I went into this book blind and knowing nothing about One Thousand White Women. Actually, I didn’t even know the book existed. There is a part of me that wished that I had read One Thousand White Women before reading The Vengeance of Mothers. I could have gotten a better understanding of the women who survived the massacre.

Saying that I enjoyed the book. The format that it was written in, journal style, was different. I can count on one hand how many books were written in this format that I actually liked. The Vengeance of Mothers has been added to that short list. Besides that, I also liked that the story was told by a whole different set of women. It was through them that we got to see how badly the Indians were treated by the American government.

I could understand Meggie and Susie’s need for vengeance. Their friends and adopted families were murdered by the Army. They were slaughtered in their tipis while sleeping. Their 3-week old daughters froze to death and they were forced to carry them when fleeing. Their thirst for revenge was almost all-consuming. That battle scene where they castrated that young man is forever printed in my brain.

I could also understand why Molly jumped at the chance to leave Sing Sing. It would be a fresh start for her. She also understood Meggie and Susie’s need for vengeance and she did try to counsel them against it. The author chose to reveal that part of her story after the dance, when she and Hawk were sharing a blanket. There were hints that lead up to it but I wasn’t ready for the brutal emotion that it evoked in me.

The beginning and end of the story started with a descendant of Hawk and Molly meeting with a descendant of May Dodd. When I started the book, I couldn’t understand why she gave JD a copy of the journals. But after reading the story and the epilogue….I can understand. I just wish that maybe it was revealed a little earlier in the book and not in the epilogue.

My Summary of The Vengeance Of Mothers: 4 stars

The Vengeance of Mothers is a well written, fictional account of events that happened in the West. Notice I stressed fictional. The Brides for Indians incentive never existed but the author played on the “What if“. It is the “What If” that made the story for me. The only thing that I didn’t like was that I was left wondering about certain characters in the beginning of the book. Other than that, this book took me on a roller coaster of emotions.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Sexual situations, language, and violence. There is a very graphic scene of a young man being castrated and scalped.

I want to thank Jim Fergus, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to review The Vengeance Of Mothers

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I was excited to find this sequel to a book a loved One Thousand White Women. While the beginning and end of the book were pretty hokey, the middle was similar to the first book containing journal excerpts from non-native American women participating in the government's "Brides for Indians" program in the late 1800's. The narratives were engaging with memorable and unique characters, and I enjoyed read this.

Great sequel to One Thousand White Women. Chapters alternate between the Kelly sisters, introduced in the previous book, and a new "bride," Molly. Told in journal format, this is an enjoyable read, although a sad reminder of how we treated Native Americans.

This is a very interesting book. It is about the U.S. government program to send white women to be brides for Indians in the late 1870's. It was considered a failed program. This group of women was made up with a woman convicted of murder, a woman from a mental institution and a lady from society, along with a few others. The book is written as a diary belonging to two of the ladies. They go through many hardships and heartaches. But they form beautiful friendships too. Parts of the book are hard to follow and go into a lot more detail than I liked. This book is a good illustration of how "Mothers" set the path for everyone else. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

The Vengeance of Mothers is the second book in the One Thousand White Women series. Reading the first book years ago it was great to see an update on the characters I met in the first book. These are the The Journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill. Everyone has a story to tell and this is the voice of the women who participated in the government's "Brides for Indians" program in 1873. Some are running from the law or fallen women,some coming from broken abusive homes these women thought it was a chance at freedom. The US government was given 300 horses from the Cheyenne Nation for One Thousand White Women to be given as brides. Many of these women fell in love with their Cheyenne husbands and had children with them. I love historical books and this one was a fascinating book, it kept me reading late into the night. Their reality is not something I would ever want to experience. Their reality was harshness and constantly looking over their shoulder . They went into war with their husbands and participated in the raids. It was interesting to catch up with the characters from the first book .
Pub Date 12 Sep 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I quite enjoyed One Thousand White Women, but, sadly, I didn't get on with the sequel quite as well. I'm not a fan of the journal style of fiction writing, but I found May Dodd to be a much stronger, relatable voice than the Kelly sisters in The Vengeance of Mothers. That being said, both of these books feature strong women, struggling to survive within society, and then taking on the role of wives to Cheyenne men.

The best historical fiction, in my view, is that which takes a historical event, and builds a story around it. In the late 1800s, the Cheyenne tribe apparently asked for 1000 white women to be given as brides, so that their subsequent children might grow up "half in" white society. Although it's believed that this request was made, it was never honoured. Fergus decided to write the story as if it had been honoured.

These are books worth reading, if only for the feminist perspective, of women just doing their best with the life they're given, and for the strength and power of mothers in particular. Fergus doesn't pull any punches, and it's darker than you might think, but this series is a good one.

Another good book by Fergus that brings the West to life in a truthful manner

Irresistably captivating! Passion, revenge, love, hope, fear, comradery--The Vengeance of Mothers covers the whole landscape of the human condition--shared through the journals of white brides for Native Americans. The premise is so interesting and made so believable by Fergus that I searched to determine if there was any wrinkle of truth to this work or if it was even plausible. What an AMAZING read--for anyone craving action, adventure, romance, history, war...anyone with a heart, really! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel!
P.S. This was a sequel. I have not yet read the first, but I can say with certainty that I wiill be ordering it this week!

