CROW MARY

Carolina Hoyos is a steady performer as she narrates this story based on a real-life nineteenth-century Crow woman. The novel is told in the first person; Hoyos offers nice inflections and voice variations but not a lot of dramatic flourishes. Crow Mary, who is called Goes Forward until she gets married, has wonderful friends and family, but she leaves them to wed a white trader and move to Canada. There she witnesses the massacre of 40 peaceful Nakota, rescues some women, improves the family business, and mourns as her once happy marriage is destroyed by alcohol. She remains strong and proud as she learns to navigate different cultures. Though some listeners may find Hoyos's delivery of traumatic events a little lacking in emotion, this is still a fine audiobook. G.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2023]