A Thousand Moons
A THOUSAND MOONS is set after the Civil War in west Tennessee. Remnants of Quantrill's raiders are still extant and causing havoc.
The main character is Winona Cole a Lakota Sioux orphan, rescued by two former Union soldiers, Thomas McNulty and John Cole. At the beginning of the book Winona is more or less engaged to a store clerk named Jas Jonski, but on her way home from her job with a local lawyer, she is attacked and apparently raped. She doesn't remember who did it, but she has a bad feeling about Jonski. She lives on a farm with two freed slaves Tennyson and Rosalee, her adoptive parents and Lige Magan, the apparent owner.
The next twist occurs when Tennyson is mugged and beaten, losing his ability to talk. Tennyson knows all the old songs and has a wonderful singing voice, or had anyway. Lawyer Briscoe wants to send him to school.
The story then shifts to a planned attack on the renegades who have been assaulting and sometimes killing freedman. Winona, whose mother was a warrior, decides to join in the fight. Tennyson gives her his Spencer rifle, which she ultimately loses when a renegade girl, named Peg, also an Indian, shoots her in the arm. Winona was dressed as a boy and Peg mistook her for the enemy. Winona is a powerfully attracted by Peg.
Eventually the renegades gain political power, and Winona is charged with murder. A man she had once rejected is now the sheriff.
This book is mostly about objectification of Indians. Why else would her fiancee attack Winona when all he needed was a little patience? The sheriff also knows Winona didn't murder anybody, but she's just an Indian.
An irritating aspect of Sebastian Barry's style is the accent he gives just about every character in the book. It just gets in the way of the story. If you aren't good at it, don't do it.
The main character is Winona Cole a Lakota Sioux orphan, rescued by two former Union soldiers, Thomas McNulty and John Cole. At the beginning of the book Winona is more or less engaged to a store clerk named Jas Jonski, but on her way home from her job with a local lawyer, she is attacked and apparently raped. She doesn't remember who did it, but she has a bad feeling about Jonski. She lives on a farm with two freed slaves Tennyson and Rosalee, her adoptive parents and Lige Magan, the apparent owner.
The next twist occurs when Tennyson is mugged and beaten, losing his ability to talk. Tennyson knows all the old songs and has a wonderful singing voice, or had anyway. Lawyer Briscoe wants to send him to school.
The story then shifts to a planned attack on the renegades who have been assaulting and sometimes killing freedman. Winona, whose mother was a warrior, decides to join in the fight. Tennyson gives her his Spencer rifle, which she ultimately loses when a renegade girl, named Peg, also an Indian, shoots her in the arm. Winona was dressed as a boy and Peg mistook her for the enemy. Winona is a powerfully attracted by Peg.
Eventually the renegades gain political power, and Winona is charged with murder. A man she had once rejected is now the sheriff.
This book is mostly about objectification of Indians. Why else would her fiancee attack Winona when all he needed was a little patience? The sheriff also knows Winona didn't murder anybody, but she's just an Indian.
An irritating aspect of Sebastian Barry's style is the accent he gives just about every character in the book. It just gets in the way of the story. If you aren't good at it, don't do it.
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