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Spirit Lake
A novel of Iowa in the 1850's, culminating in the Spirit Lake Massacre of '57, as seen both from the viewpoint of the Dakota Nation and that of the white pioneers.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
About the author
MacKinlay Kantor
229 books66 followersBenjamin McKinlay Kantor, was an American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 novels, several set during the American Civil War, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1956 for his 1955 novel
Andersonville
Kantor was born in Webster City, Iowa, in 1904. His mother, a journalist, encouraged Kantor to develop his writing style. Kantor started writing seriously as a teen-ager when he worked as a reporter with his mother at the local newspaper in Webster City.
Kantor's first novel was published when he was 24.
During World War II, Kantor reported from London as a war correspondent for a Los Angeles newspaper. After flying on several bombing missions, he asked for and received training to operate the bomber's turret machine guns (this was illegal, as he was not in service).
Nevertheless he was decorated with the Medal of Freedom by Gen. Carl Spaatz, then the U.S. Army Air Corp commander. He also saw combat during the Korean War as a correspondent.
In addition to journalism and novels, Kantor wrote the screenplay for Gun Crazy (aka Deadly Is the Female) (1950), a noted film noir. It was based on his short story by the same name, published February 3, 1940 in a "slick" magazine, The Saturday Evening Post. In 1992, it was revealed that he had allowed his name to be used on a screenplay written by Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood Ten, who had been blacklisted as a result of his refusal to testify before the House Un-American Committee (HUAC) hearings. Kantor passed his payment on to Trumbo to help him survive.
Several of his novels were adapted for films. He established his own publishing house, and published several of his works in the 1930s and 1940s.
Kantor died of a heart attack in 1977, at the age of 73, at his home in Sarasota, Florida.
Kantor was born in Webster City, Iowa, in 1904. His mother, a journalist, encouraged Kantor to develop his writing style. Kantor started writing seriously as a teen-ager when he worked as a reporter with his mother at the local newspaper in Webster City.
Kantor's first novel was published when he was 24.
During World War II, Kantor reported from London as a war correspondent for a Los Angeles newspaper. After flying on several bombing missions, he asked for and received training to operate the bomber's turret machine guns (this was illegal, as he was not in service).
Nevertheless he was decorated with the Medal of Freedom by Gen. Carl Spaatz, then the U.S. Army Air Corp commander. He also saw combat during the Korean War as a correspondent.
In addition to journalism and novels, Kantor wrote the screenplay for Gun Crazy (aka Deadly Is the Female) (1950), a noted film noir. It was based on his short story by the same name, published February 3, 1940 in a "slick" magazine, The Saturday Evening Post. In 1992, it was revealed that he had allowed his name to be used on a screenplay written by Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood Ten, who had been blacklisted as a result of his refusal to testify before the House Un-American Committee (HUAC) hearings. Kantor passed his payment on to Trumbo to help him survive.
Several of his novels were adapted for films. He established his own publishing house, and published several of his works in the 1930s and 1940s.
Kantor died of a heart attack in 1977, at the age of 73, at his home in Sarasota, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 27, 2014
(No spoilers)
This historical novel is a literary feast. It is a true readers' read. The Kirkus review of 1961 (the year the novel was published) said, "Much of the telling is sheer poetry -- in the old saga tradition. Some of it is legend and myth. There is variety, and pace and a zest for story telling." Life magazine called it "A gigantic sweeping symphony of a novel," and the New Orleans Times-Picayune said, "If the great American novel can be written, this is it."
Consequently, I am flummoxed by the disinterest and neglect of this novel. There aren't even ten reviews between both Goodreads and Amazon, and some of those who did read all 958 pages said it bored them. For a book that was banned in Texas upon publication, it seems to have been shockingly underrated and ignored.
I concur with the Times-Picayune quote above -- this is as close to the great American novel as I have ever read. Kantor's ability to engage the reader intimately on every subject from coyotes to four-year-old children to snow to garbage is uncanny -- and an indication of an enormous writing talent. Somehow he manages to slip inside every living thing he touches upon, bringing us with him until we are replete, filled up with the spirit and bone and muscle and desires of each. Corn-Sucker, a Hidatsa woman who weaves in and out throughout the novel, is an unforgettable character, and one of my favorite of all fictional females.
