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Monday, August 10, 2015

Spotlight: Maud's Line by Margaret Verble

Publication Date: July 14, 2015
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Hardcover, ebook; 304 pages
ASIN: B00ME4T8RG

                                    

A debut novel chronicling the life and loves of a headstrong, earthy, and magnetic heroine

 Eastern Oklahoma, 1928. Eighteen-year-old Maud Nail lives with her rogue father and sensitive brother on one of the allotments parceled out by the U.S. Government to the Cherokees when their land was confiscated for Oklahoma’s statehood. Maud’s days are filled with hard work and simple pleasures, but often marked by violence and tragedy, a fact that she accepts with determined practicality. Her prospects for a better life are slim, but when a newcomer with good looks and books rides down her section line, she takes notice. Soon she finds herself facing a series of high-stakes decisions that will determine her future and those of her loved ones.

 Maud’s Line is accessible, sensuous, and vivid. It will sit on the bookshelf alongside novels by Jim Harrison, Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and other beloved chroniclers of the American West and its people.

Praise for Maud's Line

"In her unadorned writing style...Verble crafts a story filled with nuance and quiet conflict. She exhibits a talent for characterization: each individual is carefully and distinctly fashioned...One of the greatest strengths of Verble's novel, set on her own family's land allotment, is the delicate interior conflicts produced by Maud's deceptively simple life." --Shelf Awareness

“First novelist Verble, herself an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, does a beautiful job of limning a sometimes hardscrabble Indian life that nevertheless has the comfort that familiarity and extended family bring. Place is especially important to the author’s story, and its setting is beautifully realized, as are the characters who populate this gentle novel." --Booklist

"Verble, herself a member of the Cherokee Nation, tells a compelling story peopled with flawed yet sympathetic characters, sharing insights into Cherokee society on the parcels of land allotted to them after the Trail of Tears." --Kirkus


GIVEAWAY!


 About the Author

Margaret Verble is an enrolled and voting citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a member of a large Cherokee family that has, through generations, made many contributions to the tribe’s history and survival. Although many of her family have remained in Oklahoma to this day, and some still own and farm the land on which the book is set, Margaret was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky, and Old Windsor, England.

Many of the characters of Maud’s Line are based on people Margaret knew as a child and the setting is land she roamed for many years of her life. In part, Margaret wrote this book to keep those people and that land alive in her heart.

Margaret has authored many academic publications and television scripts. Her short stories have appeared in various publications, including The Saturday Evening Post and the Arkansas Review.
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11 comments:

  1. LindaAugust 10, 2015 at 7:45 AM

    Lots of reasons for wanting to read this book: I live in Oklahoma myself; I have read other HF novels with Cherokee ties and I really enjoyed them; years ago I watched the Trail of Tears pageant/show near Tahlequah which developed an interest and respect for these people.

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  2. bermudaonionAugust 10, 2015 at 8:25 AM

    This sounds terrific - thanks for the giveaway!

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  3. Audrey StewartAugust 10, 2015 at 10:29 AM

    I have added this to my read list. I can't wait.

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  4. Carol L.August 10, 2015 at 12:27 PM

    This. is on my TRL. Sounds like such a fascinating read. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  5. Carol L.August 10, 2015 at 12:33 PM

    This. is on my TRL. Sounds like such a fascinating read. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  6. travelerAugust 10, 2015 at 1:11 PM

    This novel interests me very much. The story, locale, era and characters are all fascinating and captivating. Thanks for this wonderful giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. holdenjAugust 10, 2015 at 4:20 PM

    I was just talking with some cousins about our own family history and how other parts of the country dealt with the Depression. This is a bit before that, but interests me very much. Thanks for the chance to win!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  8. TerryAugust 10, 2015 at 5:31 PM

    This book sounds like an interesting read about a time period and place I know little about. I have added it to my TBR list.

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  9. MGAugust 11, 2015 at 1:13 PM

    This has been on my Goodreads to read list for a while. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  10. Theresa N.August 14, 2015 at 5:06 PM

    I'd love to read this book. My ancestors were Choctaw and travel the Trail of Tears, my great grandfather spent his whole life trying to fight the government over the Dancing Rabbit treaty that was suppose to compensate our family. Believe me I can relate to this subject.

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  11. KASAugust 15, 2015 at 1:46 AM

    Thanks for introducing me to this gem of a book; I hope to read it! Cheers, Kara S

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