Comments (17)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 17 of 17 items
Aug 23, 2022sydneycooprr rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Monkey Beach follows Jimmy and Lisa’s experiences around spirituality and Indigenous heritage. The book is a coming-of-age story. The brother of Lisa disappears and through his disappearance, she recounts traumatic incidents from her past…
Feb 24, 2021Tigard_AnnmarieA rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A captivating magical realist read set in the Pacific Northwest area of British Columbia, 500 miles north of Vancouver. in the small town of Kitamaat on First Peoples' land. It’s about young Haisla woman Lisamarie, who sets out to find her…
Feb 11, 2021ChristineRondeau rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book greatly but agree with some of the other reviews. The ending felt a bit rushed. However, it is incredibly rich and deep. It covers a lot of ground relating to issues still being lived by indigenous youth. The…
Nov 27, 2017haileyj rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The story opens with the fact that the brother of the narrator is missing at sea and then goes on to reflect on the family life prior to this event. I enjoyed this book though the narrator plunges into being a teenage runaway to…
Oct 17, 2017csrestall rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This book was really good for the most part, but I am not going to sugar coat it. The ending sucks. The book is split into four parts with part one and two taking up the majority of the novel and parts three and four taking up a very tiny…
claralex800
Sep 16, 2017claralex800 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
When I finished reading this book my only reaction was "Are you kidding me?!", or maybe "You can't be serious?!". I liked the book well enough while I was reading it (it's divided into four parts, and Part One was so long that I gave up…
Aug 15, 2017susan_findlay rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This book is fine, but it didn't captivate me. I didn't get attached to the main character (the narrator). I'm not sure whether it's because it was presented almost as a memoir so that you're not living through the events with her - or…
Nov 04, 2015gingerbeer rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Heart-breaking and bittersweet, haunting and intriguing, Monkey Beach is a unique coming-of-age story set in the First Nations village of Kitamaat, on BC's north coast. This story provides insight into the culture and traditions of the…
brianreynolds
Jul 26, 2015brianreynolds rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Eden Robinson's Monkey Beach uses the meander and musings of a Haisla teenager to illustrate the frustration of First Nations youth and the difficulty in reconciling Native culture with a colonial infrastructure that seems to be morally…
AmberKlassen
May 07, 2015AmberKlassen rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Shifts a lot in writing style, but overall is a good read. Lots of interesting cultural aspects which is nice. Would definitely recommend this and am glad I read it :) The star rating is for me personally.
Apr 01, 2015Eosos rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
My feelings about this book are mixed. I thought it was interesting and informative. I liked the characters and most especially the setting. But I did find it quite choppy and a little depressing. The story is told by Lisamarie, she tells…
Dec 07, 2014WVMLStaffPicks rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Once again, Eden Robinson has portrayed her native community with honesty, humour and intelligence. (Traplines, her first collection of stories, was selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.) This novel focuses on the northern…
Nov 16, 2014kelsmeister rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book features a gutsy heroine who is torn between the spirit world and her physical reality as she desperately tries to save her brother. It has a spooky, dream-like quality to it that is eerie as well as beautiful.
starman77
Dec 26, 2011starman77 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant. Thought it started out slow, but really glad I kept reading because it gets more and more interesting as the book goes on. I was getting serious shivers down my spine toward the end. Writing style was creative and engaging- I…
Oct 07, 2011LisaChamps rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Fabulous book! With a captivating combination of humour and seriousness, along with a bit of the supernatural, I had a tough time putting this book down. Monkey Beach is a great book to read closely as there are quite a few details that…
Jul 20, 2011
This was a great book - especially for anyone from Vancouver Island and can relate to these memories!
Mar 22, 2010damation rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I liked this book, serious subjects but a good story with a balance of the modern and traditions of this community.