A heartrending and moving historical novel from the talented Sebastian Barry, written with his trademark vibrant, lyrical and sublime prose, set amidst the unsettling and disturbing repercussions of the Civil War in 1870s Tennessee, seen through the distinctive voice and eyes of the traumatised Winona. The reader is returned to the lives and unconventional family of Thomas McNulty and John Cole, living on the farm with Lige Magan, scrabbling to survive in the harshest of environments, growing tobacco, with the Lakota orphan, Ojanjintka, known as Winona and two black ex-slaves, Rosalee and Tennyson. It is a brutal world where poverty, prejudice and racism proliferates, where blacks and Native American indians like Winona, are less than nothing, perceived as less than human with no rights whatsoever.

The vulnerable Winona looks back at her challenging past, she knew far more about her Lakota background and beliefs than presumed, she had been taught to read and write, and ending up working as a clerk for a lawyer in town. She has to face the most terrifying of incidents where she is attacked and raped, but knows not by whom. The novel focuses on how she responds to her desperate plight, negotiating the most difficult of paths to survive the trials and tribulations that come her way and grow, in a family that faces other dangers. Barry's storytelling is atmospheric, immersive, compassionate, and utterly riveting in its depiction of American history, a history and issues that continues to hold an all too tenacious grip on our contemporary realities today.

This is a beautifully imagined novel with emotional heart, with complex characters that illustrate the twin sides of humanity, the worst aspects, the cruelties, and its horrors, side by side with its best face, the love, the kindness and essential goodness. Highly recommended coming of age read of identity, love, loss, friendship, family, loss, grief, survival and sorrow. Many thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.

This book is a direct sequel to the author’s Costa Book Award winning, literary Western “Days Without End”, taking as its first party narrator, Ojinjintka, the Lakota girl (and orphaned-by-massacre niece o Caught-His-Horse-First) who Thomas McNulty and John Cole take as a servant apprentice after they first are discharged from the army and who Thomas (the narrator of “Days Without End” names Winona after the only Indian girl’s name he knows and can pronounce)

The book starts exactly where “Days Without End” does indeed end –Thomas and John are, with two freed slaves (Rosalee and her brother Tennyson), working on their ex-comrade Lige Magan’s Tennessee farm in the aftermath of the Civil War, an aftermath made particularly difficult in Tennessee due to its split loyalties during the war and unresolved tensions after with blacks and Indians still subject to harassment by increasingly unhappy ex-Rebel soldiers. Winona, who has been schooled in reading and writing by Thomas and John, is working as a clerk for a local lawyer.

The basic plot of the book is that Winona is courted by a local shop clerk Jas Jonski, but one day is then beaten and raped in an incident she cannot remember. Later Tennyson is badly beaten and rendered mute. The book is about how Winona uncovers the truth behind both assaults, against a background of increasing tension and shifting power allegiances at national and local level.

The book has many similarities to Days Without End, going beyond the pre/post Civil War setting and Western style

Firstly in the distinctive writing style which mixes plain speaking characters, and descriptions of violence and harsh poverty, with beautifully poetic imagery, particularly of landscape and weather. “Days Without End” was criticised by some readers for the apparent disconnect between the style and the narrator’s education and background – interestingly (as though Barry had already contemplated his sequel) “Days Without End” itself sets up Winona as being taught from a book how to express herself graciously in English.

Secondly I think in the way in which Barry does not employ an omniscient narrator but sticks closely to the first person approach – so that in the first book we understand Thomas’s thoughts and ideas but all of what we see of Winona’s thoughts and feelings is what Thomas hopes/assumes/guesses/intuits about her. In this book however we see ways in which he perhaps misunderstood her true feelings (for example her strong remaining links to her childhood tribal memories, her recollection of events which in the first book Thomas hopes she did not really understand or even see). Thomas in particular underestimates her maturity.

And this time, Thomas (who we feel we know well from the first book as a thoughtful and measured character) becomes a less rounded character – much as Winona loves him and appreciates his maternal care for her, she seems him as a little headstrong (his only solution to any problem seeming to be to shoot the person he blames). Winona in particular perhaps overestimates Thomas’s ageing.

Thirdly in Barry’s empathetic and nuanced writing style – this is no simple Western of goodies and baddies; yes there is love and sacrifice (but by people capable of great violence) and yes there is evil (but by people capable of unexpected and surprising kindness).

