The Vengeance of Mothers though historical fiction recalls the adventures of many. native Americans in the 1800 era in the US. The perserverance and tenacity of these women who lost their babies to white killers is so admired throughout this book. This is an extraordinary look at history through the lives of those unfortunate who had no power but only a love and determination to live.

One Thousand White Women, the first book in a three part series, was published in 1998 and received mixed reviews. Some thought it was too raw to accept and others found it possible that the history was the un-sanitized version of the US patriarchal culture. The book series is  written in journal format. I loved White Women; although it was violent and tough to read in parts.

The historical fiction series is set in the wild West of 1875. The United States government enacted plans to clear the path for "Manifest Destiny", the belief that God wills democracy and capitalism to expand westward to the Pacific. As we all know -the native peoples and the open range stood in their way.

The Cheyenne hope to find a way to co-exist with the white men by merging cultures and offer to marry white women. The US government set up a clandestine project, Brides for Indians (BFI) with the intent that the women would "civilize" and teach English to the heathens. Volunteers brides from insane asylums and prisons, women whose crimes generally defined by men, were sent westward. White Women is written as the journal of May Dodd.

The women came to love native life; even with its hardships and dangers. The book ends with a dead-of-night murderous raid by US Infantry on the Cheyenne Indian village setting the stage for the second book, Vengeance of Mothers.

9 March 1876
My name is Meggie Kelly and I take up this pencil with my twin sister, Susie. We have nothing left, less than nothing. The village of our People has been destroyed, all our possessions burned, our friends butchered by the soldiers, our baby daughters gone, frozen to death on an ungodly trek across these rocky mountains .  .  .

 Vengeance of Mothers finds the survivors of the murderous raid racing into the mountains in the dead of night in the cold brutal winter weather; most barefoot wearing nothing more than their bedclothes. In the first book, we followed the lives of these white brides as they assimilated into native life by reading May Dodd's journal. In this sequel, we learn that May and her journal did not survive the raid.

The few surviving brides include the fiery red-headed Irish twins, Meggie and Susie Kelly. These intrepid women begin journaling, like May Dodd, with the hopes that their words will survive and the world would not forget them and the other "brides" and mothers. These unwanted castoffs from the white man's world, now find themselves entangled in the murderous struggle to clear the land of indigenous peoples for the westward advancement of white culture.

The graphic raids on the native villages will break the reader's heart. The strength of the native peoples to keep trying to maintain their culture is admirable. The depth of depravity at the heart of the United States government's plan to eradicate a culture, viewed as inferior and uncivilized, is despicable. And the brutal and horrifying actions of the mothers of all tribes to the loss of their beloved children and other family at the hands of the US military is understandable.

As the vanquished mothers are often quoted, "... do not underestimate the wrath of a mother's vengeance. It is only that which keeps us alive, don't ya see? We will stay here and fight to the end, because what else is there to do?" 

The book is not for the squeamish. I found myself turning away for relief at the times. Always I returned as I felt I owed it to the memory of all women who have been pressed under the power of a patriarchal society.

I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of both The Vengeance of Mothers and the forthcoming final book in the series, Strongheart.

Strongheart, the final installment to the One Thousand White Women trilogy, will be published April of 2021.

A good historic fiction story. The Vengance of Mothers was a bit graphic and I coukd have done without that. But I learned a few things that required some research. I am not sorry I read this book and think it was a worthwhile read.

This novel is a sequel to Fergus' other novel A THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN. While these novels are fiction, they bring out in great detail the Indian way of life in the late 1800's. If you enjoy reading about history through period characters based on factual research, you will enjoy these novels. Fergus is a gifted writer and has real talent for developing characters that make his books so entertaining.

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus

Brief Summary: This novel compiles the diaries of Margaret Kelly, who partook in the Indian Brides program and went west to be wed to a Cheyenne Indian as part of a government program. This is the sequel to One Thousand White Women; I do recommend reading that first. While the characters are fictional, the novel is based on actual events like the government program. As a longtime fan of the tv series, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, I thought I would really like this book, unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed.

Highlights: This story picks up where the previous book left off; the Army had just attacked the Indian settlement and killed both Cheyenne and white women. The women who join in the fighting as warriors was interesting but the novel is graphically violent. There were some Dr. Quinn Cheyenne references I caught onto. I also thought that the cultural identity confusion the women went through was quite interesting.

Explanation of Rating 3/5: Unfortunately, this book dragged throughout. I also wish there would have been more attention to the interracial issues between the couples.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

This is a continuation of One Thousand White Women, which I thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to reading this one. I was not disappointed. This book captures you from the beginning as the story begins with the white women who had merged their lives with the Cheyenne people and suffer the losses right along side them. The women are strong characters, the story is heartbreaking in their losses but also give you insight into the courage and pride of these people who are stripped of everything. Great story, good writing with a smooth flowing dialog.
I was captured from the beginning and held to the end. Another great thing I loved was that you could read this one without reading the first book of the series, One Thousand White Women and not feel lost. Great job!

