THE BUFFALO SOLDIER is good, as are all of Chris Bohjalian's books. But most of them go beyond good; some are even fabulous. This one is just good.

It’s a pretty simple story, really, starting with the death of Laura‘s and Terry‘s twin daughters. Their grief is immense, even after 2 years. Then they become foster parents to a 10-year-old boy, Alfred. Their neighbors give Alfred a book about the buffalo soldiers.

This story is about Laura‘s and Terry‘s marriage, their feelings for their foster son, and their foster son’s feelings for them. Saying more than that would be giving too much away.

Unlike most author's books, Bohjalian’s are both plot- and character-driven, not just one or the other. That’s why he is one of my favorite authors. But I expected more of this book and, so, was disappointed. Believe me, though, it really is good, especially the scene when Alfred rides the horse into the village when the weather has caused mass flooding. THE BUFFALO SOLDIER won’t be a waste of your time.

My only specific criticism of this book is it lack of quotation marks. Why do authors do that? Quotation marks make a book more readable. Therefore, not using them is a disregard for your reader. ( )

Excellent ( )

Terry and Laura suffer a tragic loss when their twin daughters are killed in a flash flood. Two years later they decide to become foster parents to Alfred a veteran of the foster care system and black.While Alfred struggles to adapt to his primarily white community Terry and Laura address their ongoing grief in widely divergent ways. Alfred’s life begins to change when he’s befriended by Paul, an elderly neighbor who educat3d him on the Buffalo Soldiers, a group of well respected black cavalry men that existed during the days of the old West. This is a beutiful story of life after loss with its roller coaster ride of emotions. It’s also about the challenges in creating a family with adjustments, misunderstandings and ultimately resolutions. ( )

The blurb was off-putting, but I am reading from the bottom of my TBR pile, and I was pleasantly surprised. Nothing earth shattering, but a decent read. ( )

Chris Bohjalian is one of my current favorite authors. I really enjoyed this read and appreciated the integration of the history of Buffalo soldiers with the text. I liked the shifting character perspectives. The characters seemed multi-faceted and relatively realistic. The ten-year-old seemed a bit unrealistically mature for his age, but wasn't annoying precocious. I felt that the book's treatment of grief was very nuanced and its attention to Vermont-based geographic detail was well integrated into the plot. ( )