Sandra Dallas

First sentence: A ragged curtain snapped against the broken glass of the window in the old shack, which had begun to list. Its boards, the paint scraped off by the wind and sand, were a splintery gray. The door sagged open, its white china knob cracked and yellowed.

Premise/plot: Are you looking for a book completely devoid of hope and joy? Are you looking for a book where women [and children] are oppressed on every single page? Did you find Romeo and Juliet too cheerful? If you want the 'one show more ring to rule them all' of bleakness, then Where Coyotes Howl might be a good fit for you.

The premise is simple enough, Ellen Webster, goes to Wyoming as a school teacher in 1916. She meets and falls head over heels in love with a cowboy, Charlie Bacon. They marry. Life goes downhill after the 'I do's.' Not because they stop loving each other madly. No, because of situations and circumstances. Ellen experiences many tough situations, no doubt, but she witnesses a thousand times worse in the community.

My thoughts: Is this one realistic? Pioneer stories can be ROUGH. It isn't that I went into this one expecting it to be cheery-happy-lovely-cozy-warm-fuzzy. But personally, I think a chain of hope OR a strong resilience [or both] could make a difference in perspective.

The overwhelming message seems to be that without agency, a woman cannot hope to have even a 1% chance at happiness. Men will abuse, misuse, manipulate. Even if you find the one in a million husband that will be tender and loving and supportive, you still can't be happy because you inevitably will suffer. Without birth control, you are doomed to SUFFER. This one seems very, very, very heavy-handedly pro-choice. The message seems to be that women need full and total control over their own bodies and their lives. A secondary message seems to be that it would be better to be a prostitute than a wife. [Some characters, though not Ellen, have been both. Husbands make life HELL on earth 99.2% of the time.]

Mental health. Every single character needs help or intervention. Of course, there's no help to be had. Again, embracing the abandon all hope philosophy.

This one needs LOTS of trigger warnings.

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

A

L

E

R

T

Spousal abuse--verbal, physical, mental, sexual. Child abuse. Miscarriages. Murder. Suicide. Death. Death. Death. Death. Death. Death. show less

Having grown up in Colorado, I've long been a fan of Sandra Dallas's novels. Most are based in rural or small-town settings but each portrays different events and locales in the lives of Colorado residents. Her latest book is set in Burke, an imaginary town on the eastern plains during the Great Depression, when dust storms ravaged the land, making life all but impossible for the ranchers and farmers. While most novels on the subject cover those who left their homes and moved to California, show more Dallas focused her attention on those who remained.
Years of hardship have put a great strain on the people of tiny Burke, Colorado. Life is especially difficult for the women who have to deal not only with the harsh environment, but also with the husbands and fathers who are struggling to deal with their failures. Additionally, when Martha Helen Kessler and her family takes in a wandering tramp, suspicion and distrust sours relationships between former friends neighbors.

Dallas’s description of the town of Burke and its people is superb as is her portrayal of the Kessler family. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more books by her.

*The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. show less

Eliza lives on a farm in Kansas with her two children. Her husband is fighting for the Union in the Civil War, and she has to manage the farm on her own. The novel follows her over the course of a year, as she lives through heartbreak, danger and hardships, but also hope. I only have very basic knowledge of the American Civil War, and I learned a lot while reading this, although the book does not include any info dumps. It is a vivid portrait of the strength of women during that time and it show more also shows the value of women's friendships. While the novel starts in a quiet way, it becomes a page turner after a few chapters.

I only have two aspects of criticism: I have issues with the portrayal of an enslaved person who tries to reach safety. While the portrayal is not overtly racist, it still includes stereotypes and the person could have had more agency. I also was a bit disappointed by the abrupt ending of the novel.
Apart from this, I enjoyed this book a lot and plan to read more by this author.

Please note that despite the title, this is not a typical Christmas novel. Christmas plays a role in the plot, but it is only one of many aspects. show less

THE LAST MIDWIFE by Sandra Dallas
WOW! What an ending. Sandra Dallas, who is a genius with characters, has written a fascinating tale of a good woman accused of killing an innocent babe. Secrets abound in the vicinity of Gracy, the last midwife. Gracy, her husband Daniel who wanders each year looking for a gold strike and son Jeff who has left his home under strange unexplained circumstances are the main characters in this tightly plotted mystery. The mining town of Tenmile, a desolate show more outpost in the mountains, and its inhabitants are the supporting cast.
Gracy, accused of murder, staunchly refuses to tell the secrets she is privy to during the labor and delivery of babies when women are at their most vulnerable. Yet there are untold secrets surrounding Gracy and Daniel and Jeff that are only hinted as the tale unfolds.
The hardships and joys of a hardscrabble life in the late 1880’s are clearly stated with no apology and no sense of the desperation that poverty can elicit. These are people who face life with clear eyes and a sense of faith in themselves, their community and their God. Dallas is a sympathetic writer who understands the people, the place and time and is well able to bring them to life.
5 of 5 stars show less