This book is inspiring. Cathy Williams did not live an easy life, yet she persevered through all of her experiences. It would've been easy for her to want to give up with all of the hardships she endured in her life, but she decided to be defiant - which I loved about her. 

Cathy was born a slave, became an army cook, then enlisted in the army pretending to be a man. I think that this book really showed the scope of her life and will show those interested in this time period about what women had to do to survive. She didn't let anyone stand in her way of getting what she wanted. Her story is extremely hard to read about in places. Her life wasn't easy, and Bird writes about the experiences that may have occurred in a way that evokes emotion from the reader. 

There were times, though, that I felt the book was slow. I sometimes found the amount of detail was overwhelming.

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen is a historical novel imagining the life of Cathy Williams, the African-American who served as a buffalo soldier after the Civil War. Taking the known facts of Williams’ life, Sarah Bird imagines how she came to have such extraordinary courage and grit.

The story begins with the plantation where Cathy works as a slave, along with her mother and sister. She thinks herself apart from the rest of the slaves because her mother has taught her she is a captive, not a slave. They speak their ancestral language Fon and remember the stories of Africa, old by her grandmother who had been a Queen before she was capture. Cathy is the daughter of the daughter of a queen and will not be broken.

When the plantation is burned, the Union Army “liberates” them by putting them to work supporting the Army. Cathy is separated from her family and assigned to help General Sheridan’s cook. The first part of the book is her service until the end of the Civil War, then her service as a buffalo soldier, and finally, a short section on her post-military life.



This is a fast-paced engrossing story of adventure and bravery that I read pretty much straight through. Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen sees Cathy not only as brave and bold, but as witty and clever, so there is plenty of sly humor and hilarity. Humor, though, is not the focus. There’s the jeopardy of being black in a racist country and the double jeopardy of being a woman. There’s the fear of being discovered and the “otherness” attached to her while in the Army, fear of the enemies and her fellow soldiers. But then, there is also friendship and romance. It’s a rich book full of excitement and adventure.

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen will be released September 4th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
Sarah Bird author site

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, as 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 unbearablely 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.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Sarah Bird’s newest novel is an exciting western adventure. The novel opens during the Civil war and follows Cathy Williams as she tries to make a life for herself as a free woman.

Cathy is a descendent of an African queen and knows the story of her heritage. Her heritage is the basis for the title, but it is just a small part of her story. The bulk of the novel centers on her time as a Buffalo Soldier, deceiving the vast majority of men in her Infantry unit. I was amazed that Cathy was able to fool so many men for so long while living in such close proximity.

Bird does an excellent job of communicating the plight of the black people immediately following the war. They had no place and joining the army seemed like a way to begin a new life.

I found it a bit surprising that there was not more interaction with the Native Americans written into the story, considering the soldiers were sent to Texas to control the Indian raids and kill off the Buffalo in order to starve them out.

This is an engaging story from page one. I had not previously read much about the Buffalo soldiers, so it was interesting to read about their experience, especially through the eyes of a woman.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

I received a free Kindle copy of Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird courtesy of Net Galley  and St. Martin's Press, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as it sounded interesting. It is the first book by Sarah Bird that I have read.

I always hesitate to read historical fiction as I find it to be either very good or not so good. Unfortunately, this one falls into the not so good category.

The plot of the book revolves around the life of Cathy Williams, the only black woman to serve with the famous Buffalo Soldiers. I found the author'sd writing style to be less than engaging. I felt that she overly made Williams subservient with the language she used to communicate with others and not the brightest bulb in the box. She also made the native americans in the book less than intelligent when in fact they were very smart.

Other reviewers have raved about this book, but for me is was a very unsatisfying read.

Cathy Williams was born a slave but her mother taught her never to use that word. She was a captive. The women in her family were royal in Africa and being caught and sent to America to work as a slave didn’t change that. She was taught to be strong, to think, to see past her bondage. These skills helped her recognize the crack in the system when one presented itself.
Cathy’s chance, the crack in the system, presented itself in the form of Union general Sheridan who recognized Cathy’s abilities to think and took her into his service. And she recognized the chances she would have when she was free. Not if, but when.
At the end of the war Cathy refused to return to a life of service and disguised herself as a man, something some women did during the war, and entered the Army as a Buffalo Soldier. She struggled to hide as a woman among men for years to eventually earn her Army pension and be truly free, able to support her life.
Using her wits and strength, Cathy was the only woman to ever be a Buffalo Soldier, but it’s not hard to see Cathy’s struggles with identity and acceptance and fairness reflected still in our time. Her story was almost lost to history but for the author.

