The Removes
A Novel
-
-
4.7 • 6 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
Discover the inner strength of two remarkable women as they navigate the treacherous frontier of the American West in Tatjana Soli's gripping historical novel, The Removes.
Spanning the years of the first great settlement of the West, The Removes weaves together the captivating stories of fifteen-year-old Anne Cummins, frontierswoman Libbie Custer, and her husband, Civil War hero George Armstrong Custer. When Anne survives a brutal attack on her family's homestead, she is thrust into an unexpected life among the Cheyenne, first as a captive and later as a member of the tribe. Libbie, too, faces challenges as she marries Custer and moves with the U.S. Army to the territories, transforming from a sheltered judge's daughter into a daring camp follower. As tragedy and loss reshape their lives, Anne and Libbie discover the indelible impact of the unforgiving yet extraordinary American plains.
With suspenseful and evocative prose, New York Times bestselling author Tatjana Soli crafts a powerful, transporting tale of two women who refuse to be restrained by the strictures of nineteenth-century society. The Removes is an immersive, exhilarating journey into the untamed heart of the American frontier.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Soli (The Lotus Eaters) unleashes a thrilling novel set in the violent Wild West just as the Civil War ends, when a newly formed United States set its sights on Native American territory. Onto the larger canvas of the lives of George Armstrong Custer, the soldier tasked with defeating and corralling the Natives, and his spirited wife, Libbie, is painted the horrific tale of Anne, a young daughter of settlers in the Kansas Territory. The story opens with unimaginable violence as Anne is captured and her family slaughtered by the Cheyenne, then jumps from her travails to the lives of Libbie and Custer, nicknamed "Autie." Soli depicts Custer flailing to find a purpose after the war; his love of battle and the open prairie make him more kin to his Native "enemies" than to his own people. The Custers forge an unbreakable bond, the story swinging from Libbie's perspective to Autie's, and to Anne's, who is battling simply to stay alive. Anne survives starvation, rape, and childbirth, only to eventually be brutalized by one of her own. The clash of cultures is Soli's grand theme, and here she drives home her message that the winners are no more worthy than the losers, and that "not even brotherhood was enough to safeguard people who had what others coveted."
