4.5 stars

I love HF when it’s based on real people from the past. Such is the case with this book.

It's 1872 when 16 year old, Goes First marries Abe Farwell. One is a Crow Native woman, and the other a white fur trader. What follows is Mary‘s journey (her name was changed) to Saskatchewan. Its at their trading post where everything changes. Told from her point of you, she tells what her life is like, from her strong friendship with a Métis woman, to her marriage, and of obstacles and tragedies she faces along the way. Yes I did Google Crow Mary and love how the author stayed true to history.

Crow Mary is a sad piece of Canadian history along with the repercussions that follows Mary and Abe. It’s a past that doesn’t let go many, many snows later. What’s happens to the Crow people is sad, I felt many emotions reading the last half of this book.

The author notes tells how the author has been researching Crow Mary’s story since 2000, it definitely shows in her writing. So glad I read this, it’s a story that will stay with me.

Crow Mary hits bookshelves on June 6th.

My thanks to Atria Books (via NetGalley) for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

First of all, I’ll state up front that I’m not getting into the debate about white people writing stories about people of colour and/or people from different cultures. It’s an important topic and one that’s addressed in Kathleen Grissom’s note at the end of the book and in the forward, written by Nedra Farwell Brown, Crow Mary’s great-granddaughter. The topic is too big and important for me to delve into in a short book review, even if I were capable of adding anything meaningful to the discussion.

On to the review…

I loved both Grissom’s earlier novels, The Kitchen House and Glory Over Everything, so I was excited when I heard about this new one. The story of Crow Mary — also called Goes First — did not disappoint. What an amazing woman she was! Courageous and determined, resourceful and resilient. No wonder Grissom was compelled to write about her! And the result is a wonderfully engaging novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

A member of the Crow tribe, at the age of 16, Goes First marries a white fur trader, Abe Farwell, in 1872. Needless to say, despite Farwell’s mostly good intentions, it’s hard for Crow Mary to straddle two cultures — and even more difficult after the couple have children.

A central event in the novel — which is in the book description, so this isn’t a spoiler — is the massacre of a group of Nakota by drunken white whisky traders and hunters in a nearby fort. Warriors, elders, women, and children were murdered. (This was a real event. The Cypress Hills Massacre in what’s now Saskatchewan, Canada.) When her husband refuses to intervene, Mary takes her two revolvers, creeps into the fort, and rescues some Nakota women who are being raped by some of the murderers.

Throughout the book, the reader experiences a broad range of emotions. We admire and love Crow Mary; we empathize with her struggles and triumphs. We’re first wary of her husband, then we cautiously like him, then we pity him. However, the strongest emotion elicited is anger. Anger at the whites’ dangerous sense of superiority, despite the obvious failures of their (our, my) society and culture.

I’m so glad to have read this story about Goes First/Crow Mary and look forward to learning more about her and the related history. If you enjoy historical fiction, I recommend picking up this novel.

3.5 I was so happy to read another book by Kathleen Grissom after The Kitchen House series. I enjoyed this book but it was missing the same tension and umph that her prior books had. I hate writing this because I liked Crow Mary as a character, but her story need something that I just can't put my finger on.
Maybe it was the timing when I read it but who knows.

Formal review and links to come.

Beautiful and heartbreaking story

While this book focused on Goes First, later known as Crow Mary, a proud Crow woman, it is an historical account of the West and the terrible atrocities the white man committed against the Indians. According to the author’s notes, Mary and her family were real, while some of the encounters were fictional.

I’ve learned some of the Indian history over the years as my father was very interested and well-read in the subject. It’s hard to imagine how anyone, much less a 16-36 year old woman could survive what she went through over those 20 years, but she did. Mary was smart enough to know that whiskey was deadly, yet she couldn’t convince her husband Abe to stop drinking.

This was a beautiful story and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This book was a very interesting read. I enjoyed all of the cultural references and view points. The characters were well defined and the settings equally interesting.

Kathleen Grissom brings the American West era to life in her latest novel, Crow Mary. Based on an actual person, this wonderfully written and broad saga shows what it was like to live in Montana and Western Canada during the years 1863 - 1892.

Goes First is a Crow woman, who at 16, with her parent's permission, weds a white fur trader, Abe Farwell. She is renamed Mary by her husband. Mary is proud of her heritage, and confident in her skills and abilities. She is also courageous, determined, and braver than most men she meets. Following a massacre of 40 Nakota by drunken whiskey traders, Crow Mary alone rescues five Nakota women from torture and debasement by the drunken traders.

This novel is about the difficulties in trying to live as part of another culture while retaining who you are and were raised to be, seeking justice, being true to yourself, the dangers of prejudicial thinking, acts, and policies and so much more.

I am grateful that Kathleen Grissom introduced me to Crow Mary. She was a remarkable woman and one to be much admired!

