The Prologue begins in 1945 with remembering. Two women enter a house that has been vacant for years. One of the women knew the lady of the house and instantly remembered things such as Ellen buying the chairs. Outside she recalled Ellen kept an excellent garden. And beautiful flowers. Ellen made Hollyhock dolls for the neighbor’s girls. [I love hollyhocks.]
The place, eastern Wyoming. The time, 1916. The view, open prairie. A wide, lonesome prairie where the coyotes howl mostly at night. The couple, Charlie Bacon and Ellen Webster, And how these two loved each other. The reader learns this immediately so I’m giving nothing away.
Some people can’t handle that big, wide-open prairie. The loneliness. The wind. The coyotes howling. But in the end, Ellen loved it. Ellen came to Wallace, Wyoming to teach school. A country school. Well, this reviewer spent the first eight years of education in a country school. A one-room schoolhouse with eight grades for four years and two rooms the last four years with 1st-4th in one room and 5th-8th in another. Ellen had 18 students. I don’t think there were ever 18 students in my school or 5th-8th room.
When she arrives in Wallace, she learns there is no boarding house. She will be staying with the McGintys where a friendship develops between Mrs. Ruth McG and a dislike (for good reason) with Mr. McG. Ellen learns that the previous teacher had no grit. You’ll never believe where one of the prior teachers works. Ellen didn’t either.
Ellen learns that cowboys are special. That Charlie Bacon, cowboy, was willing to pay more than a week’s salary for her box supper. Charlie had gone to school through the eighth grade. [Personal note: that is quite an achievement. My paternal grandfather completed only the 6th grade before he was needed full-time on the farm. That was not unusual. It was common. And yes, I am THAT old.]
The characters in Where Coyotes Howl are rich in detail and likability, Well, most of them. The Gurley’s. Oh to have a Mrs. Gurley in your life when you move across the country. And a Charlie who loved to tell you a fact that wasn’t. There was Gladys, a neighbor. Ruth made gorgeous quilts but had a miserable life. A boy called Fatback. [That’s NOT a typo.] Another is called Pike. Margaret, a girl who was impaired and dearly loved. Hattie was a student and then a friend.
Where Coyotes Howl is filled with gripping stories of what it was like to live on the vast prairie of Wyoming in the early twentieth century. What it was like for a woman. How Ellen grew to love it and why some perished. Especially those who had no way to leave. How a man could be a good one and others who were the opposite. There are wonderful moments. And the sad ones are beautifully written. You feel when you read this book. This is a five-star read which I hope you will enjoy as much as I did. Sandra Dallas is a new author for me although she is a prolific writer.
This historical fiction book was published in April 2023 but I spent a chunk of that year with one health issue after another. SO—-I didn’t get it read until 2024. I read the DRC (digital review copy) from NetGalley and publisher, St. Martin’s Press. I appreciate both for allowing me to turn a review a year later. No request for a positive review was requested; the opinions are my own.
Rating: 5 stars
Cover: Fits the book. That’s Charlie & Ellen.
Pages: 311
Publish Date: 18 Apr 2023
#WhereCoyoteHowls #NetGalley #SandraDallas
