A great sequel to" One Thousand White Women". I was glad some of their stories were continued. It brought to life a very sad period in our nation's history.

Rating 4.2/ 5
The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus is part of the One Thousand White Women series. However, I read this as a standalone novel and, although, I would now add the latter to my “To Read List” in no way did it detract from my enjoyment of this well written book.
Fergus tells the story, through a series of ledgers, of the white brides, many from dubious backgrounds, given to the Cheyenne in return for horses. It is beautifully narrated with the skilful use of words to paint stunningly vistas of America when it was occupied by Native Americans. Fergus brings to life the struggle for survival of this noble people and their customs.
There are a number of outstanding characters including Gertie, the Kelly Twins, Molly, Lady Hall, Pretty Nose and Hawk. I also loved the Indian names and translations which gave the novel a sense of authenticity.
In a time of uncertainty the “Brides” managed to find and use humour to alleviate their unknown, and oft times dangerous, situation. Although their dance routine seemed a bit strange in the setting of the Cheyenne celebrations, surprisingly the ending of the novel didn’t. Also, fittingly, there is a statement from Molly Standing Bear which is so true.
I did have to check to see if the novel was based on fiction, it wasn’t but Jim Fergus does capture a lot of the history in that era. He is a gifted wordsmith.
Thank you to NetGalley and Jim Fergus for this beautiful novel for which I have given an honest and unbiased review.

The Vengeance of Mothers is Jim Fergus’s sequel to One Thousand White Women, and telling about it faces me with a problem. If you are at all interested in reading either of these books, this is your warning that it’s impossible to tell anything about this one without mentioning the events at the end of the other.

One Thousand White Women was presented as the journals of Mary Dodd, who participated in a (fictional) U.S. government exchange of white women as wives for the Cheyenne for horses. In the 1990’s, the son of the journal’s publisher receives a visitor in his office, Molly Standing Bear, who gives him another set of journals, the basis for The Vengeance of Mothers.

These journals are those of three women—Meggie and Susie Kelly, the wild Irish twins who appeared in the previous novel, and Molly McGill, a young woman participating in the second program of brides for horses. Meggie and Susie are determined to wreak vengeance for the events at the closing of the last novel, which resulted in the deaths of their children. Molly’s group is captured by the Lakota when their train is massacred, but the Lakota give the survivors to the Cheyenne.

The women’s adventures include the return of the dastardly Jules Seminole, who led the army to attack the Cheyenne instead of the group of Native Americans they were supposed to attack; the reappearance of a few of the women from the first book; and a romance between Molly and Hawk, a young warrior.

I found the same things interesting in this novel that I liked in the other, particularly the details of life among the Cheyenne, but Fergus doesn’t give us much of anything new here, except a strange turn to the spiritual. In particular, I found the ending unsatisfying. Still, I enjoyed most of the journey to a limited extent.

I was vaguely disappointed by Vengeance and haven't been able to finish it. It's hard to pinpoint the problem exactly. If it had been a true story, it would have resonated more with me (although the 'is it true or isn't it' PR has certainly worked for the author). More than that, I didn't feel especially connected to the characters and didn't care that much for the format. This one was a miss for me.

*ARC via netgalley*

Great follow up to White Women it's a wonderfully layered piece of historical fiction.

I did not read his first novel "One Thousand White Women" first, therefore I have no reference. I found the story to be interesting though challenging to read as the narrator changed frequently. The story revolves around white women living with Indian tribes, their challenges and victories and their quest for vengeance. I have not finished reading so don't know how it ends yet.

I couldn't finish this book as it held little interest to me.

Unfortunately I DNF this one just like I did the first book ,just couldn't get into the story, with that said I would like to say thinks to NetGalley for at least giving me a chance at reading it and review it.

This book is a worthy sequel to The 1,000 White Women. It is about love for family, and the definition of family includes both out traditional Anglo-Saxon view of family as well as an extended view of family. Someone asks "how far will these women go to avenge the ones they love?" First we must understand who they love and why.