My thanks to Atria for permitting me to access a DRC via NetGalley. Crow Mary is to be published on 6/3/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Goes First, at 17 becomes an ambassador of sorts between the Crow (specifically) / First Peoples (generally) and whites who have been engaged in a slow-invasion for centuries. She does this by marrying Abe Farwell, at her father's request to help their people. She becomes a presence and Someone To Be Reckoned With.

An avid fan of historical fiction, I was thrilled to be able to read this book soon after learning of it, which was soon after my first read of the author's <i>Kitchen House</i>. It also captivated me with the same powerful yank straight into the narrative. . .this reader felt present as oppressive times were recounted, and Goes First's story unfolds. (Renamed by Abe as "Mary," Goes First declares she will now be known as Crow Mary - to differentiate herself from all the other Marys out there on the plains - she holds fast to connection with her people first and foremost through her entire life).

Not just a compelling story, there is included an actual descendant's testimony of her great-grandmother's actions and significance in their Crow history. The author has honored and respected the Crow tribe with this story of one of their warrior mothers, whose story truly shines with her brave and dependable heart. By reading this book, I learned much about this noble tribe, and it moved me to continue my studies about them and all of the First Peoples of North America, especially those who lived on the very lands I now live. Wherever we are physically located when reading books of the past, centuries before us there were native people who lived on the very place we are currently turning our pages. Those predecessors also lived a life filled with the day-to-day effort to find food, build shelter, form families and establish communities. . .and defend all that precious blood and treasure to their last breath. Some, like our fierce heroine Goes First, were parties (consenting or not) of intentional social contracts through alliances, marriages, blending of peoples and communities. So often, those blendings produced a new creature - a half-breed, a hybrid - which either worked toward its intended purpose - alliances strengthened - or it didn't. When it didn't, those following generations were outsiders as long as memory lasts. Sometimes the stories were not told, and within a generation, memories lost. Books such as <i>Crow Mary</i>, will keep this story of Goes First and Abe Farwell, and their sacrifices in a high place, a remembered space for many years into the future.

A Sincere Thank You to Kathleen Grissom, Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review. Pub Date: 06 Jun 2023

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I picked this up after seeing it on Bookstagram recommended by a trusted source - this was her monthly selection to read and then speak with the author for an online community she runs. I was looking forward to reading it because I loved the author's previous The Kitchen House, and I was delighted to read about a woman from history. However, I only got to 64% before I quit reading. I did love the characterization and relationships in this book, along with the history lesson of different tribes' cultural traditions and beliefs as well as their relationships with different groups of white people. However, I thought the writing in this one was not good - it needed a lot of cleanup. Descriptive information was repeated too often, which made the pacing really choppy for me. I am sure others will love it, but this one definitely did not work for me. However, I am still thinking about these characters!

Absolutely 5 stars for this book, I can't recommend it enough. Not only did the author do her research, but she also included Crow elders and the subject of the books great grand daughter in the process so that the story of Crow Mary would be correctly told. This was a beautifully written and heartbreaking true story of a native Crow woman who married a white man during the time when Europeans were colonizing the Americas and pushing Native American tribes off of their land and trying to assimilate them into a European way of life. It is a history that most try to avoid, but that should be talked about and taught to everyone. The confusion, heartbreak, joy, and suffering that she suffered being part of two cultures, still affects Indigenous populations today and is not something that should be ignored. I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone. I had never heard of Crow Mary before reading this book but am very interested to learn as much about her, and her people, as I possible can.

1872
Mary, a Crow native is married off to an older but gentle fur trader from Canada. She does not want to leave but is already seeing her people herded into smaller and smaller spaces than promised, beholden to the whites for food, punished for hunting the buffalo that have always been theirs as well as their children stolen to be made civilized. While she befriends a few of the Metis women and a few of the men who work for her husband she has no love for Abe's friends and the whiskey traders who poison her people with whiskey and the wildlife for quick kills and terrorizing the natives. Mary is fierce and resourceful and although she loves her husband once he begins drinking and his friends ruin him it is up to her to seek out and dispense justice. Riveting historical fiction that offers a clear look at the violence, greed and waste of the white settlers compared to the gentle indigenous people. Fans of JEREMIAH JOHNSON and BEARSKIN will find much to love here. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

In 1872, sixteen-year-old Goes First, a Crow Native woman, marries Abe Farwell, a white fur trader. He gives her the name Mary, and they set off on the long trip to his trading post in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan, Canada. Along the way, she finds a fast friend in a Métis named Jeannie; makes a lifelong enemy in a wolfer named Stiller; and despite learning a dark secret of Farwell’s past, falls in love with her husband.

I was pulled into this story from the start. Watching Goes First trying to come to terms with becoming Crow Mary. She wants to keep her family roots and the Crow ways while her husband wants more of a white woman. I was not very familiar with this culture and loved learning more about it. Once a tragic event occurs, Crow Mary struggles even more with this situation. She is pulled back and forth between loving her husband, but not his ways, and wanting to keep her Crow roots and way of life. I thought the ending was very satisfying. Also, don't miss the author's note. I loved knowing that the family gave her permission and helped form this story. Kathleen's writing is superb as always.

