Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Cherokee America” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Cherokee America

Margaret Verble

3.71 · Rating details · 52 ratings · 31 reviews

From the author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Maud's 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.

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 pre ...more

Get A Copy

Or buy for

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published February 19th 2019 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

More Details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Cherokee America, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Cherokee America

Lists with This Book

The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr

The Abolitionist's Daughter by Diane C. McPhail

American Princess by Stephanie Marie Thornton

Historical Fiction 2019

322 books — 345 voters

We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma

Anticipated Literary Reads For Readers of Color 2019

257 books — 120 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

3.71 ·

Rating details

· 52 ratings · 31 reviews

Filter

Sort order

Feb 28, 2019 Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader rated it really liked it

You have to go into this one prepared...

You need to know going into Cherokee America that there are gobs of characters, and they will be introduced rather quickly for the first chunk of the book. I read a review that mentioned bookmarking those pages where the characters are introduced, and that helped me keep up. Once you have the characters down, there is much to love within this story.

The year is 1875, and the setting is Cherokee Nation West. Cherokee America Singer, nicknamed “Check,” is ou ...more

flag 70 likes · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2019 Angela M marked it as setting-aside

There are just too many characters and too many distractions to hold my interest. I really was taken by Check, the main character snd interested in the time period . Maybe I’ll pick it up another time when I can focus more. For now , I’m setting this aside .

flag 55 likes · Like · see review

Nov 28, 2018 Reading Badger rated it liked it

The book starts a bit slow, introducing the main character of the novel, Check Singer, the matriarch of an important family of farmers in the area, of Cherokee descent. Her husband is dying, and she has to deal with the fear and sadness of losing him but at the same time, stay strong for her five children. After that, I would have expected for the action to pick up a bit, but that did not happen.
Read the full review: https://readingbadger.club/2018/11/28...

Final thoughts, I warmly recommend thi ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2019 The Lit Bitch rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book intrigued me for one reason—it sounded different. This is an ‘Own Voices’ book so I loved that it would be more about people on the fringes and as a historian this book held a lot of appeal to me.

It weaves Native American culture with a more traditional family narrative all set in a post Civil War world to create something unique and new. Based on that promise, I was eager to read this and see how it all worked together.

I haven’t read a lot of books set on the frontier or with Native A This book intrigued me for one reason—it sounded different. This is an ‘Own Voices’ book so I loved that it would be more about people on the fringes and as a historian this book held a lot of appeal to me.

It weaves Native American culture with a more traditional family narrative all set in a post Civil War world to create something unique and new. Based on that promise, I was eager to read this and see how it all worked together.

I haven’t read a lot of books set on the frontier or with Native American culture mixed in, so something like this book appealed to my curious side. Not to mention this cover is beautiful and eye catching so I didn’t want to miss out on it!

It also helps that the author was a finalist for the Pulizter Prize which says to me that it would be a well written book.

This book had a lot going on. It was dense and tedious at times. There were a number of characters to keep track of so that was a bit of a distraction for me and it started a little on the slow side. I felt like I was so worried about who was related to who for the first third of the book until it finally became familiar. I have seen a few others comment on the same issue and I will admit, it was a struggle at first.

But eventually the characters became familiar and the list of how they are related helped a lot, and then the story started picking up and eventually I became engrossed in everything that was going on. I loved the backdrop of a post Civil War era. As I am sure many of you know, I am a huge Civil War buff, but mostly as it pertains to the South and nursing. I have done some research on frontier America but my research into Indian culture is extremely limited, so with this book I found something new and fresh to relish in during one of my favorite eras of American History.

This isn’t a book that you want to rush through. I did aggressively read this one admittedly, but mostly because I was eager to make headway with it. I thought the research the author poured into this book was commendable and did the time period, culture, and character justice. I especially loved Check, I thought she was an interesting character, she was strong and independent in a time when women had to rely on their man, she didn’t and I found her character fresh and invigorating. However, there was just so much going on for me that I periodically stalled in my reading efforts. I think it would have helped if all of the plot points to characters ended up connecting some how but sometimes it just didn’t have any bearing on the overall narrative.

