Kathleen Grissom consistently exhibits her brilliant ability to meld historical facts with immersive fiction. She centers her latest novel, CROW MARY, on a real-life figure whose bravery and strength inspire us as the beautiful narrative brings that era and its inhabitants to life.

Grissom spent years researching Crow Mary's story, including talking to her descendants. This is one of those rare novels that not only has a gripping storyline, a strong protagonist and a fascinating setting, it teaches us about history. We learn about "Indian reservations" and their ever-changing boundaries (which are not in favor of the Indians). We see the blatant racism (no surprise there) and just one small example of the brutal massacres to which Native Americans were subject.

"This is a novel that promises a lot and delivers even more. Crow Mary is truly inspiring. We can't stop reading as Grissom brings her and the whole era to life. This is a book that you will want to hold onto and read more than once because of the beauty of the writing and the scope of its contents."

We are introduced to Goes First, who later becomes Crow Mary, as a child. Her grandfather was a "yellow eyes," or white man who chose to marry an Indian and live with the Crow people later in life. Goes First eventually falls in love with a Crow boy, Big Cloud, and we watch their love story and its tragic ending. We are aware that their romance is going to end because we know that Crow Mary ends up marrying a white man, Abe Farwell. But her first love story is beautiful and heartbreaking in its ending.

One scene, in which Goes First dissuades a lovely young woman who is interested in Big Cloud from pursuing him, is not only humorous but serves to highlight Goes First's intellect and ability to problem-solve. She doesn't whine or complain; she simply gets things done. And this is just a bit of foreshadowing to demonstrate how this amazing lady goes on to live the rest of her life. She's smart, determined and strong.

But after Goes First marries Farwell, she becomes Crow Mary. She first loses her name during the marriage ceremony, where the minister unceremoniously bestows on her the name Mary. This scene exemplifies the derision with which many Europeans viewed the Indians. He tells Farwell that she needs a white name for the marriage license, and that they name all Indian women Mary. "Easier that way. Who can remember names like Hits Him Over the Head or Runs the Land with the Buffalo"? The minister thinks he's being funny, but we start to like Farwell when he frowns.

Goes First becomes Crow Mary to distinguish her from the other Marys, and she wears the Crow part of her name proudly. She is lucky that Farwell is a kind, thoughtful and gentle man. He tries to do what is right, and it's especially interesting to see the clash of cultures as the two learn what is and is not acceptable in each other's culture. In the Crow culture, for example, women take care of their belongings and keep tight control over them. So when Farwell tries to help Crow Mary with her things, she is insulted. He is not sure why she is angered by his trying to assist her. And while she does speak some English, she's not fluent.

There is much history in this book and plenty of emotion as well. While Crow Mary and Farwell have a good marriage, the subject of alcohol comes up often. There are unscrupulous traders who ply the Indians with drink and then cheat them while trading. Many of the men during this time abused alcohol, and we see the often tragic results. There are "wolfers" who lace buffalo remains with strychnine, which then kills the coyotes and wolves that come to feast on the carcasses. The fact that other animals, including dogs, also die is of little concern to them. Over the course of the story, the dwindling herds of buffalo affect the ability of the Indians to sustain their lifestyle. Forcing them onto small plots of land, thus ensuring they are helpless, brings about the demise of the lifestyle of the Indians.

This is a novel that promises a lot and delivers even more. Crow Mary is truly inspiring. We can't stop reading as Grissom brings her and the whole era to life. This is a book that you will want to hold onto and read more than once because of the beauty of the writing and the scope of its contents.

As a side note, my book group and I talked to Kathleen Grissom about her huge bestseller, THE KITCHEN HOUSE. One thing she told us, which has stayed with me all these years, is that the characters took over the story. Some of what they said that needed to be in the book was not what she had planned. I reached out to ask her if the same was true when she was writing CROW MARY. She said, "After I did the research (years of it), I did my best to get out of the way and let her come in to tell the story. Thankfully, she did, loud and clear." It's a privilege to have gotten to know Crow Mary.