Historical Fiction Favorite
THIS TENDER LAND
William Kent Krueger
1930’s Depression, Minnesota, 464 pages
How many ways can you form a family? With nods harkening back to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, (a coincidence the main character’s adopted name to hide his true identity is “Buck”? Even if it’s for Buck Rogers?), This Tender Land, succeeds at storytelling in its finest form. Four orphans travel the Minnesota River running from loss, searching for their rightful forever home. Krueger’s beautiful prose keeps you lingering in scenes, relishing his words which stir emotions and tug at heartstrings. Mark Twain would be proud and honored of this re-telling of Huck Finn. “Ask me, God’s right here. In the dirt, the rain, the sky, the trees, the apples, the stars in the cottonwoods. In you and me, too. It’s all connected and it’s all God. Sure this is hard work, but it’s good work because it’s a part of what connects us to this land, Buck. This beautiful, tender land.”
