A Thousand Moons

A Novel

By: Sebastian Barry

Narrated by: Kyla Garcia

A dazzling new novel about memory and identity set in Paris, Tennessee, in the aftermath of the American Civil War from the Booker Prize shortlisted author

Winona Cole, an orphaned child of the Lakota Indians, finds herself growing up in an unconventional household on a farm in West Tennessee. Raised by her adoptive father John Cole and his brother-in-arms Thomas McNulty, this odd little family scrapes a living on Lige Magan's farm with the help of two freed slaves, the Bougereau siblings. They try to keep the brutal outside world at bay, along with their memories of the past.

But Tennessee is a state still riven by the bitter legacy of the Civil War, and when first Winona and then Tennyson Bouguereau are violently attacked by forces unknown, Colonel Purton raises the militia to quell the rebels and night-riders who are massing on the outskirts of town. Armed with a knife, Tennyson's borrowed gun, and the courage of her famous warrior mother, Winona decides to take matters into her own hands and embarks on a quest for justice which will uncover the dark secrets of her past and finally reveal to her who she really is.

Exquisitely written and thrumming with the irrepressible spirit of a young girl on the brink of adulthood, A Thousand Moons is a glorious story of love and redemption.

©2020 Sebastian Barry (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Poetry

Such a lyrical look at the life of a young Indian girl; who she was, what formed her soul, the people who loved her, and how she lived. A very beautiful book written in a unique way. I read the first book and have enjoyed both of them.

Another stunning book from Sebastian Barry

A great sequel to Days Without End d which opened me up to the incredible world of Sebastian Barry. If anything too short, but well read and very sympathetic characters.

A continuation of the series w/ a change of voice

Goodreads does not offer the edition I am "reading" as it is from Audible. It is narrated by Kyla Garcia who does a remarkable job. I had so loved Days Without End that it was a given that I would read the sequel.

Whereas the first book was in the voice of Thomas McNulty about he and John Cole, a gay couple in the 19th century, this is about their adopted daughter who is Indian. It is written in Winona's voice. It is not as violent as the first, but quite full of bullying, prejudice and injustice. It is also obliquely about Winona falling for another girl, Peg. But also about so much more. The aftermath of the Civil War and the Indian Wars is awful and so depressing. Winona is about 17 or 18 when she tells this story so you hear how she learns she is worth nothing in the eyes of the law. A freed slave is worth nothing but they have a few (very few) protections in the law, but as an Indian, she has no protections whatsoever. She could be raped or killed and no one would suffer any repercussions. Yet John Cole and Thomas McNulty love her as their own flesh as well as their expanded family of Leige and two black former slaves, Rosalee and Tennyson. Her employer the lawyer Briscoe loves her as well.

In most of the reviews I have read, hardly any mention Peg that much. As an LGBTQ person, I guess I was able to read between the lines or read more into the importance of Peg. Winona feels complete with Peg, she is a huge life force for her. I don't think I am reading this wrong as the first book was about John and Thomas, a gay couple who became her "adopted" family. So it seems quite natural to me.

The ending is ambiguous with most of it being a dream state that Winona is in. In a way I am OK with it as the author is so good with everything that he gets to decide when it is finished. I guess I am too used to "romance" novels that always have a happy ending. Therefore I choose to believe she wins not only the situation, but continues with Peg the rest of her life.

A fascinating read about a period and place (Tennessee) that I previously did not know much. Highly recommended.

Beautiful!!!

A worthy follow up to the previous one, Days Without End. Barry is an absolute master.

Sebastian Barry

Everything he writes is lovely, lyrical and true. This story continues a family saga of three unrelated persons. An orphaned American Native and two gay men. It takes place during the Indian Wars and is a story of the treatment of Native Americans, and freed American slaves.

Delightful sequel

to Days without End. Making a life in tumultuous postwar Paris, Tennessee. Here the narrator is Tom and John's adopted Lakota daughter Winona. The language is beautiful, eloquently read in a Tennessee accent.

A Lovely Follow-Up to 'Days Without End'

’Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.’ - SENECA

’I am Winona.
In early times I was Ojinjintka, which means rose. Thomas McNulty tried very hard to say this name, but he failed, and so he gave me my dead cousin’s name because it was easier in his mouth. Winona means first-born. I was not first-born.’

Her family - mother, sister, cousins, aunts had all been killed. She knew this, although she didn’t remember it, or perhaps couldn’t bring herself to relive the memories. By the time she returned to her people, she no longer recalled the language well enough to speak to them, to respond to their questions.

’Only when I spoke our language could they really see me.’

And then she left again, with Thomas McNulty, and they returned to Tennessee.

’In the eyes of the Great Mystery we were all souls alike. Trying to make our souls skinny enough to squeeze into paradise. That’s what my mother said. Everything I remember of my mother is like the little pouch of things that a child carries to hold what is precious to her. When such a love is touched by Death then something deeper even than Death grows in your heart.’

Where Days Without End was narrated by Thomas McNulty, this is Winona’s / Ojinjintka’s story to tell, and Barry shares it beautifully.

Winona lives with Thomas McNulty and John Cole, has lived with them since they rescued her. They live on their farm in Tennessee, they have seen to her education and surrounded her with love. Winona, in turn, recognizes all they have done for her, and has a job working for a lawyer as his bookkeeper.

The environment where they live doesn’t take kindly to those who come from a “different” background, those who have different political views, or those who question those views. Those kinds of people are a threat to them, to the way that they live, and all they hold dear - a life where only the select few can move ahead, be considered worthy. Be considered as people, and not some ‘thing.’ They are threatened by the idea that they should accept someone regardless of anything that they view as “different.” As if the idea of people growing, learning, and accepting is revolutionary.

A lovely, heartfelt follow-up to ’Days Without End’

Weak sequel to 'Days Without End'

I made the mistake of rereading 'Days Without End' right before starting 'A Thousand Moons'. These are very different books. I'd recommend that anyone new to this author start with 'A Thousand Moons'. And then even if you don't like it, try the masterpiece that is 'Days Without End'. My high expectations raised by 'Days' were dashed.

One of the foundations of 'Days Without End' is Aidan Kelly's reading in the musical and fluent Irish brogue of Thomas's first person narrative. In 'Moon' Thomas loses the 'gift of gab' and speaks with a halting loutish southern accent. Did Tom have a stroke, or was it the hard work in the fields? Likewise the 'tutored by Yankees' ESL Lakota teenage protagonist speaks with a southern accent. The 'gender fluid' theme of the first book carries forward from the first book, though the budding same sex relationship stays vaguely platonic. To move the story along and finally wrap it up, it turns into a murder mystery.

Storytelling

An amazing example of the power of the word. This novel covers so much truth about the history of this nation and such a colorful and poignant tale. An ABSOLUTE must read!

Not as good as the first book

I was expecting a better follow up to Barry’s Days Without End. This one dragged on and on and there was no conclusion.