Occasionally, Kantor will do as Thackeray did in Vanity Fair, and step through that fourth wall to parenthetically speak directly to the reader in a most helpful and comforting way. Like Joyce and now Cormac McCarthy, Kantor doesn't use quotation marks. Unlike Joyce or McCarthy, however, this is not a difficult read. Somehow, all dialogue and thought flows so naturally there is never a question of who is speaking, or whose thoughts we are following. As a matter of fact, after journeying through the incredible landscape and lives of this novel, I think for the next book I read, quotation marks in speech are going to seem crude, overworked, and superfluous.
This was my third re-read of Spirit Lake. I was young when I read it the first time, and I flew through the story, riding on the adventure. The second time I read it, I discovered that I loved the characters, and Corn-Sucker lived on in the back of my mind. This time, when I picked up the book, I wondered if I had been dead asleep the last two times I read it, because this time I finally encountered the beautiful, lyrical, personal writing of Kantor himself. Finishing this novel was the end of an incredible journey, and I was left feeling as if Kantor was a friend I'd made and then lost as I turned the last page.
"Gone, gone, gone, to smite the sun."
- MacKinlay Kantor, Spirit Lake
This historical novel is a literary feast. It is a true readers' read. The Kirkus review of 1961 (the year the novel was published) said, "Much of the telling is sheer poetry -- in the old saga tradition. Some of it is legend and myth. There is variety, and pace and a zest for story telling." Life magazine called it "A gigantic sweeping symphony of a novel," and the New Orleans Times-Picayune said, "If the great American novel can be written, this is it."
Consequently, I am flummoxed by the disinterest and neglect of this novel. There aren't even ten reviews between both Goodreads and Amazon, and some of those who did read all 958 pages said it bored them. For a book that was banned in Texas upon publication, it seems to have been shockingly underrated and ignored.
I concur with the Times-Picayune quote above -- this is as close to the great American novel as I have ever read. Kantor's ability to engage the reader intimately on every subject from coyotes to four-year-old children to snow to garbage is uncanny -- and an indication of an enormous writing talent. Somehow he manages to slip inside every living thing he touches upon, bringing us with him until we are replete, filled up with the spirit and bone and muscle and desires of each. Corn-Sucker, a Hidatsa woman who weaves in and out throughout the novel, is an unforgettable character, and one of my favorite of all fictional females.
Occasionally, Kantor will do as Thackeray did in Vanity Fair, and step through that fourth wall to parenthetically speak directly to the reader in a most helpful and comforting way. Like Joyce and now Cormac McCarthy, Kantor doesn't use quotation marks. Unlike Joyce or McCarthy, however, this is not a difficult read. Somehow, all dialogue and thought flows so naturally there is never a question of who is speaking, or whose thoughts we are following. As a matter of fact, after journeying through the incredible landscape and lives of this novel, I think for the next book I read, quotation marks in speech are going to seem crude, overworked, and superfluous.
This was my third re-read of Spirit Lake. I was young when I read it the first time, and I flew through the story, riding on the adventure. The second time I read it, I discovered that I loved the characters, and Corn-Sucker lived on in the back of my mind. This time, when I picked up the book, I wondered if I had been dead asleep the last two times I read it, because this time I finally encountered the beautiful, lyrical, personal writing of Kantor himself. Finishing this novel was the end of an incredible journey, and I was left feeling as if Kantor was a friend I'd made and then lost as I turned the last page.
"Gone, gone, gone, to smite the sun."
- MacKinlay Kantor, Spirit Lake
September 26, 2010
First I must say that I enjoyed this story. Now, I do feel that the author dragged it out WAY too much..almost to the point of tedium because it was so detail oriented. This book was incredibly long (roughly 1000 pages) and I did feel it could have been about 300 pages shorter than it was.
June 29, 2016
Found this book at the library. Could not put it down. Read it in a week.
October 23, 2020
A magnificent work of art, the finest novel of the American West. But it comes with a reader's warning.
Kantor is most famous for 'Andersonville' which remains the greatest novel of the American Civil War ('The Red Badge of Courage' is a useful complement since the one thing 'Andersonville' doesn't have is a battle scene.) But if you thought 'Andersonville' was a hefty read at 750 pages, 'Spirit Lake' clocks in at 950 and retains that same dense style.
