This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

I’ll get right to it. I loved this book! If you’re seeking a great story with unforgettable characters, excitement, heartache, and redemption, do yourself a favor and read it.

The story takes place in the summer of 1932 in the middle of the Great Depression at Minnesota’s Gilead River. You’ll follow four young orphans living at the Lincoln Indian Training School, a former military outpost.  When an incident forces them to flee the school, they head down the river in their trusty canoe trying to find a place where they belong traveling through the American mid–west. On their journey, they meet other sole-seeking characters who help shape their fragile lives as they come of age. When the author was contemplating writing this story, he foresaw a modern-day Huckleberry Finn. After reading this book, I think he predicted that quite accurately. 

I am a slow-paced reader, but this 444-page book was one I read through quickly in about 2 months during the summer. Mind you, I’m not the type of reader who plops down on the couch and with my nose in a book all day. I read a couple of chapters a day. I loved it because it is deeply character-driven, a historical fiction title, and so eloquently written. If the men in your life are readers who enjoy adventure, adversity, and heroism, I also think this story would appeal to them.

This is the first Kruger title I’ve read, and you bet I’ll be picking up another one of his books soon. He has certainly gained me as a new follower. It’s worth the trip to your local book store. Enjoy!