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Red Clay, Running Waters
Red Clay, Running Waters is the little-known story of John Ridge, a Cherokee man dedicated to his people, and his White wife Sarah Northrop, a woman devoted to his cause.
In 1824, John Ridge, the promising son of a Cherokee leader, returns from his New England education with his White bride, Sarah. John burns to realize the dream of an independent Cherokee Nation, using his eloquence, his education, and his Cherokee heart in defense of his people's humanity and rights. Peace at home evades when tensions rise between the Southern states and the federal government, pulling the couple into the crossfire of a divided country on the brink of civil war.
As America wrestles for its soul over the fate of the Indians, John and Sarah unite to forestall a Cherokee diaspora, testing the limits of individual commitment and the meaning of sacrifice. The Ridges' abiding love for the Cherokee compel them to join forces seeking justice, but with options eroding, and Andrew Jackson in office, John and Sarah must confront an agonizing choice about the future of the Cherokee Nation.
In a timely saga of one family's search for justice in the 1830s Removal Crisis, this story of profound love, sacrifice, and the meaning of home weaves the complex strands of politics, race, religion, and love into the tapestry of the turbulent times before the Trail of Tears.
Grappling with universal themes - the meaning of love, commitment, and the courage to confront tyranny, Red Clay Running Waters is a vibrant and heart-breaking portrait of the Antebellum Era and the fate of Native Americans. Readers will be propelled across true events on a stunning journey leading to a haunting and moving conclusion.
In 1824, John Ridge, the promising son of a Cherokee leader, returns from his New England education with his White bride, Sarah. John burns to realize the dream of an independent Cherokee Nation, using his eloquence, his education, and his Cherokee heart in defense of his people's humanity and rights. Peace at home evades when tensions rise between the Southern states and the federal government, pulling the couple into the crossfire of a divided country on the brink of civil war.
As America wrestles for its soul over the fate of the Indians, John and Sarah unite to forestall a Cherokee diaspora, testing the limits of individual commitment and the meaning of sacrifice. The Ridges' abiding love for the Cherokee compel them to join forces seeking justice, but with options eroding, and Andrew Jackson in office, John and Sarah must confront an agonizing choice about the future of the Cherokee Nation.
In a timely saga of one family's search for justice in the 1830s Removal Crisis, this story of profound love, sacrifice, and the meaning of home weaves the complex strands of politics, race, religion, and love into the tapestry of the turbulent times before the Trail of Tears.
Grappling with universal themes - the meaning of love, commitment, and the courage to confront tyranny, Red Clay Running Waters is a vibrant and heart-breaking portrait of the Antebellum Era and the fate of Native Americans. Readers will be propelled across true events on a stunning journey leading to a haunting and moving conclusion.
686 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2023
18 people are currently reading
11500 people want to read
About the author
Leslie K. Simmons
1 book439 followersLeslie K Simmons writes about people at the center of defining moments in the American past, using the power of Historical Fiction to reveal how a past we didn’t live shapes the lives we live today. After decades of research, Leslie followed a path marked by serendipities to the story she knew she had to write, her debut novel, RED CLAY, RUNNING WATERS.
Leslie has taught a course on Native Americans of the Southeast, restored two 19th Century houses (one award winning), and holds a degree in Anthropology and Art. She has been a member of the Trail of Tears Association since 1999, belongs to the Women's Fiction Writers Association, and the Historical Novel Society. She is also a contributing moderator for the American Historical Novels Facebook group.
Leslie has taught a course on Native Americans of the Southeast, restored two 19th Century houses (one award winning), and holds a degree in Anthropology and Art. She has been a member of the Trail of Tears Association since 1999, belongs to the Women's Fiction Writers Association, and the Historical Novel Society. She is also a contributing moderator for the American Historical Novels Facebook group.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 18, 2023
Simmons has crafted a heart wrenching and meticulously researched narrative of John Ridge and the Cherokee removal, the Trail of Tears. The utter racism and rejection of Cherokee life and culture is hard to read. But you’re glued to the story, right down to the tragic conclusion.
December 5, 2023
This is a historical fiction book based on real people and events. The book takes place in 7 parts and between the dates of 1818-1853.
It is a love story between John Ridge and Sarah Bird Northup. John Ridge is from an important Cherokee family. Sarah Bird Northup is white. At the time, their marriage was a contentious issue.
This book also tells about an important part of US history and the role John Ridge played in it. Due to John Ridge’s support, he became instrumental in what became known as The Trail of Tears.
This book is thoroughly researched, but doesn’t throw facts and descriptions at you and call itself historical fiction. Through this book’s dialogue, it made the people and events of a crucial time in US history come alive.
It is a love story between John Ridge and Sarah Bird Northup. John Ridge is from an important Cherokee family. Sarah Bird Northup is white. At the time, their marriage was a contentious issue.
This book also tells about an important part of US history and the role John Ridge played in it. Due to John Ridge’s support, he became instrumental in what became known as The Trail of Tears.
This book is thoroughly researched, but doesn’t throw facts and descriptions at you and call itself historical fiction. Through this book’s dialogue, it made the people and events of a crucial time in US history come alive.
December 19, 2023
Please look out for Red Clay, Running Water by Leslie Simmons, her debut novel. It’s the epic story of John Ridge, a Cherokee & his wife, Sarah (a white woman). It’s historical fiction based on real people & real events in the 1800s, including The Trail of Tears. It’s a story that needed to be told, & Leslie has told it very well, the narrative flows. This is a remarkable book. Thoroughly recommend
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from the author, & I am writing a voluntary honest review.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from the author, & I am writing a voluntary honest review.
January 25, 2024
Reviewed for my blog.
Red Clay, Running Waters is a debut novel from author Leslie K Simmons, featuring the true story of Cherokee advocate John Ridge. I am connected with Leslie through Historical Writers Forum and had a peek at the first chapters of this moving novel before its publication. When I was offered the opportunity to read the entire finished product, of course, I said yes. My dear readers will undoubtedly recognize why I was drawn to this tragic protagonist.
From the opening scene, there is a heartbreaking quality about this book. The reader does not need to have deep knowledge of US history to know that Ridge's quest to help lead an independent Cherokee nation within Georgia, or at least have his people maintain some level of autonomy, is doomed from the start. Joining him on his journey is an emotive ride.
John becomes aware of what the Cherokee people are up against when he travels as a teenager to missionary school in Connecticut. Accepting that Christianity is the price he must pay for an excellent education, he leaves home with lofty goals. Seeing cities like Philadelphia and New York forces him to accept that there will be no holding back the wave of white settlers spreading westward from the east coast. The Cherokee Nation must survive through diplomacy, for it will not be able to do so through power.
