The Removes by Tatjana Soli Book Review

The Removes by Tatjana Soli Book Review

The lowdown from Goodreads

Publication Date June 12, 2018

From the New York Times bestselling author Tatjana Soli, an expansive and transfixing new novel set on the American frontier

Spanning the years of the first great settlement of the west, The Removes tells the intertwining stories of fifteen-year-old Anne Cummins, frontierswoman Libbie Custer, and Libbie’s husband, the Civil War hero George Armstrong Custer. When Anne survives a surprise attack on her family’s homestead, she is thrust into a difficult life she never anticipated—living among the Sioux as both a captive and, eventually, a member of the tribe. Libbie, too, is thrown into a brutal, unexpected life when she marries Custer. They move out to the territories with the U.S. Army, where Libbie is challenged daily and her worldview expanded: the pampered daughter of a small-town judge, she transforms into a daring camp follower. But when what Anne and Libbie have come to know—self-reliance, freedom, danger—is suddenly altered through tragedy and loss, they realize how indelibly shaped they are by life on the treacherous, extraordinary American plains.

With taut, suspenseful writing, Tatjana Soli tells the exhilarating stories of Libbie and Anne, who have grown like weeds into women unwilling to be restrained by the strictures governing nineteenth-century society. The Removes is a powerful, transporting novel about the addictive intensity and freedom of the American frontier.

The Removes by Tatjana Soli Book Review

 The Removes is a brutally honest written story that follows General Custer, among others. The story opens with an Indian raid on a Kansas homestead. This is a period in our American history that has always fascinated me.

This book is violently cruel in parts of the story, heartfelt and impactful.  War is never pretty and I actually enjoyed the raw honesty the author conveyed.   

THE VERDICT

If you enjoy American history; you’ll really enjoy this one! A definite recommendation from me.

Special thanks to Tatjana Soli, & TLC Book Tours for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: TATJANA SOLI

Tatjana Soli is a novelist and short story writer. Her bestselling debut novel, The Lotus Eaters, winner of the James Tait Black Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book for 2010, and finalist for the LA Times Book Award among other honors. Her second book, The Forgetting Tree, was a New York TimesNotable Book for 2012. Her third novel, The Last Good Paradise, was a Millions Most Anticipated Book for 2015. Her stories have appeared in Zyzzyva, Boulevard, and The Sun. Her work has been twice listed in the 100 Distinguished Stories in Best American Short Stories. She lives on the Monterey Peninsula.