Story of young part Indian girl growing up as the "daughter" of two men following the Civil War. ( )

This is the 7th novel in the McNulty series and once again I am amazed by how this author manages to produce such an authentic voice of a young Lakota Indian woman and creates such credible settings as this rural township post the American civil War. He never fails to please and inform. ( )

I had a real hard time at the start with the concept of this book. What is an Irish man doing, presuming to be able to tell the story from the point of view of a teenage Lakota girl, presuming to preach to us about American history? Why does he keep repeating that her people were all wiped out; The Lakota are still here! Another instance of well-meaning white men taking native children from their culture.
But it was well-written, and I had no trouble finishing it quickly.
Written in an uneducated-yet-intelligent style strongly reminiscent of Opal Whitely, there are a lot of quirky phrasings and images. Ah, the images of Winona's connection with nature are wonderful, and I can grudgingly grant that an Irishman may still be in touch with the spirits of the world. There is an unspoken subtext of homosexuality that is accepted as natural by Winona, and her experience of her 2 fathers as being warm and loving.
One portion bothered me. Winona, after returning from challenging an offender, promises to never go off like that again. Yet pretty soon she's taking off again and nobody makes mention of a broken promise. Doesn't ring true. The ending also came abruptly, leaving us without knowing what really happened. Somebody's got to pay for murder.
I'm also very disappointed that no mention is made of the evils of whiskey, but of course how could an Irish author write that, even tho it is very clear that whiskey has messed with Winona's memory.
eta: I didn't know this was part of a series. I suppose the ending will be explained in the next book. ( )

In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, a massacre in the Wyoming territory leaves a young Lakota girl orphaned. She is rescued by two men who rename her Winona and take her with them to their hardscrabble farm in Tennessee. There she becomes a beloved member of a ragtag "family" of former soldiers who keep house and work the land alongside a couple of newly freed slaves. In spite of the warmth and loving kindness Winona receives at home and at work for the local lawyer, she is still viewed as a savage in a community of hooligans and night riders. After she suffers a beating and rape by unknown assailants, her protectors are quick to respond and seek justice on her behalf. But her own sketchy memory of the event and her lowly status in the community as a Native American do little to right these wrongs or give her peace. ( )

A minor but enjoyable work in the McNulty canon. Has lots of echoes of the superior Days Without End, but where that gave us action this has more mystery. ( )