Tatjana Soli

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“Tatjana Soli’s The Removes breathes new life into a story I thought I already knew. She finds fresh blood in the vexed, compelling romance between Custer and his wife Libbie, pathos in the plight of captives both before and after “rescue,” and surprising sympathy for the man who wanted—fatally too much—to be a hero.”

—Madison Smartt Bell, author of All Souls’ Rising

2018-04-13T19:16:51+00:00

—Madison Smartt Bell, author of All Souls’ Rising

“Tatjana Soli’s The Removes breathes new life into a story I thought I already knew. She finds fresh blood in the vexed, compelling romance between Custer and his wife Libbie, pathos in the plight of captives both before and after “rescue,” and surprising sympathy for the man who wanted—fatally too much—to be a hero.”
“Epic, enthralling… With visceral, vibrant language, Soli paints a stark portrait of the violence, hardship, and struggles that characterized the American West.”

— Booklist, Starred Review

2018-04-19T15:37:47+00:00

— Booklist, Starred Review

“Epic, enthralling… With visceral, vibrant language, Soli paints a stark portrait of the violence, hardship, and struggles that characterized the American West.”
"Soli unleashes a thrilling novel set in the violent Wild West . . . The clash of cultures is Soli's grand theme, and here she drives home her message that the winners are no more worthy than the losers, and that "not even brotherhood was enough to safeguard people who had what others coveted."

―Publishers Weekly

2018-05-10T22:31:27+00:00

―Publishers Weekly

"Soli unleashes a thrilling novel set in the violent Wild West . . . The clash of cultures is Soli's grand theme, and here she drives home her message that the winners are no more worthy than the losers, and that "not even brotherhood was enough to safeguard people who had what others coveted."
"... vividly evokes the genocidal violence visited on Native Americans."

—The New Yorker

2018-09-25T22:14:01+00:00

—The New Yorker

"... vividly evokes the genocidal violence visited on Native Americans."
"This is a western, but a modern one—beautifully detailed and carefully researched, completely free of the questionable mythologies that sometimes characterize the genre. A vivid, sometimes harrowing, but always gripping read."

—Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award

2018-04-11T21:24:58+00:00

—Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award

"This is a western, but a modern one—beautifully detailed and carefully researched, completely free of the questionable mythologies that sometimes characterize the genre. A vivid, sometimes harrowing, but always gripping read."
"The Removes tells a tale of impeccable verisimilitude that is at once a tightly interwoven narrative and a kaleidoscopic picture of the Indian Wars of the American West, from which readers will emerge with a keen appreciation of this tragic American epoch."

— Peter Cozzens, author of The Earth is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West

2018-02-23T21:59:47+00:00

— Peter Cozzens, author of The Earth is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West

"The Removes tells a tale of impeccable verisimilitude that is at once a tightly interwoven narrative and a kaleidoscopic picture of the Indian Wars of the American West, from which readers will emerge with a keen appreciation of this tragic American epoch."
"As beautiful a novel as I’ve read in some time... Soli’s writing is spare, lyrical, haunting and heartbreaking, and countless images from this book will stay with me forever: the harsh majesty of the plains, the “sheer animal joy” of horses running into battle, and the bravado of Custer’s long, meandering march to his ruin."

— Elizabeth McKenzie, Author of National Book Award long-listed The Portable Veblen

2018-03-05T16:46:41+00:00

— Elizabeth McKenzie, Author of National Book Award long-listed The Portable Veblen

"As beautiful a novel as I’ve read in some time... Soli’s writing is spare, lyrical, haunting and heartbreaking, and countless images from this book will stay with me forever: the harsh majesty of the plains, the “sheer animal joy” of horses running into battle, and the bravado of Custer’s long, meandering march to his ruin."
“A stunning, vivid portrayal of captivity and freedom, and wars waged on the landscapes and peoples of the American frontier. Soli’s writing is so visceral and evocative one feels transported to that moment when history is forged…intimate and sweeping, unflinching and compassionate…a magnificent read.”

—Vaddey Ratner, PEN/Hemingway Finalist, Author of In the Shadow of the Banyan

2018-02-23T21:58:37+00:00

—Vaddey Ratner, PEN/Hemingway Finalist, Author of In the Shadow of the Banyan

“A stunning, vivid portrayal of captivity and freedom, and wars waged on the landscapes and peoples of the American frontier. Soli’s writing is so visceral and evocative one feels transported to that moment when history is forged…intimate and sweeping, unflinching and compassionate…a magnificent read.”
“Soli braids a beautiful and harrowing tale of Custer, his wife, and a fifteen-year-old girl held captive out on the western plains. Intimate and panoramic all at once, this is a novel of transformation and self-reliance, a book that powerfully questions what we know of women on the American frontier.”

—Dominic Smith, author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

2018-02-27T16:16:11+00:00

—Dominic Smith, author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

“Soli braids a beautiful and harrowing tale of Custer, his wife, and a fifteen-year-old girl held captive out on the western plains. Intimate and panoramic all at once, this is a novel of transformation and self-reliance, a book that powerfully questions what we know of women on the American frontier.”
"Tatjana Soli weaves a stark western landscape, a national tragedy, and intimate portrayals of two pioneer women into a poignant and powerful tapestry of identity and belonging that will break your heart. I absolutely loved The Removes."

—Meg Waite Clayton, Langum Prize-honored author of The Race for Paris

2018-02-27T16:16:48+00:00

—Meg Waite Clayton, Langum Prize-honored author of The Race for Paris

"Tatjana Soli weaves a stark western landscape, a national tragedy, and intimate portrayals of two pioneer women into a poignant and powerful tapestry of identity and belonging that will break your heart. I absolutely loved The Removes."

A New York Times Editor’s Choice

Simpson Family Literary Project Longlist

Chautauqua Prize Longlist

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"The Last Good Paradise is at once a study in ambition, and a rollicking entertainment...and a page-turning survey of modern technology. Just when you think you know where this novel is going, Soli fascinates and surprises at every twist and turn."

—Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here

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"Daring... haunting... The lesson Soli has to teach... is a salient one for the modern world: even a remote citrus ranch can be a crossroads where cultures collide, and those collisions can be life-changing for everyone involved."

—NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, JANE SMILEY

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"Soli's spare, lucid prose infuses this novel with a dramatic clarity that makes us eyewitnesses to the collapse of two civilizations. More than that, The Lotus Eaters helps us to see and hear and feel the terrible human costs of that conflagration."

—TIM O'BRIEN, NATIONAL BOOK AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

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Tatjana Soli is a novelist and short story writer. Her bestselling debut novel, The Lotus Eaters, winner of the James Tait Black Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book for 2010, and finalist for the LA Times Book Award among other honors. Her second book, The Forgetting Tree, was a New York TimesNotable Book for 2012. Her third novel, The Last Good Paradise, was a Millions Most Anticipated Book for 2015. Her stories have appeared in Zyzzyva, Boulevard, and The Sun. Her work has been twice listed in the 100 Distinguished Stories in Best American Short Stories. She lives in the Monterey Peninsula area of California…read more