An unanticipated result of John's time in New England is his marriage to Sarah Northrop, the daughter of the white family working at the school. The couple underestimates the negativity the revelation of their relationship is met with. John slowly realizes that the white Christians believe the Indians deserve the gospel but not equality. “The respect I believed we gained through our efforts are merely platitudes, a means for the Whites to congratulate themselves on their condescension and benevolence.”
One aspect of the Cherokee's story will likely surprise readers. While most will have some idea of what the Trail of Tears was, less is known about the Cherokee Nation before removal. John and Sarah Ridge lived in an expansive plantation home and enslaved many people. Slave ownership is not excused in this story, though the Ridges are portrayed as benevolent owners, as much as one can be who claims others as property. A few mentions of those who are cruel are made but only as exceptions. There are a few moments of John contemplating the similarity of the Cherokee position to that of blacks, but never to the extent that he considers that blacks too deserve their freedom. It adds a real-life complication to the story to have those suffering from racism practicing it themselves.
At almost 700 pages, this book is a commitment to following Ridge through each step of his struggles. The author does not leave anything out or cram multiple events into one as has become common in modern historical fiction, creating a highly accurate rendition of events but one that moves thoughtfully if sometimes slowly.
The true character of Andrew Jackson is on full display. One character states, “This man of the common people who spurned aristocracy seems to have no issue with treating others like subjects.” I couldn't agree more and have included similar observations in my upcoming biography of James Alexander Hamilton, who served as Jackson's temporary Secretary of State and advised him throughout his presidency. Unfortunately, few people have been as dependent on the outcome as a presidential election as the Cherokee Nation, and Jackson's second term was a disaster for them.
I learned a lot reading this book, and I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about John Ridge. He was devoted to what he felt was right, but was there a way that would have resulted in less heartache? Even in hindsight, I can't say. Neither he nor his family deserved what happened. More than that I will not say, so that you can read his story for yourself in Red Clay, Running Waters.
Red Clay, Running Waters is a debut novel from author Leslie K Simmons, featuring the true story of Cherokee advocate John Ridge. I am connected with Leslie through Historical Writers Forum and had a peek at the first chapters of this moving novel before its publication. When I was offered the opportunity to read the entire finished product, of course, I said yes. My dear readers will undoubtedly recognize why I was drawn to this tragic protagonist.
From the opening scene, there is a heartbreaking quality about this book. The reader does not need to have deep knowledge of US history to know that Ridge's quest to help lead an independent Cherokee nation within Georgia, or at least have his people maintain some level of autonomy, is doomed from the start. Joining him on his journey is an emotive ride.
John becomes aware of what the Cherokee people are up against when he travels as a teenager to missionary school in Connecticut. Accepting that Christianity is the price he must pay for an excellent education, he leaves home with lofty goals. Seeing cities like Philadelphia and New York forces him to accept that there will be no holding back the wave of white settlers spreading westward from the east coast. The Cherokee Nation must survive through diplomacy, for it will not be able to do so through power.
An unanticipated result of John's time in New England is his marriage to Sarah Northrop, the daughter of the white family working at the school. The couple underestimates the negativity the revelation of their relationship is met with. John slowly realizes that the white Christians believe the Indians deserve the gospel but not equality. “The respect I believed we gained through our efforts are merely platitudes, a means for the Whites to congratulate themselves on their condescension and benevolence.”
One aspect of the Cherokee's story will likely surprise readers. While most will have some idea of what the Trail of Tears was, less is known about the Cherokee Nation before removal. John and Sarah Ridge lived in an expansive plantation home and enslaved many people. Slave ownership is not excused in this story, though the Ridges are portrayed as benevolent owners, as much as one can be who claims others as property. A few mentions of those who are cruel are made but only as exceptions. There are a few moments of John contemplating the similarity of the Cherokee position to that of blacks, but never to the extent that he considers that blacks too deserve their freedom. It adds a real-life complication to the story to have those suffering from racism practicing it themselves.
At almost 700 pages, this book is a commitment to following Ridge through each step of his struggles. The author does not leave anything out or cram multiple events into one as has become common in modern historical fiction, creating a highly accurate rendition of events but one that moves thoughtfully if sometimes slowly.
The true character of Andrew Jackson is on full display. One character states, “This man of the common people who spurned aristocracy seems to have no issue with treating others like subjects.” I couldn't agree more and have included similar observations in my upcoming biography of James Alexander Hamilton, who served as Jackson's temporary Secretary of State and advised him throughout his presidency. Unfortunately, few people have been as dependent on the outcome as a presidential election as the Cherokee Nation, and Jackson's second term was a disaster for them.
I learned a lot reading this book, and I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about John Ridge. He was devoted to what he felt was right, but was there a way that would have resulted in less heartache? Even in hindsight, I can't say. Neither he nor his family deserved what happened. More than that I will not say, so that you can read his story for yourself in Red Clay, Running Waters.
January 19, 2024
Red Clay, Running Waters is based on a fascinating true story that dives into a rarely explored period in American history. Leslie K. Simmons writes with beautiful, eloquent prose. She masterfully brings to life the characters of John Ridge and Sarah Bird Northup and their marriage based on deep love and deeper convictions. This is a serious, meticulously researched, and very engrossing work of historical fiction and deserves a place on every historical fiction lover's bookshelf!
December 19, 2023
Just finished my advanced reading copy. The story of John and Sarah Ridge will stay with me for a long time. Good historical fiction informs you in a unique way about a historical time period or figure. Great historical fiction makes you care about the characters and feel their emotions. This is great historical fiction.
This is a story told from a different perspective from any other that I've read about the Trail of Tears. I've read a lot of history books about the Cherokee Nation and this book opens up the desire to study more.
I will say, at over 600 pages, this book is a commitment! A few times I got just a little lost in the time frame. But the story is worth reading and John and Sarah Ridge are worth knowing. I'm so glad the author dedicated herself to telling this story. This was such an important period in our nation's history and so little of it is taught. The story is beautiful and heart-breaking. What an amazing debut novel.
This is a story told from a different perspective from any other that I've read about the Trail of Tears. I've read a lot of history books about the Cherokee Nation and this book opens up the desire to study more.
I will say, at over 600 pages, this book is a commitment! A few times I got just a little lost in the time frame. But the story is worth reading and John and Sarah Ridge are worth knowing. I'm so glad the author dedicated herself to telling this story. This was such an important period in our nation's history and so little of it is taught. The story is beautiful and heart-breaking. What an amazing debut novel.
December 23, 2023
I like how this story followed John Ridge way before the Trail of Tears. From the beginning of his education to after the Treaty was signed. I enjoyed learning about the school and his time there. After he finished school the story focused mainly on the politics between the tribes and the government. It was easy to follow and while I enjoyed the first half a smidge more they both were engaging. I loved learning more about Sarah and the couple perspectives from her while John was away on business. She moved her life for him and then he was gone a lot through the years. It was well researched.
