A Thousand Moons

A Novel

By: Sebastian Barry

Narrated by: Kyla Garcia

A dazzling new novel about memory and identity set in Paris, Tennessee, in the aftermath of the American Civil War from the Booker Prize shortlisted author

Winona Cole, an orphaned child of the Lakota Indians, finds herself growing up in an unconventional household on a farm in West Tennessee. Raised by her adoptive father John Cole and his brother-in-arms Thomas McNulty, this odd little family scrapes a living on Lige Magan's farm with the help of two freed slaves, the Bougereau siblings. They try to keep the brutal outside world at bay, along with their memories of the past.

But Tennessee is a state still riven by the bitter legacy of the Civil War, and when first Winona and then Tennyson Bouguereau are violently attacked by forces unknown, Colonel Purton raises the militia to quell the rebels and night-riders who are massing on the outskirts of town. Armed with a knife, Tennyson's borrowed gun, and the courage of her famous warrior mother, Winona decides to take matters into her own hands and embarks on a quest for justice which will uncover the dark secrets of her past and finally reveal to her who she really is.

Exquisitely written and thrumming with the irrepressible spirit of a young girl on the brink of adulthood, A Thousand Moons is a glorious story of love and redemption.

©2020 Sebastian Barry (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Poetry

Such a lyrical look at the life of a young Indian girl; who she was, what formed her soul, the people who loved her, and how she lived. A very beautiful book written in a unique way. I read the first book and have enjoyed both of them.

Another stunning book from Sebastian Barry

A great sequel to Days Without End d which opened me up to the incredible world of Sebastian Barry. If anything too short, but well read and very sympathetic characters.

A continuation of the series w/ a change of voice

Goodreads does not offer the edition I am "reading" as it is from Audible. It is narrated by Kyla Garcia who does a remarkable job. I had so loved Days Without End that it was a given that I would read the sequel.

Whereas the first book was in the voice of Thomas McNulty about he and John Cole, a gay couple in the 19th century, this is about their adopted daughter who is Indian. It is written in Winona's voice. It is not as violent as the first, but quite full of bullying, prejudice and injustice. It is also obliquely about Winona falling for another girl, Peg. But also about so much more. The aftermath of the Civil War and the Indian Wars is awful and so depressing. Winona is about 17 or 18 when she tells this story so you hear how she learns she is worth nothing in the eyes of the law. A freed slave is worth nothing but they have a few (very few) protections in the law, but as an Indian, she has no protections whatsoever. She could be raped or killed and no one would suffer any repercussions. Yet John Cole and Thomas McNulty love her as their own flesh as well as their expanded family of Leige and two black former slaves, Rosalee and Tennyson. Her employer the lawyer Briscoe loves her as well.

In most of the reviews I have read, hardly any mention Peg that much. As an LGBTQ person, I guess I was able to read between the lines or read more into the importance of Peg. Winona feels complete with Peg, she is a huge life force for her. I don't think I am reading this wrong as the first book was about John and Thomas, a gay couple who became her "adopted" family. So it seems quite natural to me.

The ending is ambiguous with most of it being a dream state that Winona is in. In a way I am OK with it as the author is so good with everything that he gets to decide when it is finished. I guess I am too used to "romance" novels that always have a happy ending. Therefore I choose to believe she wins not only the situation, but continues with Peg the rest of her life.

A fascinating read about a period and place (Tennessee) that I previously did not know much. Highly recommended.

Beautiful!!!

A worthy follow up to the previous one, Days Without End. Barry is an absolute master.

Sebastian Barry

Everything he writes is lovely, lyrical and true. This story continues a family saga of three unrelated persons. An orphaned American Native and two gay men. It takes place during the Indian Wars and is a story of the treatment of Native Americans, and freed American slaves.