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One Thousand White Women #3
Strongheart: The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill
The final installment to the One Thousand White Women trilogy is a novel about fierce women who are full of heart and the power to survive.
In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant the opportunity to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women, in order to marry them with his warriors and create a lasting peace. These women, "recruited" by force in the penitentiaries and asylums of the country, gradually integrate the way of life of the Cheyenne, at the time when the great massacres of the tribes begin. After the battle of Little Big Horn, some female survivors decide to take up arms against the United States, which has stolen from the Native Americans their lands, their way of life, their culture and their history. This ghost tribe of rebellious women will soon go underground to wage an implacable battle, which will continue from generation to generation. In this final volume of the One Thousand White Women trilogy, Jim Fergus mixes with rare mastery the struggle of women and Native Americans in the face of oppression, from the end of the 19th century until today. With a vivid sense of the 19th century American West, Fergus paints portraits of women as strong as they are unforgettable.
In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant the opportunity to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women, in order to marry them with his warriors and create a lasting peace. These women, "recruited" by force in the penitentiaries and asylums of the country, gradually integrate the way of life of the Cheyenne, at the time when the great massacres of the tribes begin. After the battle of Little Big Horn, some female survivors decide to take up arms against the United States, which has stolen from the Native Americans their lands, their way of life, their culture and their history. This ghost tribe of rebellious women will soon go underground to wage an implacable battle, which will continue from generation to generation. In this final volume of the One Thousand White Women trilogy, Jim Fergus mixes with rare mastery the struggle of women and Native Americans in the face of oppression, from the end of the 19th century until today. With a vivid sense of the 19th century American West, Fergus paints portraits of women as strong as they are unforgettable.
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
293 people are currently reading
3626 people want to read
About the author
Jim Fergus
36 books1,121 followersJim Fergus was born in Chicago on March 23, 1950. He attended high school in Massachusetts and graduated as an English major from Colorado College in 1971. He has traveled extensively and lived over the years in Colorado, Florida, the French West Indies, Idaho, France, and Arizona. For ten years he worked as a teaching tennis professional in Colorado and Florida, and in 1980 moved to the tiny town of Rand, Colorado (pop. 13), to begin his career as a full-time freelance writer. He was a contributing editor of Rocky Mountain Magazine, as well as a correspondent of Outside magazine. His articles, essays, interviews and profiles have appeared in a wide variety of national magazines and newspapers, including Newsweek, Newsday, The Denver Post, the Dallas-Times Herald, Harrowsmith Country Life, The Paris Review, MD Magazine, Savvy, Texas Monthly, Esquire, Fly Fisherman, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, and Field & Stream. His first book, a travel/sporting memoir titled, A Hunter's Road, was published by Henry Holt in 1992. Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Jonathan Kirsch called A Hunter's Road, "An absorbing, provocative, and even enchanting book."
Fergus' first novel, One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd was published by St. Martin's Press in 1998. The novel won the 1999 Fiction of the Year Award from the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association, and has become a favorite selection of reading groups across the country. It has since sold over 250,000 copies in the United States. An international bestseller, One Thousand White Women (Milles Femmes Blanches) was also on the French bestseller list for fifty-seven weeks and has sold well over 400,000 copies in that country.
In 1999, Jim Fergus published a collection of outdoor articles and essays, titled The Sporting Road. And in the spring of 2005, his second novel, The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles was published by Hyperion Press. An historical fiction set in the 1930's in Chicago, Arizona, and the Sierra Madre of Mexico, The Wild Girl has also been embraced by reading groups all across the United States. Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump called it, "an exhilarating and suspenseful tale that makes the heart soar."
In 2011, Fergus published a family historical fiction in France entitled, MARIE-BLANCHE. The novel spans the entire 20th century, and tells the devastating tale of the complicated and ultimately fatal relationship between the author’s French mother and grandmother. The American edition of MARIE-BLANCHE will be published in the United States in 2014.
In the spring of 2013, Fergus published another novel in France, CHRYSIS: Portrait d’Amour, a love story set in 1920′s Paris and based on the life of a actual woman painter, Chrysis Jungbluth. Reviewing CHRYSIS in French ELLE magazine, Olivia de Lamberterie,wrote: “This novel is an arrow through the heart.”
Chrysis has just been published in America with the title THE MEMORY OF LOVE.
Jim Fergus divides his time between southern Arizona, northern Colorado, and France.
http://jimfergus.com/bio/
Fergus' first novel, One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd was published by St. Martin's Press in 1998. The novel won the 1999 Fiction of the Year Award from the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association, and has become a favorite selection of reading groups across the country. It has since sold over 250,000 copies in the United States. An international bestseller, One Thousand White Women (Milles Femmes Blanches) was also on the French bestseller list for fifty-seven weeks and has sold well over 400,000 copies in that country.
In 1999, Jim Fergus published a collection of outdoor articles and essays, titled The Sporting Road. And in the spring of 2005, his second novel, The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles was published by Hyperion Press. An historical fiction set in the 1930's in Chicago, Arizona, and the Sierra Madre of Mexico, The Wild Girl has also been embraced by reading groups all across the United States. Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump called it, "an exhilarating and suspenseful tale that makes the heart soar."