This was excellent! Just as good if not better than One Thousand White Women. I love to read historical fiction from a female perspective.

It had been quite some time since I'd read One Thousand White Women and I wondered if I'd be able to link these two novels together in my mind with the passage of so much time. However, the author does an excellent job at recalling just enough of the first novel to help you remember and make the connections between the two books without the reader feeling weighed down. As with the first group of white brides for the Cheyenne, there is a close sisterly bond between this 2nd group of brides. And the Kelly twins from the first novel are back to help the "greenhorns" assimilate to the Cheyenne way of life. But the Kelly's priority is vengeance for the massacre they survived while losing their babies, husbands and friends. They know their opportunity is coming because the army is ramping up its efforts to clear the indians from the frontier. You get a sense that the Cheyenne`s way of life is about to change forever just when these brides are finding their places among them. The conversations at times are a little crass and includes more information than needed between the brides, but then, these girls are not ladies. I would not describe it as explicit but it may offend a sensitive reader. All in all, I enjoyed revisiting these characters as well as the new ones introduced.

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus is a sequel to his first book called One Thousand White Women. The book is fascinating - absolutely fascinating! Jim Fergus has taken facts from US History and woven in a story via journals that give us the gift of understanding so much that happened, including the megalomaniac leaders of the armed forces. I found the book incredibly interesting and believe others will too.

The story takes place within the same setting allowing us to really appreciate the amount of detail with the books. In 1873, the US Government decided to sent 1000 white women to the Cheyenne in trade for 300 horses. Their theory being that the Cheyenne would become more white with the infusion of women. Many of the woman were in difficult straits (prostitutes, prisoners, etc) so they saw this as a way to freedom. Many married into the Cheyenne and took their way of life.

The Vengeance of Mothers looks at what happened after the Armies attacked an innocent village full of mothers and children. Through the journals of several of the women, we begin to understand the horrid conditions and travesty of justice that occurred through the eyes of the women. A tremendous story.

I read "One Thousand White Women" a number of years ago and it made a vivid impression on me. Coincidentally, I recently gave a copy to a friend who was looking for something 'really good' to read and I felt that book certainly fit the description. I jumped at the chance to read the sequel and was soon immersed into the world of the Cheyenne and the women who joined them. The book is well written just like the previous one (I would recommend people read the first book but it's not necessary to enjoyment of this one). The characters fairly leap off the pages and the method of writing in journal form makes it easy to distinguish the various characters and their unique personalities.

I confess that I actually thought this fiction was based on fact (and who knows - - maybe it was. Though there appears to be no evidence of such a program, knowing what we do about government, isn't it possible that it DID exist and was hushed up?) At any rate, this is an intriguing story with plenty of action. It's a very enjoyable read!

The ending was a surprise. I haven't decided yet whether I liked that surprise or not.

I received a copy of "The Vengence of Mothers: The Journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill: A Novel" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jim Fergus for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is a sequel and I would recommend reading the first book first, One Thousand White Women FIRST. It also appears that this book was published in French or something like that becuse it was initially difficult to find the book on Goodreads.

I read the first book almost four years ago so the events were a little fuzzy from the first book. I did skim a little of the first book which was helpful in refreshing my memory. However, this book can stand alone, if necessary.

I loved the book initially and it slowly went down in my estimation as I think that the book just ended suddenly. It really did not have an ending which bothered me - true to the story would have been better. Also, the Epilogue did not ring true to me. Initially, I loved the idea of the books, but now they seem really disingenuous to me. This book was not a fun or an easy read - very difficult to read at times.

It is a recommend, but go in knowing that it has some disturbing parts.

Taken from the journals of white women as part of the Wives for Indians program in the late 1800s to marry Cheyenne Indian men and "civilize" them. Friendships forged between these women are strong and unbreakable. I was not aware of the first book by this author One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd but will be searching for it.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Jim Fergus for the opportunity to read his latest work.

One Thousand White Women was one of our book club's earliest picks and we all enjoyed it. I'm rounding this one up to 4 stars because I struggled more with this book. It probably would have been better if I read the first book again since it has been probably at least a dozen years ago.

