Cherokee America by Margaret Verble

From the author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Maudís Line, an epic novel that follows a web of complex family alliances and culture clashes in the Cherokee Nation during the aftermath of the Civil War, and the unforgettable woman at its center.

Itís the early spring of 1875 in the Cherokee Nation West. A baby, a black hired hand, a bay horse, a gun, a gold stash, and a preacher have all gone missing. Cherokee America Singer, known as ìCheck,î a wealthy farmer, mother of five boys, and soon-to-be widow, is not amused.

In this epic of the American frontier, several plots intertwine around the heroic and resolute Check: her son is caught in a compromising position that results in murder; a neighbor disappears; another man is killed. The tension mounts and the violence escalates as Checkís mixed race family, friends, and neighbors come together to protect their communityóand painfully expel one of their own.

Cherokee America vividly, and often with humor, explores the bondsóof blood and place, of buried histories and half-told tales, of past grief and present injuryóthat connect a colorful, eclectic cast of characters, anchored by the clever, determined, and unforgettable Check.

What drew me to read this was that it’s set in Cherokee Nation. I don’t know much about US history and I did learn much. But I have to say that there’s huge number f characters and I’m still bit confused at who is who and how they’re related. There was also lot of different plots and sub-plots that never really went anywhere.

I liked Check and admired her courage and determination. But there was too little of Check and Cherokee culture.

But I learned a lot about the time period, it just could have been more.

3/5

Published: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (February 19, 2019)
Format: ebook
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

About the Author

Margaret Verble is an enrolled and voting citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a member of a large Cherokee family that has, through generations, made many contributions to the tribeís history and survival. Although many of her family have remained in Oklahoma to this day, and some still own and farm the land on which the book is set, Margaret was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Many of the characters of Maudís Line are based on people Margaret knew as a child and the setting is land she roamed for many years of her life. In part, Margaret wrote this book to keep those people and that land alive in her heart.

Margaret’s new novel, Cherokee America, will be released by Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt on Feb. 19, 2019. A prequel to Maud’s Line, it is set in 1875 in the Arkansas River bottoms of the old Cherokee Nation West.

Margaret is a member of the Authors Guild and Western Writers of America.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, February 19
Feature at Coffee and Ink

Wednesday, February 20
Review at A Book Geek
Feature at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Friday, February 22
Review at Creating Herstory
Feature at What Is That Book About

Tuesday, February 26
Review at Jennifer Silverwood’s Blog

Wednesday, February 27
Review at The Lit Bitch

Thursday, February 28
Review at Tar Heel Reader

Friday, March 1
Feature at View from the Birdhouse

Monday, March 4
Review at Amy’s Booket List

Thursday, March 7
Review at The Old Shelter
Feature at Donna’s Book Blog

Friday, March 8
Interview at The Old Shelter

Monday, March 11
Interview at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, March 13
Review at Passages to the Past

Friday, March 15
Review at bookramblings
Review at The Reading Woman