In 2011, Fergus published a family historical fiction in France entitled, MARIE-BLANCHE. The novel spans the entire 20th century, and tells the devastating tale of the complicated and ultimately fatal relationship between the author’s French mother and grandmother. The American edition of MARIE-BLANCHE will be published in the United States in 2014.
In the spring of 2013, Fergus published another novel in France, CHRYSIS: Portrait d’Amour, a love story set in 1920′s Paris and based on the life of a actual woman painter, Chrysis Jungbluth. Reviewing CHRYSIS in French ELLE magazine, Olivia de Lamberterie,wrote: “This novel is an arrow through the heart.”
Chrysis has just been published in America with the title THE MEMORY OF LOVE.
Jim Fergus divides his time between southern Arizona, northern Colorado, and France.
http://jimfergus.com/bio/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
May 12, 2021
After reading and being gutted by One Thousand White Women, I thought that was it for May Dodd, the Cheyenne, and the other women’s story. Then I noted a book with a gorgeous cover which had me curious enough to check out the blurb. I gasped with delight and a little trepidation to see that it was the final leg in a trilogy which began 20 years ago with the book I had read. While I wasn’t sure if I could jump in on the third leg of the story, I decided to try since book two seems to follow the story of some of the other women. I felt there was more story and the first one simply ended at a good spot so I was glad to see there was more.
Strongheart was a moving and heartwrenching story, no doubt, but it also told of a band women and their small family tribe who showed strength and resilience that was passed down through each generation. I was curious to see what came of May Dodd and Molly McGill’s descendants and did when JW and Molly Standing Bear interacting in an uneasy collaboration to get the journals published. Molly was determined that the record would be kept straight and would hold JW accountable not to take editorial liberties.
But, framed inside their story was the ongoing saga of the Cheyenne white women wives who determined to fight after Little Bighorn and how they determined that their free band would live free and safe from the soldiers. Hardships were aplenty and things got desperate, but love and happiness came with the trials for both May and Molly. These strong women encountered men who valued and respected them for who they were and what they were trying to do. My heart was in my throat so often and the mysterious reveals nearer the end had me curious whether it was all real or the diaries were fabricated. I definitely wanted to believe that such a fate awaited those women who had captured my imagination.
I enjoyed both timelines and was reminded of the modern thread when there were Molly’s remarks in the journals and the intermissions, but the story that had me riveted was that of the women in the past. Living off the land, skirmishes, and growing closer as they survive against great odds, it was only a matter of time before the greater resources of the US Army would take its toll. I did have one big niggle. Once again, the story has some resolution, but also just seems to end. I was left curiosity intact about Molly Standing Bear most of all.
Word of warning, I want to point out that the author wrote the past storyline attempting to mimic description and thinking of people in that historical time period so there will be obvious offensive behavior and words to our contemporary sensibilities. Just as he presented some heartbreaking uncomfortable facts about current day Native American troubles. It is not meant to be pretty and is meant to make the reader see something of the reality for the Cheyenne and other tribes.
So, in summary, this was a story with great impact on my heart and mind. The story is fictional, but has an authentic tone and details about the American Plains, the plains tribes, and historical events. I would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy American History, Native American History, and don’t mind a dab of magical realism in the middle of it.
I rec'd an eARC from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
Strongheart was a moving and heartwrenching story, no doubt, but it also told of a band women and their small family tribe who showed strength and resilience that was passed down through each generation. I was curious to see what came of May Dodd and Molly McGill’s descendants and did when JW and Molly Standing Bear interacting in an uneasy collaboration to get the journals published. Molly was determined that the record would be kept straight and would hold JW accountable not to take editorial liberties.
But, framed inside their story was the ongoing saga of the Cheyenne white women wives who determined to fight after Little Bighorn and how they determined that their free band would live free and safe from the soldiers. Hardships were aplenty and things got desperate, but love and happiness came with the trials for both May and Molly. These strong women encountered men who valued and respected them for who they were and what they were trying to do. My heart was in my throat so often and the mysterious reveals nearer the end had me curious whether it was all real or the diaries were fabricated. I definitely wanted to believe that such a fate awaited those women who had captured my imagination.
I enjoyed both timelines and was reminded of the modern thread when there were Molly’s remarks in the journals and the intermissions, but the story that had me riveted was that of the women in the past. Living off the land, skirmishes, and growing closer as they survive against great odds, it was only a matter of time before the greater resources of the US Army would take its toll. I did have one big niggle. Once again, the story has some resolution, but also just seems to end. I was left curiosity intact about Molly Standing Bear most of all.
Word of warning, I want to point out that the author wrote the past storyline attempting to mimic description and thinking of people in that historical time period so there will be obvious offensive behavior and words to our contemporary sensibilities. Just as he presented some heartbreaking uncomfortable facts about current day Native American troubles. It is not meant to be pretty and is meant to make the reader see something of the reality for the Cheyenne and other tribes.
So, in summary, this was a story with great impact on my heart and mind. The story is fictional, but has an authentic tone and details about the American Plains, the plains tribes, and historical events. I would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy American History, Native American History, and don’t mind a dab of magical realism in the middle of it.
I rec'd an eARC from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2021
In 1873 a Cheyenne Chief offers President Grant an exchange of one thousand horses for one thousand white women, who he intends to marry with his warriors and thus create a lasting peace.
