The nuns at the mission do not question her gender, and she begins her life as a man. By a stroke of luck, Agnes finds his body, buries him, and assumes his identity. In her grief a priest visits her, the original Father Damian Modeste, who tells her that he is enroute to the north to “missionize Indians.” Unfortunately, he is killed in a flood that sweeps the Red River Valley. She stumbles into the barn of a German farmer, where she lives happily until a bank robber, who has taken Agnes hostage, kills him. Her love of music has replaced her love for God. The story of Agnes’s transformation from a nun to a priest begins with Agnes walking away from her convent after becoming overwhelmed, almost taken over, by music. In this rich and detailed story, Erdrich explores love in all its forms: the love of the divine for us, love within marriage, illicit love, and even the love between a mother and child. The story is told in the present and as flashback, as Father Damian is being interviewed by another priest, sent by the Vatican to investigate whether the claims that Sister Leopolda, a parish nun, is indeed a candidate for sainthood. Spanning most of the twentieth century, The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse tells the story of Agnes DeWitt, a former nun who disguises herself as a man in order to serve as a priest on an Indian Reservation in North Dakota. What is the whole of our existence but the sound of an appalling love?

(Reviewed by Carisa Richner DEC 19, 2004) 'The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse' ( Jump over to read a review of The Plague of Doves and The Painted Drum ) ( Jump overto read a review of Four Souls and The Master Butchers Singing Club ) ( Jump down to read a review of The Bingo Palace)

( Jump over to read a review of The Red Convertible) ( Jump over to read a review of Shadow Tag)

The last report on the miracles