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Overview
Overview
National Book Award Finalist--Fiction
In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction from the author of Enemy Women that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.
In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.
In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna's parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows.
Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act "civilized." Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land.
Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember--strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become--in the eyes of the law--a kidnapper himself.
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Jiles, Paulette
- ISBN: 9780062409218
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 7.40 x 0.70
- Number Of Pages: 240
- Publication Year: 2017
Customer Reviews
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5 ★
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Aging news-reader in 1870 Texas is put in charge of a rescued Kiowa captive
Steve L. - 3 years 10 months agoIt's 1870 in Texas. A 10-year-old girl has spent almost half of her life among Kiowas who killed her German-American family. An old codger reluctantly takes on the task of returning the girl to an aunt and uncle and life she doesn't remember. Sounds like a familiar story, or a mash-up of several familiar stories, huh? I'm not a fan of the Western genre, but I picked this up after seeing that the journey the odd couple makes spans North and Central Texas, my stompin' grounds. I'm always curious about what I may be stompin' on, and this picaresque tale is full of Texas lore. I was hooked by the end of page 1. It's well-told, and the evolving relationship of old Captain Kidd and young Johanna is engrossing. I had quibbles about the girl's resourcefulness, which seemed at times to put the story mighty close to the tall-tale territory. But I liked these two enough to easily suspend disbelief and ride along to the end of the trek.
HPB Staff Review -
Wandering Through Texas
Kristen B. - 4 years 9 months agoCaptain Jefferson Kyle Kidd is wandering through Texas performing live readings of newspapers when he is paid to take an orphaned white girl, Johanna, back to her only living relatives. Johanna is terrified when she starts out her journey as she had been kidnapped and living with the Kiowa Indians for the last several years. She does not trust the captain at all. As their journey continues, Johanna must learn to trust the captain if she wants to survive. This short little book is so packed with emotion and action. It was a great delight to read through. I just love the parts where the Captain is trying to teach Johanna how to speak English! I highly recommend this book for those who love great historical fiction.
HPB Staff Review -
Good book
HPB S. - 5 years 4 months agoMuch like your grandma's stories of old New of the World takes a bit to get in the grit of things but once it does the portrait that Jiles paints with her words will leave you clammering for more. A Wonderful story about a father figure looking out for any child regardless of blood. This meditative story on the hard work a parent does no matter what reads so quick for anyone with or without a child. #springpicks
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A surprise
Susan S. - 5 years 6 months agoDifferent than a lot of books I have read. I enjoyed it.
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Liked the title. Meaningful to the story.
Ellen Z. - 5 years 9 months agoReally interesting story with heart and suspense. Learned about a time and place I didn't know much about before...Texas just post civil war. And two characters that I came to care about: An old man and a young girl brought up by a Kiowa Indian tribe and "rescued" to return to her white family.