These women were taken from asylums', penitentiaries and brothels and were joined in with the Cheyenne Indians.
They called themselves" Strongheart" as a group of women warriors. They learned to use the tools of the Indians, Knives, tomahawks, spears ,bow and arrows and guns. They could single handedly defend themselves against all manor of crooks, robbers and rapists. They also took part in the hunts and the Indian way of life.
After the Battle of Little Bighorn, these women took up arms against the United States.
An excellent read...Something that was not taught in American history.
These women were taken from asylums', penitentiaries and brothels and were joined in with the Cheyenne Indians.
They called themselves" Strongheart" as a group of women warriors. They learned to use the tools of the Indians, Knives, tomahawks, spears ,bow and arrows and guns. They could single handedly defend themselves against all manor of crooks, robbers and rapists. They also took part in the hunts and the Indian way of life.
After the Battle of Little Bighorn, these women took up arms against the United States.
An excellent read...Something that was not taught in American history.
July 26, 2022
This was the end of the One Thousand White Women trilogy. It was good, I wish there was more to what happened to each of the women, but kind of understand why there wasn't.
This was the last journals of Molly McGill and May Dodd, after their camp is assaulted by American soldiers. How they fought to make it back to their tribe, and how different their choices would take them in the end.
I enjoyed the series very much and believe that though this didn't happen in such a grand spectrum, that it may have happened in small instances. That their lives were forever changed, in one way or the other.
This was the last journals of Molly McGill and May Dodd, after their camp is assaulted by American soldiers. How they fought to make it back to their tribe, and how different their choices would take them in the end.
I enjoyed the series very much and believe that though this didn't happen in such a grand spectrum, that it may have happened in small instances. That their lives were forever changed, in one way or the other.
June 27, 2021
I am so sad! This is the last book in the series! At least I know I can reread these in the future!
This continues the story of the first couple of groups of white women who are sent to live with the Cheyenne to create a connection between the Cheyenne and white people. Find out what has happened to some of your favorite characters from the first two books and meat a couple new people to care about.
Love these books!
This continues the story of the first couple of groups of white women who are sent to live with the Cheyenne to create a connection between the Cheyenne and white people. Find out what has happened to some of your favorite characters from the first two books and meat a couple new people to care about.
Love these books!
July 1, 2023
This would have been an easy all-around four-star series for me, except when the ending came, it was a disappointment for me. So many things were not answered and the weird supernatural aspect of trying to explain something that happened went a little too far for historical fiction, in my opinion. It just felt that at the end, the story just went all over the place with no real ending, which was disappointing. In all, it is worth reading the previous two books and even this one; just don't expect much from the ending.
March 28, 2021
I had read One Thousand White Women 20 years ago and loved it. I loved the alternative history angle it took. The idea that a proposal was actually floated to trade white women for horses so the natives could better assimilate was fascinating to me. Of course, such an outlandish proposal was never acted upon by the government of the United States. However, in Jim Fergus’s book, the government took the Cheyenne up on their proposal sending them women from prisons and insane asylums to fulfil their part of the bargain. When I discovered earlier this year that it was to become a trilogy, I was intrigued. I immediately order the second book, written 20 years after the first volume, and I requested the third from Netgalley*, as it had yet to be published.
I decided to re-read One Thousand White Women since it had been so long since I had read it. What I found upon the re-reading was not the sympathetic book that recalled the terrible deeds done to the Native Americans although that was surely the intent of the book. I found instead a book littered with blatantly racist descriptions of the Cheyenne and other native tribes, their culture and practices. Repeated descriptions that included words like savage, pagan, demonic and more left me astounded that I could have ever recommended this book to others being an enrolled member of a Native American tribe myself. I decided to read the other two since One Thousand White Women was written in the 1990’s, Vengeance of Mothers was written in 2017 and Strongheart in 2019. I was anxious to see if Fergus’s writing had evolved with society’s awareness of the use of these racist terms.
This brings us to my review of Strongheart: The Last Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill. This is the third book in the trilogy and splits its time between more journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill and the current day story of two of their descendants. It will be difficult to give a synopsis of this story without spoilers. What I will say Is that it was often repetitive due to the overlapping events in May and Molly’s journals although not as much as The Vengeance of Mothers. I also felt there were several timeline errors that I hope they will catch before it is published since I was reading an ARC provided by Netgalley.
There has been “talk” in literary circles about whether white authors should delve into and write about the experiences of people of color. How can they write about a culture of which they are not a part of? Can they write about the situations and plights of people of color empathetically? I have no answers to these questions but I do have some observations about this author and this trilogy. First of all, I could not find any reference or acknowledgement by Fergus’s that he talked to any enrolled member of the Cheyenne Nation for his references. There were no acknowledgments in my copy of One Thousand White Women. There was a bibliography or a “for further reading” section in The Vengeance of Mother’sbut that is not the same as a face to face conversation with someone from the tribe. Since my copy of Strongheart was an ARC, acknowledgments were not included. I have no idea if the ceremonies and traditions he writes about in all three are authentic or not. I do believe it is important that if you, as a white author, choose to write about people of color, you should take grave care to be exact in depicting traditions, teachings and the history of the peoples you write about, especially in matters of the mystical or religious beliefs. I have no way of knowing if the things Fergus writes about are authentic or even well-researched which I found very problematic.
