment in the middle of a discussion. Even if it is funny or interesting there is this sense of - where is that coming from? In the case of these critical comments of her peers - it was definitely not something that Tookie would have been thinking no less saying. The character of Louise, who, like Louise Erdrich, is an author and book owner? Yes. Louise the author of the book? Yes. And talk about thinly disguised devices. Way to sneak in a deep dig at two brilliant writers. And blame the judgment on the main character in the book and not the creator of the character. Clever.

I gave The Sentence a 3.25. It is undeniably well crafted but there are two parts to a book - the writing and the story. And the story was lacking. I couldn’t stay engaged. The book could not possibly be carried by the writing. (Which leads me to the question - who is editing her books? Or has she become so big that she has no one with the guts to tell her the truth about this book?) Readers demand more. Life is too short to have to force yourself to finish a book - especially when you are the book club facilitator.

(Disclaimer - I have never written a book and I know it must be incredibly difficult. So regardless of what I think of it - there is all praise for any dedication to this discipline.)
11 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Gracie
1.0 out of 5 stars What the . . .?
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2021
Verified Purchase
I have every book this author has published because I've thoroughly enjoyed her writing.
This book, however, is quite disappointing. It took me a minute to piece together that I was still reading about Tookie. Feels like a patchwork of disjointed, totally unrelated ramblings.
11 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Jayne P. Bowers
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Go In Peace
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
Here’s how much I enjoyed The Sentence: I found myself thinking so much about Tookie, Pollux, Hetta, Jarvis, Asema, Flora, jingle dresses, and fry bread that I downloaded the Audible version too. Read by the author, the “spoken word” was particularly meaningful, even fun at times, because of Erdrich’s voice inflection, speech rhythm, and emphasis she placed on certain passages. After listening, I often went back to the Kindle version to reread entire sections, especially those relating to the George Floyd protests, bookstore experiences with Flora, and several about nature, Pollux, and Jarvis.

Because of having read several of Erdrich’s books, I was prepared for the first chapter. Like the others, it was a bit unsettling and set the reader up for what was to follow. Tookie, the main character, agreed to do a favor for a friend (big mistake) and ended up serving time in prison. She’s released early and marries the man who arrested her, Pollux. They’re Native Americans living in Minnesota who seem to be living somewhat ordinary lives and then Wham! There’s Covid, a Presidential election, the murder of George Floyd, and protests relating to his death. About this time, Pollux’s daughter Hetta and her newborn come to live with them for a while. Life happens.

Here are a few of the things I particularly liked about The Sentence:
• Experiencing these major events through the perspective of Tookie and others increased my insight about other people’s struggles especially those of color. “Indian after Indian and Black after Black and brown after brown person….
• There’s some backstory, but for the most part, the action of the novel takes place within a year’s time. Plus, every reader could identify with one or all of the major themes and/or happenings. Is there anyone who hasn’t been touched by COVID-19 in some way?
• I learned some new words and terms, i.e., deliquesce and the difference between All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. I also learned more about Native American culture.
• Her description of people, places, and things: “I’m a little sad when the shapes of the trees are revealed.” And how about another short phrase: “There was the residue of joy in their tattered yard.” I’ve seen yards like that.
• My consciousness was raised. I love reading novels in which I learn something. I’d heard of Philando Castile, but not Zachary Bearheels, Bad River Ojibwe, Charles Lone Eagle, or Jason Pero (among others).
• The relationships and ties that bind people to one another, both past and present, the material world and the spirit world. There’s even a ghost involved, Flora. Or was she a spirit--as Pollux might think?

Things I dislike about The Sentence: 0, nada, nothing. I liked everything. I hope you will, too.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


LDB
3.0 out of 5 stars Just not ready for books set during our current times...
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
There are many types of "sentences" in this book -- a prison sentence, literary sentences, a sentence that perhaps kills, another that brings peace, the sentencing of an entire group of people, etc. In addition to sentences, this is a book about hauntings, not only by the former customer that haunts the book store but all the many things that haunt us from our past and present. This is also about indigenous people living in the current times in Minneapolis.

