Killing Cynthia Ann
by Charles Brashear

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Book Reviews of Killing Cynthia Ann

Book Review: Excerpts from some reviews
Summary: 5 Stars

from Midland (TX) newspaper, Nov 7, 1999: The story of Cynthia Ann Parker has become legend. Kidnapped from Parker's Fort near Mexia by raiding Comanches in 1836, she was completely assimilated into the Noconi band. She married tribal leader, Peta Nocona, and bore him two sons, Quanah and Pecos, and a daughter, Toh-Tsee-Ah. Late in 1860, she and toddler Topsannah, as the whites called her, were recaptured by Texas Rangers and returned to "civilization" and the extended Parker clan. Cynthia Ann never adapted to white culture. She was shunted from one Parker family member to another. Convinced she was a captive of the Texans, Cynthia Ann was determined to escape to the high plains and the Comanche way. The Parkers neither cared for nor understood Cynthia Ann's obsession with returning to her homeland and her people.

from Judy Alter, The Bookish Frog, Fall 1999: ... an innovative novel about Cynthia Ann Parker. Just when we thought there are no new twists to that old story, Charles Brashear proved us wrong-in a novel with footnotes. (Don't ever say were are afraid to try something new!)

from Amarillo News-Globe, Sunday, Dec 12, 1999, p. 19D: Two novels particularly suited for fireside reading are _____ and "Killing Cynthia Ann" by Charles Brashear.... this new book focuses on her life after her return to Anglo culture. Though presented as a novel, the story is well-researched. The book is even annotated, unusual for fiction.

from Fort Worth Star Telegram, Sunday, Dec 5, 1999: Charles Brashear is a conscientious author who is careful of his sources. What he's done is search out the most authentic records available, then build a novel by filling in imaginary details of emotions, relationships, conversation and background. The fiction device gives the reader a historical overview of the period, plus a vivid picture of a woman who lived with constant, unhealable heartache.... I like the placement of historical notation along the side margins very much. They are less disruptive, easier to go to and return from, than footnotes at the bottom of the page.

from Waco Tribune-Herald, Saturday, Nov 6, 1999 (Brazos Living, p. 8B) Brashear believes our interest in Cynthia Ann Parker more than a century after her death stems from a variety of reasons: our disbelief that someone could prefer another way of life to the American way; our collective guilt in the ultimate fate of American Indian cultures; and an unconscious desire for a simpler life, such as American Indians practiced. "Cynthia Ann's story of wildness keeps haunting us because we see in it a gross injustice that has never been righted. They killed the wildness in her, which we half suspect may have been the better part. And, while we may not be personally responsible, we feel a sort of communal guilt for the wrong done her," he explained.

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