FICTION

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen

by Sarah Bird
St. Martin's. Sept. 2018. 416p. ISBN 9781250193162. $27.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250193186. F
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Developed from an original screenplay that won a place in the Meryl Streep-funded Writers Lab in 2015, this novel wraps a fictional narrative around the real-life Cathy Williams, the only woman, disguised as a man, to serve with the Buffalo Soldiers following the Civil War. Born a slave to a descendant of an African Amazon queen, Cathy is liberated from a miserable Missouri tobacco farm when Gen. Philip Sheridan burns it to the ground. Requisitioned from the farm by Sheridan to become his cook's helper, she attracts the protective attention of chef Solomon, who helps her navigate the military life. When the war ends, Cathy and Solomon's plans to head West fall apart, leading her to refashion herself as a "William Cathay" so she can join the peacekeeping forces of Sgt. Levi Allbright in the cavalry.
VERDICT Bird (Above the East China Sea) crafts a number of clever scenarios that build tension around Cathy's disguise as a man, creating a not-to-be-missed read for fans of historical military fiction and strong female protagonists.
Reviewed by Wendy W. Paige, Shelby Cty. P.L., Morristown, IN , Aug 01, 2018
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