![]() Visceral detail of the 1930s rancher life and the hardscrabble setting add authenticity, particularly in the characters' feel for horses. ![]() Jeanine falls in love with local rancher Ross Everett Mayme dates soldier Vernon. Drought, hail and dust storms, land-tax debts and grinding poverty make life a struggle radio shows, horse-racing, wildcat oil well speculation and stuttering news reporter friend Milton Brown provide diversions. After the disgraced Jack dies in 1937, the four Stoddard women move back to the 150-acre homeplace on the Brazos River in Central Texas. Jeanine, resented for being daddy's favorite, soon becomes the novel's primary point of view. ![]() As the book opens in 1927, Elizabeth Stoddard and husband Jack have three daughters: the pretty Mayme, the tomboyish Jeanine and the writerly Bea. ![]() Jiles's eloquent, engaging sophomore novel celebrates four strong women toughing out the Great Depression in the Texas dust bowl. ![]()
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