In the end I went with 3 stars for this one. It was good and definitely worth a read especially if you are looking for an Own Voices type of book, but just be prepared that there is a lot going on in this one.

Se my full review here ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Aug 29, 2018 Julia Simpson-Urrutia rated it it was amazing

Check Singer is a character who grows on you, getting right under your skin. Her husband is very ill and she has children ranging from school age to grown. She worries and manages all of them as she does her farm and the people working it. Puny works for her and has got himself in a heap of woman trouble. I love the women in his life, especially Ezell. She has a heart of gold! Both she and Check (Cherokee) are strong, practical women with a sense of obligation to help other people and care for t ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2018 Megan marked it as dnf

Shelves: pick-up-again-later

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review!*

I was interested in reading this because of my Cherokee heritage, and even reading just 10% into the book, I learned a lot. However, this book is dense and I'm tabling it (for now) until I can get it on audiobook.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2019 Tami rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, historical-fiction, kindle, net-galley, netgalley-2019

I didn’t realize when I began reading this book that Cherokee America was a woman’s name. Called Check for short, Cherokee America is the matriarch of a prosperous family living in the Cherokee Nation during the 1870’s.

Check’s husband is a white man who is on his death bed at the start of the novel. With a family of five boys and a potato farm to run, Check has her hands full as she tries to care for her husband in his final days.

It is during this time that some pivotal events occur in the lives ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2018 Courtney Judy rated it really liked it

Shelves: advance-reader-editions

There are a TON of characters in this story. At the very beginning of the book, you are given a list of all the characters and how they are connected (if they are connected) and I would recommend keeping those pages (yes, there are pages dedicated to these descriptions) handy for the first 25% of the book. They come at ya fast and furious. Once I had them figured out, for the most part, the story flowed much smoother.

Overall, Cherokee America was a wonderfully heartbreaking and thought provokin ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 23, 2018 Renata added it

Shelves: abandonded, arc

DNF

I kept trying to get through an arc of this and it just really wasn't clicking for me and then I remembered that I had struggled with her previous book Maud's Line and really only finished it because of book club, and I had no social pressure to finish this one, so I'm not. DOBBY IS A FREE ELF.

Fans of gritty historical epics or whatever will probably like this, and it's always great to have more #OwnVoices books about Native Americans, especially when a lot of other American historical fictio ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2019 Sarah Zama rated it really liked it

Cherokee America, by Cherokee citizen Margaret Verble, is a Western at heart… but a kind of Western you’ve never read before. All the elements are there: cowboys and Indians, outlaws, the remembrance (and aftermath) of war, gold hiding and searching, sheriffs, farmers, and a close community in a wide open prairie. The plot also revolves around familiar themes (at least on the surface): revenge and the hunt for a hidden stash of gold.

Everything that you would expect from a good Western novel is t Cherokee America, by Cherokee citizen Margaret Verble, is a Western at heart… but a kind of Western you’ve never read before. All the elements are there: cowboys and Indians, outlaws, the remembrance (and aftermath) of war, gold hiding and searching, sheriffs, farmers, and a close community in a wide open prairie. The plot also revolves around familiar themes (at least on the surface): revenge and the hunt for a hidden stash of gold.

Everything that you would expect from a good Western novel is there, but the perspective of the story makes this novel unique. Cherokee America is set in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma when that nation was still independent from the United State and the rule of the land derived from traditional Cherokee culture. Here, women have they place and social role, very different and more free than it was in larger America society (Cherokee America – Check – is one of the main characters in the novel… though in spite of the novel being called after her, I’d hesitate to call her ‘the protagonist’ because this is truly a choral novel at heart). Here people are all equal and judged by what they contribute to the community, rather than by their gender or race.

The multi-culturality of the setting is one of the things I enjoyed the most. The diversity of this rather small community gives richness to the story and the characters, and suggests how this is true in life also. I loved seeing how characters from different cultures relate to each other in a way that underlines their identity, but also showcases the attitude of reaching out, an attitude that often turns into respect and even friendship.