I personally didn't like this or the first one but that's not going to stop my library from buying it and many many people from reading it.

Although I enjoyed reading the book very much., I feel it was to violent. As a mother, I would do anything for my child. I think there was too much hatred and brutality for my taste. I recommend it because it is unique and gripping.

This was a great book. It was so real in fact that I had to go and look it up to see how many if any of these things really happened. Needless to say some were real but a lot was fiction. But it was still good and I loved it. These women the way they stood up for what they believed and to get vengeance for the death of their babes was amazing. You hardly get to see strong women characters set in those times taking matters into their own hands and in the thick of it with the men but that is exactly what you get with these two sisters on a mission.

Be sure to read the first book in the series .... Great historical fiction on Native American history from a female perspective, with elements of mystical nature missed in.

I received an uncorrected digital gallery of this novel from NetGalley.

"The Vengeance of Mothers" is the sequel to "One Thousand White Women." Both tell the stories of women sent to the west to live among and intermarry with the Cheyenne in the 1870's, with the sequel picking up just a few weeks after the first book ends. There are frequent references to characters and events from the first book, so I highly recommend reading them in order, and close together if possible. As a woman, I found it easy to become immersed in these tales, and I think this should hold true for women of various races and ethnicities. Not all of the white women bride characters are actually white, and, more importantly, among the Cheyenne, their skin color becomes irrelevant.

In actual history, it is my understanding that events of the first book happened several years after those in the second book, so that put me off a bit. Also offputting is the number of questions that are left unanswered. Still both novels are solid 4-star reads in my opinion.

If you liked “One Thousand White Women”, then you will enjoy this sequel. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

The follow up to 1000 White Women, this book was interesting in its approach by telling the story through excerpts of the journals of several women. Some of the women were in the first group of white women who were recruited from desperate situations to go west and marry Sioux warriors to "civilize" the tribes by their "whiteness" and the "white-blood" of their children. The story starts as the Sioux village is attacked by the cavalry, and many of the women and most of their children are slaughtered along with their Sioux families and neighbors. Those who survive set out for revenge and in the process encounter a new group of white women who have just arrived and been captured by the tribe with which they take shelter. The desperation of all of these women and their limited choices in "white" society drives their decisions in the freedom of their new culture.

Meggie and Susie had a less than perfect childhood, which could explain why they ended up arrested for solicitation. Without the promise of a bright future in the East, they signed up for the Brides for Indians program: 1000 white women traded for 1000 horses. These women were taken mostly from prisons, insane asylums, and the streets. Meggie and Susie along with a handful of others made a new life for themselves on the plains, marrying Cheyenne boys and giving birth to daughters of their own. However, when the American army attacks their camp, they flee with their infant daughters, who freeze to death before reaching safety. Meggie and Susie are filled with rage and stumble along with other survivors, eventually stumbling upon another shipment of women who had come to the plains for the Brides of Indian program. These women had been taken as hostages by a tribe who agrees to free them. These two groups are eventually bound together; their path take them across the plains in search of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull - looking for more than their kin, chasing more than freedom and revenge.

Wow!! I was impressed. I was instantly drawn into the story... white women given to the Native Americans to bring civilization to the West - a very intriguing premise. Written through a set of journal entries, I quickly fell in love with the characters and was rooting for Molly McGill and Hawk, for the Irish twins, Meggie and Susie, who married Cheyenne Indians, became a part of the tribe, and had children, and for the many others whose lives were turned upside down when the government decided to eradicate the Native Americans or confine them on reservations. Thee characters had depth and beauty - each having experienced an enormous amount of hurt over the course of their lives - choosing to find life again on the plains. These women embraced the Cheyenne culture, their way of thinking and way of life. The story wove a beautiful tapestry, the colors of the Cheyenne way of life, the strong fibers of the courage and determination of these women, the somber tones of ill choices made that form history, all woven together to tell an unforgettable tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions contained above are my own.

The long-awaited sequel to "A Thousand White Women," this book was an equally compelling and often painful read. For those who haven't read the first book, it may take some sorting out to figure out the background. I'd recommend reading the first book before this one, but it's such a powerful tale that I'm betting most historical fiction fans would enjoy "Vengeance" either way.

Both are based on the premise that the U.S. government recruited "cast-off" white women to marry Native Americans as a way of beginning to "assimilate" Natives into white culture. This story is told through journals kept by the women who married the Native braves, created loving families and communities, and saw these families wiped out by the U.S. Army. It's a heartbreaking and riveting read. I recommend both books.

(Advance reading copy provided by request from Netgalley.)