Thank you @lksimmonsauthor and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.
Thank you @lksimmonsauthor and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.
November 26, 2023
A very educational historical read following the Ridge family and the tragedy of what became known as the Trail of Tears. I really learned a lot from this novel. It was so well written, has so much depth and history and it was quite shocking everything that happened leading up to and after the expatriation of the Natives from their southern land. John and Sarah Ridge were quite a couple before their time with going against convention, marrying and knowing what it would all bring upon them, their families and the future of their children. Interracial marriage was not heard of and was seen as the start of the downfall of the program that sent Indian's north to further education them in the ways of the white. John Ridge became very knowledgeable and trustworthy of a man, and used this to his full ability to try and save his people. This was at times a shocking read with all that had happened and how different life and government was back then. I really also loved his wife Sarah, she was a very strong woman and allowed her husband to put his career before the family while making sure he had nothing to worry about at home while fighting for all he believed in for everyone else. This is a novel that could be read multiple times and every time I know I would pick up something else I missed the last time I read it. The author really did an amazing job with writing a complete before, during and after of this tragedy and I felt she really brought to life these forgotten historic figures. Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite and to the author for the complementary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord.
January 2, 2024
Red Clay, Running Waters is an epic, well-researched historical novel. It's also, at heart, a love story--both about the love between John and Sarah Ridge and also John Ridge's love for his people--but I wouldn't call it an historical romance. Rather, it's a true story, rendered in compelling fiction, that traces the lives of these lesser known historical characters in the midst of the tremendous upheaval and ultimate tragedy of the Cherokee people as they fought white encroachment but were ultimately expelled from their homelands and forced west on the Trail of Tears. In the broader strokes of that tragic story, John Ridge and others of the Ridge party are sometimes viewed as traitors. This novel seeks to correct that understanding by doing what historical fiction does best: giving the reader an insider's knowledge of individuals' hearts, minds, motivations. Highly recommended for readers who love historical fiction, hidden stories, love stories, epic fiction.
January 25, 2024
wonderfully gripping tale
Leslie Simmon’s book Red Clay, Running Waters is a beautifully written story about John Ridge, the Cherokee, and a tumultuous time in our history. This historical fiction provides a very different perspective, that of a highly educated Indian, contrary to most existent images. This intense story is elucidating, depicting the moral and physical challenges of our country, especially in Georgia.
Leslie Simmon’s book Red Clay, Running Waters is a beautifully written story about John Ridge, the Cherokee, and a tumultuous time in our history. This historical fiction provides a very different perspective, that of a highly educated Indian, contrary to most existent images. This intense story is elucidating, depicting the moral and physical challenges of our country, especially in Georgia.
May 31, 2024
Definitely a straight 5* for me ! I found this novel based on actual people, events extremely interesting and informative. Even though, the story covers close to 700 pages, not one page was boring! I was impressed by John and his uncommon full integrity towards his people. I was impressed by his acceptance of personal sacrifices, even his own life! His wife is however not to be ignored: her courage of her love for John in spite of racism, hypocrisy of the Church people also show great integrity and strength. A story which is not stuck in the past because of its legacy today. His topic of humanity remains actual which I fear, will always be so. Highly recommended!
I received a digital copy of this novel from BookSirens and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.
I received a digital copy of this novel from BookSirens and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.
April 26, 2024
With a touch of poetic grace, author Leslie K. Simmons introduces us to her engrossing novel, “Red Clay, Running Waters” with embers from a little-known story in Native American history. The tale follows John Ridge, the son of a Cherokee Indian chief, who, after finishing his Western education at a Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut, returns to his people with a burning desire. Accompanied by his newly wedded caucasian wife, Sarah Northrop, Ridge is determined to defend the dignity and rights of his people. His dream is to achieve autonomy for his people and possibly reserve their right to remain a free nation.
Now the chief of his tribe, Ridge becomes aware of the ongoing dissension and conflicts between Native Americans and the white settlers culminating in several treaty talks. One such treaty was the Treaty of New Echota, which had unprecedented ramifications for the Cherokee tribe. An overwhelming majority of Cherokee people renounced this move, which ultimately led to Ridge and his family paying the ultimate price.
Prior knowledge of American history is not needed before reading this beautiful work of historical fiction. The narrative shifts from Ridge’s romance with Sarah who faced serious disapproval, to his actions as a tribal chief upon returning to Georgia. Through years of historical research and study, the author presents us with a panoramic view of the series of events. Some of these include the conflicts in the western US states between the Native Indians and American settlers, the Trail of Tears as the Natives were forced off their ancestral land, and the Antebellum Era.
Simmons’ knack for storytelling adds insight and empathy to the narrative. This allows us to experience these unique events right from our homes as well as the emotional truths of her characters, a worthy feat that a conventional historical account would find difficult to accomplish.
As an avid reader of historical fiction, I am confident “Red Clay, Running Waters” will be a welcome escape from everyday life for fans of this genre, just as it was for me. The language is colorful, befitting the period that the plot is set in, and the prose is crisp, with real people who cleverly represent historical characters. The drama is ample with sizeable bits of historical facts that do not override the main story the writer intends to share with her readers. The result is a five-star novel that succeeds in bringing history back to life by showcasing some of the events that shaped modern-day America. Leslie K. Simmons is definitely an author to watch.
Now the chief of his tribe, Ridge becomes aware of the ongoing dissension and conflicts between Native Americans and the white settlers culminating in several treaty talks. One such treaty was the Treaty of New Echota, which had unprecedented ramifications for the Cherokee tribe. An overwhelming majority of Cherokee people renounced this move, which ultimately led to Ridge and his family paying the ultimate price.
Prior knowledge of American history is not needed before reading this beautiful work of historical fiction. The narrative shifts from Ridge’s romance with Sarah who faced serious disapproval, to his actions as a tribal chief upon returning to Georgia. Through years of historical research and study, the author presents us with a panoramic view of the series of events. Some of these include the conflicts in the western US states between the Native Indians and American settlers, the Trail of Tears as the Natives were forced off their ancestral land, and the Antebellum Era.
Simmons’ knack for storytelling adds insight and empathy to the narrative. This allows us to experience these unique events right from our homes as well as the emotional truths of her characters, a worthy feat that a conventional historical account would find difficult to accomplish.
As an avid reader of historical fiction, I am confident “Red Clay, Running Waters” will be a welcome escape from everyday life for fans of this genre, just as it was for me. The language is colorful, befitting the period that the plot is set in, and the prose is crisp, with real people who cleverly represent historical characters. The drama is ample with sizeable bits of historical facts that do not override the main story the writer intends to share with her readers. The result is a five-star novel that succeeds in bringing history back to life by showcasing some of the events that shaped modern-day America. Leslie K. Simmons is definitely an author to watch.
March 11, 2024
At 16 Skaleeloskee Son of the Cherokee leader went to learn what the white man had to teach him he would come back being called John Rich and drank all the Kool-Aid they were handing out. He loved God respected others and they were even Cherokee‘s that own slaves and live in fancy homes. John would go on to marry a white woman name Sarah and just wanted to help lead his people and live in peace. Unfortunately the Civil War happen, but the laws passed prior and after that would’ve affect him his wife their children and the rest of the Cherokee nation as well as other nations. It seemed no matter how hard John tried to assimilate they kept changing the game and the rules. He did everything but give up the pride of his nation and his beliefs and principles ran so deep that even after he and his wife were deceased their children grandchildren ATC would go on to fight for the rights of a nation that should’ve been probably left alone to begin with. I love the story of John Rich I love how he never carried the opinions of others but just that of his self I thought Sarah was such a strong independent woman and although she didn’t tote a gun she made Homelife Pleasant so her husband could fight the good fight. I also love the John tried to fight them with the tools they gave him I just loved the story and totally definitely and highly recommend it. This is another sad book about how we betrayed those who wanted to be on our side. These men especially Andrew Jackson are despicable but I feel I am just beating a dead horse this was a great book and one everyone should read. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review. Just an FYI this book is over 800 pages long it is very very long but so worth reading.
March 7, 2024
Red Clay, Running Waters by Leslie K Simmons is a masterful account of John Ridge, a Cherokee statesman and his wife, Sarah Northrop. Simmons' research is phenomenal and gives readers a glimpse into what it was like as Georgia tried to force the Cherokee from its borders.
Quite honestly, I had trouble reading and could only take the novel in small doses. Not because of the writing - which was flawless - but because of what I learned about how my government treated the Cherokee - lying, slandering, stealing, and killing.
In addition to the heartless treatment of a great People, the book also looks at love. The relationship between Sarah and John is beautiful, though in no way perfect. Despite having continual trials, this couple found a way to keep moving forward. It certainly gave me hope.
This is not a book for the faint of heart, but one that should be on everyone's TBR list.
Quite honestly, I had trouble reading and could only take the novel in small doses. Not because of the writing - which was flawless - but because of what I learned about how my government treated the Cherokee - lying, slandering, stealing, and killing.
In addition to the heartless treatment of a great People, the book also looks at love. The relationship between Sarah and John is beautiful, though in no way perfect. Despite having continual trials, this couple found a way to keep moving forward. It certainly gave me hope.
This is not a book for the faint of heart, but one that should be on everyone's TBR list.
January 18, 2024
Outstanding account of the Cherokee Nation in Georgia leading up to the Trail of Tears.
May 7, 2025
Every so often, a book comes along that doesn’t just tell you a story—it remembers it. Red Clay, Running Waters is such a book. It doesn’t whisper tales of distant ancestors; it lives in the tension of family, freedom, and a fight for dignity that echoes across centuries.
The story orbits around John Ridge, a Cherokee man caught in a shifting tide of national politics, and his White wife, Sarah Northrop, whose devotion to both John and the Cherokee cause transcends social convention. But what truly makes this story breathe is not its historical accuracy alone (though Simmons’ research is meticulous)—it’s the emotional terrain it covers with a kind of quiet grace, like footsteps across red clay, leading toward deeper waters.
Love in the Time of Displacement
Neuroscience tells us that love literally changes the brain—oxytocin and vasopressin sculpt our responses, foster trust, and deepen attachments over time. But what happens when love is tested by the unraveling of an entire nation?
Simmons explores this in a way that feels both intimate and broadly human. There’s a sense of earned closeness in the characters’ connection, especially as it stands against the pressures of cultural collision. It’s not all about florid declarations or melodrama here. Instead, love is depicted as choice, labor, and often, risk. That’s what makes it feel real.
A Civics Lesson Written in Clay
It’s easy to think history is a collection of facts—dates, names, battles. But read Red Clay, Running Waters, and you may start to wonder: What if history is actually made from choices, stitched together by conviction?
This book is a call to remember what it means to act with integrity when law and morality diverge. The Ridges’ journey invites readers—especially young adults and lifelong learners—to engage with the past not as something static, but as a mirror reflecting today’s challenges. How do we reconcile opposing truths? What happens when justice bends to power? The book doesn’t lecture. It asks, and lets you carry the questions forward.
No Capes, Just Courage
There are no superheroes here, no mystic revelations or overnight revolutions. Just two people—flawed, impassioned, brave—tackling tides larger than themselves. That’s what makes their choices feel monumental. The prose is lyrical without being lofty, and the plot’s pacing honors the weight of real events without dragging them.
And while readers unfamiliar with 19th-century history may be surprised by the political complexity, Simmons gently guides them, weaving context seamlessly into dialogue and character moments. You’ll walk away not just informed, but affected.
A Book That Lingers
Can a book make you rethink what “home” means? This one just might.
Educators, book clubs, and intergenerational families alike could find something rich to discuss here—about race, identity, resilience, and the quietly radical act of staying human when humanity seems out of reach.
Content Warning
This book thoughtfully addresses themes related to cultural displacement, historical injustice, and systemic oppression during the 1830s. While it does so with sensitivity and balance, younger readers may benefit from adult guidance to process the historical context and emotional weight.
Final Thought
Red Clay, Running Waters doesn’t scream to be read—it asks you to listen. To a people. To a land. To a love that didn’t stop at social boundaries. It’s a book that doesn’t just tell a story from the past. It reminds us that history isn’t behind us—it’s beneath us, like clay softened by running water, still shaping who we are.
------------
The story orbits around John Ridge, a Cherokee man caught in a shifting tide of national politics, and his White wife, Sarah Northrop, whose devotion to both John and the Cherokee cause transcends social convention. But what truly makes this story breathe is not its historical accuracy alone (though Simmons’ research is meticulous)—it’s the emotional terrain it covers with a kind of quiet grace, like footsteps across red clay, leading toward deeper waters.
Love in the Time of Displacement
Neuroscience tells us that love literally changes the brain—oxytocin and vasopressin sculpt our responses, foster trust, and deepen attachments over time. But what happens when love is tested by the unraveling of an entire nation?
Simmons explores this in a way that feels both intimate and broadly human. There’s a sense of earned closeness in the characters’ connection, especially as it stands against the pressures of cultural collision. It’s not all about florid declarations or melodrama here. Instead, love is depicted as choice, labor, and often, risk. That’s what makes it feel real.
A Civics Lesson Written in Clay
It’s easy to think history is a collection of facts—dates, names, battles. But read Red Clay, Running Waters, and you may start to wonder: What if history is actually made from choices, stitched together by conviction?