Kantor was writing in an age when novels were a primary form of recreation and people were quite happy to devote 40 hours of reading time to immerse themselves in one good long story. Nowadays, with so many entertainment options vying for our attention, people may prefer to learn about The Wild West in a TV mini-series that only demands 4 hours of their time. 'Spirit Lake' is dense with description. It sometimes seems that Kantor can't let one of his protagonists ride past a tree without devoting half a page to describing the tree and its surroundings and every sensation, thought and feeling that arises in his protagonist at the sight of it. He seems particularly interested in food, but really he describes everything. Combined with his ear for dialogue it gives 'Spirit Lake' a sense of authenticity matched by no other historical novel. (Kantor was old enough to have known in his youth people who had lived in those times.)
Kantor also loves storytelling. 'Spirit Lake' includes a 40-page story set in mid-nineteenth century France and another of similar length set in England which reveal the early lives of three of his characters. Because the characters aren't particularly vital, and certainly the stories are unnecessary in revealing their characters, it seems that Kantor was simply indulging his joy in storytelling. The stories are a great read and add value to the reader's pleasure as much as to the writer's. But if you're likely to quibble about reading 70-odd pages of unnecessary stories you probably shouldn't read this book. A common criticism is that 'Spirit Lake' is at least 300 pages too long: if you think in terms of such sordid economies, definitely don't read this book. It's a feast of storytelling in which you just pig out without demanding justifications.
Incidentally, one of his protagonists, Corn-Sucker, in some respects the central character of the book, rates as one of the great tragic female characters in literature. This book is unforgettable.
Kantor is most famous for 'Andersonville' which remains the greatest novel of the American Civil War ('The Red Badge of Courage' is a useful complement since the one thing 'Andersonville' doesn't have is a battle scene.) But if you thought 'Andersonville' was a hefty read at 750 pages, 'Spirit Lake' clocks in at 950 and retains that same dense style.
Kantor was writing in an age when novels were a primary form of recreation and people were quite happy to devote 40 hours of reading time to immerse themselves in one good long story. Nowadays, with so many entertainment options vying for our attention, people may prefer to learn about The Wild West in a TV mini-series that only demands 4 hours of their time. 'Spirit Lake' is dense with description. It sometimes seems that Kantor can't let one of his protagonists ride past a tree without devoting half a page to describing the tree and its surroundings and every sensation, thought and feeling that arises in his protagonist at the sight of it. He seems particularly interested in food, but really he describes everything. Combined with his ear for dialogue it gives 'Spirit Lake' a sense of authenticity matched by no other historical novel. (Kantor was old enough to have known in his youth people who had lived in those times.)
Kantor also loves storytelling. 'Spirit Lake' includes a 40-page story set in mid-nineteenth century France and another of similar length set in England which reveal the early lives of three of his characters. Because the characters aren't particularly vital, and certainly the stories are unnecessary in revealing their characters, it seems that Kantor was simply indulging his joy in storytelling. The stories are a great read and add value to the reader's pleasure as much as to the writer's. But if you're likely to quibble about reading 70-odd pages of unnecessary stories you probably shouldn't read this book. A common criticism is that 'Spirit Lake' is at least 300 pages too long: if you think in terms of such sordid economies, definitely don't read this book. It's a feast of storytelling in which you just pig out without demanding justifications.
Incidentally, one of his protagonists, Corn-Sucker, in some respects the central character of the book, rates as one of the great tragic female characters in literature. This book is unforgettable.
December 12, 2016
Kantor gives vivid descriptions of the time and events he writes about -- sometimes too vivid--he's a bit too riske for my taste, but I like his writing style and probably copies elements of it.
May 20, 2022
Somewhere on Goodreads I saw a review of this book suggesting that this novel was meant for a time before Netflix when people read novels in the evenings as their main form of entertainment. I think that is a very apt observation. The writing is solid, every story in the book is interesting, and if I spent 1-2 hours each day reading this book all of the different threads would have probably come together in a much clearer and more compelling picture. As it stands, I liked the book, but I would have liked it better if it were about 400 pages shorter.
