mysterymom46's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Gun violence
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
wordsaremything's review
adventurous
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Maybe life is just carrying news. Surviving to carry the news. Maybe we just have one message, and it is delivered to us when we are born and we are never sure what it says; it may have nothing to do with us personally but it must be carried by hand through a life, all the way, and at the end handed over, sealed.
STRONG four star. I almost considered a five star.
This was chosen as the book for my company's book club. I have been alright with historical fiction, so decided to give this one a whirl. Plus, Tom Hanks plays the Captain in a movie adaptation, and he's usually in pretty good pictures. (He's on the cover of some book editions.)
Reading this with Tom Hanks as the Captain in my head actually made this more enjoyable, I think. Kidd is supposed to read as hardy, and full of heart, and compassion, but a little bit snide, and respectable. Kidd travels from town to town, acting as a news aggregator, and reading out stories from across the globe to people in small town, USA. A friend asks him to cart Johanna, a 10-year-old girl who has lived the last 4 years of her life with Native Americans, back to her relatives in San Antonio (this is a long trek).
Johanna remembers none of her life pre-capture, and feels very strongly that she IS Native American (Kiowa, in the book), and remembers none of the English language. Her and Kidd then begin the loooong trek to San Antonio. And of course, when you road trip with someone, you learn about them, and you become close with them.
I was almost crying by the end of this book. I found the lack of quotation marks a little difficult to follow at times, but I deeply enjoyed each of their arcs and development as people. The writing style is close, and barren, like the land they travel through. There are no sweeping passages, and very little time is even spent in monologuing thoughts of Kidd. Jiles did a wonderful job showing the relationship between these two people, and I really felt like I was traveling in a wagon through the plains of Texas.
... as they had drifted the had gathered trouble and a great deal of peculiar knowledge about human beings, what human beings would do or say under extreme duress. it was not something you could do anything with but it interested them all the same.
A lifting, running joy. He felt like a thin banner streaming, printed with some regal insignia with messages of great import entrusted to his care.
He made a list: feed, flour, ammunition, soap, beef, candles, faith, hope, charity.
STRONG four star. I almost considered a five star.
This was chosen as the book for my company's book club. I have been alright with historical fiction, so decided to give this one a whirl. Plus, Tom Hanks plays the Captain in a movie adaptation, and he's usually in pretty good pictures. (He's on the cover of some book editions.)
Reading this with Tom Hanks as the Captain in my head actually made this more enjoyable, I think. Kidd is supposed to read as hardy, and full of heart, and compassion, but a little bit snide, and respectable. Kidd travels from town to town, acting as a news aggregator, and reading out stories from across the globe to people in small town, USA. A friend asks him to cart Johanna, a 10-year-old girl who has lived the last 4 years of her life with Native Americans, back to her relatives in San Antonio (this is a long trek).
Johanna remembers none of her life pre-capture, and feels very strongly that she IS Native American (Kiowa, in the book), and remembers none of the English language. Her and Kidd then begin the loooong trek to San Antonio. And of course, when you road trip with someone, you learn about them, and you become close with them.
I was almost crying by the end of this book. I found the lack of quotation marks a little difficult to follow at times, but I deeply enjoyed each of their arcs and development as people. The writing style is close, and barren, like the land they travel through. There are no sweeping passages, and very little time is even spent in monologuing thoughts of Kidd. Jiles did a wonderful job showing the relationship between these two people, and I really felt like I was traveling in a wagon through the plains of Texas.
... as they had drifted the had gathered trouble and a great deal of peculiar knowledge about human beings, what human beings would do or say under extreme duress. it was not something you could do anything with but it interested them all the same.
A lifting, running joy. He felt like a thin banner streaming, printed with some regal insignia with messages of great import entrusted to his care.
He made a list: feed, flour, ammunition, soap, beef, candles, faith, hope, charity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Racism, Trafficking, and Colonisation
Minor: Pedophilia and Child death
linesiunderline's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A quiet novel that presents a lot of story in a slim package. This novel is all about character and unexpected bonds. If you enjoy character studies, and stories about journeys, this may be one for you.
I would have liked to get inside Johanna’s head more. I had so many questions about her experience and wished we could have understood more of how she saw her Kiowa family. I suppose it could be argued that part of the point was the not knowing, the mystery of her past.
An evocative novel that I am sure will translate well to the screen.
I would have liked to get inside Johanna’s head more. I had so many questions about her experience and wished we could have understood more of how she saw her Kiowa family. I suppose it could be argued that part of the point was the not knowing, the mystery of her past.
An evocative novel that I am sure will translate well to the screen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Kidnapping
ashesmann's review
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I took away a star as I reviewed. The ending is warm and fuzzy, but the more I reflected, the more I remembered things that annoyed me.
The book did grow on me, and I suspect the movie is good. I haven't seen it yet. My hesitancy comes almost exclusively from the portray of native life and motives. I understand the author is in a bit of a pickle with it though. How do you accurately reflect the attitudes of the characters, devoid of modern sensibilities, but in a thoughtful way? I think the author did well in keeping the Captain's attitude in line with what a 'good' man would have thought, but she doesn't compensate for the fact he still holds a few racist ideals. For example, we hear very little from Joanna about her thoughts on her life with her adoptive family, and we're told they traded her away easily for a few supplies. I think an easy way to show how misunderstanding and distrust twisted truth would be to hear from Joanna about what happened from her perspective. Did her adoptive mother cry? Was there a reason for the trade? It seems so callous and reinforces the 'savage' stereotype. We see how cruel her German family was, show me why she yearned to return to the plains.
Maybe my thoughts are influenced by a local heroine from where I grew up. In my school we studied Mary Jemison, "the white woman of the Genesee". She was abducted as a child, her family killed. She chose to stay among the Seneca. She married twice into the tribe, she fought hard for their rights, and negotiated a better deal at the Treaty of Big Tree. She was a bridge. Not only between whites and natives, but between the different tribes themselves. And maybe because I grew up knowing this local history, it's not that unfamiliar or complicated a concept for me. Natives didn't just abduct and slaughter, they were following an accepted grieving ritual. If you cost the life of a family member, they had a right to take one in return if they could. In the case of Mary Jemison it was a Shawnee mourning ritual and interestingly there were French men in the party. The why is important. They weren't blood thirsty, they were evening the scales in their own way. And the children they adopted were treated as full fledged family members usually. Thousands of white children refused to come back to the European settlements after experiencing the compassionate way of life. Why battle against the land when you could learn from those who've already tamed it?
The Native Americans are portrayed as dirty, disloyal, lice infested, and lacking manners in this book. I think the author could have used Joanna's internal dialogue more to show how that was not the case. A girl who bonded with a somewhat lame horse couldn't understand the concept of a pet?? Though kind and fair, the Captain had some internalized racisms. Instead of portraying him as this perfectly pro 'foreigner', show that his view was still flawed. Joanna was extremely well educated in things that would matter for plains life...when was the last time your ten year old made bacon and cornbread and coffee and figured out how to turn dimes into ammo? That brilliance is almost portrayed like: silly little Indian, thinks everything is a weapon, little savage.
I do appreciate the author updating us on how life turned out for nearly every fictional character we met. It's nice that Joanna appears to have found joy and love, though her husband choice is a bit uncomfy and I expected she'd end up with one of the Captains grandsons. I also wish making a living today was a easy as reading the newspaper to cowboys.
The book did grow on me, and I suspect the movie is good. I haven't seen it yet. My hesitancy comes almost exclusively from the portray of native life and motives. I understand the author is in a bit of a pickle with it though. How do you accurately reflect the attitudes of the characters, devoid of modern sensibilities, but in a thoughtful way? I think the author did well in keeping the Captain's attitude in line with what a 'good' man would have thought, but she doesn't compensate for the fact he still holds a few racist ideals. For example, we hear very little from Joanna about her thoughts on her life with her adoptive family, and we're told they traded her away easily for a few supplies. I think an easy way to show how misunderstanding and distrust twisted truth would be to hear from Joanna about what happened from her perspective. Did her adoptive mother cry? Was there a reason for the trade? It seems so callous and reinforces the 'savage' stereotype. We see how cruel her German family was, show me why she yearned to return to the plains.
Maybe my thoughts are influenced by a local heroine from where I grew up. In my school we studied Mary Jemison, "the white woman of the Genesee". She was abducted as a child, her family killed. She chose to stay among the Seneca. She married twice into the tribe, she fought hard for their rights, and negotiated a better deal at the Treaty of Big Tree. She was a bridge. Not only between whites and natives, but between the different tribes themselves. And maybe because I grew up knowing this local history, it's not that unfamiliar or complicated a concept for me. Natives didn't just abduct and slaughter, they were following an accepted grieving ritual. If you cost the life of a family member, they had a right to take one in return if they could. In the case of Mary Jemison it was a Shawnee mourning ritual and interestingly there were French men in the party. The why is important. They weren't blood thirsty, they were evening the scales in their own way. And the children they adopted were treated as full fledged family members usually. Thousands of white children refused to come back to the European settlements after experiencing the compassionate way of life. Why battle against the land when you could learn from those who've already tamed it?
The Native Americans are portrayed as dirty, disloyal, lice infested, and lacking manners in this book. I think the author could have used Joanna's internal dialogue more to show how that was not the case. A girl who bonded with a somewhat lame horse couldn't understand the concept of a pet?? Though kind and fair, the Captain had some internalized racisms. Instead of portraying him as this perfectly pro 'foreigner', show that his view was still flawed. Joanna was extremely well educated in things that would matter for plains life...when was the last time your ten year old made bacon and cornbread and coffee and figured out how to turn dimes into ammo? That brilliance is almost portrayed like: silly little Indian, thinks everything is a weapon, little savage.
I do appreciate the author updating us on how life turned out for nearly every fictional character we met. It's nice that Joanna appears to have found joy and love, though her husband choice is a bit uncomfy and I expected she'd end up with one of the Captains grandsons. I also wish making a living today was a easy as reading the newspaper to cowboys.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Trafficking, and Violence
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