Review by New York Times Review
IT'S 1875, and Check Singer is a Cherokee Nation matriarch with five sons, the wife to a dying husband and the manager of her family's successful potato farm. Although she is wealthy, influential and respected in the Nation, there are times when Check wishes she could "unclasp the confines of the feminine role like she unclasped her corset at night." Margaret Verble's "Cherokee America" - a prequel to her debut, "Maud's Line," which was a Pulitzer finalist - is packed with subplots: a quest for hidden gold, a murder in a bawdy house, the threat of the new federal judge in the Western District of Arkansas, a missing girl, an ambitious politician and a long-term romance. It's a lot, but the novel is about more than individual events; it's about life in the Nation when it was a sovereign land with a government of its own. It's also about the Cherokee culture and its rules, spoken and unspoken, that have been passed down for generations. That culture is both ancient and forward-thinking: In the late 19th century, women in the Cherokee Nation have more rights than women in the States, but those rights only extend so far. Even a smart, gutsy woman like Check is usually thwarted, kept in the dark by men who decide what she should and should not know. The author's desire to keep to cultural accuracy is understandable. Still, readers may wish Verble, herself a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, had used authorial discretion and given Check enough agency to drive the plot rather than sideline her as a frustrated observer. But Verble's decision to stay true to Cherokee history ultimately pays off. Viewed as a cultural and character study, "Cherokee America" sings. Though the omniscient viewpoint dilutes Check's story, that sacrifice is in service to understanding the variety of people in the Nation, where the designation of "full blood" is determined by whether someone lives according to the old ways, not by who their parents and grandparents were. A nonCherokee man might be married to a native woman, but he will still retain the prejudices of his birth culture; African-Americans are treated better in the Nation than outside, but they have their own unique set of challenges. "Cherokee America" is an essential corrective to the racially tinged myths created to justify the annihilation of indigenous cultures and the theft of native lands. The pacing of the novel mimics the rhythm of a Cherokee neighborly visit: conversation about the weather, crops, family and gossip before getting around to the real point of the call. No matter what was discussed, no matter what was resolved (or not resolved), there was joy and satisfaction in spending time with friends and family. That's how you will feel about Check and the other characters by the end of the novel. You're invested in them, their culture, their life. Verble has given historical fiction lovers a real gift: "Cherokee America" is an excellent illustration of how diverse books enrich literature, and the minds of those who read them. MELISSA lenhardt'S most recent novel is "Heresy."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [June 9, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
Cherokee Check America Singer is a middle-aged, half-white, half-Cherokee woman raising her five children as white in the Cherokee Nation West (present-day Oklahoma) in 1875. Heredity and wealth allow this and, augmented by Check's intelligence, combine to make her a powerful woman. Her network of relatives and relationships includes Cherokee, white, and freed Black people and extends across two states. The novel has many characters with whom Check interacts throughout her day, and there is not a single stereotype among them. Through Check's eyes, her dozens of friends and neighbors convey a story, a memory, or a dilemma that activates an appropriate or necessary reaction from her some of which may change lives. Then, in a mystery told in several layers, a girl is kidnapped and a man is killed. Although Check is the last to know what really happened, her courage tells us everything we need to know about this wise woman. This complicated, engrossing story of the post-Civil War West is a prequel to Verble's Pulitzer Prize finalist, Maud's Line (2016), but stands on its own.--Jeanne Greene Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the heart of Verble's excellent second novel, following Pulitzer Prize finalist Maud's Line, is a woman named Cherokee America Singer, aka Check. Check is a Cherokee, prosperous landowner, widow, and mother of five sons struggling to keep her family together amid the conflicts between natives and whites in the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) in 1875. This is a dangerous time for the Cherokee-outlaws are invading their territory, rumors of hidden gold attract unwelcome attention, and a federal judge uses a murder to try to impose federal law on protected Native land. The murder victim is Cherokee and the killers are white, complicating the question of jurisdiction. In an effort to protect Cherokee sovereignty, Check, the townspeople, and the sheriff deceive the investigating U.S. marshals to save an innocent man from arrest. However, when the investigation reaches Check's doorstep, she must take matters into her own hands to try to save her family. 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. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In 1875, Cherokee America "Check" Singer is the mother of five sons and the matriarch of a successful family living with the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. Check works tirelessly to keep her family's place within the Cherokee Nation during a chaotic time: Check's husband, Andrew, a prominent potato farmer and white abolitionist, is dying, and Andrew's hired hand, an American named Puny, has gone missing after an affair with a local girl. With Puny's disappearance, rumors begin spreading through the Cherokee Nation that there's a stash of gold nearby, and Puny knows the location. A series of intertwined events, crimes, and hearsay brings U.S. Marshals into Indian territory, endangering all Check holds dear. Check, her household, and Cherokee neighbors form a fascinating and unforgettable community. VERDICT Verble, whose novel Maud's Line was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, provides historical context and rich details about the lives and relationships of Cherokees in Indian Territory after the Civil War. 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. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]-Emily Hamstra, Seattle © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
