Told mostly in first-person, Dobyn’s Chronicles recreates the America of the 1800s and 1900s very convincingly, peopling it with characters from the author’s family history. There’s a wealth of fascinating detail woven into the story, and a great sense of place and space. Characters and the hardships they endure all seem real, from children orphaned by Yellow Fever, to threats of the evil tax-man and financial ruin. Train travel is new. Medicine is growing by leaps and bounds. Banks may or may not be trusted. And indoor plumbing in an hotel room is an amazing luxury. The protagonist goes through life with genuine good-hearted faith, accepting trials and joys and always willing to move on. He has a nice steady voice in the narration, obscured sometimes by long-winded dialog, but a delight in its honest and pleasant musings. The reader quickly believes a real person is telling this tale.

I loved the sense of change in this novel, where characters don’t stay in one place, where homes are left or lost, where the past doesn’t have to define the present, and where risk and reward both engender hard work. I enjoyed the reminder that in simpler times, young people grew up faster and absorbed the family responsibilities at an early age. And I liked the gentle insights into modernity’s invasion as the lives of cowboys changed.

It’s not a perfect novel, and it’s not a quick read, but Dobyn's Chronicles is an enjoyable tale, the characters are pleasingly memorable, and the story leaves reader with a gentle realization that, however much control we think we exert, lives can be changed completely in the short time lightning takes to strike.

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy and I offer my honest review. ( )

What would you do? You’re only sixteen years old and your parents die within minutes of each other due to yellow fever. You have a ten year old brother and a four year old sister looking up to you. You can’t call family to come to your aid; there are no phones and especially no cell phones. The year was 1888. Charley’s parents were Kennerly and Eliza Dobyns. A few years before they died, Charley remembered the family had spent some time with Willis and Martha Holmes, friends of his parents. He buried his parents as best he could, packed the wagon with what they would need and headed from Bonham, TX to McAlester, OK, hoping the Holmes would help them in their time of desperation. The Holmes’ took them into their lives giving Charley a job working the ranch and educating his siblings, David and Viola, along with their own children. A few years later, tragedy struck the Holmes family and once again the Dobyns were on their own.

Due to the circumstances, Charley became more like a father figure to David and Viola. This is a very warm and gratifying story of the endurance of a family when people had to work hard, make do with what they had, and share their goods and their lives with others. This read so true that I thought it was a real story of someone in the author’s own genealogy and in fact it was (see the interview below). The story from the beginning was a fairly detailed account of Charley and his siblings and the start of his life with his wife, Mila – it was almost too detailed. Then, the last 10% altered pace and began to summarize the remainder of their lives very briskly. There were many characters brought into the story with little background so the reader had no reason to care about them as they did with Charley and his siblings and his wife. I rated Dobyns Chronicles at 3 out of 5. ( )

Highly recommended and inspirational story!

This is an amazing 'chronicle" of the life of Charlie Dobyns, created soon after his parents (Pa and Ma) married in 1872. It was a poignant, heartbreaking and yet compelling story. Charlie had to be strong at a very young age, when tragedy hit his family. He is a remarkable hero of the story, but not just to the plot, but to his family. The clinging of his siblings as he takes the reins to take care of his family is remarkable and triumphant. I loved this story and it was so well written. I felt so engrossed in the story, that I was transported to a time where I could've been Charlie's shadow. Highly recommended and inspirational story! ( )

I had a hard time getting into this book. I only made it through two chapters and it just wasn't a style of writing that I enjoy reading. It read like I was talking to my 95 year old aunt, which is like half conversations about her past and then suddenly she remembers something that gets thrown in, with no rhyme or reason. Now if I could get past this writing, the actual story may be good. But as of now, I just can't get into it. Will try again when I have a long time to put to a book.

Received book via LibraryThing.com member giveaway.

4.5 stars- Dobyn's Chronicles is light years away from being yet another family history or memoir. Mclain has written a true work of love...a story of which she is an integral part due to her bloodline.

Charley Dobbins is a pioneer of sorts, at the end of the 19th century he is not only responsible for the care of his siblings but he must forge a new future for them all. And he does that in spades.

Great writing here where characters come alive. I got so immersed in the reading that when the phone rang, my immediate reaction was "what the hell is THAT?" !