FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE
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.
**

This is a remarkable debut novel and worthy of being a finalist for the Pulitzer. It takes place in 1928 in eastern Oklahoma where Maud Nail lives with her father, Mustard and brother, Lovely on an allotment given to the Cherokees. They are surrounded by a large extended family, and all live a hardscrabble existence with few conveniences. Maud falls for a white man peddling his wares in a wagon when she learns he also loves books. Their relationship grows and they set a wedding date when he abruptly leaves town after an argument. Mustard is then involved in a murder and also leaves without a word. Lovely's mental state becomes increasingly worrisome, and Maud is left to seek solace with a fellow Cherokee named Billy. Maud endures a pregnancy she doesn't want with the support of her aunts, cousins and grandfather.

This is a wonderful insight into the world of the Cherokee nation on a land given to them following the infamous trail of tears. The landscape is as harsh as their lives, and is a reminder of all that the indigenous people endured. ( )

Maude Nail is a part of a huge extended family of Native Americans with various ancestors. Her mother died of a snake bite when Maude was young. She wants more than anything to experience life and get away from the life of border line poverty. When Booker comes through the area as a peddler, she finds a connection in someone who also loves to read and experience new things. Maude's brother, Lovely, however, is overly sensitive to life and seems to feel everything so deeply

When a family of mean neighbors are murdered, Maude's father, Mustard Nail, seems to be the suspect and he disappears. Lovely needed to be treated for rabies after a dog bite and seems to be more and more depressed. Besides a really loving (but often crass and cruel) family, Booker is Maude's only shining light. She and Booker form a deep friendship which leads to love and sex. Booker, however, disappears right after Maude finds she is pregnant.

Billy Walkingstick is a Native American boy who has always had his eye on Maude and without knowing that she is pregnant, assumes the role of lover. Maude desperately does not want the baby and tries almost everything to be rid of it. Sex plays a big role in the relationship between Billy and Maude.

I read this at a time with many distractions and did find myself skimming parts. I wasn't particularly drawn to the writing style but the characters did seem to come alive and there were many details in the book that were very realistic (and seemed right out of my own childhood). Overall, a good story. ( )

MAUD’S LINE by Margaret Verble
Maud, her father and brother live on Maud’s mother’s allotment in the former Indian Territory. Her family is (mostly) Cherokee. Maud has a desire for better things. Electricity, a refrigerator, an inside toilet. It is 1928.
This tale of Cherokee families living in Oklahoma after enduring and surviving the Trail of Tears is filled with fully realized characters, Indian traits, hard scrabble lives on dirt farms, snakes galore, family and mean neighbors. Richly told, Verble has created a world complete. Maud is a captivating heroine. Her family is filled with abundant well-developed characters. The plot, while simple, is richly detailed.
An absorbing and thought-provoking novel, especially for a first novel. Very satisfying.
5 of 5 stars ( )

Maud's Line is a mostly well-written book with compelling plotlines. Still, my overall impression of the book is "meh." I finished it because I was interested enough to want to know how it ends, but otherwise didn't find anything special enough about it to hold my interest. Add to that multiple gratuitous sex scenes and historically inaccurate language usage, and I have to wonder how and why it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. ( )