4.5 stars

Fascinating historical fiction based on a true story about Crow Mary, who was a courageous woman of the 1800s. The duality of living between Native American culture and the dominant white society is the focus of the plot. Crow Mary is a member of the Crow Nation and marries a white fur trader to help her community. Then she finds out about the conflicts between the fur traders and the Native American tribes and witnesses a massacre first hand. Crow Mary saves the lives of several Native American who are kidnapped by the fur traders. This story of a clash of cultures was well researched and suspenseful. I enjoyed it and mesmerized by the beginning. The novel was a bit too long in the middle, but I wanted to finish it to find out more about Crow Mary. The narrator of Crow Mary was compelling and I was cheering for her. I think Kathleen Grissom has a talent for giving a perspective of history that feels like talking with a friend.

A harrowing, epic journey with the brave Goes First also known as Crow Mary in early Montana and Canada. The setting and atmosphere is rich and engrossing. Book clubs will love talking about this heroic young woman!

The Kitchen House is hands down my favorite historical fiction so imagine my delight when I saw Grissom had a new book coming. Holy wow. This does not disappoint. I will be honest and say the piece of history and the people group isn't something I normally gravitate to but wow was it just breathtakingly phenomenal. This book is a piece of art!

What a fantastic read this was! The story begins in 1863 when Native American Crow, Goes First, is learning the lifestyle and customs of her Native people. In 1872, when she is 16 years old, she marries white fur trader Abe Farwell who changes her name to Mary and she becomes Crow Mary. They head to what will be his new trading post in Saskatechewan Canada. Life is not easy for Crow Mary as she had to leave family and friends and start a new life with a White man who seems to want to change her into more of a White woman. There are a lot of things that happen as the years go by and the story plays out which makes this a very exciting unputdownable book. The author did an outstanding job researching and writing this book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this outstanding book.

Crow Mary is a fictional story created on real events. I love these stories the best. The author really brings Crow Mary to life. The story starts with Goes First ( Crow Mary) and her early life in her village. I really enjoyed learning about all the customs and the deep spiritual connection that the Crow people have. The next part is her marrying a white man and how different the cultures are. I loved how much he loved Crow Mary and how much he respected her. They go to build a fort and awful things happen. A huge massacre happens and Crow Mary ends up saving the women. The rest of the story is about how the massacre really destroyed their lives. It's also about Crow Mary raising her children. I wish we could hear from the children's perspective. I would love to read another book about the children's adventures because I think they would have a lot to say. All in all I enjoyed this historical fiction. This story brought to life a real person and a real time I didn't know much about. I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy of Crow Mary in exchange for a fair review. This review will appear immediately on Goodreads.
I had this in my queue, waiting for just the right time to gobble it up in 3 bites. A true historical fiction, Crow Mary was a real person who lived and breathed in a time we do not hear enough about. Married at a young age to a trader in Canada, Mary straddled life as an indigenous person in a white man's world. Carefully researched and 'blessed' by the Crow nation, the reader learns what life was like for the Crow people as their land was taken and their lives decimated by whiskey and white men's disease.
Mary and Abe have a wonderful marriage until Abe turns back to drink, and everything collapses. Mary witnesses some horrible crimes but will the white man believe her? Both soul crushing and uplifting, this book would appeal to anyone looking for stories of indigenous people. There is a lot to talk about for book clubs. There are trigger warnings in the treatment of people including murder, rape and the effects of alcoholism. I would recommend this to true historical fiction fans.
4* rounded up to 5 for pre-pub. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and learned a lot.

I loved this book from the first page to the last! It was everything I love in a book... historical fiction based on real people, suspense, wilderness, strong female characters, and redemption... I couldn't put it down and will be thinking about Crow Mary for quite some time.
It starts out when an indigenous 16-year old named Goes First marries a white fur trader who decides to call her Mary. Over the next few decades she will become known in that region as Crow Mary. We follow her through the highs & lows of marriage, birthing & raising children, rescuing captured Crow women, and staying true to her heritage. She is my hero and I wish I had known her!
I learned so much about how the Crow people were treated, how their land was taken from them and how their children were sent away to schools that taught them how to live like the white man. They had a beautiful culture that was literally stripped from them by the white man. This story is infuriating and inspiring all at the same time, and I highly recommend it!
I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks!

Crow Mary is one of the best books I've read. From the first page it hooked me. Kathleen Grissom envisioned Mary in such a way that I could clearly see her and feel her every emotion. I did not want this book to end and would love a sequel.

Based on the life of Goes First (Crow Mary) this book is a remarkable story of strength and bravery. The author did a tremendous job researching and writing about the Crow Indians, their life, customs and spiritual beliefs. While parts of this compelling story are hard to read, readers will find it hard to put down this book. Highly recommended!