Review: Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen By Sarah Bird

GOODREADS

SYNOPSIS

The compelling, hidden story of Cathy Williams, a former slave and the only woman to ever serve with the legendary Buffalo Soldiers.
“Here’s the first thing you need to know about Miss Cathy Williams: I am the daughter of a daughter of queen and my mama never let me forget it.”

Though born into bondage on a “miserable tobacco farm” in Little Dixie, Missouri, Cathy Williams was never allowed to consider herself a slave. According to her mother, she was a captive, destined by her noble warrior blood to escape the enemy. Her chance at freedom presents itself with the arrival of Union general Phillip Henry “Smash ‘em Up” Sheridan, the outcast of West Point who takes the rawboned, prideful young woman into service. At war’s end, having tasted freedom, Cathy refuses to return to servitude and makes the monumental decision to disguise herself as a man and join the Army’s legendary Buffalo Soldiers.

Alone now in the ultimate man’s world, Cathy must fight not only for her survival and freedom, but she also vows to never give up on finding her mother, her little sister, and the love of the only man strong enough to win her heart. Inspired by the stunning, true story of Private Williams, this American heroine comes to vivid life in a sweeping and magnificent tale about one woman’s fight for freedom, respect and independence.

Praise for Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen:

“Sarah Bird masterfully tells the story of Cathy (Cathay) Williams, the only female ever to serve with the legendary Buffalo Soldiers...Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen is a wonderful read.” – Michael Hurd, author of Thursday Night Lights, managing editor of The Texas Black History Project, and director of the Texas Preservation of History and Culture

"You'll be swept away by the passion and power of this remarkable, trailblazing woman who risked everything to follow her own heart." – Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"An epic page-turner." – Christina Baker Kline

"Bird’s fast-paced, action-packed story is a bittersweet one—grand love and legacy ultimately eluded Williams—but this fearless, often heartbreaking account sheds a welcome light on an extraordinary American warrior." – Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review

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REVIEW

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Title: Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen
Series: Standalone
Author: Sarah Bird
Release date: September 4, 2018
Cliffhanger: No

It's fair to say that I have very mixed feelings about this book. The synopsis on goodreads had me so excited to read about the first woman to ever serve in the US army. I'm all in when it comes to historical fiction that educates on real courageous women who don't get the recognition they deserve.

Cathy Williams is a former slave who grew up on a tobacco farm in Missouri, and was taken as what they called contraband by General Sheridan. During his destruction of the south called, "the burning" he scorched crops, homes, and livelihoods in order to starve out the competition. The slaves he confiscated and took with him helped to serve the Union forces. At the time that Cathy was brought on as a cook's helper in Sheridan's troop, former slaves were now getting wages from the Union. While she was happy to be freed from the cruel "Old Mister" and his wife, she was devastated to be ripped from her mother and sister at a moment's notice. On the way to camp, she travels with a gravely wounded man who gives her comfort, and becomes the first man to draw her eye and touch her heart.

I really enjoyed Cathy's sense of humor. Her narrative was a candidly wry voice, often giving us sharp and scathing observations of injustices that were a part of her reality during that time. She was a young woman who wasn't particularly romantically inclined, and her thoughts on men had me laughing out loud several times.

    Maybe because my nature had never come, I didn’t have the slightest interest in boys the way most girls did. Far as I was concerned, they were just girls in britches. Though, by and large, a sight stupider, dirtier, meaner, smellier, and a whole lot louder.

One thing that I found odd was the way in which she told Sheridan's words to the reader. Apparently, Cathy isn't a fan of swearing, because every single time his "salty vocabulary" crops up in conversation, we get dialogue like this. Which can be a little odd and disruptive to the flow of reading. Maybe if we were told that she doesn't care to repeat what he said...or some other explanation beforehand? But we are only to assume why she's using the blank spots, which is honestly the first time I've ever seen that in a book. Though, damn is not blanked out here, so apparently she is fine with some and not others?

    The General had what you might call a salty vocabulary and he roared, “Colonel Terrill, need I remind you that we are on a ______ foraging mission? And it’s been a damn ______ miserable one so far? We’ve barely liberated provisions enough to keep our own ______ bellies full and you’re proposing we add a pack of ______ Negroes to the quartermaster’s load?

Her time with Sheridan during the Civil War was relatively short, as she joined his camp at the tail end of the war. However, in that time, she showed her courage by defending the general when they were under attack. She was grudgingly given a modicum of respect by him, and it was perhaps one of the driving forces to compel her to join the Buffalo soldiers after the war ended. In addition to the guaranteed pay, and opportunity to leave the south where she didn't feel safe, it was a chance to feel seen and do something important. For so long she'd been stripped of her honor because of her race and gender. So she disguised herself as a man, and ventured into a dangerous ruse that could very well get her killed.

Not only was Cathy incredibly brave, but she was the most talented shooter out of all the recruits, and one very quick thinker when she got in a tight spot. Getting through her initial medical exam, and finding a way to relieve herself as "a man" in front of the others to curb their suspicions were just a couple of ways she fought for her place in the army. She was under constant threat of violence from racist and mysogynistic men around her, and lived in fear that she would be violated if her gender was discovered. I couldn't do anything but admire her grit and determination to do whatever it took to make it through her two years of service.

I must admit, the book was excruciatingly slow in the first half. That's not to say that it was boring necessarily, but the action didn't really kick in until the latter part of the book. At that point, I was able to fly through a huge chunk of the story in one day, and I was truly invested in what would become of Cathy. It seemed as if everyone around her with an ounce of power had a vendetta or malicious intent. Though she managed to wiggle out of trouble for the most part, you could feel her time slipping away the further you read. There's a feeling of certainty that all of her well crafted plans are going to come tumbling down like a house of cards at any moment. For that reason, I was unable to put the book down in the final pages. It was gripping, tense, and thrilling all at once, as you barreled toward the ending that Cathy had fought hard for. Through discrimination, hatred, violence, and never ending loss of loved ones, she resolutely stayed strong through it all.

And then the end happened.

Which, I'm going to be perfectly honest: Did not work for me in any way, shape, or form. I hesitate to even call it that, because there was no closure. Not only did it not make sense, but it angered me because everything she had gone through seemed to be all in vain. I'm not going to spoil anything, but let's just say that the twilight of her life was extremely disappointing, with an ambiguous ending that was nothing like I envisioned or hoped for.

There were some parts that were very slow, some that held me enthralled, and an ending that left me wanting much more. With so many protagonists who wished her ill will, at times the drama surrounding them felt over the top for my taste. I think the overall story had merit, but unfortunately it wasn't executed in a way that was uplifting or inspirational in the way that I had hoped. I did enjoy learning more about the only female Buffalo soldier, and I felt that she is an important historical figure we should all know more about. For that reason, I'm glad that I read Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen.

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