When Two Feathers Fell From The Sky

Written by Margaret Verble

Narrated by Caroline Slaughter

Louise Erdrich meets Karen Russell in this deliciously strange and daringly original novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Margaret Verble: set in 1926 Nashville, it follows a death-defying young Cherokee horse-diver who, with her companions from the Glendale Park Zoo, must get to the bottom of a mystery that spans centuries. 
 

Two Feathers, a young Cherokee horse-diver on loan to Glendale Park Zoo from a Wild West show, is determined to find her own way in the world. Two’s closest friend at Glendale is Hank Crawford, who loves horses almost as much as she does. He is part of a high-achieving, land-owning Black family. Neither Two nor Hank fit easily into the highly segregated society of 1920s Nashville.

When disaster strikes during one of Two’s shows, strange things start to happen at the park. Vestiges of the ancient past begin to surface, apparitions appear, and then the hippo falls mysteriously ill. At the same time, Two dodges her unsettling, lurking admirer and bonds with Clive, Glendale’s zookeeper and a World War I veteran, who is haunted—literally—by horrific memories of war. To get to the bottom of it, an eclectic cast of park performers, employees, and even the wealthy stakeholders must come together, making When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky an unforgettable and irresistible tale of exotic animals, lingering spirits, and unexpected friendship.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9780358581895

Margaret Verble

MARGARET VERBLE is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Her first novel, Maud’s Line, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her second novel, Cherokee America, has recently been listed by the New York Times as one of the 100 Notable Books of the Year for 2019. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky.  

Reviews for When Two Feathers Fell From The Sky

[Genevieve Methot · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story could have been amazing but it definitely lacked polish, and I think I’ve heard enough about traumatic animal deaths to last me a lifetime. I liked this narrator, especially her Southern accent.

[juju2cat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize" is a huge recommendation to read a book but while I enjoyed it I wouldn't have put it in that category. The novel deals with racism, white/black/Indian but somehow friendships are found and built upon.The ending was much too flat, but still a good read.Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers for a copy for my review.

[debs4jc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The main character - Two Feathers - is a horse diver. She works at an early amusement park of sorts in the 1910s or 20s. She rides a horse off of a diving platform into a pool of water. She faces prejudice from others for her Native American heritage but she enjoys her independent lifestyle, though she often reminisces about life on the ranch where she grew up. She attracts the interest of a weird guy who is a native American wannabe who starts stalking her and leaving her weird notes. The owner of the park and the caretaker of the animals at the park are also involved, especially after an accident lands two feathers in the hospital. Even stranger, a ghostly Native American also becomes part of the story.This story did not capture my interest all that much. Fans of magical realism and historical fiction may find it of interest, but for me it fell a bit flat.

[whiskeyinthejar-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Horse diving was risky business. That's why people liked it so much.When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky, pulled me in with the synopsis about a young woman Cherokee horse diver who worked at Glendale Park Zoo in Tennessee. While Two is the most centered character, the story was really about all the humans, animals, and other occupants of the Tennessee land. The beginning provides a summary of the land from prerecorded history to 1926, where the story stops to focus. This was a mish mash of historical fiction, mystery, and magical realism; I think the historical fictions aspects were the best parts. The author uses real historical places (Glendale Park Zoo) alongside fictitious people, but who are clearly based on real people. The first half had me struggling at some points because of the amount of characters and how we get a focus, background and following along with the issues in their lives in this moment of time, on them. I really enjoyed the character of Two, she admits that Two Feathers is a stage name, her real name is Nancy but that isn't colorful enough for the shows. She grew-up on a ranch in Oklahoma and always wanted to be a star, she's been riding horses since she was three and loves horse diving with her horse Ocher. She's a character that instantly grabs your attention and you want to spend time with her and that is where my struggling with the first half came in as the focus shifted to other characters too much. Along with Two at the Park Zoo, she lives in a dormitory run by a woman named Helen and also houses two plate spinning sisters Marty and Franny, Crawford who takes care of Ocher and the stables, Clive who oversees all the animals, new-hire Jack, and Park owner Mr. Shackleford. All of these characters have their own backgrounds and issues that get focuses, Franny starting to drop plates, Crawford romancing a girl named Bonita, Clive dealing with PTSD from WWI and starting to see ghosts, and Mr. Shackleford trying to hold it all together. The first half ends up feeling too scattered and divided, the second-half does bring and thread them together more but it does make for an undertaking beginning. The horse diving wasn't as much a focus as I would have liked, we do get a good descriptive scene of it but at 25% a horrific moment happens (there are multiple animal deaths in this) and the mystery starts to come in, along with the magical realism and supernatural elements. The mystery is more for the characters as the reader knows who is behind everything and why. It involves Two getting secret admirer letters from someone calling themselves “Strong-Red-Wolf”, she knows right away that the person isn't a real Native American by the way the letter is written, and the mysterious letter writer ties-in with the Park Zoo animal deaths. The supernatural elements have Clive starting to see ghosts after he recuses Two and a ghost, Little Elk, who starts to become a protector of Two. While the story did go off on other character tangents that did give the story a disjointed feel at times, they, mostly, found a way to come back to Two. If you go into this with more of the mindset of reading about a snapshot in time about that particular land's current occupants, you'd enjoy it more. This 1920s snapshot had the author infusing and weaving evolution debate, racism, segregation, shell shock, and the horrific impact of Manifest Destiny on Native Americans. I'm not so sure the ghosts aspects worked but, like I said, if looking for historical fiction elements, this had a good feel for the times in 1920s Tennessee.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the summer of 1926, a young Cherokee woman who goes by the name Two Feathers is working as a horse diver in Glendale Park Zoo, Nashville. She, along with her mare, Ochre, jumps from a diving platform forty feet into a pool. While dangerous, Tow Feathers enjoys the freedom and the money she earns, sending much of it back to her family in Oklahoma, and then a freak accident in a dive gone wrong kills her hers and breaks her leg. She’s always been aware of the segregation in Nashville. Her good friend, Crawford is black and is limited in where he can go as is she, a Cherokee Indian. She has some other friends, but the racism keeps her from many things. She’s being protected by the ghost of a Indian who lived in Tennessee long before whites settled the area. What really shines in this is the narrative skill of the author, Margaret Verble. She’s able to keep the story from wandering too much and has filled the pages with memorable characters. I’m looking forward to a sequel telling us where two Feathers’ life goes from here.