Secondly, while racist descriptions and stereotypes were less in this book than the first, they were still apparent. Descriptors of savage and pagan were still used as well as using words like “Mongolian features”, high cheekbones, red skin and prominent noses to describe the physical features of the natives. The offensive term “squaw” was used so frequently it was impossible for me to keep track.
One positive that Mr. Fergus did include was mention of the disproportionate numbers murdered and missing indigenous women when compared to white women and other women of color. This is an important and overlooked issue and I applaud its inclusion in this book.
In conclusion, I believe that Mr. Fergus did not use the utmost care in writing, as a white man, about the Native Americans. Racist language and lack of sources given greatly hindered my ability to enjoy this book. This ARC was provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I decided to re-read One Thousand White Women since it had been so long since I had read it. What I found upon the re-reading was not the sympathetic book that recalled the terrible deeds done to the Native Americans although that was surely the intent of the book. I found instead a book littered with blatantly racist descriptions of the Cheyenne and other native tribes, their culture and practices. Repeated descriptions that included words like savage, pagan, demonic and more left me astounded that I could have ever recommended this book to others being an enrolled member of a Native American tribe myself. I decided to read the other two since One Thousand White Women was written in the 1990’s, Vengeance of Mothers was written in 2017 and Strongheart in 2019. I was anxious to see if Fergus’s writing had evolved with society’s awareness of the use of these racist terms.
This brings us to my review of Strongheart: The Last Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill. This is the third book in the trilogy and splits its time between more journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill and the current day story of two of their descendants. It will be difficult to give a synopsis of this story without spoilers. What I will say Is that it was often repetitive due to the overlapping events in May and Molly’s journals although not as much as The Vengeance of Mothers. I also felt there were several timeline errors that I hope they will catch before it is published since I was reading an ARC provided by Netgalley.
There has been “talk” in literary circles about whether white authors should delve into and write about the experiences of people of color. How can they write about a culture of which they are not a part of? Can they write about the situations and plights of people of color empathetically? I have no answers to these questions but I do have some observations about this author and this trilogy. First of all, I could not find any reference or acknowledgement by Fergus’s that he talked to any enrolled member of the Cheyenne Nation for his references. There were no acknowledgments in my copy of One Thousand White Women. There was a bibliography or a “for further reading” section in The Vengeance of Mother’sbut that is not the same as a face to face conversation with someone from the tribe. Since my copy of Strongheart was an ARC, acknowledgments were not included. I have no idea if the ceremonies and traditions he writes about in all three are authentic or not. I do believe it is important that if you, as a white author, choose to write about people of color, you should take grave care to be exact in depicting traditions, teachings and the history of the peoples you write about, especially in matters of the mystical or religious beliefs. I have no way of knowing if the things Fergus writes about are authentic or even well-researched which I found very problematic.
Secondly, while racist descriptions and stereotypes were less in this book than the first, they were still apparent. Descriptors of savage and pagan were still used as well as using words like “Mongolian features”, high cheekbones, red skin and prominent noses to describe the physical features of the natives. The offensive term “squaw” was used so frequently it was impossible for me to keep track.
One positive that Mr. Fergus did include was mention of the disproportionate numbers murdered and missing indigenous women when compared to white women and other women of color. This is an important and overlooked issue and I applaud its inclusion in this book.
In conclusion, I believe that Mr. Fergus did not use the utmost care in writing, as a white man, about the Native Americans. Racist language and lack of sources given greatly hindered my ability to enjoy this book. This ARC was provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
July 12, 2020
Strong heart is a story about women who were married to Indians during the annihilation of the Indians by the U.S. government during the 19th century. It showcases their struggles, relationships, and hardships. This is the third book of a series that I have not read. I think it would have been more interesting if I had read the first and second books first. It was somewhat confusing going between the two diaries and the narrator. I do not know if this was a historical novel as I had never heard about women being sent out west to marry Indians. If so it would have made the novel more interesting to me. There are a lot of characters in this story which were confusing at times. This as an ARC through NetGalley.
April 17, 2021
Strongheart: The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill (One Thousand White Women is the third and final book in the series.
Taking place in modern times this is the follow up to the first two books in the series answering some questions of what happened to some of the characters. We say goodbye to some of the characters but also welcoming some new ones in. Despite thing being a follow up it's also a stand alone book.
The journals we read take the reader through the historical settlement of the west.
Pub Date 06 Apr 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
Taking place in modern times this is the follow up to the first two books in the series answering some questions of what happened to some of the characters. We say goodbye to some of the characters but also welcoming some new ones in. Despite thing being a follow up it's also a stand alone book.
The journals we read take the reader through the historical settlement of the west.
Pub Date 06 Apr 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
October 23, 2025
Last in series, this story focuses on the mental, emotional and spiritual growth of the characters as well as the relationships developed within the tribe (some with romance).
Plenty of action, assaults, revenge.
If you like stories to be wrapped up in a nice little bow with a finality in the end, you WON’T find it here… leaving the reader/listener with no hint as to journeys taken by all.
