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A review by marilynw
Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird
4.0
This is the historical fictionalized story of Cathy Williams, a former slave, and the only woman ever to serve as a Buffalo Soldier. This story hurt my heart, not only for Cathy but for all the slaves, all those torn apart by war between families, the treatment of blacks and Native Americans, and also the horrors of violence by all sides against everyone. And in the end very few had happy endings, including Cathy Williams. The real Cathy Williams had her feet amputated, late in life, but I do hope she had some good memories, like the fictionalized Cathy Williams had.
Having mentioned good memories for the fictionalized Cathy Williams, there was a twist at the very ending that stabbed a knife in my already sad heart. But as Cathy was written, I think she had the strength, passed on to her from her mother and grandmother, to see that twist in a better light than I saw it and that's the way I'll remember this book. Cathy Williams, was a very strong person, very strong woman, and very strong man, when she had to pretend she wasn't a woman. Her life was so unbearably harsh, from the moment she was born and she did the best she could with it, in a way very few could do.
As the story was written, Cathy, as both a woman and as a woman pretending to be a man, grew on me. As hard as the book was to read because of the brutalities of Cathy's life and those around her, I admired her humor and her way of seeing things she could not change. Knowing she was based on a real person, I knew her future couldn't turn out rosy, but she allowed me to hope it could. She made of her life the best that she could and it was a whole lot better than most people could have done. I'm glad I read the book even as I'm left with a deep sadness for the cruelties that we inflict on each other.
Published September 4, 2018.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Having mentioned good memories for the fictionalized Cathy Williams, there was a twist at the very ending that stabbed a knife in my already sad heart. But as Cathy was written, I think she had the strength, passed on to her from her mother and grandmother, to see that twist in a better light than I saw it and that's the way I'll remember this book. Cathy Williams, was a very strong person, very strong woman, and very strong man, when she had to pretend she wasn't a woman. Her life was so unbearably harsh, from the moment she was born and she did the best she could with it, in a way very few could do.
As the story was written, Cathy, as both a woman and as a woman pretending to be a man, grew on me. As hard as the book was to read because of the brutalities of Cathy's life and those around her, I admired her humor and her way of seeing things she could not change. Knowing she was based on a real person, I knew her future couldn't turn out rosy, but she allowed me to hope it could. She made of her life the best that she could and it was a whole lot better than most people could have done. I'm glad I read the book even as I'm left with a deep sadness for the cruelties that we inflict on each other.
Published September 4, 2018.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.