History Corner / Book Review: The Bones of Paradise by Jonis Agee

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge,from William Morrow Publishing, via Edelweiss, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it




Synopsis:

Ten years after the 7th Calvary massacred more than 200 Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee, J. B. Bennett, a white rancher, and Star, a young Native American woman, are murdered in a remote meadow on J. B.’s land. The deaths bring together the scattered members of the Bennett family: his cunning and hard father, Drum; his estranged wife, Dulcinea; and his young sons, Cullen and Hayward.

As the mystery of these twin deaths unfolds, the history of the dysfunctional Bennett’s and their damning secrets are revealed—exposing the conflicted heart of a nation caught between past and future.

This book is the tale of two remarkable women. Dulcinea, returned after bitter years of self-exile, yearns for redemption and the courage to mend her broken family, and reclaim the land that is rightfully hers. Rose, scarred by the terrible slaughters that have decimated and dislocated her people, struggles to accept the death of her sister, Star, and refuses to rest until she is avenged. 

A kaleidoscopic portrait of misfits, schemers, chancers, and dreamers, Jonis Agee’s bold new novel is a panorama of America at the dawn of a new century. A beautiful evocation of this magnificent, blood-soaked land—its sweeping prairies, seas of golden grass and sandy hills, all at the mercy of two unpredictable and terrifying forces, weather and lawlessness—and the durable men and women who dared to tame it. Intimate and epic, 


 Review:

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know how much I LOVE a great historical fiction book, and this book has it all- a mystery, tragedy,romance and a look at history that is not always what it seems, or is taught. Wounded Knee is one of the episodes in American History where truth was glossed over, in order to cover mistakes and actions that had such a severe domino effect. This book does a great job in bringing those events to the forefront and making the reader question 'why?' and 'was there another way'? But the book also answers it's own question, by showing the greed and hunger that drove people to actions that they felt they could justify, but really knew were wrong. But once the web of lies is started, where does it end? That is what is explored in this family drama. It is very well done and if you love American history, this book is well worth reading!


About the Author:

Jonis Agee is the award-winning author of twelve books, including the New York Times Notable Books of the Year, Sweet Eyes and Strange Angels. Her awards include a National Endowment for the Arts grant in fiction; a Loft-McKnight Award; a Loft-McKnight Award of Distinction; and two Nebraska Book Awards. A native of Nebraska, she lives in Omaha and teaches at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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