Audio Version: Completely and wholeheartedly recommended.
Plenty of action, assaults, revenge.
If you like stories to be wrapped up in a nice little bow with a finality in the end, you WON’T find it here… leaving the reader/listener with no hint as to journeys taken by all.
Audio Version: Completely and wholeheartedly recommended.
March 10, 2021
Adapt or Perish
This is a story from journal's written by two white women sent to be brides to the Cheyenne Indians. Mary Dodd and Molly McGill. They write during their travels with the Indians and when they are separated and must survive on their own . The trials they face and how they survived on the land with skills learned. How they finally make their way back to their tribe after the soldiers burn their village.
It is written as if they were actually there. If you didn't know it was fiction you would swear it was a non-fiction book. The story is written from both the view of the white and the Indian side of these two women. How they assimilated to life with the Cheyenne and grew to love their lives and their husbands and children, but also how they often hungered for the white way of life. They were women with one foot in each world.
It did have a lot of historical content as it was a fiction based on actual events in the west during this time. The way the Indians lived, the different languages they spoke and how they set up and tore down camp. The games and the dances they played. How they killed game and used every bit of the animal for some use with no waste. The different roles between the men and women and how the white Indian women changed those roles. The tales they told and how they believed.
I did enjoy reading it as it was quite interesting. I would recommend it.
Thanks to Jim Fergus, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This is a story from journal's written by two white women sent to be brides to the Cheyenne Indians. Mary Dodd and Molly McGill. They write during their travels with the Indians and when they are separated and must survive on their own . The trials they face and how they survived on the land with skills learned. How they finally make their way back to their tribe after the soldiers burn their village.
It is written as if they were actually there. If you didn't know it was fiction you would swear it was a non-fiction book. The story is written from both the view of the white and the Indian side of these two women. How they assimilated to life with the Cheyenne and grew to love their lives and their husbands and children, but also how they often hungered for the white way of life. They were women with one foot in each world.
It did have a lot of historical content as it was a fiction based on actual events in the west during this time. The way the Indians lived, the different languages they spoke and how they set up and tore down camp. The games and the dances they played. How they killed game and used every bit of the animal for some use with no waste. The different roles between the men and women and how the white Indian women changed those roles. The tales they told and how they believed.
I did enjoy reading it as it was quite interesting. I would recommend it.
Thanks to Jim Fergus, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
July 18, 2020
One Thousand White Woman is one of my favorite novels. I was very excited to see that there is a continuation of the story. I read The Vengeance of Mothers when it came out and just completed Strongheart. I loved the first book in this trilogy, I very much enjoyed the second part of the trilogy. As much as I wanted to know more about this group of woman, I struggled with Strongheart. I didn't feel a different 'voice' in the characters in this novel so I found that, to some degree they would blend together as I turned the pages. I did love the continuation of this interesting story but I found myself less engaged toward the last half of the novel. Regardless, overall the story was good and the reminder of the struggles/hardships of this group of American's made this book a good read for me. It won't make my top ten list but One Thousand White Woman continues to be one of my favorite novels.
A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.
A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2021
This is Historical Fiction - Western-esque book. I loved the opening scene. I settled right in thinking I was in for a spunky story. However, after that particular scene, it declined. I didn't like the narrative voice. It often felt like like a soap box with info dumping. It didn't work for me. I got to the half way point and then gave up.
This wasn't awful, it just wasn't for me. I will say, I really loved the way some of the women were highlighted. These felt more like vignettes though. I wished for more of that. So 2 stars for this one.
This wasn't awful, it just wasn't for me. I will say, I really loved the way some of the women were highlighted. These felt more like vignettes though. I wished for more of that. So 2 stars for this one.
April 5, 2021
Strongheart: The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill by Jim Fergus is a bit of a mystical novel that is the third installment in the One Thousand White Women trilogy. This newest release can be read as a standalone but I recommend the previous novels for important backstory.
In this outing, Chicago magazine publisher JW Dodd returns to visit Molly Standing Bear on the reservation. They easily pick up where they left off and enjoy one another’s company. Molly is quite mysterious and she is very likable. She again gives the JW diaries written May Dodd and Molly McGill. These diary entries pick up where the second book in the trilogy, The Vengeance of Mothers, leaves off.
May Dodd, Molly McGill and the other white women were traded to Cheyenne in an effort to for lasting peace between Native Americans and the rest of the US. The diaries provide an in-depth look into their lives on the plains. These women are not only brave but they are a force to be reckoned with as they prove to be more than up to the task of adapting to their new lives.
This third addition to the series is interesting but a little repetitive. Although they endure many hardships and unimaginable loss, May, Molly and the others have close friendships and they are fiercely loyal. The plains are beautifully described and spring vibrantly to life. The storyline is interesting but some of the diary passages are sometimes a little too long. Molly Standing Bear brings attention to the many Native women who disappear each year and the local authorities’ shameful disinterest in solving their cases.
Strongheart: The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill is an intriguing novel that wraps up the One Thousand White Women Trilogy. Old and new fans will enjoy this final look into the fates of these strong women who were traded to the Cheyenne in exchange for horses.
