Around the World in 80 Books discussion

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I just started reading The Personal History of Rachel DuPree and I am really enjoying it. It was not an easy life living in South Dakota in the early 20's.

I am about 1/4 of the way in and really enjoying it, too. It is amazing that people had to live in such a primitive way less than a century ago.

I don't always join in on the US states group reads as I'm more of a slow traveller for the US challenge. But I'm glad I joined this one, enjoyed the book very much!

I think it's a great book when the author could make me dislike the setting so much that more than once I wanted to stop reading because I couldn't bear the thought of dear Rachel and her children living in those harsh conditions. But Rachel's strong-yet-tender character drew me in. And the story too of course.

I just finished The Personal History of Rachel DuPree and thought it was good!! I was surprised at the ending!!!

Warning: May contain spoilers:


Wow. Great book! I thought the end was surprising, too, and quite amazing. The book was like the harsh reality of the Dakota territory that's left out of books like Little House on the Prairie. Rachel had to go through so much hardship and sorrow. I don't know how she tolerated it for so long. And Isaac! Grrrrr. Talk about a messed up sense of priorities! What was he thinking? How can he even think of leaving his wife wife alone with with several children to maintain the ranch and endure the harsh SD winter? Is the acquisition of land more important than everything else?

I thought the book presented an interesting view of prejudice. It didn't dwell on prejudice about African Americans so much as prejudice against Native Americans. It was interesting how Rachel's views mirrored those of her husband's in the beginning of the book and later changed when certain events changed her perceptions.

I noticed on the review page that a lot of people complained about the ending being too open-ended. I disagree with that. I thought the ending was really clear. Her mind was definitely made up. There was room for her to choose differently, but I highly doubted that she did.

Overall, a well-written and enjoyable read.

I have been reading this while also reading The Warmth of Other Suns and it has been a great compliment to that one. I still have a little bit to go but should finish tonight. So I didn't read the last post so I won't spoil the ending. Who ever recommended this book, Thank you, I have really enjoyed it. Rachel was a strong woman.

Such a good book. I was completely caught up in the story as Rachel worked, struggled, and changed. I admired Rachel so much when at the end she had the strength and found the wherewithal to do what she needed for her children.

For the most part I really liked this book. It was engaging and I connected to the main character. It was a wonderful glimpse into a black female pioneer’s world. I appreciated the way the story unfolded, while also giving the background. It would have been less enjoyable for me had the story unfolded chronologically.

I only really have one bone to pick with the writing itself. And that is the use of the word ‘what’. If the author intended for us to hear Rachel speak/think in the manner that her use of the word ‘what’ suggested, she seriously fell down on the job by only [over]using that one phrasing strategy. It was annoying. I could almost hear it, but more often than not, it was glitchy for me when ‘what’ kept showing up with no other supporting style. Did anyone else experience this?

Other than that one thing, I liked the book very much.

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Reading about the way the Native Americans, particularly female Native Americans, were treated and viewed, had me so angry I was nearly spitting nails. That said, I thought the author did an amazing job of presenting that whole story line. It was limited only in that it was from one person’s perspective, but I felt like I got as much as possible from that one perspective.

I was just as angry at the way Isaac was plotting to marry off [read indenture] his daughter. It was a small taste of how women were viewed in those days (and in some cases even now). The author did a great job of painting the picture of what Mary’s life would be like if her Father was to succeed in his plan.

So I guess my strong reactions indicate that I connected to the story and that it was believable. :)

I just finished the book.
Really beautiful. I'm always intrigued by the Midwest and I thought it was very interesting to read about African American ranchers and also about the "buffalo soldiers" and their relationship with Native Americans. I never heard about these things.
I also agree with Kim that the use of "what" in Rachel's speech was a bit "inauthentic".
Do you think Rachel will stay in Chicago and not return to the Badlands? Has she really left Isaac?

Jessica wrote: "I just finished the book.
Really beautiful. I'm always intrigued by the Midwest and I thought it was very interesting to read about African American ranchers and also about the "buffalo soldiers" ..."

It was open-ended, so it could have gone in many a direction. I got the impression that she had finally had enough and would never go back to either Isaac or the Badlands.