This book is again written in journal form - twin sisters Meggie and Susie were survivors of the first book's events, and a new character, Molly McGill, who came as the last of another group of the Brides for Indians program. It was interesting to see the same events from these 2 different perspectives. The Kelly sisters are out for revenge for the death of their babies and turn into warriors.

I struggled a bit with this book but it was still interesting to see what happened to these characters.

I truly liked this fictitious novel chronically done through jounel entries of the trials of white women who were pledged into the service of marrying Indians in order to pay their debt to society. The story was harrowing and a total page turner for this reader.

As the journals are read, we are introduced to a cast of women who certainly are courageous, endearing to one another, and determined to protect the Indians who have been so grossly mistreated by our government. The time period of the late eighteen hundreds and the situations that these women were previously in was heart breaking. I thought the author presented these women, some as hard as nails and what might be called savages, as totally believable and admirable. He did a fine job giving us characters with many faults but who desperately were looking for a better life and in most cases found it living among the Cheyenne tribe.

Although depicting a fictitious program of the government, this reader could see how pitiful the positions the women presented found themselves in and I had to think that there were many women who also experienced a life filled with tragedy and pathos living during those times.

This was a remarkable read and one that left me with extremely positive feelings about the spirit and the courage that women so very often display.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and St Martin' Press for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

Like its predecessor, this story told from the POV of women is beautiful and dark. We should not forget the history of this nation and the violence brought upon its indigenous populations.

I just completed "The Vengeance of Mothers" after previously reading "One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd" which tells the beginning of this remarkable incident in American history. The sense of immediacy and realism is so strong that I could not be certain even now if I have been reading history or fiction. Finishing "The Vengeance of Mothers", I turned back to the first volume and reread the introduction and conclusion, then went back to the beginning of Vengeance and reread the first few chapters of this story as well. I wanted to be sure I had all the characters and events clear in my mind. As an aside, I should also add that I was so caught up in the story that I researched Little Big Horn as well as devoured a current Middle School book titled "In the footsteps of Crazy Horse."
All this is to say that the story grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I lived the hardships of the women who left the world of civilization to become brides of the Cheyenne, Lakota and other tribes. I found in myself a gradual appreciation of the Native way of life. Along with them, I felt betrayed by the U.S. government and its representatives in the Army. The inevitable ending was expected but no less tragic. However, unlike the story of the first volume, The Vengeance of Mothers leaves an open-ended conclusion with a feeling of hope. As a matter of fact, I was surprised by the abruptness of the ending and thought the reader deserved a little more of a tying up of loose ends.
A review would not be complete without praising the richness of the characters portrayed within the two volumes. Some like May Dodd were not present in the second volume but the character was so vital that her personality lingered through the memories of those who knew her. The recurring characters like the Kelly girls and Gertie were fascinating. Each voice was unique and showed us the world from a different perspective. Molly McGill, author of many of the journals included in Vengeance, is just as strong in her way as May Dodd of Volume 1 was in her story and her love for her Native husband was just as powerful. In fact the love story is a very important part of the fabric of the story and I must confess, had me ready to snuggle under the buffalo robes!
All in all, a wonderful page turner of a story, but one that really should be read in conjunction with "One Thousand White Women:" to appreciate the complete saga.

I very much enjoyed the first novel, which I read when it was published almost 20 years ago. I'm not sure that this captures the immediacy or the unique voices of that book but it's an interesting effort that I'll admit I kept reading even though I periodically found myself shaking my head. This is not true historical fiction and you might object to the rather broad caricatures of the Native Americans (I know I found some of it offensive) but it's worth a read. To be fair, caucasians are equally broadly drawn at time but this is a good reminder of how the USG has treated our indigenous population. It's told in the form of diary entries from a few of the women and generally it is their voices you'll remember- especially Molly. The Kelly twins are the thread that link you to the first book; they've changed a lot as a result of time and events. Interesting book and thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.