In this outing, Chicago magazine publisher JW Dodd returns to visit Molly Standing Bear on the reservation. They easily pick up where they left off and enjoy one another’s company. Molly is quite mysterious and she is very likable. She again gives the JW diaries written May Dodd and Molly McGill. These diary entries pick up where the second book in the trilogy, The Vengeance of Mothers, leaves off.
May Dodd, Molly McGill and the other white women were traded to Cheyenne in an effort to for lasting peace between Native Americans and the rest of the US. The diaries provide an in-depth look into their lives on the plains. These women are not only brave but they are a force to be reckoned with as they prove to be more than up to the task of adapting to their new lives.
This third addition to the series is interesting but a little repetitive. Although they endure many hardships and unimaginable loss, May, Molly and the others have close friendships and they are fiercely loyal. The plains are beautifully described and spring vibrantly to life. The storyline is interesting but some of the diary passages are sometimes a little too long. Molly Standing Bear brings attention to the many Native women who disappear each year and the local authorities’ shameful disinterest in solving their cases.
Strongheart: The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill is an intriguing novel that wraps up the One Thousand White Women Trilogy. Old and new fans will enjoy this final look into the fates of these strong women who were traded to the Cheyenne in exchange for horses.
October 12, 2021
some notes to remember story:
Molly didn’t die from jumping off cliff
Hawk her husband a Shapeshifter rescued her when in flight in another demention
Molly heads back to her husband Hawk, she is pregnant with his child.. they find each other
Kelly sisters= irish twins gallop towards white soldiers unarmed…. wanted to scare them one last time (really committing suicide) they were tired of the killing & hate and miss their babies.. soldiers shot them dead
May injured, others thought she’s dead
she’s alive.. Wind, a healer, nurses her back to health in a cave
they steel horses and trade with white men in town
May steels from a young cowboy, Chance who joins her
they become lovers
tribes are rejoined and back together again
they follow the medicine woman to another demention, an oasis and most stay there
however after May being released from the chief
Chance & her marry, leave the oasis & her daughter behind as her former husband (the chief) asks her to, and they go together to get her 2 daughters in her former life before going to the asylum
Molly didn’t die from jumping off cliff
Hawk her husband a Shapeshifter rescued her when in flight in another demention
Molly heads back to her husband Hawk, she is pregnant with his child.. they find each other
Kelly sisters= irish twins gallop towards white soldiers unarmed…. wanted to scare them one last time (really committing suicide) they were tired of the killing & hate and miss their babies.. soldiers shot them dead
May injured, others thought she’s dead
she’s alive.. Wind, a healer, nurses her back to health in a cave
they steel horses and trade with white men in town
May steels from a young cowboy, Chance who joins her
they become lovers
tribes are rejoined and back together again
they follow the medicine woman to another demention, an oasis and most stay there
however after May being released from the chief
Chance & her marry, leave the oasis & her daughter behind as her former husband (the chief) asks her to, and they go together to get her 2 daughters in her former life before going to the asylum
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2021
The third in the trilogy has a largely mystical component. May not be the satisfactory answers you’re looking for. Cannot understand the story at all without reading books one and two. Written during the time in history of Black Lives Matter and recognizing violence against Asian Americans, recognize this is still a very large part of history that has been whitewashed
June 13, 2021
Good story for those who have read the prior 2 books. More in my full review at TZQ and reposted here soon.
July 21, 2020
Jim Fergus concludes his ”One Thousand White Women” series; the first installment published more than twenty years ago and which the passing of the author shortly thereafter complicated. His son, JW Dodd, took over as editor-in-chief of “Chitown Magazine,” the main carrier of the series, with the title of “The Journals of May Dodd,” one of the women enlisted by the United States government to enter the Native American population, marry a male native, and produce children with the aim of smoothing relations as the Natives were assimilated into the American population. This program was never actually implemented but it formed a wondrous background for Fergus’s epic story. I have read both of the original stories, found them highly informative and interesting, and filled with the author’s imaginative and lyrical language.
It’s obvious, with this final installment, that the story has reached its logical conclusion and, hopefully, will be allowed to die a dignified death. There’s not much more to tell. JW tells of a young Cheyenne woman, Molly Standing Bear, who approached him with what she claimed were the final installments of the Journals, then for reasons unknown to him, originally withheld those entries. His supposition at the time was that she didn’t quite trust him and had withheld the documents. The result was that an unsatisfactory ending occurred after two installments and the publishers were inundated with gripes and complaints about the ending. JW set out to convince Molly Standing Bear to give him the rights to the remainder of the story. He had to make certain concessions about the provider’s role, including giving her exclusive control over the publishing of the material with no interference from JW as to its content. This is the basis for this book with Standing Bear telling about it during the introduction. There seems to be an obsession with maintaining authenticity in its contents. I’m here to tell you that the book is as authentic as it can be, allowing to reader to marvel at the customs, mores, and way of life of these authentic first Americans.
So, the story continues as the main participants continue with their lives, giving the reader the opportunity to gather all the disparate thought they might have engendered over the past two installments and to have some closure to the story, something I, for one, appreciated. Although these books have frequently been criticized for wooden dialogue and boring exchanges of Indian lore, I found them immensely informative and thoughtful for the information gained about the lore of American Indian tribes. They are very readable and with plot lines that reveal much about the intense persecution of such people.
