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Zeke and Ned
Zeke and Ned
Author: Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana
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 ju...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780671891688
ISBN-10: 0671891685
Publication Date: 10/1/1997
Pages: 448
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 42

4 stars, based on 42 ratings
Publisher: Pocket
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 236 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
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.

This cover shows wear but is still intact just well read.
reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 142 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Story of Ezekiel Proctor and ned Christie, the last Cherokee warriors-after the civil war, not only history, but legend. Part folksong, part tall tale...Couldn't put it down, heart-in-the-throat storytelling, very bittersweet..
reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I haven't read any westerns or anything else by McMurtry, but this may be my starting point. The novel seems epic but the main plot is the trouble between two Cherokee friends and the white settlers nearby. The tone throughout the novel is very satiric, even during some pretty horribly violent episodes. I found the middle to be a bit sluggish though, the writing taking a little too long to describe things. But the last third takes a more dramatic and operatic tone and while told in a straight-forward manner, left me reeling in its' profound summation of Cherokee / White relations, without any sap. This novel proves that you can tell a very small tale about very big things.
BillGo avatar reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I have read nearly all of McMurtry's books, and this is one of the really good ones. No one can bring out the characters in a story like L.M.
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reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 240 more book reviews
One of McMurtry's best novels. Lots of humor, great story line.
reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 10 more book reviews
This is an off beat western which has the flavor of being the "real" thing. I said to myself, after reading it, maybe this is how it really was.
damara avatar reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 6 more book reviews
This is a western, but I absolutely loved it! Its about two crazy "native americans" and their ability to stand up for what they beleive in until the very end. They are honorable men, even if their methods are questionable. Some of the best caracterization I've seen, and when the book ended I felt like I was saying goodbye to two good friends.
reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 9 more book reviews
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. As typical with Larry McMurty, there was humor combined with drama and pathos. The story is a fascinating glimpse of history. I listened to the cds during my commute and I looked forward to getting into the car. I did give it 4 stars instead of 5, but this is because I feel a 5-star book has to be spectacular.
reviewed Zeke and Ned on + 21 more book reviews
As with most McMurtry books, a wonderfully written narrative. This is a story about the close relationship of two Cherokee men living in Arkansas.


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