This book is a call to remember what it means to act with integrity when law and morality diverge. The Ridges’ journey invites readers—especially young adults and lifelong learners—to engage with the past not as something static, but as a mirror reflecting today’s challenges. How do we reconcile opposing truths? What happens when justice bends to power? The book doesn’t lecture. It asks, and lets you carry the questions forward.
No Capes, Just Courage
There are no superheroes here, no mystic revelations or overnight revolutions. Just two people—flawed, impassioned, brave—tackling tides larger than themselves. That’s what makes their choices feel monumental. The prose is lyrical without being lofty, and the plot’s pacing honors the weight of real events without dragging them.
And while readers unfamiliar with 19th-century history may be surprised by the political complexity, Simmons gently guides them, weaving context seamlessly into dialogue and character moments. You’ll walk away not just informed, but affected.
A Book That Lingers
Can a book make you rethink what “home” means? This one just might.
Educators, book clubs, and intergenerational families alike could find something rich to discuss here—about race, identity, resilience, and the quietly radical act of staying human when humanity seems out of reach.
Content Warning
This book thoughtfully addresses themes related to cultural displacement, historical injustice, and systemic oppression during the 1830s. While it does so with sensitivity and balance, younger readers may benefit from adult guidance to process the historical context and emotional weight.
Final Thought
Red Clay, Running Waters doesn’t scream to be read—it asks you to listen. To a people. To a land. To a love that didn’t stop at social boundaries. It’s a book that doesn’t just tell a story from the past. It reminds us that history isn’t behind us—it’s beneath us, like clay softened by running water, still shaping who we are.
------------
April 24, 2024
I wrote it, so what can I say??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2024
Red Clay, Running Waters is a book about a Cherokee man and his white wife. It begins when he leaves his family at 17 to study in New England. He meets and marries his wife there. It follows them until they move to the new Oklahoma territory to begin their life again, just before the Cherokee’s Trail of Tears. The reader gets a front-row seat to what happened as the whites pressured them to leave their native lands.
I was somewhat aware of his story and the great schism within the Cherokee nation between the Ridges and John Ross. My father’s paternal father and his maternal grandfather were both born and raised in Springplace, Georgia, where some of this story took place.
Also, we knew this part of the family had indigenous blood, but the ancestor we know about is nine generations ago. When my uncle and I both had our DNA done, we found more in our DNA, and since this DNA was much closer than 9 generations ago, we feel fairly certain it is Cherokee since our ancestors lived within the original boundaries of their nation for so long. I still have not found the ancestor, though.
The book is long, over 700 pages, and could be much shorter, making it an easier read. However, the research that went into this tome was amazing and much appreciated.
I have another problem with the book, though. There was language used that I doubted was used in that era. I have written a book from the same period, and in my research, I found nothing in journals and diaries where people used such language as “white supremacy.” I felt the author’s language sometimes smacked of today’s political language. It jolted me out of the story.
Having said that, though, this is a good book that tells a story that needs telling. I give it four stars for the effort and research done.
I was somewhat aware of his story and the great schism within the Cherokee nation between the Ridges and John Ross. My father’s paternal father and his maternal grandfather were both born and raised in Springplace, Georgia, where some of this story took place.
Also, we knew this part of the family had indigenous blood, but the ancestor we know about is nine generations ago. When my uncle and I both had our DNA done, we found more in our DNA, and since this DNA was much closer than 9 generations ago, we feel fairly certain it is Cherokee since our ancestors lived within the original boundaries of their nation for so long. I still have not found the ancestor, though.
The book is long, over 700 pages, and could be much shorter, making it an easier read. However, the research that went into this tome was amazing and much appreciated.
I have another problem with the book, though. There was language used that I doubted was used in that era. I have written a book from the same period, and in my research, I found nothing in journals and diaries where people used such language as “white supremacy.” I felt the author’s language sometimes smacked of today’s political language. It jolted me out of the story.
Having said that, though, this is a good book that tells a story that needs telling. I give it four stars for the effort and research done.
December 16, 2023
Two thumbs up!
Red Clay, Running Waters by Leslie K. Simmons is a biographical novel about John Ridge, a Cherokee leader determined to protect his people from the harmful effects of the 1830’s American Indian removal crisis, and his wife, Sarah Northrup, who was white. Readers can purchase the novel here. If you enjoy historical fiction based on U.S. history, this book is for you. If you like reading about the Native American experience in particular, you'll especially like it.
Following a brief prologue, chapter one opens in 1818 with John Ridge leaving his ancestral Cherokee home near modern-day Calhoun, Georgia. At 16, he is on his way to attend a mission boarding school in Cornwall, Connecticut.
John is the son of Chief Kanuntaclage—The Ridge—a highly respected Cherokee warrior and political leader who fought with Andrew Jackson during the Indian Wars, where he earned the rank of major. As the eldest son, John carries the burden of continuing his father’s legacy upon his return from school.
Raised in the Cherokee way but also educated from a young age by white missionaries, John is adept walking both words. At the mission school, however, he quickly sees how hard it is for whites to accept Indians and begins to wonder if white society will ever view his people as equals. His teachers chastise him for having too much pride in his Indian heritage. Yet he plays the game, knowing that an education is necessary. The Ridges are open-eyed about changes coming to Indian lands and are determined to navigate it successfully.
A medical condition he’d had since childhood that left John with a permanent limp revisits him at school, and he is sent to the home of the school’s steward to recuperate. There he meets the steward’s daughter, Sarah Northrup. Sarah is a bold, outspoken young woman with deep convictions that all are created equal. She does not see John as an Indian but as a man. The two fall in love, and John asks her to be his wife.
Their racial intermarriage is frowned upon by all except John and Sarah’s families, who eventually give their blessing. After John graduates, they marry, and the couple returns to Cherokee land, where the Ridges own a large plantation of peach orchards, animals, and grains. The Ridges are wealthy. Sarah goes from having been a servant at the missionary school where her family served boarding students and faculty to a woman of a grand house complete with servants of her own, along with china and fine furnishings. She didn’t expect the Cherokee Nation to be so advanced in its ways.
And she didn’t expect them to have slaves. The Cherokee have adopted this white institution. Sarah struggles with the irony of Indians, whom white society considers inferior, having slaves. She asks, do the Indians not see their shared plight with Negroes? No one is able to answer this for her. Sarah feels she has no choice but to go along with her new family’s use of slaves, but she adopts a nuanced view, seeing the Negroes as employees rather than as slaves, as do John and the elder Ridges. When John and Sarah establish their own plantation, Running Waters, however, they bring with them the slaves John’s parents gift to them. The morality of slavery is a tension that runs throughout the novel. The abolition movement is on the rise, leaving all Americans having to wrestle with their conscience, Sarah and John among them.
While settling in as a gentleman farmer, John works as a lawyer defending Indian treaty rights. Nature and training have given him the skill of diplomacy, and he is elected to the Cherokee National Committee. Being elected to the Cherokee National Committee is akin to being elected a U.S. Senator. The Cherokee are a sovereign nation with their own form of self-government, complete with democratically elected leaders.
John’s responsibilities take him to Washington, where the Indian Removal Act is under debate. The future John and Sarah imagined for themselves is suddenly under threat. The Act would remove all American Indians east of the Mississippi to desginated areas west of it, stripping them of their ancestral lands and devastating their way of life. John seeks to find a win-win solution. Sarah stands by his side and manages the home front. Politics, however, soon sweeps them up in forces beyond their control when the state of Georgia becomes determined to take over Cherokee lands.
To read my full review, go to https://www.njmastro.com/post/red-cla...
Red Clay, Running Waters by Leslie K. Simmons is a biographical novel about John Ridge, a Cherokee leader determined to protect his people from the harmful effects of the 1830’s American Indian removal crisis, and his wife, Sarah Northrup, who was white. Readers can purchase the novel here. If you enjoy historical fiction based on U.S. history, this book is for you. If you like reading about the Native American experience in particular, you'll especially like it.
Following a brief prologue, chapter one opens in 1818 with John Ridge leaving his ancestral Cherokee home near modern-day Calhoun, Georgia. At 16, he is on his way to attend a mission boarding school in Cornwall, Connecticut.
John is the son of Chief Kanuntaclage—The Ridge—a highly respected Cherokee warrior and political leader who fought with Andrew Jackson during the Indian Wars, where he earned the rank of major. As the eldest son, John carries the burden of continuing his father’s legacy upon his return from school.
Raised in the Cherokee way but also educated from a young age by white missionaries, John is adept walking both words. At the mission school, however, he quickly sees how hard it is for whites to accept Indians and begins to wonder if white society will ever view his people as equals. His teachers chastise him for having too much pride in his Indian heritage. Yet he plays the game, knowing that an education is necessary. The Ridges are open-eyed about changes coming to Indian lands and are determined to navigate it successfully.
A medical condition he’d had since childhood that left John with a permanent limp revisits him at school, and he is sent to the home of the school’s steward to recuperate. There he meets the steward’s daughter, Sarah Northrup. Sarah is a bold, outspoken young woman with deep convictions that all are created equal. She does not see John as an Indian but as a man. The two fall in love, and John asks her to be his wife.
Their racial intermarriage is frowned upon by all except John and Sarah’s families, who eventually give their blessing. After John graduates, they marry, and the couple returns to Cherokee land, where the Ridges own a large plantation of peach orchards, animals, and grains. The Ridges are wealthy. Sarah goes from having been a servant at the missionary school where her family served boarding students and faculty to a woman of a grand house complete with servants of her own, along with china and fine furnishings. She didn’t expect the Cherokee Nation to be so advanced in its ways.
And she didn’t expect them to have slaves. The Cherokee have adopted this white institution. Sarah struggles with the irony of Indians, whom white society considers inferior, having slaves. She asks, do the Indians not see their shared plight with Negroes? No one is able to answer this for her. Sarah feels she has no choice but to go along with her new family’s use of slaves, but she adopts a nuanced view, seeing the Negroes as employees rather than as slaves, as do John and the elder Ridges. When John and Sarah establish their own plantation, Running Waters, however, they bring with them the slaves John’s parents gift to them. The morality of slavery is a tension that runs throughout the novel. The abolition movement is on the rise, leaving all Americans having to wrestle with their conscience, Sarah and John among them.
While settling in as a gentleman farmer, John works as a lawyer defending Indian treaty rights. Nature and training have given him the skill of diplomacy, and he is elected to the Cherokee National Committee. Being elected to the Cherokee National Committee is akin to being elected a U.S. Senator. The Cherokee are a sovereign nation with their own form of self-government, complete with democratically elected leaders.
John’s responsibilities take him to Washington, where the Indian Removal Act is under debate. The future John and Sarah imagined for themselves is suddenly under threat. The Act would remove all American Indians east of the Mississippi to desginated areas west of it, stripping them of their ancestral lands and devastating their way of life. John seeks to find a win-win solution. Sarah stands by his side and manages the home front. Politics, however, soon sweeps them up in forces beyond their control when the state of Georgia becomes determined to take over Cherokee lands.
To read my full review, go to https://www.njmastro.com/post/red-cla...
December 24, 2024
When progress collides with justice and passions test bonds of love.
Human history often resembles the movie Ground Hog Day. Over and over, we fight the same battles in the name of progress, but instead of achieving progress, we repeat the mistakes that have always pockmarked our homes, our communities, our cultures, and all borders of our lives. Nevertheless, the vision of a new and better tomorrow never dies.
If you’re going to read only one story that encapsulates the complexity of cultural conflict, Leslie Simmons’s excellent debut novel, Red Clay Running Waters, sums it up as well as anything I’ve read. It ranks among the most powerful historical novels I have encountered.
The novel is based on the lives of real historical figures and is set during the early nineteenth century as a tsunami of European immigration inundates the American continent. We meet John Ridge, the teenage son of an affluent leader in the Cherokee Nation, as he begins to walk the thin line between assimilating into white civilization and preserving his Cherokee heritage.
Simmons excels at embedding the reader in Ridge’s mind and soul as he navigates his coming of age, his interracial marriage, and his emergence as a leader of the Cherokee Nation who is dedicated to the advancement of his people and their right to determine their own future. In doing so, she reminds us that true progress must always be tempered by justice for all.
Throughout the saga, Simmons deftly uses setting to sometimes foreshadow and at other times to echo the emotional journeys of those who trail in John Ridge’s wake, fighting their own battles at severe cost. Skillfully woven within John Ridge’s journey, we also find in both the American and Cherokee cultures undercurrents of class conflict, the injustice of slavery, and women battling for their rightful place as equals to men and against the suppression of their voices.
I highly recommend this well-crafted historical novel.
Human history often resembles the movie Ground Hog Day. Over and over, we fight the same battles in the name of progress, but instead of achieving progress, we repeat the mistakes that have always pockmarked our homes, our communities, our cultures, and all borders of our lives. Nevertheless, the vision of a new and better tomorrow never dies.
If you’re going to read only one story that encapsulates the complexity of cultural conflict, Leslie Simmons’s excellent debut novel, Red Clay Running Waters, sums it up as well as anything I’ve read. It ranks among the most powerful historical novels I have encountered.
The novel is based on the lives of real historical figures and is set during the early nineteenth century as a tsunami of European immigration inundates the American continent. We meet John Ridge, the teenage son of an affluent leader in the Cherokee Nation, as he begins to walk the thin line between assimilating into white civilization and preserving his Cherokee heritage.
Simmons excels at embedding the reader in Ridge’s mind and soul as he navigates his coming of age, his interracial marriage, and his emergence as a leader of the Cherokee Nation who is dedicated to the advancement of his people and their right to determine their own future. In doing so, she reminds us that true progress must always be tempered by justice for all.
Throughout the saga, Simmons deftly uses setting to sometimes foreshadow and at other times to echo the emotional journeys of those who trail in John Ridge’s wake, fighting their own battles at severe cost. Skillfully woven within John Ridge’s journey, we also find in both the American and Cherokee cultures undercurrents of class conflict, the injustice of slavery, and women battling for their rightful place as equals to men and against the suppression of their voices.
I highly recommend this well-crafted historical novel.
January 7, 2024
Relevant, Gripping, and Poignant: Echoes of History in Today's World.
As a history lover, I recall cursory mention of the Trail of Tears in U.S. History class. Red Clay, Running Waters teaches so much more with an exhaustive revelation of the work of Cherokee leader, John Ridge, and his unwavering commitment to secure a future for his people through the Treaty of New Echota. Spanning a twenty-year period of 1818 - 1838, author Leslie K. Simmon’s narrative vividly portrays the fluctuation between the politics of the Antebellum era and the life of one family’s enduring struggle in the years prior to the Cherokee’s removal from their Native lands in what is now northwest Georgia.
The past becomes our present as discourse over state’s rights and emigration / migration resonates deeply with ongoing current debates surrounding sovereignty and rights —a discussion strikingly relevant in today's global context. It's a compelling read that sparks introspection and invites reflection on the enduring quest for justice. Add in the love story between John and his wife, Sarah Northrop, a white woman from New England who stands by his beliefs and set it in the slave-owning times of the Deep South, and discussion topics explode off the page.
Readers who appreciate an author’s dedication to researching, developing, and exposing a piece of America’s history with all its factions and tumultuous political maneuverings will pick up Red Clay, Running Waters and find it hard to put it down.
The political maneuverings are fascinating, albeit a bit drawn out for my personal preference toward social history vs. political.
Thank you to the author for an ARC copy.
As a history lover, I recall cursory mention of the Trail of Tears in U.S. History class. Red Clay, Running Waters teaches so much more with an exhaustive revelation of the work of Cherokee leader, John Ridge, and his unwavering commitment to secure a future for his people through the Treaty of New Echota. Spanning a twenty-year period of 1818 - 1838, author Leslie K. Simmon’s narrative vividly portrays the fluctuation between the politics of the Antebellum era and the life of one family’s enduring struggle in the years prior to the Cherokee’s removal from their Native lands in what is now northwest Georgia.
The past becomes our present as discourse over state’s rights and emigration / migration resonates deeply with ongoing current debates surrounding sovereignty and rights —a discussion strikingly relevant in today's global context. It's a compelling read that sparks introspection and invites reflection on the enduring quest for justice. Add in the love story between John and his wife, Sarah Northrop, a white woman from New England who stands by his beliefs and set it in the slave-owning times of the Deep South, and discussion topics explode off the page.
Readers who appreciate an author’s dedication to researching, developing, and exposing a piece of America’s history with all its factions and tumultuous political maneuverings will pick up Red Clay, Running Waters and find it hard to put it down.
The political maneuverings are fascinating, albeit a bit drawn out for my personal preference toward social history vs. political.
Thank you to the author for an ARC copy.
December 9, 2023
One of the biggest reasons I read historical fiction is to look at the world through the eyes of historical figures. Leslie K. Simmons managed that fabulous, magical achievement by immersing me into the world of John Ridge, a Cherokee born into a prominent Cherokee Nation family in 1802.
The story begins when 17-year-old John and a few of his fellow mission school students are offered scholarships at a school in Cornwall, CT. John goes to further his studies with the aim of strengthening his own country’s position when negotiating with the ever-encroaching American government.
One of the few bright spots of enduring the harsh winter, the strict Calvinist culture and the prejudice of his host country is when he meets and marries Sarah Bird Northup. As one of the first Native American-European American couples, the Ridges travel back to the Cherokee Nation where tensions mount as his people negotiate with the American government about borders and land rights.
The author does an exceptional job of helping me see through John’s eyes as he becomes disillusioned by the racist culture in America and rigid religion that’s a sharp contrast to the warmth of his home country. Every detail of this meticulously-researched book allowed me to feel his inner growth and increasing awareness about the quickly changing world around him. Though longer than most books, the pages flew by as I watched tragedy approach.
A truly remarkable book!
The story begins when 17-year-old John and a few of his fellow mission school students are offered scholarships at a school in Cornwall, CT. John goes to further his studies with the aim of strengthening his own country’s position when negotiating with the ever-encroaching American government.
One of the few bright spots of enduring the harsh winter, the strict Calvinist culture and the prejudice of his host country is when he meets and marries Sarah Bird Northup. As one of the first Native American-European American couples, the Ridges travel back to the Cherokee Nation where tensions mount as his people negotiate with the American government about borders and land rights.
The author does an exceptional job of helping me see through John’s eyes as he becomes disillusioned by the racist culture in America and rigid religion that’s a sharp contrast to the warmth of his home country. Every detail of this meticulously-researched book allowed me to feel his inner growth and increasing awareness about the quickly changing world around him. Though longer than most books, the pages flew by as I watched tragedy approach.
A truly remarkable book!
April 17, 2024
I often come across a book I genuinely want to read, and Leslie K Simmon’s Red Clay, Running Waters didn’t disappoint. The novel was well-researched and well-written in a voice that reminded me of a literary work of art. At nearly 700 pages, one must dole out the time to read this fascinating accounting of a brave, young, well-educated Cherokee man who marries a white woman in an era where such marriages were unheard of and not taken well by many. The love Simmon’s poured into this story will stay with me for a long time. The settings are rich and variable, coming alive as the characters themselves. This is an intense, thought-provoking, mind-altering book to read. My only negative was the length. I felt she could cut out entire sections such as the beginning setup as the Indians traveled and became acquainted with life outside Georgia at the missionary school. Those succeeding chapters, although valuable, highlighting much of what is wrong about beliefs of other cultures, could have been trimmed down by many pages, making this tale an easier, more digestible read. But, still, I couldn’t put it down. I recommend it to all historical fiction lovers who wish to read world-class writing in a tale nearly forgotten in the archives of American history. Five stars for a beautifully written novel, but four stars due to length. I thank Book Sirens for the free advanced copy of this must-read literary masterpiece. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 29, 2023
At 813 pages, this is an expansive and staggering journey. It is a story of a family’s search for justice during what is known as the 1830s Removal Crisis. With America’s expansion and growth, the Cherokee Nation was to be removed from their land; the racism and hatred of these people were in full force.
