Kimber: So there I was. Comfortably parked in Mom’s lap. She’s parked in this “yawn” chair thingy. (Mom says it’s a “lawn” chair. But she doesn’t fool me!) And she’s reading this “based on a true story” book, Daughter of Warriors. While yawning in that chair overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. That’s on Washington’s North Olympic Peninsula, Toots. Like this:

And this:

Within a stone’s throw of this::

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

Anywho, we’re parked on this “yawn” chair thingy on a bluebird-sky day, thinking we’ll dip a toe or two into the text. Test the narrative waters. Here’s what we found.

Based on a true story, Daughter of Warriors follows a young Osage woman, Lucy Eagleton, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma, to Kansas City as Lucy searches for an ever-elusive sense of personal safety and security amid the Oklahoma oil rush of the 1920s and beyond.

After a series of heartbreaking losses and tragedies in Book One, Indian Territory,  Lucy and her Irish husband Edward Walsh and their toddler daughter, Genevieve, leave Pawhuska for Kansas City. Book Two, Paris of the Plains, opens as the family arrives in K.C. There, in the thick of the Roaring Twenties, the Walshes encounter “machine politics,” the Cosa Nostra or Mafia and “sophisticated wickedness.”

But safety remains an illusion. The shadows of Oklahoma follow Lucy, claiming those she loves and threatening her young daughter. Caught between her spiritual heritage and the sophisticated wickedness of a world that views her as a “savage,” Lucy must make an agonizing choice to ensure her daughter’s survival.

We found this historical fiction a masterpiece of writing, but a chore to read. More on that in a min, Cupcake. So kindly keep your hair on. First:

For those unfamiliar with the history, this book might be an eye-opener. We found it difficult to stay engaged since the material was already familiar. So Daughter of Warriors didn’t offer much in the fresh perspective department. And while the emotional core is compelling, the repeated focus on similar experiences over and over and over makes the narrative feel slow and redundant.

We also found narrator Loula Long Combs to be jarring. Distracting. Loula is an older white woman who befriends and loves Lucy and hears Lucy’s story. Loula is a pain in the neck. She appears in italics at the beginning of most chapters, jumping in where she’s really not needed. But that doesn’t stop said pain in the neck from narrating and doing the hand-wringing commentating thing every few pages. Worse, Loula just can’t resist telling readers how they ought to feel about Lucy and her story instead of letting readers make up their own minds. Kimber: Seriously, Toots? And Loula’s sackcloth and ashes sermonizing? Kimber again: Gag me with arugula!

Scene stealers: Hawk, an Osage warrior tasked with protecting the Walsh family. Cordelia, child of a Negro mother and Chinese father who flees violence, finds refuge in the Walsh home, and becomes Lucy’s good friend. Chestnut the horse.

At over 500 pages, Daughter of Warriors is a heavy lift. We appreciated the beautiful writing and strong female characters. While the story is emotionally rich, its repeated beats became too predictable and formulaic to keep us engaged. Additionally, the victim-oppressor dichotomy of noble, near-flawless Osage vs. evil, greedy oppressors? It gets old. Fast. (This may even out in later pages. But we weren’t gonna stick around that long.)

Yea, verily. We bailed at about 140 pages. Almost there, but not quite. As in, could not make ourselves turn another page. So we won’t be rating this book. However, we will be offering some suggested titles for further reading:


For further reading (The short list.):

This Tender Land – William Kent Kruger. Read our review here.

The 10 Big Lies About America: Combating Destructive Distortions About Our Nation – Michael Medved

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History – S.C. Gwynne. Read our review here.

The Settlers’ War: The Struggle for the Texas Frontier – Gregory Michno

O Pioneers!, My Antonia – Willa Cather

Oh What a Slaughter – Larry McMurty

The Last of the Mohicans – James Fenimore Cooper

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West – Dee Brown