Cheyenne

by Kerri Bennett Williamson

The daughter of a reclusive trapper and his Cheyenne wife, has known only simple childhood happiness until her mother unexpectedly dies. Christine is soon thrown into conflict with her father’s new wife, whose malicious abuse eventually forces Christine to leave her father’s backwoods cabin forever. Abandoned to a white culture, rejected by all but a few kindred friends, Christine struggles to find and keep honest work in a remote one-saloon town amid the rugged Montana territories. Following her heart and holding fast to truths she discovers of her mother’s people, she navigates a world of prejudice and poverty. Bravely forging forward with a confident independence, she learns to adapt on the winding path of her own private wilderness. Will Christine ultimately find the courage to open her heart and reach out to embrace the one man she truly could always depend upon? Cheyenne is a powerful testament to the infinite power of hope, love, and the human spirit in the face of devastating injustices.

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 20, 2013

Reviews

[Jessica West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read historical fiction in a while, but I've been following this author on Twitter and reading her blog. I like her voice and style. Though I'm used to reading Horror or Fantasy, especially stories that run at a quick clip, the pace of Cheyenne was a pleasant change. The first few days, I read at a leisurely clip. Once I got roughly 40% through, I couldn't put it down. I stayed up until 2am to finish it that night. I hesitate to suggest the author should have got to the point sooner because I don't know that I'd have come to know and love the character as much as I did had she done it any other way. This is a much more slowly-paced book than I'm used to reading, but it didn't lose my interest at any point. From the very start, I needed to know more about this character.

Speaking of, Christine is the kind of heroine I'd like my daughters to look up to. I thought, at first, that this would be just another Cinderella story (please forgive me, Madame Author, it was a knee-jerk response), but I couldn't have been more wrong. Where Cinderella meekly submits, Christine complies only to survive while she bides her time. This girl is born with an enduring spirit, one who will not be broken. I'll share this book with my girls when they're older; our daughters need a girl/young woman who knows her own worth to look up to.

Cheyenne put me through the full range of emotions, at times having my face flushed with anger at her treatment while my heart beams with pride at her responses. Definitely one I'll want a hard copy of.

[Yvonne Sparrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book because it had five stars

I found it hard to keep my interst. If the other would have cut out all the repeat, repeat repeat story line, it would. Have been great story. I finally skilled half the book and read the last chapter. Good story slow read.