Life and death on the Iowa Frontier
In 1962 when I was 14 I was an avid reader of the New York Times Book Review. I remember being fascinated by the advertisements for "Spirit Lake", but I never got the book. Recently I decided to see if Alibris had it in stock and of course they did. The novel was not what I expected, but that is not always a bad thing. Instead of giving a fictionalized account of a tragic but now forgotten event on the Iowa frontier( yes Iowa was once the American frontier) MacKinlay Kantor decided to write an historical epic similar in length to "Don Quixote" or "The Brothers Karamazov". Now Kantor is not Dostoevsky of Cervantes", but he is a careful chronicler of a particular time and place. The two most sharply drawn characters are the savage Dakota/Sioux Chief Inkpaduta and his saintly wife Corn Sucker, two fascinating and contrasting portraits of Native Americans. In my opinion the whites characters are not as well drawn, but on the positive side every aspect of pioneer life is explored through them. The characters, or most of them, are actual historical figures, and are represented in extensive detail. We learn a great deal about their occupations, their games, courtship rituals, and their religion.
Now this book is not for everyone. It can drag a bit, and I must admit that I skimmed through a good part of it, but the advantage of Kantor's method is that the reader can either immerse himself in various of the detailed accounts or skim through what doesn't find interesting. We do get a sense of the reality of the time, place and characters involved. If you're interested in the American Frontier as it probably was, and you have the patience for a long read, I believe you will enjoy this book.
