Format: Hardcover Pages: 304
Source: Publisher
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date: July 14th, 2015
I was contacted by the publisher and offered a copy of this book for review. My opinions are my own and haven't been influenced in anyway by them
Thoughts: This is the debut novel of author Margaret Verble where she tells the story of Maud, an 18 year old Cherokee woman in the 1920s. Because Verble is part of the Cherokee nation herself I was excited to read this and hopefully gain a bit more perspective on this community. While it was a nice read I ended up with a feeling that I didn't learn much from it, which is the main reason why I'm only giving it 2/5.
Maud is indeed a very strong character, just as it is presented in the blurbs. She has to deal with the "regular" hardships of being a woman in the 1920s, dealing with his alcoholic and hot tempered father and at the same time with a brother that might be "too sensitive" for the time. Through that, and being of marrying age, she falls in and out of love.
There were a few glimpses of politics in the book, some brushes as to what the community was like, education (schooling) and structure wise but it wasn't very developed. The same was the case for Maud's love story. There was a bit of romance thrown into the mix, but, and I believe this is the case for several first authors, trying to put too many things in one single book, leaves most of this things undeveloped.
Verble does have a nice style of writing and, at least for me, it was a fast, enticing read. All characters were flawed and probably the thing I liked the most was the fact that Maud is very open about what she feels and wants sexually and in life in general. It's always nice to see a character speak their mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment