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Where Coyotes Howl
A “quintessential American voice” ( Vogue ), returns to the Western frontier in this captivating love story of a Wyoming school teacher and a High Plains cowboy.
1916. The two-street town of Wallace is not exactly what Ellen Webster had in mind when she accepted a teaching position in Wyoming, but within a year’s time she’s fallen in love―both with the High Plains and with a handsome cowboy named Charlie Bacon. Life is not easy in the flat, brown corner of the state where winter blizzards are unforgiving and the summer heat relentless. But Ellen and Charlie face it all together, their relationship growing stronger with each shared success, and each deeply felt tragedy. Ellen finds purpose in her work as a rancher’s wife and in her bonds with other women settled on the prairie. Not all of them are so lucky as to have loving husbands, not all came to Wallace willingly, and not all of them can survive the cruel seasons. But they look out for each other, share their secrets, and help one another in times of need. And the needs are great and constant. The only city to speak of, Cheyenne, is miles away, making it akin to the Wild West in rural Wallace. In the end, it is not the trials Ellen and Charlie face together that make them remarkable, but their love for one another that endures through it all.
1916. The two-street town of Wallace is not exactly what Ellen Webster had in mind when she accepted a teaching position in Wyoming, but within a year’s time she’s fallen in love―both with the High Plains and with a handsome cowboy named Charlie Bacon. Life is not easy in the flat, brown corner of the state where winter blizzards are unforgiving and the summer heat relentless. But Ellen and Charlie face it all together, their relationship growing stronger with each shared success, and each deeply felt tragedy. Ellen finds purpose in her work as a rancher’s wife and in her bonds with other women settled on the prairie. Not all of them are so lucky as to have loving husbands, not all came to Wallace willingly, and not all of them can survive the cruel seasons. But they look out for each other, share their secrets, and help one another in times of need. And the needs are great and constant. The only city to speak of, Cheyenne, is miles away, making it akin to the Wild West in rural Wallace. In the end, it is not the trials Ellen and Charlie face together that make them remarkable, but their love for one another that endures through it all.
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2023
248 people are currently reading
19045 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Dallas
50 books1,880 followersAward-winning author SANDRA DALLAS was dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley, in Vogue Magazine. Sandra’s novels with their themes of loyalty, friendship, and human dignity have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and have been optioned for films.
A journalism graduate of the University of Denver, Sandra began her writing career as a reporter with Business Week. A staff member for twenty-five years (and the magazine’s first female bureau chief,) she covered the Rocky Mountain region, writing about everything from penny-stock scandals to hard-rock mining, western energy development to contemporary polygamy. Many of her experiences have been incorporated into her novels.
While a reporter, she began writing the first of ten nonfiction books. They include Sacred Paint, which won the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Western Heritage Wrangler Award, and The Quilt That Walked to Golden, recipient of the Independent Publishers Assn. Benjamin Franklin Award.
Turning to fiction in 1990, Sandra has published eight novels, including Prayers For Sale. Sandra is the recipient of the Women Writing the West Willa Award for New Mercies, and two-time winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award, for The Chili Queen and Tallgrass. In addition, she was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award, the Mountain and Plains Booksellers Assn. Award, and a four-time finalist for the Women Writing the West Willa Award.
The mother of two daughters—Dana is an attorney in New Orleans and Povy is a photographer in Golden, Colorado—Sandra lives in Denver with her husband, Bob.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/sandra...
A journalism graduate of the University of Denver, Sandra began her writing career as a reporter with Business Week. A staff member for twenty-five years (and the magazine’s first female bureau chief,) she covered the Rocky Mountain region, writing about everything from penny-stock scandals to hard-rock mining, western energy development to contemporary polygamy. Many of her experiences have been incorporated into her novels.
While a reporter, she began writing the first of ten nonfiction books. They include Sacred Paint, which won the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Western Heritage Wrangler Award, and The Quilt That Walked to Golden, recipient of the Independent Publishers Assn. Benjamin Franklin Award.
Turning to fiction in 1990, Sandra has published eight novels, including Prayers For Sale. Sandra is the recipient of the Women Writing the West Willa Award for New Mercies, and two-time winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award, for The Chili Queen and Tallgrass. In addition, she was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award, the Mountain and Plains Booksellers Assn. Award, and a four-time finalist for the Women Writing the West Willa Award.
The mother of two daughters—Dana is an attorney in New Orleans and Povy is a photographer in Golden, Colorado—Sandra lives in Denver with her husband, Bob.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/sandra...
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March 31, 2025
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This book was so terribly sad but I also found some parts very heartwarming. Everyone needs to find someone that loves them the way Charlie loved Ellen and vice versa. This is a very romantic book but in a really unique way. The troubled times and many hardships the characters faced showed just how strong we humans are. The way these folks' lived was bleak, to say the least, and the emotions I felt for the characters shocked me. The characters really came alive and spoke to me and felt very true to life. Not all of them were likable and even the likeable ones had flaws. This story was very character driven so I liked that there were many different types of people...some I loved, some I loved to hate.
I really appreciated that the book was meticulously researched and the attention to detail was incredible. I also appreciated the way the author but across that women helping women is a great way to get through tough times. What I took away from reading this novel is love trumps all and we should never judge other people as we never know what one has gone through. This is my first book by the author but it certainly won't be my last. All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
The Book Review Crew Blog
This book was so terribly sad but I also found some parts very heartwarming. Everyone needs to find someone that loves them the way Charlie loved Ellen and vice versa. This is a very romantic book but in a really unique way. The troubled times and many hardships the characters faced showed just how strong we humans are. The way these folks' lived was bleak, to say the least, and the emotions I felt for the characters shocked me. The characters really came alive and spoke to me and felt very true to life. Not all of them were likable and even the likeable ones had flaws. This story was very character driven so I liked that there were many different types of people...some I loved, some I loved to hate.
I really appreciated that the book was meticulously researched and the attention to detail was incredible. I also appreciated the way the author but across that women helping women is a great way to get through tough times. What I took away from reading this novel is love trumps all and we should never judge other people as we never know what one has gone through. This is my first book by the author but it certainly won't be my last. All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
July 2, 2024
I’ve been meaning to read another book by Sandra Dallas since I read Westering Women and I finally got around to another historical fiction novel focusing on the strong women settling in the West. Wyoming where the winters are fiercely cold and snowy, where the living is tough on everyone, but especially the women as is the focus here. Life on the prairie reflecting the difficulties of being a woman here in 1916 with heartbreaking losses, times with little food, the brutality of some of the men towards their wives and children is gut wrenching .
For a while I thought that the life of the new teacher in town, Ellen Webster who marries a cowboy Charlie Bacon would be different . It was in a sense . These two people loved each other deeply and Ellen did not endure the abuse that other wives did. However, their abiding love could not protect them from heartache and loss. I found here some of the same loyalty and sisterhood as well as conviction and courage that I found in Westering Women. Dallas does a great job of portraying the time and place in 1916 Wyoming . It’s just so damned sad.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley
For a while I thought that the life of the new teacher in town, Ellen Webster who marries a cowboy Charlie Bacon would be different . It was in a sense . These two people loved each other deeply and Ellen did not endure the abuse that other wives did. However, their abiding love could not protect them from heartache and loss. I found here some of the same loyalty and sisterhood as well as conviction and courage that I found in Westering Women. Dallas does a great job of portraying the time and place in 1916 Wyoming . It’s just so damned sad.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley
April 2, 2023
Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas was both a heartwarming yet heartbreaking novel that was written with attention to detail. It was a character driven book that was well plotted. I particularly enjoyed the strong female characters in Where Coyotes Howl. I actually listened to the audiobook version of Where Coyotes Howl. It was performed by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker who did a fine job narrating this audiobook. She was able to easily distinguish between the various characters. Her performance made this audiobook an easy listen for me.
In the early twentieth century, Ellen Webster found herself in Wallace, Wyoming. She had responded to an advertisement that was seeking a teacher. She had been teaching and living in Iowa but was up for a challenge and a change in her life. Ellen could not have prepared herself for the type of life that she was to face in Wallace, though. It seemed that the town had had difficulty holding on to a teacher for more than the one year each teacher promised. Would Ellen be the exception to the rule or would she become another statistic like her predecessors?
When Ellen met Charlie Bacon, an honest to goodness cowboy who also happened to be quite handsome and smitten with Ellen, the two formed an easy friendship. At a box lunch church function, Charlie paid an unheard of eight dollars to purchase the box lunch Ellen had prepared. That was the start of a relationship that began as friends and ended with a beautiful marriage. Charlie had always aspired to become a rancher. Before their marriage, Charlie built Ellen and himself a small but well constructed home on the acreage he had purchased. They would begin their marriage on the prairie. The two of them shared a strong love and devotion to one another. Life on the prairie would prove to be hard and difficult and would test their limits.
Ellen gave up her teaching position when she married Charlie even though many wanted her to continue teaching their children. As a rancher’s wife, it would have reflected poorly on Charlie if she had continued to teach. It would have been looked on by others as if Charlie could not support his new wife. Ellen quickly learned how to perform all the tasks she was expected to perform. In addition, Ellen formed strong bonds with the other women that lived nearby on the prairie. Everyone that lived on the prairie learned very quickly that they looked out for one another.
Living on the prairie, brought many hardships. The winters were harsh with dangerously cold temperatures, blinding blizzards and a season that seemed to last far longer than expected. In the summer, the extreme heat was excessive and made ordinary chores almost impossible to carry out. Ellen and Charlie were made to face many challenges and even tragedies over the years they lived as husband and wife. They were often strapped for money which made obtaining the necessities they required very difficult at times. Food was often scarce and potatoes became their staple food. The love that Ellen and Charlie shared more than often helped them endure all the pain, grief and suffering that they were confronted with.
Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas touched upon domestic violence, loyalty, friendship, child abuse, alcoholism, prostitution, marriage, hardships, isolation, loneliness, harsh and extreme weather conditions, love and suicide. I really enjoyed the strong, determined and supportive women characters that Sandra Dallas rendered in her book. Sandra Dallas proved to be a masterful storyteller who brilliantly told the story of these courageous women who had lived on the prairie of Wyoming during those times. Her research was impeccable throughout this well written historical novel. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Where Coyotes Howl and highly recommend it. Publication is set for April 18, 2023.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
In the early twentieth century, Ellen Webster found herself in Wallace, Wyoming. She had responded to an advertisement that was seeking a teacher. She had been teaching and living in Iowa but was up for a challenge and a change in her life. Ellen could not have prepared herself for the type of life that she was to face in Wallace, though. It seemed that the town had had difficulty holding on to a teacher for more than the one year each teacher promised. Would Ellen be the exception to the rule or would she become another statistic like her predecessors?
When Ellen met Charlie Bacon, an honest to goodness cowboy who also happened to be quite handsome and smitten with Ellen, the two formed an easy friendship. At a box lunch church function, Charlie paid an unheard of eight dollars to purchase the box lunch Ellen had prepared. That was the start of a relationship that began as friends and ended with a beautiful marriage. Charlie had always aspired to become a rancher. Before their marriage, Charlie built Ellen and himself a small but well constructed home on the acreage he had purchased. They would begin their marriage on the prairie. The two of them shared a strong love and devotion to one another. Life on the prairie would prove to be hard and difficult and would test their limits.
Ellen gave up her teaching position when she married Charlie even though many wanted her to continue teaching their children. As a rancher’s wife, it would have reflected poorly on Charlie if she had continued to teach. It would have been looked on by others as if Charlie could not support his new wife. Ellen quickly learned how to perform all the tasks she was expected to perform. In addition, Ellen formed strong bonds with the other women that lived nearby on the prairie. Everyone that lived on the prairie learned very quickly that they looked out for one another.
Living on the prairie, brought many hardships. The winters were harsh with dangerously cold temperatures, blinding blizzards and a season that seemed to last far longer than expected. In the summer, the extreme heat was excessive and made ordinary chores almost impossible to carry out. Ellen and Charlie were made to face many challenges and even tragedies over the years they lived as husband and wife. They were often strapped for money which made obtaining the necessities they required very difficult at times. Food was often scarce and potatoes became their staple food. The love that Ellen and Charlie shared more than often helped them endure all the pain, grief and suffering that they were confronted with.
Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas touched upon domestic violence, loyalty, friendship, child abuse, alcoholism, prostitution, marriage, hardships, isolation, loneliness, harsh and extreme weather conditions, love and suicide. I really enjoyed the strong, determined and supportive women characters that Sandra Dallas rendered in her book. Sandra Dallas proved to be a masterful storyteller who brilliantly told the story of these courageous women who had lived on the prairie of Wyoming during those times. Her research was impeccable throughout this well written historical novel. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Where Coyotes Howl and highly recommend it. Publication is set for April 18, 2023.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
September 12, 2022
**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I was looking forward to read about the trials and tribulations of living on a prairie at the beginning of the XX century and that part was definitely delivered so I am quite satisfied. However, when it comes the "show, not tell" this book left a lot to be desired.
Ellen Webster arrives to Wyoming to take over teaching in local school but once her eyes land on Charlie Bacon she immediately falls in love, cuts her ties with the school and moves out to start a ranch with her husband. There is minimal amount of chemistry so to communicate the deep love between two main characters you will read about the neighbours constantly reminding Ellen that Charlie loves her oh so much. That does not do it for me so the maritial part of this book felt for me dubious at best. The trials and tribulations however are the main axis of this story and it feels like the timeline jumps from one tragic event directly to another skipping the character development and abandoning any attempts at growing an emotional attachment between the reader and heroes of this story. In the end the amount of bad things that happen is so large that I found myself hardened and unemotional. Beginnings of XX century were tough times.
It's an ok book, well written and fast to read but also pretty emotionless despite multiple deaths. I feel like it's better to read it when you are in a mentally good place.
I was looking forward to read about the trials and tribulations of living on a prairie at the beginning of the XX century and that part was definitely delivered so I am quite satisfied. However, when it comes the "show, not tell" this book left a lot to be desired.
Ellen Webster arrives to Wyoming to take over teaching in local school but once her eyes land on Charlie Bacon she immediately falls in love, cuts her ties with the school and moves out to start a ranch with her husband. There is minimal amount of chemistry so to communicate the deep love between two main characters you will read about the neighbours constantly reminding Ellen that Charlie loves her oh so much. That does not do it for me so the maritial part of this book felt for me dubious at best. The trials and tribulations however are the main axis of this story and it feels like the timeline jumps from one tragic event directly to another skipping the character development and abandoning any attempts at growing an emotional attachment between the reader and heroes of this story. In the end the amount of bad things that happen is so large that I found myself hardened and unemotional. Beginnings of XX century were tough times.
It's an ok book, well written and fast to read but also pretty emotionless despite multiple deaths. I feel like it's better to read it when you are in a mentally good place.
May 7, 2023
Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas Like most of Sandra Dallas’ books it starts out slow. Before you know it you are living in 1916 Wyoming. The dead desert hot plains in July. Dead snowy dangerous cold winters the other 3 seasons. Author depicts a great hard story of life on the plains. Primitive and hard as the plains were. Primitive and harsh with the personal lives of the people there. Men are cowboys who worked hard and disciplined their families just as hard. The characters are survivors. They are hard working loving folks who forgive each other and love each other just as much
March 24, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
😭😪😫😢
If the emojis aren't indication enough here is my disclaimer. If you are going through a difficult time in your life right now and want to escape into the literary world, this historical fiction is raw in its realism. The ending is bittersweet. It is not heartwarming with an ending wrapped up in a pretty bow. Where Coyotes Howl is the story of the women of Wyoming who married their cowboys and dreamers and supported each other through what life dealt them.
TW: Domestic violence, Child Abuse, Prostitution Infant mortality, Mental Illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Addiction, Questioning of Faith
I read a fellow reviewer's insights into this book just before writing my own. They questioned what reading audience would want to read such tales of heartbreaking pain. They decided only the most mentally fit would be able to withstand the tragedies in Sandra Dallas' book.
Quite honestly, I became a weeping willow over this book. I would say some emotions of things in my own life spilled over in the reading of this book. It made me empathize with the characters as they experienced their own traumatic events. I also majored in history at university and I like my books to be realistic. I also love Sandra Dallas's books. In her author's note, Dallas confesses this is her favorite book she has written. Coincidently, it is now my favorite book of hers that I have read. Strong female characters and a richly detailed story kept me turning the pages. Even if there were a lot of heartaches to be found.
A truly stunning read that is sure to get my fellow readers chatting. Quite simply, one of my favorite reads of 2023.
Expected Publication Date 18/04/23
Goodreads review published 24/03/23
😭😪😫😢
If the emojis aren't indication enough here is my disclaimer. If you are going through a difficult time in your life right now and want to escape into the literary world, this historical fiction is raw in its realism. The ending is bittersweet. It is not heartwarming with an ending wrapped up in a pretty bow. Where Coyotes Howl is the story of the women of Wyoming who married their cowboys and dreamers and supported each other through what life dealt them.
TW: Domestic violence, Child Abuse, Prostitution Infant mortality, Mental Illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Addiction, Questioning of Faith
I read a fellow reviewer's insights into this book just before writing my own. They questioned what reading audience would want to read such tales of heartbreaking pain. They decided only the most mentally fit would be able to withstand the tragedies in Sandra Dallas' book.
Quite honestly, I became a weeping willow over this book. I would say some emotions of things in my own life spilled over in the reading of this book. It made me empathize with the characters as they experienced their own traumatic events. I also majored in history at university and I like my books to be realistic. I also love Sandra Dallas's books. In her author's note, Dallas confesses this is her favorite book she has written. Coincidently, it is now my favorite book of hers that I have read. Strong female characters and a richly detailed story kept me turning the pages. Even if there were a lot of heartaches to be found.
A truly stunning read that is sure to get my fellow readers chatting. Quite simply, one of my favorite reads of 2023.
Expected Publication Date 18/04/23
Goodreads review published 24/03/23
August 7, 2025
This is a Hard-Hitting Historical Fiction. I listened to the first ten chapters of this book from an e-audiobook, and I read the last part of this book by reading the e-kindle book. I found the narrator of this book to be easy to listen to. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, and I got pulled into this story and those characters very fast. I found the middle of this book to be slow moving and some parts of this book were not need. I feel like some parts just kept going over the same things. I did really enjoy the ending of this book. I love a historical fiction have really hard-hitting parts, and this book as not in the middle and the ending. This book as some parts that is very hard to read and could trigger some readers. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
March 20, 2023
Well, I guess after reading this, I’m just gonna start with. I’m thankful that I did not live during this time. The author does an excellent job depicting the very depressing and numerous deaths that happen throughout the story, so much that I felt slightly depressed for my newfound friends when I finished this book. I loved the characters and maybe that was part of the problem. Because I didn’t want all the deaths and yes I know that it’s a part of living life on a ranch during those times but man oh man just when you thought that would be the last one. I really did enjoy the characters and the storyline other than the sad, depressing scenes. I also did not particularly care for several instances where the author goes out of her way to blame God for whatever bad thing is just happened.
Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
June 21, 2024
WTF was this?
The writing was beautiful if you're into watching characters be subjected to complete, abject MISERY over and over and over again. Bleak doesn't begin to describe it. Big middle finger to 'literature' for this one.
The writing was beautiful if you're into watching characters be subjected to complete, abject MISERY over and over and over again. Bleak doesn't begin to describe it. Big middle finger to 'literature' for this one.
April 18, 2023
A new teacher in town.
Will she stay since none of the other teachers last a year?
They don't last in Wallace because it's so small, and the winters and summers are brutally cold and brutally hot.
Ellen wasn't sure how things would work, but she was willing to give this small Western town a try.
When she met Charlie, a handsome cowboy, she decided to stay no matter what.
It wasn't an easy life for her or any of the residents of Wallace.
She and Charlie made it through all the difficulties because of their love for each other.
WHERE COYOTES HOWL was a sweet but tragic, sad read.
Despite all the hardships, I enjoyed hearing the characters say they ordered from Montgomery Wards.
If you need something different with genuine characters and would like to learn of the difficult life on the prairies of Wyoming, give WHERE COYOTES HOWL a try.
You will not want to have to close the last page because of the characters. 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
Will she stay since none of the other teachers last a year?
They don't last in Wallace because it's so small, and the winters and summers are brutally cold and brutally hot.
Ellen wasn't sure how things would work, but she was willing to give this small Western town a try.
When she met Charlie, a handsome cowboy, she decided to stay no matter what.
It wasn't an easy life for her or any of the residents of Wallace.
She and Charlie made it through all the difficulties because of their love for each other.
WHERE COYOTES HOWL was a sweet but tragic, sad read.
Despite all the hardships, I enjoyed hearing the characters say they ordered from Montgomery Wards.
If you need something different with genuine characters and would like to learn of the difficult life on the prairies of Wyoming, give WHERE COYOTES HOWL a try.
You will not want to have to close the last page because of the characters. 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
March 31, 2023
Moving, insightful, and incredibly atmospheric!
Where Coyotes Howl is a gritty, intriguing tale that sweeps you away to Wyoming during the early twentieth century and into the lives of the townsfolk of Wallace, especially schoolteacher Ellen Webster and cowboy Charlie Bacon, as they struggle to maintain their livelihoods, identities, sanity, health, and love for each other in harsh weather, barren plains, extreme loss, scarcity of money, and unimaginable tragedy.
