Zeke and Ned [Paperback]

Larry McMurtry (Author), Diana Ossana (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2002

Zeke and Ned is the story of Ezekiel Proctor and Ned Christie, the last Cherokee warriors -- two proud, passionate men whose remarkable quest to carve a future out of Indian Territory east of the Arkansas River after the Civil War is not only history but legend. Played out against an American West governed by a brutal brand of frontier justice, this intensely moving saga brims with a rich cast of indomitable and utterly unforgettable characters such as Becca, Zeke's gallant Cherokee wife, and Jewel Sixkiller Proctor, whose love for Ned makes her a tragic heroine.

At once exuberant and poignant, bittersweet and brilliant, Zeke and Ned takes us deep into the hearts of two extraordinary men who were willing to go the distance for the bold vision they shared -- and for the women they loved.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With this new historical Western, Larry McMurtry returns to the genre in which he created such memorable characters as Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call. In collaboration with Pretty Boy Floyd coauthor Diana Ossana, he dramatizes the Cherokee struggle for independence following the Civil War. Ezekiel Proctor and Ned Christie are the last Cherokee warriors, men of legend and history, whose fates are a consequence of such brutal policies as the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the infamous Trail of Tears. They struggle to find honor in a harsh, violent land under the relentless pressure of white law and broken promises. Every bit as tough as their men, the women in Zeke and Ned are determined to raise their families and keep the two men alive--whatever it takes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

McMurty and Ossana employ a technique they used successfully in Pretty Boy Floyd (LJ 9/1/94), in which a historical character of legendary proportions become the hero of a modern work of fiction. This work focuses on Zeke Proctor and Ned Christic, Cherokee Indians who became folk heroes in the Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s. Unforgiven wrongs that festered since the removal of the Cherokee Nation from Georgia in the 1830s become a moving force in the story of a casual love affair gone awry and the bloody feud and even bloodier legal actions that transpire when federal judges intervene. McMurty paints Zeke's courtship, murder trial, and marriage debacle with broad humor, and Ossana takes the story home with Ned's four-year standoff of armed federal marshals dispatched to take him dead or alive. A wonderfully readable historical novel that furthers the understanding of the Native-white disputes of the last century. Recommended for most collections.
-?Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale, Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743230175
• ISBN-13: 978-0743230179
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Larry McMurtry is the author of twenty-nine novels, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove. His other works include two collections of essays, three memoirs, and more than thirty screenplays, including the coauthorship of Brokeback Mountain, for which he received an Academy Award. His most recent novel, When the Light Goes, is available from Simon & Schuster. He lives in Archer City, Texas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great reading, told in the style Mark Twain, June 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Zeke and Ned (Hardcover)

What a tale! I'm a Cherokee with a strong heritage, heard about Ned Christie while growing up. I read the review by one of the other Cherokees, and was surprised to see how disappointed they were in this story. How refreshing to see a book with flesh-and-blood characters--I'm sick of books that portray us as "noble savages". We are a people with yearnings, sorrows, flaws and loyalties, strong ones. We wanted, more than anything in the nineteenth century, to be left alone to lead our lives, to extend our heritage. ZEKE AND NED is told in the style of a tall tale, Mark Twainish, if you will, and what a story!!! A historical novel, key word here being "novel". McMurtry and Ossana have taken a critical piece of history and brought it to life. My grandfather read it, loved it, laughed out loud, and cried at the end. I'm sure the clever, engaging dialogue is from the writers' imaginations and not from any historical treatises, because such treatises don't exist. Most of the general facts are true, such as the courtroom shootout, Judge Parker's penchant for hanging, the questionable morals of the U.S. Marshals, the fiery determination of Ned Christie to just be left alone, the strength of our women and their loyalty to their men and their heritage. Hope you'll take a chance on this book. You won't be sorry you did.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautifully Crafted Web of History and Fiction, March 28, 2003

By 

Hallie (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zeke and Ned (Mass Market Paperback)

I hate reading because nothing really interests me, but this book was about 500 pages and I read it in 6 days. When you first see the book and read a description, you think it's going to be a normal, boring historical fiction novel about Indians. I started the book with that assumption, but my mindset was changed immediately after I finished the first page. The book incorporates a few historical facts (i.e. the Trail of Tears) and an interesting set of characters (Traditional Cherokee Indians, Christian Cherokee Indians, Brutal and friendly whites Americans, bootleggers, Cherokee politicians and many more). It has many different conflicts, including conflicts between whites and Indians NOT ON THE BATTLE FIELD (as normally portrayed), but in legal issues and moral differences. There are also comparisons between different types of marraiges and family orientations between Indian families. Although the book isn't totally historically accurate, it doesn't matter because it is Larry McMurtry's own developed characters put into the bodies and lives of a handful of Cherokee Indians and their white rivals.
The plot never stops. Every page is full of interesting details about the lives of these 1850's characters, and there are so many conflicts going on that you're kept interested through the whole book. There are just enough conflicts that you don't focus on one too much and get bored with it, and that there aren't too many that you get confused. Just the right pinch of clashes to keep you involved and wondering what happens next. Each different sub-plot has to do witha different aspect of western life, whether it be marraige, legal issues, bootlegging, family development, sicknesses and diseases, safety, and government. At least one sub-plot will make you want to read through the whole book! I can't stop expressing how amazing this book was and how great of a writer Larry McMurtry is. I recommend strongly that you go out and read this book because it will keep you interested and you will enjoy it!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another McMurtry/Ossana Success, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Zeke And Ned Cassette (Audio Cassette)

What an incredible tale of human suffering, compassion, forgiveness, begrudgement, and triumph--depending on your perspective of course. Ned Christie is the classic tragic hero. His greatest flaw is intertwined with his greatest strength (vengence/tenacity). Yes, there is saddness in the bleak lives that Ned and Jewel have been thrust into, but there is a romantic inspiration in their steadfastness also. These characters are real, gripping, amiable. I particulary enjoyed the switch to the first person voice in the last part of the book. Zeke and Ned is an adventure you don't want to miss.