The defining feature is the book is a tracing the life histories of various people who come together at Spirit Lake at the time of a massacre in 1857 (in my understanding much of the detail is fiction). Many of those histories go back to Europe. Whole chapters describe family members of central characters who have little or nothing to do with the central action. If there even is a central action, which is debatable. The book builds to the massacre but it is hard to say that the massacre is any more the unifying moment or idea in the book than the winter that precedes it or the aspiration of people to settle the Spirit Lake / Okoboji area. All of it is well-written, but at times I found myself skipping large chunks of chapters just to keep my progress going.
Other thoughts: as an Iowan it is fun to read about history in the region. Most settler stories I have read focus on other parts of the country and Iowa is overlooked.
Also, the character histories, despite being one of the things I complain about the most, were very interesting and well-crafted. What wore me down was reading chapter after chapter about people I couldn’t quite keep straight and whose relationship with the broader story were entirely unclear (and some of whom never really had much of an impact overall).
Overall enjoyable, and if I found myself at a time in life where I could spend hours each day reading novels it would be worth revisiting.
The defining feature is the book is a tracing the life histories of various people who come together at Spirit Lake at the time of a massacre in 1857 (in my understanding much of the detail is fiction). Many of those histories go back to Europe. Whole chapters describe family members of central characters who have little or nothing to do with the central action. If there even is a central action, which is debatable. The book builds to the massacre but it is hard to say that the massacre is any more the unifying moment or idea in the book than the winter that precedes it or the aspiration of people to settle the Spirit Lake / Okoboji area. All of it is well-written, but at times I found myself skipping large chunks of chapters just to keep my progress going.
Other thoughts: as an Iowan it is fun to read about history in the region. Most settler stories I have read focus on other parts of the country and Iowa is overlooked.
Also, the character histories, despite being one of the things I complain about the most, were very interesting and well-crafted. What wore me down was reading chapter after chapter about people I couldn’t quite keep straight and whose relationship with the broader story were entirely unclear (and some of whom never really had much of an impact overall).
Overall enjoyable, and if I found myself at a time in life where I could spend hours each day reading novels it would be worth revisiting.
June 12, 2025
In this book, Kantor spends 750 pages getting you to care about the people within and then death, death, death, death, death, death and death. Then rape, rape, rape and more death. The book is about the Spirit Lake Massacre in Iowa that lasted from March 8-12, 1857. It was perpetrated by a rogue band of Indians led by Inkpaduta, an Indian who had been kicked out of his tribe for murdering members of the tribe. His band included his sons, their wives, and other violent outcast Indians. The characters of most of the victims are mostly Kantor's creation with a few exceptions. Abbie Gardner, one of 2 survivors, wrote a history of it in 1885.
One of the odd things about reading a Kantor book is that he never uses quotation marks for conversation. It is jarring at first but eventually you get used to it. He has a lyrical way of writing that is very beautiful at times. He gives a backstory on every single character, even ones that only appear in a single chapter. That is one reason why the book is 951 pages long. Some of his scenes are so beautifully written that they stay with you after the book has been read.
Some of my favorite parts were the romance between Dr. Harry and Alice Mattock, the daughter of the profane pig farmer. William and Peggy Ann Marble's marriage was a highlight. Cornsucker was the only positive member of the rogue band of Indians. She had been kidnapped from a different tribe and forced to become Inkpaduta's wife.
Overall, I am glad to recommend this novel. It is a long slog and necessarily has a sad end, but as I previously stated, is beautifully written.
One of the odd things about reading a Kantor book is that he never uses quotation marks for conversation. It is jarring at first but eventually you get used to it. He has a lyrical way of writing that is very beautiful at times. He gives a backstory on every single character, even ones that only appear in a single chapter. That is one reason why the book is 951 pages long. Some of his scenes are so beautifully written that they stay with you after the book has been read.
Some of my favorite parts were the romance between Dr. Harry and Alice Mattock, the daughter of the profane pig farmer. William and Peggy Ann Marble's marriage was a highlight. Cornsucker was the only positive member of the rogue band of Indians. She had been kidnapped from a different tribe and forced to become Inkpaduta's wife.
Overall, I am glad to recommend this novel. It is a long slog and necessarily has a sad end, but as I previously stated, is beautifully written.