April 2, 2021
Having read all three books in the “One Thousand White Women” series, I found this last one to be the weakest. I’m sure it would have been better reading for me if I had just recently read the first two in the series. As it was, I spent the first part of the novel trying to recall who was who and remember the sequence of events.
As in the previous novels, Molly and May are the central characters and the story centers around the journals they kept during their time living as Indians. In this book, there was more of a supernatural element running through their lives.
There were many goodbyes and reunions throughout the book and at times I felt it was a bit redundant. Also the characters each told stories of some of the same events, but really with nothing new added.
I did like the details about the cultures of the different tribes and the games they played amongst each other—somewhat like the Native American Olympics.
Near the end of the book, the topic of missing Native American women and children is discussed. The lack of attention given this is appalling, as were the numbers of those unaccounted for. I would love to see Jim Fergus write a story about Molly Standing Bear and her efforts to find these women and children and bring their abusers to justice.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I’m happy to give my honest review.
As in the previous novels, Molly and May are the central characters and the story centers around the journals they kept during their time living as Indians. In this book, there was more of a supernatural element running through their lives.
There were many goodbyes and reunions throughout the book and at times I felt it was a bit redundant. Also the characters each told stories of some of the same events, but really with nothing new added.
I did like the details about the cultures of the different tribes and the games they played amongst each other—somewhat like the Native American Olympics.
Near the end of the book, the topic of missing Native American women and children is discussed. The lack of attention given this is appalling, as were the numbers of those unaccounted for. I would love to see Jim Fergus write a story about Molly Standing Bear and her efforts to find these women and children and bring their abusers to justice.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I’m happy to give my honest review.
September 22, 2020
I really liked the first two books in this series, but this one turned out to be a major disappointment. The first half of the book was spent reacquainting us with the characters from the first two books and then filling us in on what happened to them. But it was done as a big information dump and there was virtually no story to follow. Later when we got a few tidbits of story, it did not ring true and was not compelling. Interspersed with the journals was present day ancestors who seemed merely there to point out the injustices that the native american community faces. And while this is important information, it just didn't made the book even more disjointed. I kept waiting for the book to get better but it never did and frankly I'm just glad to be done with it.
January 1, 2022
While I still enjoyed reading about Molly and May and their assimilation into the Cheyenne culture, this veered off into mysticism a bit too much. Also, the story was told by a variety of women- each of their narratives freely intermingling with the others so I was confused at times as to what was really going on. Definitely do not read this story without at least reading one of the previous two books.
February 16, 2022
Very good
September 25, 2023
Interesting concept and beautiful imagery, but I find it annoying that this author over sexualizes the women he writes as.
September 3, 2021
Strongheart: The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill is the third novel in the One Thousand White Women trilogy. While I think that the first novel in this series is the best of the three, this third book presents a whole different perspective on the white women who became brides of various Cheyenne warriors. The story is told in alternating chapters by May Dodd and Molly McGill from June to November 1876 and by Molly Standing Bear in 2019. Molly Standing Bear provides her own insights into the lives of her and JW Dodd’s ancestors.
At times it’s a little confusing, especially since I read the first book in this trilogy about 20 years ago and the second book in 2018; so, I’d forgotten much of what happened in those two novels. However, more to the point, I found it hard to follow the timeline of events, especially since May Dodd’s description of events often overlaps those presented in Molly McGill’s narrative. Eventually, their timelines merge and from that point onward, the story really comes together. I have a lot of questions about Overall, I was glad to be able to return to the world of May Dodd and her life with the Cheyenne in the months after the Battle of Little Bighorn.
At times it’s a little confusing, especially since I read the first book in this trilogy about 20 years ago and the second book in 2018; so, I’d forgotten much of what happened in those two novels. However, more to the point, I found it hard to follow the timeline of events, especially since May Dodd’s description of events often overlaps those presented in Molly McGill’s narrative. Eventually, their timelines merge and from that point onward, the story really comes together. I have a lot of questions about Overall, I was glad to be able to return to the world of May Dodd and her life with the Cheyenne in the months after the Battle of Little Bighorn.
June 6, 2022
When I finished THE VENGEANCE OF MOTHERS a few years ago, I made a note that I wanted to know what happened to the other women and their children. It's been a couple of years, but I have finally picked up the third installment in audio version.
I didn't remember a lot from the prior installment, but eventually, things came back to me as I listened. I did have some trouble distinguishing whose journal we were on, as they jump back and forth. The ladies' names are similar and the narrator used the same voice for each (unless there were speaking to each other).
The story was both magical and heartbreaking, and one of these days I will get around to the first book in the series.
I didn't remember a lot from the prior installment, but eventually, things came back to me as I listened. I did have some trouble distinguishing whose journal we were on, as they jump back and forth. The ladies' names are similar and the narrator used the same voice for each (unless there were speaking to each other).
The story was both magical and heartbreaking, and one of these days I will get around to the first book in the series.
February 15, 2021
J'étais ravie de retrouver les femmes blanches et de découvrir le dernier acte de cette trilogie. Mais ce 3eme tome n'est pas le meilleur. L'alternance des 3 histoires : May, Molly et la Molly actuelle donne un peu de lourdeur au récit.
