Once upon a time there was the magical Glendale Park Zoo in Nashville, Tennessee. The spirit of fantasy filled the air. It was the good old days, back in 1926, and families could flock to see exotic animals, enjoy rides, and witness amazing novelty acts. By far the most breathtaking was the Cherokee woman Two Feathers and her horse Ocher, who together made death-defying plunges down 40 feet into a small pool of water. People got their money's worth.
One day the horse sensed danger, but the jump was made and things went terribly wrong. A sinkhole opened up to an underground cavern and the crash killed Ocher and badly hurt Two Feathers. As she recuperated on the park property unsettling messages began arriving from a disturbing admirer who may have been creeping in her room. She also sensed the presence of Little Elk, a protective ghost spiritually chained to the park. At this time a few animals started dying mysteriously and Two Feathers questions just what is the cause.
Two Feathers has lived her whole life being treated and considered a step below a white person. Her friend Crawford has to be wary of being seen with her too often because he is black. "Negros" were allowed to work in the park. "They could even, if well-behaved and accompanied by a white, ride the rides." The book is saturated in racism. With all the whimsy and magic in the air there were the lynchings and beatings, too. The park itself is built on an old native burial ground and it is crushing, if not surprising, to read about the desecration done to the remains. What reason was there for human dignity to stand in the way of the white man's creature comforts? So there was an ugly underside to paradise.
I love the characters Margaret Verble has portrayed. Glendale Park Zoo was real, as were many of the people in the story. We get such detailed histories-- but it is a little confusing to see how they all tie together at the novel's conclusion. We read about Crawford's courtship of his fiancée, we see the park's owner and his family squabbles... nice and believable, but it is not clear how this information was necessary to the plot. I could have spent more time directly with Two Feathers, a strong and fiercely independent personality.
Thank you to NPR's "Book of the Day" podcast for bringing "When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky" to my attention. The interview with Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Margaret Verble jumped-started my interest and led me to this flawed magic wonderland. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
One day the horse sensed danger, but the jump was made and things went terribly wrong. A sinkhole opened up to an underground cavern and the crash killed Ocher and badly hurt Two Feathers. As she recuperated on the park property unsettling messages began arriving from a disturbing admirer who may have been creeping in her room. She also sensed the presence of Little Elk, a protective ghost spiritually chained to the park. At this time a few animals started dying mysteriously and Two Feathers questions just what is the cause.
Two Feathers has lived her whole life being treated and considered a step below a white person. Her friend Crawford has to be wary of being seen with her too often because he is black. "Negros" were allowed to work in the park. "They could even, if well-behaved and accompanied by a white, ride the rides." The book is saturated in racism. With all the whimsy and magic in the air there were the lynchings and beatings, too. The park itself is built on an old native burial ground and it is crushing, if not surprising, to read about the desecration done to the remains. What reason was there for human dignity to stand in the way of the white man's creature comforts? So there was an ugly underside to paradise.
I love the characters Margaret Verble has portrayed. Glendale Park Zoo was real, as were many of the people in the story. We get such detailed histories-- but it is a little confusing to see how they all tie together at the novel's conclusion. We read about Crawford's courtship of his fiancée, we see the park's owner and his family squabbles... nice and believable, but it is not clear how this information was necessary to the plot. I could have spent more time directly with Two Feathers, a strong and fiercely independent personality.
Thank you to NPR's "Book of the Day" podcast for bringing "When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky" to my attention. The interview with Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Margaret Verble jumped-started my interest and led me to this flawed magic wonderland. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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