June 4, 2022
The Spirit Lake Massacre (March 8–12, 1857) was an attack by a Wahpekute band of Santee Sioux on scattered Iowa frontier settlements during a severe winter. Suffering a shortage of food, the renegade chief Inkpaduta (Scarlet Point) led 14 Sioux against the settlements near Okoboji and Spirit lakes in the northwestern territory of Iowa near the Minnesota border, in revenge of the murder of Inkpaduta's brother, Sidominadotah, and Sidominadotah's family by Henry Lott. The Sioux killed 35-40 settlers in their scattered holdings, took four young women captive, and headed north. The youngest captive, Abbie Gardner, was kept a few months before being ransomed in early summer. It was the last Native American attack on settlers in Iowa, but the events increased tensions between the Sioux and settlers in the Minnesota Territory. MacKinlay Kantor is an excellent historian and writes in a manner that makes the story compelling. ( If you are interested in Civil War history, "Andersonville", the 1956 Pulitzer Prize-winning story of the Andersonville concentration camp-like prison by the South during the Civil War. ) Highly recommend this book and author. Kristi & Abby Tabby
April 22, 2021
A powerful, lyrical historical novel of the massacre by the Dakota Sioux of the settlers in and around Spirit Lake, Iowa, on March 8, 1857, showing how it was precipitated by cultural misunderstandings. Told from both Native American and settler viewpoints. The author researched this narrative for over 30 years.
October 30, 2022
Painfully overlong. It has some of the beauty that was in Andersonville but it is in dire need of an editor.
November 29, 2012
I was bound and determined to get thru this 955 page fictional tome based on the real life event of the Spirit Lake Massacre (March 8-12, 1857) where 40 people were attacked and killed by the Sioux in Iowa who also took four White woman captive. The book endeavors to give both sides of the story of one of the worst winters on record with everyone starving, especially the band of renegade Indians who were really suffering. Way to descriptive by this author of Andersonville (Pulitzer Prize winner) who goes back and forth with the story line which made it incredibly hard to keep all the White people straight. 300 - 400 pages too long because of that extensive description and along with all the very gory details of what humans can do to each other....it made you very grateful to be born in the 20th century and not a white, woman settler in the 19th.
March 29, 2016
My main complaint with this novel is in the actual grammar failure. Since there is a total lack of quotation marks and little assignment to the speaker, I found it a difficult read at best. Unfortunately, we now know that 95% of this book is pure fiction. Kantor failed to get large parts of this story in true accuracy, for it's time it was fair, but no longer. I was most disappointed to read in the epilogue, he had created almost all of this 957 pages from whole cloth...I mean not just fiction, almost pure fiction!
Plot plausibility .... 6 (out 0f 10)
Story telling quality .... 7
Level of intrigue .... 6
Difficulty to put down .... 2
total 5.25
Plot plausibility .... 6 (out 0f 10)
Story telling quality .... 7
Level of intrigue .... 6
Difficulty to put down .... 2
total 5.25
Read
January 11, 2019*See Reading file.
Some of the most fabulous writing I've read in a long time. Because of the nature of the topic, occasionally it was torturous to read this 950 page book, but the variety of experiences and the fine writing and the splendid characterizations kept me going.
The Spirit Lake Massacre is a heck of a topic, and Kantor did a heck of a job teaching us about it.
Well worth the time and effort!
Here's something that endures:
https://iowaculture.gov/history/sites...
Some of the most fabulous writing I've read in a long time. Because of the nature of the topic, occasionally it was torturous to read this 950 page book, but the variety of experiences and the fine writing and the splendid characterizations kept me going.
The Spirit Lake Massacre is a heck of a topic, and Kantor did a heck of a job teaching us about it.
Well worth the time and effort!
Here's something that endures:
https://iowaculture.gov/history/sites...
June 1, 2012
I loved Spirit Lake. I remember seeing it on my grampa's bookshelf when I was a boy and the title stuck with me for years and years. When I looked it up and saw that Kantor also wrote "Andersonville" which I have read, I knew that I had to read it. Kantor's style of narrative and his character development are really strong, and as Spirit Lake is a historical novel, I was captivated. Not an easy read, but well worth the time.
January 4, 2009
This is a fictional account of a band of Sioux Indians who took a white girl captive in nothern Iowa after killing her parents in the mid 1800's.
Read
October 1, 2010Wonderful novel, as are all of this authors.
January 3, 2012
Read this many many years ago. Loved it. One of the first historical novels I read. Got me into historical fiction.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews