This was a good read. Daughter of the Cimarron is the fictionalized story of the author's mother Claire. She survives heartache and divorce to find a fresh start with a new love at the beginning of the Great Depression. Challenged by the stresses of a career change, financial hardship, messy family dynamics, and an uncommunicative husband, Claire struggles to find the happy ending she always expected.

In some ways this is a familiar story of everyday struggle, but Hall's characters are rich and compelling. I found myself rooting for Claire, struck by both her strengths and her imperfections. I often avoid books shelved as Christian fiction because the call to salvation that characterizes them tends to strike me as contrived. That's not the case in this book. Claire wrestles with a faith that seems just beyond her reach, but her day-to-day struggle is more human than spiritual. Claire is not particularly glorified, but is simply drawn as a woman on a journey. By the end of the novel, that journey looks promising, but also realistically incomplete. ( )

Sam Hall’s Daughter of the Cimmaron is a study in family relationships. The circumstances of the Depression and Dust Bowl years put pressure on the main characters in the book. That pressure brings out the good and the bad and contributes to Claire’s maturing. A somewhat dysfunction family begins to find healing. The ending left me wondering if there will be a sequel; the story begs continuation.

Sam does best with dialogue. We hear not only the words of the cast but their feelings too. Sam’s style of short paragraphs and almost continuous conversation keeps the story moving along. Personally, I prefer a breather from time to time. Descriptions of places and people would provide some welcome variety. Aside from my tastes, Sam has done a great job. ( )