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stacyroth's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
<i>Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen</i> is loosely based on the true story of Cathy Williams, born a slave in Missouri in 1944, freed by General Sheridan to serve as a cook for his troops, and eventually passing herself off as a man to serve in the Buffalo Soldiers after the Civil War. The Cathy in this book passes herself off as “William Cathay” to join the cavalry, ending up in west Texas.
The story started a little slowly for me, but by the end, I was so hooked that I stayed up until nearly 3 AM to finish it. While little is known about the real Cathy Williams, I would imagine she would have had to be the same brave, fierce woman she is portrayed as in this novel to have been possibly the first woman to have enlisted in the army during peace time. (There are women who disguised themselves as men to serve during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, but Cathy didn’t sign up until the Civil War had already ended.)
*SPOILER ALERT* There is one element of this book that I think will be divisive for whether people enjoy this book or not - the love interest Cathy is given in the story, when there is no evidence of a man having played any part in the real Cathy’s decisions .
Overall, I think this read was worth my time, although it could have been better edited to cut out some of the slow pace. 3.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, and Homophobia
literatigeek's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Bullying, Slavery, and Sexism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Genocide, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Rape, Vomit, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
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