In one word=fascinating.
I adore historical fiction that makes me dive in deeper to discover more about the person/time/events/etc. the book is written about.
This book had me looking up so much and just being flabbergasted at what I was finding. I do so wish more was known about Cathay Williams AKA Williams Cathay. She was the only documented African American woman to serve as a soldier in the U.S. Army in the nineteenth century. She survived the Civil War and wanted to see the world and taste how freedom might be outside of where she had been a slave.
Sarah Bird did a fantastic job with trying to pull from limited details to give us insight into a woman who managed to get into the Buffalo Soldiers (look them up) and stay there for several years before being discovered.
I definitely recommend. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

#DaughterOfAdaughterOfAqueen #NetGalley

Amazing book. Sarah Bird does a great job of putting us into the middle of the civil war and the march across the Shanandoah Valley. It is endlessly refreshing to see a bad-ass heroine who is not just a pretty face.

Very difficult to put this book down.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Absolutely fabulous novel about one of US Military History's hidden figures. Sarah Bird does an amazing job of bringing Cathy Williams' story to life. A vivid and engrossing tale of courage, survival and love.
Full review to come closer to publication date.

I am not usually drawn to historical fiction but I am so glad I read this one. Cathay is more than brave, she is more than inspiring. She posed as a man and was previously a slave and served in the Union army at a time when women were no more than men’s servants, cooks, cleaners, or playthings, but nothing of note. This story would make a superb film!

Cathy Williams was born into slavery on a farm in Missouri, though her mama explained to her they were not slaves, they were captives with royal blood from her warrior grandmother of Africa.

During the Civil War, Union general Sheridan comes to the farm to free the slaves and take every scrap of food left.  He mistakes Cathy for a man and enlists her to come to his camp to help cook.

While mourning the separation from her mama and sister, Cathy soon finds herself in a wagon ...with a dying black soldier.  She's stunned to see a black man in the blue uniform and spends her time telling him the stories of her grandmother's Africa and the two share an unexpected intimacy through stories and hope.

The blindfolded soldier is near death and once the wagon stops he's thrown on to a pile of the dead for mass burial.  She has just enough time to learn his name before the wagon rolls on to Sheridan's camp.

At camp Cathy is now mourning her mama, sister, and her soldier.  She corrects the general on the issue of her gender and is quickly put in her place by the sharp-tongued cook, Solomon.  He teaches her the unspoken rules and soon their tolerance of one another turns into friendship. 

When a group of Rebels invades camp, Cathy saves the lives of not only Solomon and other "contrabands", but also Sheridan's soldiers with her sure shot.

When Robert E. Lee surrenders at the Appomattox Court House, the celebration of freedom turns into pure elation for Cathy when she and Solomon decide to marry and she is reunited with her sister.  
After a scuffle with Rebels at the celebration, Solomon is killed and Cathy decides she will not go back to a life of quiet servitude and bear children for a husband.
Cathy disguises herself as a man and joins the Army's Buffalo Soldiers and once again says goodbye to her sister.

What follows is an unbelievable tale of a woman's decision to fight for dignity and independence.  She goes to great and dangerous lengths to disguise her gender and to stay close to the noble soldier she had feared dead.

Determination, passion, courage, and bravery run through Cathy's royal warrior blood and across the pages of this beautifully written historical fiction novel loosely based on the true story of Private Cathy Williams.  I didn't realize how invested I was in this novel until the ending, which I had to re-read three or four times! 

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.1 - could have been shorter, but a really unique story; makes me wonder what exactly happened in real life

Great historical fiction novel with a strong heroine who disguised herself as a man so she could serve in the army during the Civil War. There is a love story in the plot that moves the story along.

You all have read the blurb by now and know that this is historical fiction about an African American woman who served in the Union Army. There are many reviews out there so I won’t go over the plot of the story.

What I liked about the book was the fact that it brought this interesting woman to light and also discussed how the Union army, after burning and pillaging southern plantations, considered some of the freed slaves as “contraband” and enlisted them to help as cooks, washers, latrine cleaners, whatever they needed done in their units. It was at the end of the Civil war that Ms. Williams decided to enlist, impersonating a man, as there were not many options or jobs available for the freed slaves.

What I didn’t like about this book was the entirely fictionalized romance between her and a Union soldier, and this is no small part of the story. In the novel her love for this soldier is what caused her to carry on under dire circumstances. Since it is fiction of course there is no reason why the author couldn’t do this but I didn’t think that so much emphasis needed to be attached to the story, can’t a woman just be strong for her own sake? Why does every strong female always have to have a male love story attached, this would have been a good story without that element.

I also thought this book portrayed the “Buffalo soldiers” in the civil war to be mostly ignorant and without pride in themselves or their service.

The Native Americans are barely described in the book even though the second half is all about the Army’s fights to rob the Indians of their land and force them onto reservations. They are also portrayed mainly as savages, slaughtering many white settlers. There is no attempt to differentiate from the many, many different tribes that were involved and how many only wanted to be left in peace on the land that was rightfully their.