However the links to the first book are far deeper and in a way which makes me think it is a clever and deliberate reflection of the book, for example:

- The book effectively narrated many years after the events that occurred – which does mean that we know the narrator survives the perils and trials (both figurative and literal) that they face. The hindsight narration and the potential distortions that can bring, are more explicitly acknowledged here.

- A narrator who has seen their family die in front of them (by famine and massacre respectively) and who is also fully aware that they and their kin are seen as close to valueless (and almost inhuman) by wider society

- The narrator forced into a form of cross-dressing via expediency and employment

- The narrator forming a bond of circumstance and attraction, with a youngster of the same approximate age and sex – a bond that we suspect (and then is confirmed in passing in a passage) has become a relationship

- The two first meeting in an incident involving a gun and a bush/hedge

- The book’s ending involving a legal trial with the narrator as the accused, knowing their innocence but struggling to have it accepted

- A rather contrived resolution to the book’s tensions (actually I preferred “Days Without End” in that respect)

Some other areas I felt strong and with both timeless and contemporary:

- Winona’s shame about telling anyone but Rosalee about her rape:

- Winona’s realisation that the defeated rebels, for all their hatred of blacks and Indians, shared some of the same sense of sorrow and defeat, and feel deeply alienated from the new rules of the world, despite all their apparent advantage and privilege:

Overall I think your views on this book are likely to match closely your views on “Days Without End” – I loved them both.

When I began reading this I didn't realise that it was a follow up to Days without End, I had read this which made getting into the story easier and faster. Like the first novel this is set in the early days of the US west but this time our point of view and the voice we hear belong to Winona, the young native American girl adopted by the two protagonists of the earlier book.

It begins well and Barry does a good job of capturing the girl's voice and the spirit of the times (including strong racism and some violence). However after a time my attention and interest began to wane, so that I was glad to reach the (somewhat unbelievable) ending.

Firstly - It is not necessary to read Days Without End prior to reading A Thousand Moons. Yes, a familiarity with Days Without End will elevate the experience of reading A Thousand Moons because you will already be familiar with these characters and have knowledge of their shared past (which is oft-referenced throughout A Thousand Moons).

A Thousand Moons is a very different story from Days Without End. Here, Barry does not address war but instead focuses on its aftermath - specifically with respect to the civil war. That is, the narrative Barry crafts explores the dynamic between oppressed peoples and their oppressors.

As in Days Without End, Barry carefully explores these sensitive topics with nuance. The relationships Barry writes are complex and challenging and yet illuminating.

A Thousand Moons is told from the perspective of Winona, the adopted daughter of Thomas McNulty and John Cole. Winona faces many challenges throughout the novel, many of which are horrific and painful - and yet Barry writes with a sense of hope that directly challenges the reader's response to the events that take place herein.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I thought Days Without End was beautiful, and this is equally so while being gentler and smaller in scale. The language is beautiful, the queer romance (and the outside perspective on the equally lovely one from Days Without End) is understated and moving, highly and basically unequivocally recommended.

beautifully evocative story from the genius writer Sebastian Barry. He cleverly delivers a unique voice in a very special book

I don’t think it would be necessary to have read Sebastian Barry’s earlier novel ‘Days Without End’ to enjoy this sequel, but I would have found it frustrating not to have done. Several characters feature in both, particularly Thomas McNulty and John Cole, but to a lesser extent and their background is sketched in here just enough for new readers to understand their context without irritating those already familiar with it.

This novel focuses on Winona, a Lakota girl orphaned young and raised by McNulty and Cole. Her life in Tennessee of the late 19th century is one of contradictions - on the one hand she has a loving, multi-ethnic family, gets something of an education and is employed by the town’s lawyer, a lovely man of liberal principles who nurtures and protects her as far as he is able, on the other hand she has no status whatsoever in legal terms and remains scarily vulnerable. The war is over but prejudice and pockets of violence persist. With a much narrower focus than his earlier book, this novel is almost entirely personal to Winona and her predicament. What she will do when the bad guys come calling and who she can trust are the two main preoccupations of her story, narrated throughout by Winona herself.

I enjoyed Winona’s voice and the atmosphere the author creates of a fledgling union of states, struggling to evolve in the aftermath of civil war. His writing never fails to please. Some of the plot events, though, and particularly the rushed and barely credible ending disappointed.