One man, John Ridge, a Cherokee leader educated in New England, and his dear wife, Sarah, a white woman, decided to stand up for the Cherokee Nation and its people even as the United States seemed to be eroding around them.
You may have never heard of the name John Ridge, but his work and fierce dedication would become pivotal in what is now known as the Trail of Tears. This is a heartbreaking time in history, and so much was happening in the United States, as it was divided on many fronts during the Antebellum Era.
This book is well-researched, but the author does not fact-dump, which could have caused it to be dry and dull. It is historical but focuses on the people, with descriptive, almost poetic prose at times. It was a stark reminder of the suffering and trials of humanity throughout the years.
Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours @lksimmonsauthor for a spot on tour and a gifted book.
One man, John Ridge, a Cherokee leader educated in New England, and his dear wife, Sarah, a white woman, decided to stand up for the Cherokee Nation and its people even as the United States seemed to be eroding around them.
You may have never heard of the name John Ridge, but his work and fierce dedication would become pivotal in what is now known as the Trail of Tears. This is a heartbreaking time in history, and so much was happening in the United States, as it was divided on many fronts during the Antebellum Era.
This book is well-researched, but the author does not fact-dump, which could have caused it to be dry and dull. It is historical but focuses on the people, with descriptive, almost poetic prose at times. It was a stark reminder of the suffering and trials of humanity throughout the years.
Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours @lksimmonsauthor for a spot on tour and a gifted book.
June 30, 2025
This is one of those historical novels where the events are so dramatic, the characters so poignant, you feel certain there's a hefty dose of fiction in the narrative mix. Then you discover no, these people existed and these specific events occurred, they're not just taught in school. (At least, they weren't at my school beyond the Trail of Tears.) Red Clay, Running Waters asks: how do you survive when disaster befalls your people and you face an enemy who demands that you cease to exist? What choices can you make? This is history off the battle field, the theft of ancestral lands as it played out in broken treaties and illegal annexations, and compromises made with men of bad faith. John Ridge is a complex, relatable, real world hero, aware of the devastating power dynamics at play, yet fighting with predatory forces to maintain the rights of the Cherokee with tragic consequences. The book is richly detailed, both in the characters' intellectual and emotional lives and in all the diverse physical and cultural spaces . Despite the length, you keep turning pages, pulled along by a hope that John and Sarah will prevail and the dread of what is coming for their world. Highly recommended.
December 18, 2023
Although quite a long book, this historical novel touches on so many areas of interest. A Cherokee Indian , John Ridge leaves his home to go to a mission school and get a education more advanced than that of most of his people. He falls in love with a white woman , Sarah and this story follows them through various difficulties. It doesn't read like a romance novel but their love is certainly central to the story. John becomes involved in all kinds of issues the Indians face from fighting to keep their land to the development of a written language. It details their struggles and triumphs along with political issues from 1818 through early 1850's. It is an enlightening read and allowed me to learn history from a totally different perspective. Although fiction, the book tells the story of real characters and describes true events. I was gifted an advance copy by the author and can honestly recommend the book. It is not a page turner but the story compels you to discover what is next in the lives of these richly developed characters. Red Clay Running Waters is a moving story I found both educational and entertaining.
December 2, 2023
I have read an Advance Reader Copy of this riveting book. As a longtime member of an organization devoted to the history of the Cherokee people and the Trail of Tears, I have started and rarely finished books called "historical fiction" because they were heavy on the fiction and too light (even worse, inaccurate) on the history. Ms. Simmons has taken the time to do the research for historic accuracy while weaving a compelling story of John and Sarah Ridge in and out of historic events. While it was common for White men to marry Native women in the southeast prior to the Trail of Tears, it was extremely unusual for a White woman to marry a Native American man. John Ridge is a significant and well-known figure in Cherokee history but Sarah Northrop Ridge and her relationship with John have been overlooked. This is more than a love story and more than a retelling of this period in US history - both themes enhance each other and make for a most interesting and emotional reading experience!
December 5, 2023
I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love historical fiction that is set during less commonly written about time periods. This book fits the bill and was so interesting!
Set in the 1800’s this novel is the story of a Cherokee man named John Ridge and his white wife Sarah. Together they fight for the freedoms of the Cherokee people amidst the Civil War and the Trail of Tears.
This is a story of politics, love, sacrifice, courage and love. The historical detail is impeccable and it is so well written. The time period and events came alive on the page. And to top it off, this incredible novel is a debut! Wow!
Set in the 1800’s this novel is the story of a Cherokee man named John Ridge and his white wife Sarah. Together they fight for the freedoms of the Cherokee people amidst the Civil War and the Trail of Tears.
This is a story of politics, love, sacrifice, courage and love. The historical detail is impeccable and it is so well written. The time period and events came alive on the page. And to top it off, this incredible novel is a debut! Wow!
December 17, 2023
Red Clay, Running Waters is a wonderful historical fiction that I really enjoy reading.
The story takes place between 1818 and 1853.
The story was very well researched. This is also a romance between John Ridge and Sarah Bird Northup. This inter-racial romance is very taboo during this time period.
I was fascinated reading about the Trail of Tears and how important John Ridge's role was in this.
The characters are well written, complex, dynamic, flawed and well fleshed out. I especially enjoyed the different family dynamics.
The history was so well researched. Highly recommend this historical fiction novel.
The story takes place between 1818 and 1853.
The story was very well researched. This is also a romance between John Ridge and Sarah Bird Northup. This inter-racial romance is very taboo during this time period.
I was fascinated reading about the Trail of Tears and how important John Ridge's role was in this.
The characters are well written, complex, dynamic, flawed and well fleshed out. I especially enjoyed the different family dynamics.
The history was so well researched. Highly recommend this historical fiction novel.
April 24, 2024
Anyone who is interested in a people’s fight for sovereignty will be swept up in this story of the Cherokee Indians’ long struggle to keep their homeland and preserve their culture during the early 1800s in America’s southern states.
The central characters are finely drawn from letters and historical records, particularly Cherokee leader John Ridge and his wife non-Cherokee Sarah Northrop whose love abides through prejudice, betrayal and loss of friends and home.
For a first book, this rich and in-depth historical fiction is an amazing feat. I look forward to seeing Leslie Simmons’ next book as she is a gifted writer and historian.
The central characters are finely drawn from letters and historical records, particularly Cherokee leader John Ridge and his wife non-Cherokee Sarah Northrop whose love abides through prejudice, betrayal and loss of friends and home.
For a first book, this rich and in-depth historical fiction is an amazing feat. I look forward to seeing Leslie Simmons’ next book as she is a gifted writer and historian.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews