Cherokee America by Margaret Verble
Publication Date: February 19, 2019
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Hardcover & eBook; 400 Pages
Genre: Literary/Historical Fiction/Native American
It’s 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 “Check,” 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 Check’s mixed race family, friends, and neighbors come together to protect their community—and painfully expel one of their own.
Cherokee America vividly, and often with humor, explores the bonds—of blood and place, of buried histories and half-told tales, of past grief and present injury—that connect a colorful, eclectic cast of characters, anchored by the clever, determined, and unforgettable Check.
Praise for Cherokee America
"Highly recommended for readers of literary historical fiction in the vein of Lalita Tademy's Citizen's Creek and Paulette Jiles's News of the World."--Library Journal, STARRED review"In Verble’s hands, this tale of a mother’s love and her gritty resolve in a shameful era of false promises and broken treaties makes for a rich, propulsive novel."--Publishers Weekly
"An impressive, historical saga of Native American life in the mid-19th century."--BookPage
“Cherokee America does what all the best historical fiction does—it vividly captures its particular time and place, yet simultaneously offers valuable insights about our own era. Margaret Verble is an exceptional storyteller, and this novel will enhance her already considerable literary reputation.”—Ron Rash, author of Serena
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My Take:
I was very excited to read Cherokee America because I read and loved Maud's Line by this amazing author, Margaret Verble. I grew up in Oklahoma and both sets of my grandparents lived in Indian Territory and/or Oklahoma Territory. Verble's depiction of the area is very accurate and I am always impressed with her ability to evoke what I consider to be very detailed images of the people and the times. Her stories remind me of the tales my grandmother told me about growing up in Indian Territory.
Cherokee America is such a great character - based on a very real woman, who I would have loved to have had the opportunity to meet. She is so strong and pragmatic and I loved her internal monologue. This is a great example of the women who survived in the harsh land under difficult and unfair situations. I loved that Verble allows Check to be a little flawed and have a understanding of how very complicated the world actually is. Check's world consists of full-blood Cherokee, Creek, mixed-blood, whites, freed Blacks, a dying husband, five sons who need raising - and no one seems to want to do as they are told. She's a tiny woman who is force to be reckoned with. While there is a lot of comedy in the story, there is heartbreak, fear, grief, love, and everything else that makes up life.
Honestly, I can't recommend this book strongly enough. Check just sticks with you - I can't stop thinking about her and the story. Verble doesn't sugar-coat anything. Life in Cherokee Nation was hard. But there is so much love, strength, compassion, and plain stubbornness and pragmatism displayed by the characters, especially Check. I would love to read more about this family, this era and this place. Highly recommended.
About the Author
Many of the characters of Maud’s 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 19Feature 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
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away five copies of Cherokee America by Margaret Verble! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 15th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. Cherokee America
