While I really enjoyed reading about the Navajo customs and lifestyle, and the author's beautiful descriptions of the terrain, I found the dialogue to be so stilted and unrealistic that it took me out of the story. ( )

As the sub title says this is a love story set on the Navajo Reservation in Northern Arizona/Southern Utah. It is interesting to read about the cultural aspect of how relationships are handled within the Navajo community. The story is slow but worth the time to allow it to develop. ( )

Really good novel about a Navajo couple. Quite poetic and tries to give the flavor of their religion. I don't know how accurate it is, since the author lived among them but was not Navajo, but still worth reading for the story and appreciation of the culture. ( )

'Laughing Boy' is a work of art. And like a work of art, it plays with your mind. It is not abstract, but peculiar. Laughing Boy, the novel's protagonist, is a Navajo indigenous American attempting to straddle the world of tradition and the world of the white man. The initial starting of the novel is not a hook. It won't draw you in. But if you persist, you will discover the beauty and simplicity of La Farge's times and Laughing Boy's richness of heart. ( )

In spite of my reluctance to give 5 star ratings, I find myself unable to consider anything else for this wonderful book. In spite of being a first novel, it won a Pulitzer Prize and certainly deserved it.
I probably should not be surprised that I am giving 5 star ratings lately since I depend so heavily on the ratings and comments of others whenever I choose a book, but since those ratings have been so helpful, I feel a bit duty-bound to pay it forward.
Laughing Boy is an intense love story, not the usual go-to novel for guys, but one that is worth getting out of the male rut. The strengths of this novel are that it develops both the characters and their feelings for one another with such precision, such insightful detail and such empathy for the characters, their relationship and the struggle they face. Its other strength is its ability to so beautifully depict the Navajo culture in which the story occurs.
A few years ago, Tony Hillerman created a series of crime/suspense novels set on the Navajo Reservation and detailedly describing the Navajo culture while also telling compelling murder mystery stories. I read every one of his books as did everyone in my office. Reading Laughing Boy takes me back to that experience and give me the same feeling of authenticity that Hillerman's books did.
For anyone who has been in love, totally, unconditionally besotted with another, this book will ring true, reminding them of the early days of their passion and perhaps renewing it through its honest and detailed portrayal.
This book was written over 55 years ago yet continues to receive the type of praise that earns respect, that can make a book stay around for many years until it is finally recognized as a classic.
It is a book that readers will not only read but will also feel and remember. ( )