I was so thrilled to be approved for this book by Netgalley, I completely loved Days Without End and was very excited to read the follow up, especially as it was Winona's story. Winona was saved from certain death by the wonderful Thomas McNulty and John Cole. They have raised her as their own at a time when two men raising a child, especially a native American child, is totally extraordinary. John and Thomas love each other but their love for Winona and their dedication to her is beautiful. Together with several other wonderful characters, they live on Lige Magan's very poor farm, scratching out a living and working so hard to make ends meet and feed themselves. Eventually Winona acquires a job, working for the lawyer in town, her preference is to wear men's clothing and not everyone realises she is a young woman. There are dangers everywhere including rampaging drunks, night riders who terrorise people and men who cannot be trusted anywhere near a young girl. She is courted by a local young man who swears his love for her and who wants to marry her. Her innocence and lack of world experience give her mean that she is naive but suspicious and frightened.

Winona is attacked, brutally. Raped and beaten, but has no idea who did it. Her confidence is shattered, her protectors are trapped by doing something about this terrible thing, they can't put themselves in danger, her in more danger and put the livelihood of Lige Mangan and the others in jeopardy. Circumstances continue to be dire, with lightness being the love that ties this unusual family together with their workmates and the unlikely support of the lawyer. The unrelenting sadness and misery of their situation is dire.

The hard thing in this book is they way that Winona thinks and speaks, I didn't love the unusual way she speaks and couldn't really see the point of that.

While I didn't love this book as much as I loved Years Without End, it moved me deeply, it made me cry and reminded me again why I love Sebastian Barry's work so much.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access.

Sebastian Barry writes in a certain literary style that you will either warm to or, as in my case, you will find his prose difficult to appreciate. The story is set against the American civil was and concerns a young Lacota Indian girl called Winona Cole who is adopted by William MrNulty and John cole. Through her eyes we are witness to persecution and hatred displayed everyday against a diminishing indigenous Lacota tribe. Whilst the story has merit and the events set against a harsh and unforgiving environment makes for difficult and at times challenging reading, it was not a story I particularly enjoyed.

In his latest novel Sebastian Barry returns to the world of Days Without End and the narrative focuses on the third member of Thomas McNulty and John Cole’s family, the orphaned Lakota girl Winona who the couple adopted. The setting is 1870s Tennessee and Winona is on the cusp of adulthood in a closed-off, bigoted, racist world that does not see her as a person or deserving of any rights. A series of violent assaults expose the prejudices of the local community and threaten Winona’s makeshift family and friends. As she learns to deal with the consequences, she also learns about belonging, identity, friendship and love.

Barry’s writing is again lyrical and beautiful, brutal at times but always humane. It is also very relevant to today’s polarised world. In particular, the gang of rebels who wear hoods searching for freed slaves to beat up suddenly and stealthily becoming figures of authority, mirroring the emergence, as if out of shadows, of extremist figures in world politics in recent years.

Days Without End is one of my favourite books of the past decade and A Thousand Moons is a worthy follow up. My thanks to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the opportunity to read and review A Thousand Moons.

Sebastian Barry’s last book ‘Days without end’ was one of my favourite books of 2016 (and indeed 2017). It followed the story of a love affair between two men fighting in the American Civil War. ‘A thousand Moons’ is a sequel of sorts told in the first person by their adopted Native American daughter Winona. Dirt poor, without rights, ostracised on account of her lineage and their sexuality, the three live on a farm. When Winona is brutally attacked and raped, the results for her and for the whole neighbourhood will leave deeper imprints than bruises and far wider reaching consequences.
Sebastian Barry is incapable of writing a duff sentence. His use of words invigorates any description. He is a master storyteller who imbues each character with dignity and breadth. Although I like this book less than ‘Days’, I happily bestow five stars.
Thank you NetGalley and Viking for the opportunity to read in advance.

I was embarrassingly far into this book when it finally dawned on me why everyone sounded fsmiliar... so up to that point it was a good stand alone book.
Definitely all the better when I realised.
I enjoyed the continuing story,and I hope there's more to come.
The star of the show for me was Peg.

Once again Barry gives these misfit characters,all of whom the law would have something against, a home and a family.

This is a sequel novel to Days Without End, equally captivating and beautifully written. It centers Thomas McNulty and John Cole narrated by a young Native American woman orphaned during the Indian Wars and adopted by a makeshift family. It's about inequality & violence in his usual powerful language. I think it's a timeless novel.