C'était tout de même agréable d'assister à la rencontre de ces femmes et de voyager parmi ces peuples indiens bien moins sauvages que certains de nos concitoyens !
C'était tout de même agréable d'assister à la rencontre de ces femmes et de voyager parmi ces peuples indiens bien moins sauvages que certains de nos concitoyens !
March 11, 2023
I don’t want to say goodbye to May and Molly. Though Mr. Ferguson states this is the last installment of his trilogy, I crave more! His mastery of words creates a portrait of love, injustice, resilience and tenacity. Thank you, Mr. Ferguson for your craftsmanship and this story. It has forever left a mark upon my heart!
April 1, 2021
I was very much looking forward to this read as I enjoy learning about Native American life in the 1800's. While I appreciated the acknowledgement of the strong women during that challenging era, I was disappointed overall. The multiple time frames were handled in a confusing manner, and the characters were difficult to keep track of. The book just rambled and never really drew me in.
Others have given this book 5 star ratings, which proves how subjective reading is.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel which will be published on 4/6/21. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Others have given this book 5 star ratings, which proves how subjective reading is.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel which will be published on 4/6/21. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
April 11, 2021
The first book in this trilogy, One Thousand White Women, has proven to be a hard act to follow. It was interesting to reconnect with the main characters and return to the Montana territory of 1876 but this chapter lacked the “hook” that captured my imagination in the first book. The chapters taking place in the present day were filled with stilted conversations and distracted from the narrative. The idea of strong, self-sufficient women was appreciated.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc to read and review.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc to read and review.
April 15, 2021
I found this novel confusing in places even though I had read the previous ones in the trilogy. It did not have the punch of One Thousand White Women but it was easy to fall back into the world of May Dodd.
February 1, 2021
Didn't realize this was part of a series until I started reading. Somethings seemed familiar...like names and places and etc. I feel like I read book 1 a million years ago? The summary seemed familiar. I know I didn't read book 2 at all. Mmmm. BUT - this did okay as a standalone.
In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant a chance to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women in order to marry them with warriors and try and create peace. These women are recruited by force and sent to the Cheyenne tribe. They gradually integrate and become beloved members of the tribe. However, after the battle of Little Big Horn, the peace is destroyed. Some female survivors, including some of the white women, decide to take up arms and fight back. In this final volume, we will follow our girls as they face the struggles of being women, Native American oppression, and the struggle to keep a culture alive.
This was all done in diary/journal formatting. Which I did like for the most part. We got to see three different viewpoints. Mary and Molly McGill who are two women who were given to the Cheyenne in the 1800s. We also follow an ancestor also named Molly in modern day who is fighting a battle to save all the Native women who vanish in droves each year. It was a lot to keep track of so it is a slow read (at least for me).
There is a lot going on and this is a book I do not recommend speed-reading through. The timeline is not straight all the time. We do some jumping around so you really have to pay attention. I'll admit that I had to backtrack a couple of times.
Besides for the jumping timeline, I really enjoyed this novel. It made me want to read the past books (like I said...I swore I read book 1 years and years ago). This did get dark but the West at this time was a dark place especially for women and Natives. Soooo dang sad. But yes - just a warning because we do have some graphic scenes.
The ending had me in tears. Not in a bad way necessarily, but I was said to say goodbye. These women are so strong!!! I really admired them and their strength. Maybe we'll get more diaries in the future ;)
I adored the 2 Mollys and May. I also adored Chance and Hawk. Hawk and Chance both have my hearts!
Overall, I really did like this book. It did well as a standalone, but I think I would recommend going back to book 1 first. I want more from these women! I'll give this 4 stars.
In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant a chance to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women in order to marry them with warriors and try and create peace. These women are recruited by force and sent to the Cheyenne tribe. They gradually integrate and become beloved members of the tribe. However, after the battle of Little Big Horn, the peace is destroyed. Some female survivors, including some of the white women, decide to take up arms and fight back. In this final volume, we will follow our girls as they face the struggles of being women, Native American oppression, and the struggle to keep a culture alive.
This was all done in diary/journal formatting. Which I did like for the most part. We got to see three different viewpoints. Mary and Molly McGill who are two women who were given to the Cheyenne in the 1800s. We also follow an ancestor also named Molly in modern day who is fighting a battle to save all the Native women who vanish in droves each year. It was a lot to keep track of so it is a slow read (at least for me).
There is a lot going on and this is a book I do not recommend speed-reading through. The timeline is not straight all the time. We do some jumping around so you really have to pay attention. I'll admit that I had to backtrack a couple of times.
Besides for the jumping timeline, I really enjoyed this novel. It made me want to read the past books (like I said...I swore I read book 1 years and years ago). This did get dark but the West at this time was a dark place especially for women and Natives. Soooo dang sad. But yes - just a warning because we do have some graphic scenes.
The ending had me in tears. Not in a bad way necessarily, but I was said to say goodbye. These women are so strong!!! I really admired them and their strength. Maybe we'll get more diaries in the future ;)
I adored the 2 Mollys and May. I also adored Chance and Hawk. Hawk and Chance both have my hearts!
Overall, I really did like this book. It did well as a standalone, but I think I would recommend going back to book 1 first. I want more from these women! I'll give this 4 stars.
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