Thank you netgalley for my review copy of this book. I just recently read One Thousand White Women and I enjoyed both of these stories. The Vengeance of Mothers is the follow up to One Thousand White Women and is told from the point of view of the Kelly sisters. After the failure of the Brides for Indians program the Kelly sisters are out for vengeance for the death of their infant babies.

The journals that were begun by May Dodd when the first group of white women were sent to the Brides for Indians program are continued by the Kelly sisters and the new group of white women who were sent out for the program before it was officially disbanded. This is a continuation of the previous story and allows us to see into the lives of these women after they were altered by a horrific battle. Hell hath no fury like a mother seeking vengeance for the murder of her child as we see in these journals.

A story that begins with a life of hardship turns into a different kind of life these women never imagined and ends in a horror so tragic you think they may never recover. This is a story of the depth of a mother's love and the strength of family and friends new and old and making a new way of life once the old one is lost. Definitely an interesting read on a fascinating topic!

Loved" 1,000 White Women "and this sequel as well.
The author paints a vivid picture of the strong pioneer women that built our country.
Very interesting presentation of the sympathetic native american side to our history.
A great addition to any historical fiction collection. Highly recommended.

I was thrilled to see a sequel to One Thousand White Women, and the preface hooked me immediately. The ending seemed a bit abrupt, however, and there were some slower points midway through the book. Overall, I enjoyed The Vengeance of Mothers and won't hesitate to recommend it.

When you turned the final pages of One Thousand White Women, May Dodd was dead, as were most of the white women who were in the Brides for Indians program. Little Wolf was leading the few women who were left and his bedraggled band of followers through the cold and snow to the village of Crazy Horse. It appeared that the people who were not killed in the massacre would freeze to death. This is the survivors‘ stories and how they coped with their devastating losses. It encompasses not only the white women but also the Indians that were not killed. There are also new characters introduced that fill the place of the missing characters and round out the tale.

The author brings this saga to life by telling it in the first person, predominantly by the two main characters. This is accomplished by hearing the story in their own words from their diary entries. An event is recounted by first one and then the other, each bringing a different aspect to the telling. You are teased with a tiny excerpt of each entry at the beginning of each chapter. In this way, the author keeps you enthralled, wanting to keep reading until the last page.

This book is purely fiction, set in the 1870’s during the Indian wars and is meant to be read for enjoyment and I found it as entertaining as the previous one. The women’s stories are heartrending but also filled with hope with a few life lessons thrown in for good measure. This can be enjoyed by pre-teens to adults and I highly recommend it for the wonderful tale that it is.

An absolutely incredible book! The technique of multiple narrators this author uses is so well done that the reader immediately recognizes the voice of each. Reading this book brings the horror of what happened to Native Americans so alive that you wonder how such cruelty could exist. I didn't want the book to end.

Jim Fergus Has written an absolutely powerful, fascinating and spellbinding book, with the greatest sense of the possibilities of the joy and terrors of being an American Indians wife - that just happens to be white! So real I could feel the bullets heat pass by and smell the camp fires! Excellent writer!
One thing of my favorites for 2017!

A follow up to "One Thousand White Women." More about the Brides Program between the Native Americans and the government. Told through journal entries from different women, it gives a total viewpoint. I felt like I was on the Indian Nation and living among them.

I highly recommend, especially to the fans of "One Thousand White Women."

I was excited to read this book, as I really enjoyed 'One Thousand White Women'. The Vengeance of Mothers, is a sequel to the story about 1,000 white women who are given to the Indian Tribes as brides. The sequel, delves into the lives to the remaining women, and how they have survived the assimilation. This book, while interesting, was a bit of a slow read. While as liked the characters, there wasn't enough depth in the storyline. With that said, I enjoyed the last section, and wonder if there will be a third book! Thank you to NetGalley for the preview of this book!

I couldn't believe my good luck when Jim Fergus wrote a sequel to one of my all time favorite books, "A Thousand White Women." This book continues the story of women who signed up for a government run program to trade 1,000 women to the Cheyenne in exchange for 300 horses. The story continues with the journals of Margaret Kelly and Molly McGill and their attempt at revenge when soldiers attack their village and kill their friends, their babies and then burn everything they own. As in all sequels, this one stands alone but is much better if you read the first book before reading this sequel. I enjoyed the first book so much that I reread it before reading this one.

If you loved the book 1,000 White Women, you won't be disappointed in this sequel. Well written and good character development. It's a believable story. I hate the ending. I hope the author changes it.

This book was not for me, but it is no criticism of the writing or plot, just not my preferred reading. It was a little slow for me.

When I heard that Jim Fergus had written a sequel to One Thousand White Women, a book that I read twice, I rushed to get it. THE VENGEANCE OF MOTHERS follows some of the same women from OTWW, volunteers in the U.S. Government's Brides for Indians program, as well as a new group who arrive after the program has been terminated and are left in limbo. Reacting to the horrendous massacre which ended OTWW, the survivors mourning friends, husbands, and especially children, vow vengeance on the Army and enlist the new Brides to the cause. The first battle of the Women's Warrior Society at Rosebud, the week before the Battle of Little BIghorn, ends in mixed results. The journals of the Brides end here and Will Dobbs, the last descendent of May Dobbs from OTWW returns the ledgers to a descendant of Molly McGill from TVOM and the meeting hints at another story to come.