Calico [Paperback]

Allison Bruning (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2011

"A man whose heart appears pure shall deceive you. The power he holds over you leads you to evil. You shall denounce the ways of Our Grandmother. Another man comes, whose pure heart beats for you alone, and who has a pure spirit devoted to Our Grandmother. He shall defeat the evil and set you free." A prophecy has been cast against her. In a harsh world deep within the western frontier of Ohio and Kentucky, Calico Marie Turner must learn to survive among the Shawnee and trust the one man who hates her the most, Chief Little Owl Quick as the Wind.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: King's Quandary (August 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979017254
• ISBN-13: 978-0979017254
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,501,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Allison Bruning originally hails from Marion, Ohio. Her father, Roland Irving Bruning, was the son of German immigrants who came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Her grandfather owned a confectionary in Guttenburg, New Jersey in the early 20th century and it later became an ice cream parlor in the 50's. Her mother's family had been in the United States since the 17th century. Allison is a member of the Daughter of American Revolution, tracing her linage to Rueben Messenger of Connecticut. Her mother's side of the family was one of the first families to settle Ohio.

Allison enjoys family stories, history and genealogy. Her educational background includes a BA in Theatre Arts with a minor in Anthropology and a Texas Elementary Teaching certificate. Both acquired at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. She received National Honor Society memberships in both Theatre Arts and Communication. Allison was also honored her sophomore year with admission into the All American Scholars register. She holds graduate hours in Cultural Anthropology and Education. In 2007 she was named Who's Who Among America's Educators. She is also the recipient of the Girl Scout Silver and Gold Awards.

Allison lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband and their Australian Cattle Dog. She is currently working on her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Full Sail University. Allison's interest includes Ohio Valley history, anthropology, travel, culture, history, camping, hiking, backpacking, and genealogy. Her genres include historical fiction, paranormal, romance, and suspense.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Fairly unreadable May 25, 2012

By Rich Meyer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I know the author via Facebook, and was given a copy of the book to read and review from her publisher, the second one to try and handle this car wreck. This book tries to do way too much, and does none of it with any elan or even accuracy. It reads like a Native American-themed Game of Thrones. There are too many subplots and too many characters, with all sorts of dark and secretive pasts. And everyone's got two or three names, and several apparent loyalties to boot. It was virtually impossible to follow, at least for me, anyway. Apparently other reviewers had no worries on that matter, so I guess that one's on me, but it almost had me wishing for the naive simplicity of a Twilight novel.

This book tried to have it all in a grand fashion. There are what appear to be the equivalent of a family of French ninjas, very confusing lineages, incest, rape and some paranormal stuff tossed in like a cup of salt in a cake batter. I really think this book could've used one or two more passes from some qualified editors before it went to press. There is a lot of exposition. And I mean, a LOT of it. But it doesn't always help the story. I know this period fairly well, being a fan of Kenneth Roberts' novels and James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. I think most people in the US do vaguely remember the frontier and colonial life from our basic grade school classes. These character bemoan their plights way too much and far too unabandonedly for any of them to be sympathetic to me.

If you are going to write about the tempestuous era of Colonial America, you better get the names right. As far as I know, there was no "Colonel Jeffry Amhearst". I seem to recall the real Amherst was a Major-General around the time period of book, having been named Governor-General of Britain's holdings in four years before this story starts. There are a few minor errors like that, which I hope are corrected in the next edition.

The dialogue in this book can be very confusing at times. Several characters speak in a English-French-Shawnee kind of patois that is incredibly difficult to follow. While I personally know more Shawnee words than French, I couldn't come close to following this. It is sort of like when Agatha Christie would put a big clue or plot point in French dialogue from Poirot just to show off as being pompous and "intellectual." There was also a Scot character whose dialogue was written phonetically in such a pidgin fashion that it literally hurts your brain to read it. I tried reading it aloud to my wife and she made me stop because she was afraid her ears would start bleeding. It is one thing to be concerned with being in-character and making things sound right for the particular time and place. One's most important duty as a writer is to be understood. If we can't understand what your characters are saying, we can't follow the story. I'm sure there's probably a whole bunch of subtle plotlines I missed because I had no idea what people were saying.

If you are multilingual and like Native American-themed stories, or tales of Colonial America, you may enjoy this book, presumably if you can understand it. I simply found it a very difficult read. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars difficult read May 31, 2012

By Gryphonesse

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really, really tried to like this book. The premise is promising, but it's just written so badly that it was next to impossible to understand. Half the time I had to go back two pages to figure out who was talking - the characters aren't outlined or explained well and there are some really stereotypical archetypes. That, and I can only read about rape and molestation for so long.(Ideally, never) Once would have been enough - this story went way beyond what was necessary. The author seemed to be glorying in the abuse and I found that sickening. I referred to this story as the Car Wreck to my friends - it was terrible, but I had to see how it ended. And I wanted to read it all the way through so I could justify posting a bad review. My apologies to the author, I just cannot recommend this, even as a free download.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical Novel October 10, 2011

By Reviewer"Lynn"

Format:Paperback

Calico Children of the Shawnee Series-Book 1)
Allison Bruning
Available on Kindle or Paperback
5 Stars

Synopsis:
The first book in Allison Bruning's newest series Calico, is a great historical novel filled with a touch of suspense and romance. When Calico and her sister Rose were born into a Shawnee nation, little did they know they were actually descendents of French nobility. With their father dead from smallpox and upon their mothers pending death,their Uncle Pierre takes them back to the Shawnee nation to be raised by the tribe. Only Rose chooses not to live among them when she soon finds out she has an Aunt living close by.

As Calico grows up living with her adopted parents, she has a hard time adjusting to becoming a woman. She would rather go out and hunt with the men than to stay home and learn to cook and sew. Her main problem is one man, Little Owl Quick As The Wind. They both have such an animosity towards each other and Little Owl cannot stand any white person. Chosen early in her life by the Spirit Grandmother, Calico can see visions,and speak to the spirits and a plan is set forth for Little Owl and Calico even though they do not visualize it at this time. Will Calico learn the ways of the women and eventually declare a truce with Little Owl? As the French and British are trying to locate the twins, can the two uncles Pierre and Alexander, keep Calico safe and hidden away from King George? With a promise that Alexander made to his dying sister to keep the girls safe and out of the hands of the British, can he hold up to that promise and not only keep them safe but Pierre also? While Calico was deceived by her own adopted father which one will suffer the consequences?

As a reader who loves to read anything dealing with the Native Americans I found the author to be very knowledgeable in the lives of the Shawnee. The two main characters Calico and Little own stand out on their own, but the secondary characters make the book what it is. There is just enough suspense throughout the book dealing with the British and the French to keep the reader involved right to the end. In fact I read the book in two settings. The book does contain some scenes of rape and incest but they are not in a sensual or graphic detail. Occasional violence but nothing more than would happen in any novel pertaining to war among the whites and the Indian Nations.

If you are a reader who likes the historical genre I feel like you will enjoy this series. I myself will be looking forward to the second book in the series" Rose" dealing with the twin sister.