While many thoroughly enjoyed this book I had to force myself to finish it. I really liked the first part of the book and her service under Sheridan but thought it went downhill after that. It was also a bit difficult to continually have to read in what is assumed to be the slave’s southern language, again I don’t know if this is based on any linguistic facts or if it is just fiction. I still gave the book a 3 star rating because it was interesting. I think it would have benefitted from more extensive editing and fact checking.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

Will share on social media upon publication in September.

Bob Marley & The Wailers wrote the lyrics ".....in the heart of America, stolen from Africa, brought to America, Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival," in the song 'Buffalo Soldiers', but I had no real knowledge about these soldiers until reading this book.
Based on the real life of Cathy/Cathay Williams, born sometime it is thought between 1840-1844, into slavery. She lived (ironically)in the town of Independence in Missouri, Cathy is given a wider life by the author as she works as a house slave on the tobacco plantation of a wealthy white owner. The book title comes from her past history as the daughter of a daughter of a queen with African blood, her grandmother Iyaiya who was one of the six thousand warrior wives of King Leopard. We see the despair when soldiers arrive as the American Civil War spreads and her mother and sister Clemmie are taken away.
Now is the time of revenge against the Confederate plantation owners who had treated the slaves so badly and the Union forces are in the ascendency. Cathy is rescued by the Yankee General Philip Henry Sheridan and taken to help the cook -Solomon Yarnell- working for the army.
Cathy is forceful and determined to fight with the troops. Amazingly she disguises herself as a man and enlists, although as Solomon says to her when it appears the war is won, "Peace with white folks gon be a whole new war". I liked the relationship between Cathy and Solomon and there is great detail about the way the army works and its many structures and of course battles. The reader can learn a lot about American history such as Cathy's meeting with General Custer and the Shenandoah Valley raids in Virginia.
I did find it amazing that Cathy served for many years in the army, but it was only when she was hospitalised very late on that the authorities discovered her true identity. Her health had suffered greatly. Was she almost a slave within the regiment itself putting herself in such positions of danger?
It is an ongoing tragedy that the white American leaders have always abused not only the blacks but the indigenous tribes across the land they captured as their own. Because they needed more soldiers to fight during the American Civil War Congress passed an act allowing the establishment of the first all black units of the military, which became known as the 'Buffalo Soldiers'. Later in the 20th century when numbers were low to fight in Vietnam politicians did the same thing again, encouraging those who were pushed to the margins of white society to now fight as patriots for their country.
It was interesting to learn about Cathy Williams, now seen as an American legend. But although the novel obviously adds dramatic licence to her story the reality was she was refused an Army pension when she was discharged through ill health and no trace of the final years of her life was ever found of her in American records.
I was fascinated to learn about Cathy Williams but not quite sure a fictional novel in this form quite did her justice.

Sarah Bird is the best. She takes a relatively unknown character in history and brings her to life. Dialogue is handled beautifully, evoking the times and the status without sounding stereotyped or condescending. I can already see this as a movie. Blockbuster!

Wow, this was an epic read. An amazing story of a courageous woman, Cathy Williams joined up with the Buffalo Soldiers after the end of the Civil War (1866-1868. ) She managed to fool all the men for two years, except the men she was in love with..,, an unforgettable story, bravo.

Sarah Bird is my favorite writer, and she has been for some time. I was very excited to get a chance to read an ARC of her newest title. Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen is an intriguing historical novel. It is not my favorite book of Bird's, but it is still quite good. Cathy Williams begins her life as a slave, then she becomes a cook for General Sheridan of the Union Army. When slavery is officially abolished, and at a loss as to what to do with her freedom, she decides to join the Buffalo Soldiers Cavalry unit of the Army. She spends the next two years living as a man, William Cathay, and hiding her true identity from her fellow soldiers. She lives in daily fear of her secret being discovered and the awful consequences that are sure to happen if it is discovered that she is a woman. This novel is full of rich historical details and descriptive landscapes. Fans of historical fiction, particularly the civil war era and African American history, should find this novel intriguing and informative.

DAUGHTER OF A DAUGHTER OF A QUEEN is a totally absorbing fictionalized account of the life of Cathy Williams, a former slave and the only woman to ever serve with the legendary Buffalo Soldiers. Born on a tobacco farm in Missouri, she was later commandeered into service by Union general Phillip Henry Sheridan. Once the Civil War ended, she disguised herself as a man to serve as a Buffalo soldier in the army, rather than endure a life of servitude. Highly recommended and would be a great asset to high-school-level history classes. 5/5

Pub Date 04 Sep 2018

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#DaughterOfAdaughterOfAqueen #NetGalley

This was a very good book. I love the story and how it progresses. I can't wait for it to come out so that I can get a copy for everyone I know. It goes back to being of royal African blood and carrying themselves as so. I love how the characters come to life on the pages and they seem like people I would love to spend time with and learn more about. My only complaint about this book is that it isn't long enough. I look forward to reading more by this author and also introducing her to my friends and family.