Heather’s Bookshelf: The Cherry Stone
Author: Sandy Salisbury
Released: 05/07/23
Genre: Adult historical fiction
“Tsali glanced over at Peter, then walked slowly to his own horse. With as much dignity as he could muster, he clicked his tongue and rode out of the yard. He didn’t dare look back. His face was burning.”
“The Cherry Stone” takes place in the US in 1893. The US government is handing out land to settlers, but the territories are inhabited by Native Americans who are trying to hold on to their way of life.
The story introduces Paulina and her husband Gerhard, a young Mennonite couple with a new family in search of something to call their own. Moving to Oklahoma with a small group of their friends and family from Kansas, the couple soon finds the move will be much more challenging than they ever thought it could be.
Meanwhile, Tsali is trying to hold on to his heritage and family land. He’s Cherokee but grew up in a colonial and Christian-based school. He’s trying to renew his connection to his family through working the land while also providing for his young family. He’s torn between two worlds and one of the worlds wants nothing to do with him.
A series of terrible events and natural disasters lead to challenges no one could have predicted and that threaten to derail their dreams. Will the families be able to work together to survive the challenges of the world, or will the homesteading experiment fail?
Trigger Warning: racist (time-period accurate) language, robbery, arson, illness, assault
Overall, I enjoyed this story. A majority of the tale is told through Paulina’s POV with a smaller portion told through Tsali’s. It’s a nice dichotomy between the two very different personalities, backgrounds, and experiences as the cultures clash and people come together. Paulina starts out as a very naive, biased, and self-centered young woman. But after a personal loss and the challenges encountered when they first get to their homestead, she quickly grows into someone you want to rout for. Tsali starts out as likable and has personal and family ties that make him relatable. The ancillary characters were a little bit of a mix in development. Some of them had impactful meaning to the tale like Lizzie. I think everything that happened to her could have resulted in a spin off story. However, Gerhard, who had a prominent role in the story, didn’t feel connected. The author does a nice job in depicting a really terrible time in a really bleak and dusty part of the country. The pacing keeps the story moving with enough conflict to keep the pages turning. The ending also felt complete while keeping the possibility open for future tales.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A historical fiction with two strong but different lead characters set in a bleak time and place in American history. Highlighted by good pacing, ancillary characters are hit or miss.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Sandy Salisbury
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Find it for purchase here
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