The novel is split into two quite different halves. The first part revolved around Check’s husband sickness and eventual death. It’s a very intimate, ponderous part, heavy with a sense of loss and sorrow, and the way it is written and structure seems to call the reader for a slower partecipation, an invitation to take their time and get to know this place and those characters. Everything is designed to take the rhythm down, including the sentence structure, to mark a place and time where rhythms were widely different from ours. The peak of this first half is Andrew’s funeral, where all the community gathers.
The sense of a closely knitted community then carries over into the second part of the novel, where only working together, and offering rather than taking, makes the outcome possible.
The second part of the novel has a clipper pace and a more adventurous focus, as a girl goes missing and the community goes out in search of her. There’s a murder too, there’s revenge, difficult diplomatic relations, clever and unexpected solutions.

It’s a very complex story, not just for the crowded cast of characters and their arcs, but also for the themes weaving onto each other. But it is also a very satisfying story, one that will open your eyes on a sleeve of history that is seldom addressed. And on the matters of life, which is what all good stories are about.

...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 10, 2019 Anna rated it liked it

I would like to thank Edelweiss for this ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy). It's due to be released February 19, 2019.

I had very mixed feelings about this one. Even though I was interested in reading the ARC and was sent it last May, I struggled to pick it up. I have fallen back in love with historical fiction and decided to pick this up and read it before it was released.

However, I found it difficult to get through. I kept putting it down. I nearly DNFed (did not finish) it several times. It is 40 I would like to thank Edelweiss for this ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy). It's due to be released February 19, 2019.

I had very mixed feelings about this one. Even though I was interested in reading the ARC and was sent it last May, I struggled to pick it up. I have fallen back in love with historical fiction and decided to pick this up and read it before it was released.

However, I found it difficult to get through. I kept putting it down. I nearly DNFed (did not finish) it several times. It is 400 pages and the material is very dense. I'm also unfamiliar with the setting (1875 Cherokee-Western from a Cherokee point-of-view). I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but I wanted to learn more about the Native American experience during that time. And I felt that I did.

You're introduced to so many characters at the start. Usually this is a non-issue for me, but I found it difficult to form attachments to most of the characters. I did like the main character, Check. She is determined And a very strong female lead. Also the caring nature of another character, Ezell.

Check is the matriarch of her wealthy farming family on a reserve. She is of Cherokee descent. Her husband, who is white, is slowly dying and she must care for him and her five children (though the ages range quite a bit - a couple are older and able to care for themselves). She is thrown into a fragile situation when one of her servants, Puny, married to their cook Ezell, impregnates a 14 year old girl. The girl isn't lactating and the baby is starving, so Check swoops in and tries to help. There are several subplots interwoven, including buried gold, a missing preacher, and a murder. We also learn a bit about the Trail of Tears and the Civil War, which was fascinating. We see many race relations as a good portion of the characters are either Native Americans, black, and white. Their interactions are peaceable at first, until something causes tensions between them.

I think what I found difficult was not only the density and lack of attachment to characters, but also the fluidity of the plot as it went off on several subplots. It wasn't a compelling or enjoyable read (for my personal tastes), but I did feel I learned quite a bit. I also really appreciate that several characters were based off of real people. I loved that this was an Own Voices novel. The author's other book Maud's Line was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. So I think it is definitely worth a read, if it interests you. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2019 CoffeeandInk added it

DNF. Too many characters to follow, not enough of Check Singer or Cherokee culture, for me anyway. Well written, nicely historically gritty, but I expected something different and it just didn't catch for me. :(

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2019 Lauren A. rated it it was ok

I wanted to like this book, I really did and I appreciate the complexity of Check's character as well as the use of the Cherokee written language throughout the text without English translation. But...I just couldn't figure out what this story was about. Plots started then were lost to new plots, after hundred or so pages I just went along for the ride and rolled with it. The ending was fine, but not satisfying because the whole book before that wasn't very satisfying. I enjoyed the real history ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2019 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, historical-fiction, reviewed

The cover art for Cherokee America drew me in before I picked up the book. A lone woman on the prairie, with the wind tumbling through her shawl. It evoked that same sense of loneliness and longing as Andrew Wyeth's painting, Christina's World. I wanted to know this woman's story, and after reading the synopsis was hooked.

