'Basically what we have here is a dreamer. Somebody out of touch with reality. When she jumped, she probably thought she'd fly'

The Beet Queen Paperback

The Beet Queen

Louise Erdrich

On a cold spring morning in 1932, two children, Karl and Mary Adare, leap from a boxcar. Orphaned in a most peculiar way, Karl and Mary have come to Argus, in the heart of rural North Dakota, to seek refuge with their aunt Fritzie. So begins an exhilarating tale, spanning some forty years and brimming with unforgettable characters: ordinary Mary, who causes a miracle; seductive, restless Karl, who lacks his sister’s gift for survival; Celestine James, Mary’s life-long friend; and Celestine’s fearless, wild daughter Dot – the Beet Queen.

Reviews of The Beet Queen

  • ‘A perfect – and perfectly wonderful – novel.’ Ann

More from Louise Erdrich