I didn't hate this book but I also didn't love it. It felt somehow aimless for much of the book. In the end, it seemed to me to be the author processing COVID and all the protests that happened after George Floyd's death. The story takes place in the author's bookstore prior to and at the beginning of COVID and feels very much like her sharing a collage of her experiences during those fraught times. I did enjoy spending some time in the bookstore and learning some things about the Native culture and rituals. I also appreciated seeing the COVID period through a booksellers eyes and the protests in Minneapolis through the eyes of an indigenous woman. But, in the end, I didn't leave the book feeling very satisfied, although I am not able to put my finger on exactly why. Perhaps I am just not ready to read books set in this COVID period. Maybe because it felt a little self-serving. And maybe this is simply a book that needs time to simmer in my mind and that I might appreciate more as it sinks in.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


  • ←Previous page
  • Next page→

Need customer service? Click here
‹ See all details for The Sentence

Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations
›
View or edit your browsing history
After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Back to top
Get to Know Us
  • Careers
  • Blog
  • About Amazon
  • Sustainability
  • Press Center
  • Investor Relations
  • Amazon Devices
  • Amazon Science
Make Money with Us
  • Sell products on Amazon
  • Sell apps on Amazon
  • Become an Affiliate
  • Become a Delivery Driver
  • Start a package delivery business
  • Advertise Your Products
  • Self-Publish with Us
  • Host an Amazon Hub
  • ›See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Payment Products
  • Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Cards
  • Amazon Store Card
  • Amazon Secured Card
  • Amazon Business Card
  • Shop with Points
  • Credit Card Marketplace
  • Reload Your Balance
  • Amazon Currency Converter
Let Us Help You
  • Amazon and COVID-19
  • Your Account
  • Your Orders
  • Shipping Rates & Policies
  • Amazon Prime
  • Returns & Replacements
  • Manage Your Content and Devices
  • Amazon Assistant
  • Help
EnglishChoose a language for shopping.
United StatesChoose a country/region for shopping.
Amazon Music
Stream millions
of songs
Amazon Advertising
Find, attract, and
engage customers
Amazon Drive
Cloud storage
from Amazon
6pm
Score deals
on fashion brands
AbeBooks
Books, art
& collectibles
ACX
Audiobook Publishing
Made Easy
Alexa
Actionable Analytics
for the Web
 
Sell on Amazon
Start a Selling Account
Amazon Business
Everything For
Your Business
Amazon Fresh
Groceries & More
Right To Your Door
AmazonGlobal
Ship Orders
Internationally
Home Services
Experienced Pros
Happiness Guarantee
Amazon Ignite
Sell your original
Digital Educational
Resources
Amazon Web Services
Scalable Cloud
Computing Services
 
Audible
Listen to Books & Original
Audio Performances
Book Depository
Books With Free
Delivery Worldwide
Box Office Mojo
Find Movie
Box Office Data
ComiXology
Thousands of
Digital Comics
DPReview
Digital
Photography
Fabric
Sewing, Quilting
& Knitting
Goodreads
Book reviews
& recommendations
 
IMDb
Movies, TV
& Celebrities
IMDbPro
Get Info Entertainment
Professionals Need
Kindle Direct Publishing
Indie Digital & Print Publishing
Made Easy
Amazon Photos
Unlimited Photo Storage
Free With Prime
Prime Video Direct
Video Distribution
Made Easy
Shopbop
Designer
Fashion Brands
Amazon Warehouse
Great Deals on
Quality Used Products
 
Whole Foods Market
America’s Healthiest
Grocery Store
Woot!
Deals and
Shenanigans
Zappos
Shoes &
Clothing
Ring
Smart Home
Security Systems
eero WiFi
Stream 4K Video
in Every Room
Blink
Smart Security
for Every Home
Neighbors App
Real-Time Crime
& Safety Alerts
 
    Amazon Subscription Boxes
Top subscription boxes – right to your door
PillPack
Pharmacy Simplified
Amazon Renewed
Like-new products
you can trust
   
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Notice
  • Interest-Based Ads
© 1996-2022, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates