CROW MARY, by Kathleen Grissom - Book Review (Historical Fiction)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ¼ (Goodreads: 4.25)

GENRE: Historical Fiction

PART OF A SERIES? No

WORTH READING? Yes

SUMMARY:

Based on the true story of a remarkable Indigenous woman, this story follows Goes First, a sixteen-year-old Crow girl who agrees to marry Abe Farwell, a white fur trader, in 1872. Renamed Mary by her new husband, she journeys far from her Montana homeland to his isolated Saskatchewan trading post. Mary gradually falls in love with her husband despite discovering troubling secrets from his past.

Mary forms a deep friendship with Jeannie — a Métis woman who helps her adapt — and also finds herself the target of a wolfer named Stiller.

When drunken whiskey traders massacre forty Nakota people near the trading post, Mary witnesses them dragging five captive women back to their fort. After Farwell refuses to intervene, Mary makes a choice that defines her character.

Opening lines: “It was dark and hot at the back of the big barn as I rolled aside a heavy wagon wheel that leaned against the entry to the storage room.”

Crow Mary is a sweeping historical novel about a young woman who tries to navigate between two worlds — the world of her own heritage and the white world. It spans multiple decades of Mary's life, exploring the devastating impact of government policies on Indigenous peoples — forced relocations, stolen lands, children torn from families. Yet it also celebrates one woman's fierce determination to protect those she loves.

If you appreciate historical fiction that illuminates forgotten voices, Crow Mary offers powerful insight into the life of Indigenous women in the 1800s. It carries an uneasy feeling throughout, grounded in a concern for Mary that I felt from the outset. She encounters dangerous enemies, particularly a wolfer named Stiller whose malice shadows her life for years. Through Mary's eyes, we witness the collision of cultures during one of North America's most brutal periods and discover how extraordinary bravery can emerge from impossible circumstances.

Grissom’s Crow Mary had the same effect on me as her Kitchen House series did —it kept me up far too late, night after night.

It’s clear that Grissom spent a great deal of time researching this story, working closely with Mary's descendants to honour her legacy.

Click here to purchase Crow Mary from Amazon  

Here are the other two Kathleen Grissom stories I found brilliant:

Click here for Kitchen House (#1) 

Click here for Glory Over Everything (#2) 

N.B: I earn from qualifying purchases as an Amazon affiliate