Cherokee America opens in a late 1800's small town, as Check (Aunt Check to most folks) runs errands at the local general store. This simple setting, the hub center of the tow The cover art for Cherokee America drew me in before I picked up the book. A lone woman on the prairie, with the wind tumbling through her shawl. It evoked that same sense of loneliness and longing as Andrew Wyeth's painting, Christina's World. I wanted to know this woman's story, and after reading the synopsis was hooked.

Cherokee America opens in a late 1800's small town, as Check (Aunt Check to most folks) runs errands at the local general store. This simple setting, the hub center of the town, serves as a surprisingly perfect opening. Not only do we get a solid sense of Check's no-nonsense way of viewing her neighbors and townsfolk, but also her compassion for the downtrodden. I felt like I was there with Check as she rescues a dying infant's life.

This is the Cherokee Nation after the Civil War, after the land was ravaged for supplies from the armies, and the people are still attempting to cover the scars, both over the land and within themselves. There are people like Sanders, who walked the Trail of Tears and came out of the War with next to nothing, besides two wives named Nancy. There's Puny, a former slave whose grief turns into a desperate quest for gold and a way to change his circumstances. And Check, who misses her Tennessee home, who is raising her children with a dying husband waiting at home. They keep to the Bible, while not wholly believing in or trusting all it represents. Claiming the whites' religion hasn't saved them from walking the trail to this new land, and it can't save Check's abolitionist husband an early grave. Still, Check keeps her farm running and family together as best she can.

Rather than split into chapters, the book is divided by titled scenes, interconnecting the story in a refreshing and fluid way. While usually told from Check's perspective, we also see through the eyes of secondary and even minor characters like Check's sons, Sanders and the two orphaned boys. As the story unfolds, pieces of a larger puzzle come together in an exciting way. The author, a member of the Cherokee Nation herself, uses the Cherokee alphabet and language through the book, which lends another layer of immersion to Verble's story. I loved learning about Cherokee culture, alongside the darker aspects on both sides of the Civil War and all that came after.

Big events often have small beginnings. In the case of Cherokee America, a baby's death drives a man to gold, a fever that quickly encompasses the whole town. Check and her family learns they are some of only a few who weren't aware of the Wartime legend. And like it or not, the Singers are quickly embroiled in the inevitable conflict that comes after. Check struck me from the moment I first met her and I've found her character and spirit have lingered with me after. Great heroes aren't always the most obvious, and Check's determination, her love for her family and her people no matter their skin color or creed is what truly saves the day in the end. An expertly crafted picture into the heart of America after the Civil War, Verble's historical drama is sure to capture readers to favor strong characters and compelling plots. Stunning and heartrending in turn, this is a story you won't want to miss.

**I was provided with a copy of Cherokee America by the author and this is my voluntary and honest review.** ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 04, 2019 Amy rated it liked it

more on www.amysbooketlist.blogspot.com

When I first got this book, I was really excited. I wanted to love it, but the farther I got into the book, my excitement faded. In saying that, this book wasn't terrible, it just wasn't fabulous, for me.

Let's start with what I really loved. I really enjoyed the descriptions in this book. Margaret Verble built such a vibrant world that I my lack of familiarity with Native American history didn't feel insurmountable. I felt like I knew this world, could und ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 02, 2018 Jennie rated it liked it · review of another edition

I received a copy to review from NetGalley.

I liked this book (the 2.5 to 3 range) and enjoyed learning a little bit about Cherokee Nation West. The tagline of "A baby, a black hired hand, a bay horse, a gun, a gold stash, and a preacher have all gone missing." is very intriguing but misleading. They have not gone missing nor are they all linked.