[muddyboy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A novel centering on a young Native American teenager who performs at a park near Nashville, Tennessee by diving on horseback into a pool below to the delight of the crowd. Also the park has several other animals and functions as cut rate zoo for tourists and locals. Two's (her name) life changes when the pool collapses and she is injured. I think that the novel starts to fail when the author has a whole chapter on a long dead native American boy's ghost whose body is buried in the park. The book now becomes a mystery of what is killing animals that are coming up dead. For me, the plot drifts way too much.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An engaging tale from early 20th century Nashville centered around the horse diver Two Feathers and the Glendale Park. It is saturated in race awareness and the non-whites live under a burden of awareness of what is permitted while maintaining relationships with whites. Not that the whites don't have their own issues and problems. The twist it takes about a third of the way through pushes it into magical realism which has an effect on the impact of the story.

[msf59 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“But the white people were too thick to understand that. And no amount of reasoning could get it through their wooden heads. They acted like starved turkeys. Gobbled up everything in sight. Broke ground directly in animals’ paths and planted corn. Then they sat out next to the plants with guns to scare the game away. And when they hunted they killed more than they could eat. And more of them kept coming.”“That every cave, spring, and river has a spirit. And are part of their greater spirits. That the white people’s religion is one of their greatest evils because it drives all the spirits from the earth into the sky. It makes everything feel dead, when it is very much alive.”Two Feathers is a young Cherokee woman, working as horse-diver at the Glendale Park Zoo. The setting is Nashville, 1926. The story revolves around the people that work at this park, from the owners down to the laborers and performers. It is an interesting and diverse group and Two Feathers is a wonderful character, that anchors it down, with her wisdom and beauty. The animals at this zoo also feature prominently, with Two Feathers sharing a kindred spirit with many of them. I particularly liked the buffalo and the bears. There is romance, treachery, racial tensions and a mystical angle, that makes this novel such a pleasant surprise. A lovely discovery.

[simmmba · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky" is an excellent historical fiction novel. Set in the Nashville area in the 1920s, it tells the story of Two Feathers, a young performer, and her time working at Glendale Park. From a historical perspective, the author shares a lot about what life was like in that time and place. The reader sees glimpses of everyday life for the wealthy park owners, prominent local citizens, and park employees. However, the most impressive lessons come from the light the author shines on the lives of American Indians and African Americans during a time when discrimination was common and accepted. I also enjoyed everything I learned about Cherokee history and culture.In the midst of all the subtly educational content, there is also a great story. Two Feathers is employed at the park as a horse diver; this means that she rides her horse off a high platform and lands in a fairly small pool at the tower's base. I loved learning about her act and everything that went into it. The story primarily focuses on Two, but a fair amount of time is spent with her friends and co-workers Crawford and Clive. All three are fascinating characters, with enough back story provided to let the reader truly understand their motivations and decisions.A bit of magical realism is included as well, as two characters start to become aware of spirits around them. In addition, something odd is going on with the park's animals, and it was fascinating to watch as the spirit world intersected with the actual one as the mystery was unraveled. I will note that the mystery was actually a fairly small part of the overall story. I recommend this mainly for readers who enjoy historical fiction, as well as anyone who wants to read a quality story about characters and events that don't get written about nearly as often as they should.Five out of five slices of perfect Provolone!

[m.belljackson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The early chapters of When two Feathers Fell From the Sky were really compelling.The dives into the tiny pond, though not without danger and wonder for the outcomes, were convincingly and gently portrayed. Yet, there was a mounting tension for the future safety of the beautiful, talented and strong horse, Ocher.With a chapter titled "The Last Dive," readers would still have hope that this was just before Two returned to the 101 ranch in Oklahoma from the Nashville Park and Zoo.Given that many of us will not read an animal book without asking "Does the Dog Die?" and so skip it, this chapter and the horror of the earth opening up may make us wish we had passed up this one. That decision became even more resolute with the very slowly evolving convoluted plot and cast of weirdly conflicting characters whose motives remained senseless orcruel.

[lisapeet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great bit of history to play with—Nashville amusement park in the 1920s—featuring a Cherokee woman who does a horse diving act, an unconventional murder mystery, and some of the best non-anthropomorphized animal characters I've come across in a while.