A few weeks ago, it was National Uncles and Aunts Day. The author of this title tweeted out a link to her website article outlining which relatives the various characters in her book were based on. I quickly read through them with a small amount of interest. After finishing this novel last night, although it was extremely late, I immediately went back to that article (after quite a bit of searching) and read with a much greater amount of interest.

The Edge of Nowhere is about a woman who felt her only option in life was to be strong. There’s a good reason for this after going through unimaginable situation after situation. She’s widowed during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl with many mouths to feed-not her first tragedy by far. Even with that, for the life of me, I could not muster sympathy for this woman. She was rigid and unmoving when she didn’t have to be. If she could have tempered some of her strength with common courtesy, she probably could have fared much better without having to make some of the sacrifices she made. I did cheer for her though and wanted her to come to better circumstances, especially for the sake of her children.

This isn’t a feel-good story, nor is it billed that way, but it’s a really good story-a story that I’m glad I had a chance to read. It’s set during a period in our history that was devastating yet the author didn’t steep us in absolute misery where we wouldn’t want to continue reading.

I would have liked to see more of her anger rather than being told she was very angry, but that’s extremely minor in the grand scheme of the story. I could use my imagination to understand how angry she must be.

Overall I would recommend this book, especially to those who like historical fiction, women’s fiction, or just a strong story.

This was an easy, quick read, but that’s not to minimize the strong themes present throughout.

Edith wakes up on Christmas morning to a dead husband who she didn’t really like all that much. She goes on a journey to figure out some mysteries her husband left behind, but instead solves some mysteries about herself she didn’t realize needed solving.

I loved the way the author handles race in this novel. Edith’s (who is white) sleuthing takes her to a predominantly black establishment and her dialogue (both internal and external) is so honest. She doesn’t try to be politically correct and that was refreshing.

This book is marketed as HenLit, and it is, but please do not let that deter you from reading if you’re not of a certain age. I don’t fall into the target audience and probably wasn’t super excited about reading it initially, but I would have seriously missed out on a wonderful book if I hadn’t decided to jump in. I can’t wait to read the other two novels she has out.

I love historical fiction set in the UK. Add in mystery and romance – even better. So I had high expectations when I began this novel.

It did not disappoint.

The heroine, Eliza, is beautiful, smart, strong, and by all accounts, should be damaged beyond belief. But it was the hero, Sir Henry, who stole the show for me. He is a proper hero: physically attractive, brave, insanely rich, but most of all, kind and good. He doesn’t give a second thought to do for others, especially Eliza in her broken state.

As the mystery unfolds, we are introduced to the author’s vivid descriptions. At the retelling of a particularly horrendous act, we are dumped into the scene – the last place we want to be. The graphic nature with how Daisie tells her story had me both angry and uncomfortable, however, it is not gratuitous. When we are finally confronted with the actual environment from Daisie’s story, even knowing the space was unoccupied, I stilled skimmed through.

I would have liked to have seen more of Sir Henry’s relationship with his daughter, Emily, earlier rather than only hearing about it. I believe the stakes would have felt higher for me. Maybe more actual involvement of Emily to the plot as well. But those are small complaints that are easily overlooked because of the overall enjoyment of reading this book.

I highly recommend to any reader.