This is a novel that wants to be a family epic like The Son by Philipp Meyer but the novel is a little disjointed. I think it feels this way because th ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 24, 2018 Doria rated it really liked it

An enjoyable and informative work of historical fiction, which offers good insight into the daily life, struggle, humor and intelligence of the people living within the Cherokee Nation during the late 19th century, in the wake the Trail of Tears. Based on what is known about individuals who were Cherokee, mixed blood, African-American and white, the author has constructed a plausible and engaging narrative, covering the events of one particulate summer. The result is a kind of layer-cake view of ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 27, 2018 Kim McGee rated it really liked it

Cherokee, called Aunt Check or Check, is part of the Cherokee Nation and married to a white man. Her husband is dying leaving Check to raise her three boys and servants alone. There is an interesting mix of white, Native American and blacks living peacefully but when racial squabbles happen that peace turns out to be a thing of the past. A child is found hurt and a well-respected man is killed drawing a line in the sand between the Nation and the rest of the world. It is a hard life and secrets ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 15, 2018 Ann || SheLovesThePages rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love historical fiction and this did not disappoint. I have not read much Native American historical fiction, so I learned a lot. There are many characters, and in books where they throw many characters at you in the begging, a cheat sheet helped!
I thought it was thought provoking. I also felt a connection with the main character, Check. Normally when one thinks of a story taking place after the civil war, they don’t think it’s going to be something focused on a Cherokee family.
It was one of ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 15, 2019 Elysium rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, historical, netgalley, hfvbt, read-in-2019

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 of 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 hav ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 17, 2019 Susan Waller rated it it was ok

I heard about this book on NPR and looked forward to reading it. The descriptions were authentic and conveyed a strong sense of place. But it was not plot driven, and I struggled to get interested in it. There were way WAY too many descriptions of men masturbating. I found myself turning the page whenever a man reached for his belt. Maybe that's why I couldn't follow the plot - I kept skipping chunks of it! It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, but I was unable to appreciate it.

flag Like · see review

Mar 08, 2019 Karen rated it really liked it

A fascinating novel that takes place approximately a decade after the Civil War and which follows the lives of several families of the Cherokee Nation living and farming in western Arkansas. Although many of the residents have intermarried with white Americans or are descendants of Cherokees who married white Americans, they are all still members of the Nation and have detailed knowledge of their ancestors and current familial relationships extending to fourth cousins.

flag Like · see review

Feb 28, 2019 Korie Buerkle rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019challenge-readingwomenofcolor, adult-protagonistsofcolor, booksbywomeofcolor-indigenouswomen

Cherokee “Check” America Singer is the mother of 5 boys and caring for her dying husband.

Living in the Cherokee Nation in the late 1800’s, Check’s mixed heritage and her household of white and African American family and staff, mixed with hunting for treasure, murder, and the struggle for national sovereignty make for a fascinating Western inspired by the author’s family.

flag Like · see review

Mar 07, 2019 Readlizread rated it really liked it

It started off as a difficult read, due to how the author writes and the number of characters in this book. Once I got into it, I really enjoyed it and had a difficult time setting it down.

flag Like · see review

May 28, 2018 Michelle rated it really liked it

Thank you to #netgalley for a free ARC of this book. Review to come!

flag Like · see review

Mar 18, 2019 Peter R Amelotte rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The book was excellent and engaging to provide a glimpse of what native american life was like after the civil war beyond the stereotypical .

flag Like · see review

Mar 05, 2019 Abigail (Abbe) rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-booklist

4.5

flag Like · see review

Molli rated it it was amazing
Mar 16, 2019

Jane Jenkins rated it really liked it
Mar 07, 2019

Kai Frolich rated it it was ok
Feb 10, 2019

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

Historical > Historical Fiction

37 users

Fiction

18 users

Historical

9 users

See top shelves…

About Margaret Verble

Margaret Verble

58 followers

Margaret Verble, an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, has set her novel on her family’s Indian allotment land near Ft. Gibson, OK. She currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Verble is a successful business woman and novelist. Her consulting work has taken her to most states and to several foreign countries. Upon the publication of her debut novel, Maud’s Line, Margaret whittled ...more

Books by Margaret Verble

More…

Trivia About Cherokee America

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

See a Problem?

Preview — Cherokee America by Margaret Verble

Cherokee America

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

About Margaret Verble

Books by Margaret Verble

Trivia About Cherokee America

See a Problem?

Preview — Cherokee America by Margaret Verble

Cherokee America

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

About Margaret Verble

Books by Margaret Verble

Trivia About Cherokee America

new topic
Discuss This Book