Thanks a lot NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

A follow up to Barry’s previous Costa Award winning novel, Days Without End, this book follows John Cole and Thomas McNulty’s adopted daughter Winona. This shows a period before and after a life changing event, and the role of Native American and minority experience in 1870’s.

Like the previous novel, this succeeds instantly and deeply in establishing a sense of place and time. Barry’s use of language evokes emotion and just feels authentic. He shows the brutal way in which humans treated each other and transports you entirely into their lives and sweeps you along in the narrative.

Despite being a continuation of Winona’s story, the narrative is much more focussed and grounded in one place and time period. Less a sweeping epic full of plot and action, this volume is a quieter exploration of one situation, and your enjoyment will depend on your tastes.

I found this to be a sequel, that while not necessary was interesting, harrowing and page turning.

This is the beautifully told story of Winona Cole or to give her Lakota name - Ojinjintka. It’s 1870’s Tennessee, torn apart by the destruction of the Civil War and not healing well. It’s dangerous, ravaged by ‘night riders’ led by Zach Petrie, it’s discontented and full of burgeoning prejudice, not only towards Indians but also to ex-slaves. The infamous words of Colonel John Chivington at Sand Creek still applies, ‘kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice’. In these brutal times, Winona is a non- person with no rights. Despite this, the book is ultimately about love, courage, survival and the search for identity.

Winona lives with Thomas McNulty and John Cole on the land owned by Lige Magan. These are fantastically created characters, as is her Chickasaw friend Peg, who spring of the page in full technicolour. They love Winona, protect her and care for her. She faces some horrifying and terrifying situations but their love for her never wavers. Winona is the narrator and she is fascinating. She has faced so many dangers since being removed from her Wyoming birthplace and I especially love the references to her Lakota background but also how it is set in the context of the time. The writing is vivid and feels incredibly authentic and her voice comes through very strongly. Sebastian Barry is a writer of tremendous talent and so beautiful is the prose that it is almost lyrical. He captures the way that people think and speak with precision.

Overall, this is a wonderful novel. I love the history of the American West and am especially fascinated by the native peoples, in particular The Lakota so this book definitely ‘speaks to me’. I love the way it’s written through Winona’s eyes and her story has everything from sorrow and loss to love, from brutality to kindness and from near death to salvation. The end is very spiritual and achingly beautiful. Highly recommended.

Returning to the world of Days Without End, this features Thomas McNulty and John Cole but the voice and story is that of a young Native American woman orphaned in the brutal Indian Wars and adopted in a makeshift family. Again Barry gives us a story of violence tempered by compassion, of prejudice and inequality offset by love and generosity of spirit. The voice isn't always convincing but this is such a humane tale, as (or more?) relevant for our own toxic times as it is an evocation of America's past, that I could forgive the stylisation. A big-hearted book.

Once again, an author I have not read before but I am aware Sebastian Barry has won awards and is the current Laureate for Irish Fiction, so my expectations were high. Now, I know awards are subjective and one person’s winning author can be another person’s “avoid at all costs” author so I began reading The Thousand Moons with an open mind.

“What does it mean when another people judge you to be worth so little you were only to be killed?”

This is a tale set in the aftermath of the American civil war and exposes the everyday prejudice and injustice which was commonplace in the life of Winona, whose people, the Lakota, have been massacred during the war. Her understanding and stoic acceptance of the way Native Americans and freed slaves are treated makes her seem a timid, compliant girl, but her response to a violent incident shows her to be determined, steadfast and afraid of nothing. Perhaps if we have little to lose, losing the little we have holds no fear.

This is a beautiful book narrated by Winona. Through her words A Thousand Moons tells how love for another human being and more importantly, being loved, can empower and save.

“That I had souls that loved me and hearts that watched over me was a truth self-evident to hold.”

It is a story told with pathos and humanity set in a time of great inhumanity. Barry’s writing is moving, using Winona’s unorthodox style of speaking and choice of words to great effect. It is poetic, lyrical, at times brutal though never coarse, but always with a sense of honesty and openness. The language and descriptions portray a personal connection to all things around her; the trees, the animals, the people, a knife, a rifle…

The wisdom in this book is everything. I loved it, every word of it.

“What makes a criminal of a man is just one thing. Choosing, choosing, to do the wrong thing. See the right thing, but choose the wrong.” Something to bear in mind always.

I shall be reading more of Mr Barry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.