Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman
Apr. 24th, 2014 11:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
What kind of girl steals the clothes from a dead man’s back and runs off to join the army? A desperate one, that’s who.
World been turned on its head by that big old war, and the army seemed like the safest place to be, until we was sent off to fight them Indians. And then? Heck! When Death’s so close you can smell his breath, ain’t nothing makes you feel more alive.
It’s 1861 and Charlotte’s spent her whole life working as a slave in the kitchen on Mr Delaney’s plantation. She doesn’t know exactly how old she is or what’s happened to her parents, and while the kitchen’s run by Cookie (another slave who’s the closest thing she’s ever had to a mother), they’re both vulnerable to people like Jonas (the overseer’s son) who likes to make trouble for them whenever he can and Mrs Delaney who’s convinced she and Cookie are stealing from her.
Then the American Civil War breaks out and everything goes to hell.
When a single night of violence leaves Charlotte alone in the world, she puts on a dead man’s clothes and pretends to be a man. With little work available she joins the US cavalry, who need black soldiers to support the settlers heading out west by hunting down rogue Indians. As part of Company W, Charlotte (now Charley O’Hara) learns that racism inside the army is just as bad as it is outside and that freedom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, all the time living in constant in fear that her secret could be discovered at any moment …
Tanya Landman’s YA historical novel is inspired by the real-life tale of Cathy Williams, a black woman who worked in the US army for 2 years after the US Civil War before anyone discovered her secret. Set against the backdrop of the drive into the West and the persecution of the Indians, it’s makes clever points about racism and the way it can operate between different racial groups with hate constantly birthing hate. Charley has a pitch perfect first person voice and Landman expertly takes her from a gauche 11 year old to a world-weary woman in her late teens/early twenties who’s seen too much death and betrayal. However, I found the jump cut ending (which leaps forward 27 years) a little too jarring and the sudden appearance of a character from Charley’s past felt a little too contrived and left me wondering why they didn’t recognise her (whether by face or by voice) given their relationship. That said, I thought this was a good read that kept me hooked from beginning to end and the thought-provoking way in which it examines types of racism means that it’s worth a few hours of your time.
The Verdict:
Tanya Landman’s YA historical novel is inspired by the real-life tale of Cathy Williams, a black woman who worked in the US army for 2 years after the US Civil War before anyone discovered her secret. Set against the backdrop of the drive into the West and the persecution of the Indians, it’s makes clever points about racism and the way it can operate between different racial groups with hate constantly birthing hate. Charley has a pitch perfect first person voice and Landman expertly takes her from a gauche 11 year old to a world-weary woman in her late teens/early twenties who’s seen too much death and betrayal. However, I found the jump cut ending (which leaps forward 27 years) a little too jarring and the sudden appearance of a character from Charley’s past felt a little too contrived and left me wondering why they didn’t recognise her (whether by face or by voice) given their relationship. That said, I thought this was a good read that kept me hooked from beginning to end and the thought-provoking way in which it examines types of racism means that it’s worth a few hours of your time.
BUFFALO SOLDIER was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd April 2014. Thanks to Walker Books for the free copy of this book.
World been turned on its head by that big old war, and the army seemed like the safest place to be, until we was sent off to fight them Indians. And then? Heck! When Death’s so close you can smell his breath, ain’t nothing makes you feel more alive.
It’s 1861 and Charlotte’s spent her whole life working as a slave in the kitchen on Mr Delaney’s plantation. She doesn’t know exactly how old she is or what’s happened to her parents, and while the kitchen’s run by Cookie (another slave who’s the closest thing she’s ever had to a mother), they’re both vulnerable to people like Jonas (the overseer’s son) who likes to make trouble for them whenever he can and Mrs Delaney who’s convinced she and Cookie are stealing from her.
Then the American Civil War breaks out and everything goes to hell.
When a single night of violence leaves Charlotte alone in the world, she puts on a dead man’s clothes and pretends to be a man. With little work available she joins the US cavalry, who need black soldiers to support the settlers heading out west by hunting down rogue Indians. As part of Company W, Charlotte (now Charley O’Hara) learns that racism inside the army is just as bad as it is outside and that freedom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, all the time living in constant in fear that her secret could be discovered at any moment …
Tanya Landman’s YA historical novel is inspired by the real-life tale of Cathy Williams, a black woman who worked in the US army for 2 years after the US Civil War before anyone discovered her secret. Set against the backdrop of the drive into the West and the persecution of the Indians, it’s makes clever points about racism and the way it can operate between different racial groups with hate constantly birthing hate. Charley has a pitch perfect first person voice and Landman expertly takes her from a gauche 11 year old to a world-weary woman in her late teens/early twenties who’s seen too much death and betrayal. However, I found the jump cut ending (which leaps forward 27 years) a little too jarring and the sudden appearance of a character from Charley’s past felt a little too contrived and left me wondering why they didn’t recognise her (whether by face or by voice) given their relationship. That said, I thought this was a good read that kept me hooked from beginning to end and the thought-provoking way in which it examines types of racism means that it’s worth a few hours of your time.
The Verdict:
Tanya Landman’s YA historical novel is inspired by the real-life tale of Cathy Williams, a black woman who worked in the US army for 2 years after the US Civil War before anyone discovered her secret. Set against the backdrop of the drive into the West and the persecution of the Indians, it’s makes clever points about racism and the way it can operate between different racial groups with hate constantly birthing hate. Charley has a pitch perfect first person voice and Landman expertly takes her from a gauche 11 year old to a world-weary woman in her late teens/early twenties who’s seen too much death and betrayal. However, I found the jump cut ending (which leaps forward 27 years) a little too jarring and the sudden appearance of a character from Charley’s past felt a little too contrived and left me wondering why they didn’t recognise her (whether by face or by voice) given their relationship. That said, I thought this was a good read that kept me hooked from beginning to end and the thought-provoking way in which it examines types of racism means that it’s worth a few hours of your time.
BUFFALO SOLDIER was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd April 2014. Thanks to Walker Books for the free copy of this book.