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus continues the adventure that left us hanging in One Thousand White Women. Historical fiction meets mystic lore in this engrossing continuation about the women we loved in book one.

If you haven’t read One Thousand White Women, I highly suggest it because you get May’s point of view and it’s a really good book. It’s possible to read The Vengeance of Mothers as a standalone because plot points and situations are rehashed from book one. This is helpful for those who read One Thousand White Women so long ago that your memory needs a reminder. Personally, I can’t imagine one book without the other because they fit together. They’re also different in that book two includes some mysticism that was only hinted at in book one. I will reread both in the future to relive the adventure, and that’s not normally something I do which is the highest compliment.

This time we get several point of views (POVs), starting out with the Irish scamps otherwise known as the Kelly twins, which can be repetitive and confusing. Even with that bump, I zoomed through this story because it’s so good. That’s probably why POV switching confused me – I was often zooming along, not paying attention to the nitty-gritty details. I was so anxious to find out what happens next. Molly McGill was my favorite, so her story often gutted me. What a heart-wrenched saga that finally gave me some peace.

The story begins by repeating some of May’s journal, then a snippet from the monk who knew the white women. Next, we’re in modern day Chicago with JW Dodd, May Dodd’s great great-grandson and Will Dodd’s son. He is visited by a Native American woman who has two well-worn saddle bags with her. She is dressed as a Cheyenne of another time and claims to be a shape-shifter. She leaves him with the journals of the white women who tell the rest of the story.

Let me remind you, that just like One Thousand White Women, The Vengeance of Mothers is gruesome at times. It’s written during a time of war between the Cheyenne, other native nations, and the white man. The beginning of this book is written by twins who feel all the hate imaginable for those who killed their adoptive family. Their vengeance doesn’t come along quietly. We’re given some brutal detail on what happened since the first book, as well as some of those gory details of the last chapters of book one.

A fictional tale, The Vengeance of Mothers utilizes real people like Crazy Horse to make the story seem realistic. Because it’s told in journal format, you can’t help but get wrapped up in these characters’ lives. Some of the story made me very sad. It’s not easy to read, especially when you want it to be a HEA for all, while fully knowing it cannot be. There are many villains, one of them beyond creepy while others sneak up and surprise you.

The only part of this book I’m not sure I liked is the end. It’s creative. I can appreciate that. I guess I get frustrated when historical fiction takes a mystical turn, then ends outside its historical roots. I can understand the mysticism based on Native American lore. I’m just not sure I like the combination.

I read an advanced copy of this book months ago, prior to publication. My apologies to the publisher and author for not getting to the review until now. I needed to digest it, then read parts of it again to really sort my feelings to write my review. I was frustrated as well as enamored. Surprised and contemplative, I just couldn’t put words to paper on how I felt. With time away from it, then back to it again, I hope I’ve done the book justice.

With that in mind, One Thousand White Women is my favorite of the two novels. But, I must admit the creativity of The Vengeance of Mothers is just as good in some ways. My only question is, will there be a third book to the series? I have a yearning for more. Highly recommend the two books to those who love historical fiction that bends the rules.

Review by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest.

As I started reading this, I realized it just wasn't a book for me. Maybe at a different time, but right now, I just couldn't get interested in it. Thank you for the chance to read it though.

If you enjoyed "One Thousand White Women," then you will enjoy its sequel.

One Thousand White Women stands out as one of the most memorable titles from our book club selections over the past several years so I was very excited to learn that the story would be continued in The Vengeance of Mothers. Both novels involve the "Brides for Indians" program where 1000 white women were sent to become brides to the Cheyenne nation. The Vengeance of Mothers is not so much a sequel, as I believe it could be read independently, but more of a continuation of the story. It introduces new memorable characters but also furthers the stories of some of the characters from One Thousand White Women.

The Vengeance of Mothers provides a glimpse into a very interesting yet brutal time in American history. I felt that the author handled the subject well and does an excellent job creating characters that are unique and compelling. The emotions that the women feel, while being as varied as the characters themselves, are well translated in writing and you experience their feelings as if they are your own. I definitely enjoyed the book, but I did feel the ending left me slightly underwhelmed. That being said, the novel is still one I would recommend and that was well worth the read.

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I started to give this 2, but had to go down to 1 the more I thought of it. I just didn't like this, but I wasn't crazy about the first one either. I'm all for well-done alternative history, but this just rings false. Maybe it's a man trying to write from the viewpoints of multiple women (and failing). Maybe it's the disjointed narrative. Maybe it's the writing which may or may not be anachronistic but sure feels that way to me. On top of all that, this isn't really the stand-alone it's advertised as. With very little background, it would have been a lot easier for someone to get into the story if they'd read One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd. (Of course, I couldn't get into it and I have read the other book.) It's really unfortunate, because this story had potential and some interesting information about Indian relationships with white forts, for example. But no.