The writing is eloquent and vivid. The characters are resilient, devoted, and strong. And the plot is a harrowing tale about life, loss, hope, family, friendship, grief, culture, community, hardship, poverty, trust, survival, and love.
Overall, Where Coyotes Howl is a beautifully written, exceptionally detailed, affecting novel by Dallas that I absolutely adored. It’s one of those novels that I went into thinking it would be good and finished it knowing it was great.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Where Coyotes Howl is a gritty, intriguing tale that sweeps you away to Wyoming during the early twentieth century and into the lives of the townsfolk of Wallace, especially schoolteacher Ellen Webster and cowboy Charlie Bacon, as they struggle to maintain their livelihoods, identities, sanity, health, and love for each other in harsh weather, barren plains, extreme loss, scarcity of money, and unimaginable tragedy.
The writing is eloquent and vivid. The characters are resilient, devoted, and strong. And the plot is a harrowing tale about life, loss, hope, family, friendship, grief, culture, community, hardship, poverty, trust, survival, and love.
Overall, Where Coyotes Howl is a beautifully written, exceptionally detailed, affecting novel by Dallas that I absolutely adored. It’s one of those novels that I went into thinking it would be good and finished it knowing it was great.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 13, 2023
When Ellen Webster takes a teaching job in Wallace, Wyoming, she has no idea how her life will change. Wallace is a far cry from the modernized city of Fort Madison, Iowa, from which she came. Wallace is brutal, barren, and poverty-stricken. Most teachers don't last a year.
But within the first year, Ellen is embracing the difficult life on the high plains, and has married a handsome, charming cowboy who loves her dearly. Ellen is a respected schoolteacher, and has become part of the community, and befriended many of the wives. Ellen is committed to her husband and this town, and intends on staying for the long haul... though it will be far from easy.
Life on the frontier is harsh and unforgiving. Tragedy after tragedy strikes Wallace and it's people, and the women must pull together to get through.
Thoughts: Wow! This is my first Dallas novel, but definitely not my last. This was absolutely stunning. It's one of the saddest books I've read, but breathtakingly beautiful. It's poignant and raw and descriptive and so incredibly moving. It evokes so many emotions, and taught me so much about life on the frontier. These people struggled so hard, and their conditions led to so many tragedies... poverty, hunger, abuse, assault, and death. So much death. But it wasn't all bad. The love between Ellen and her husband was such a palpable thing. They loved so fiercely. And the friendship and comradery between the women was so special. The women had such a sense of community and belonging, and looking out for one another. I adored this aspect.
I read along with the audiobook, which was expertly performed by Stephanie Németh-Parker. Parker did an outstanding job with this performance and it definitely enhanced my enjoyment. I highly recommend this format!
This book is not for the faint of heart, and please check TWs.
Thank you St Martin's and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies. What a gorgeous novel! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read it.
But within the first year, Ellen is embracing the difficult life on the high plains, and has married a handsome, charming cowboy who loves her dearly. Ellen is a respected schoolteacher, and has become part of the community, and befriended many of the wives. Ellen is committed to her husband and this town, and intends on staying for the long haul... though it will be far from easy.
Life on the frontier is harsh and unforgiving. Tragedy after tragedy strikes Wallace and it's people, and the women must pull together to get through.
Thoughts: Wow! This is my first Dallas novel, but definitely not my last. This was absolutely stunning. It's one of the saddest books I've read, but breathtakingly beautiful. It's poignant and raw and descriptive and so incredibly moving. It evokes so many emotions, and taught me so much about life on the frontier. These people struggled so hard, and their conditions led to so many tragedies... poverty, hunger, abuse, assault, and death. So much death. But it wasn't all bad. The love between Ellen and her husband was such a palpable thing. They loved so fiercely. And the friendship and comradery between the women was so special. The women had such a sense of community and belonging, and looking out for one another. I adored this aspect.
I read along with the audiobook, which was expertly performed by Stephanie Németh-Parker. Parker did an outstanding job with this performance and it definitely enhanced my enjoyment. I highly recommend this format!
This book is not for the faint of heart, and please check TWs.
Thank you St Martin's and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies. What a gorgeous novel! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read it.
May 28, 2023
Please do not read this book unless maybe you are suicidal and want something to push you over the edge to act on it.
This book is ridiculous. It's supposed to be a love story, but it is not. It is supposed to be about the love of the land, but it is not that either. It's supposed to be about questioning faith and learning to have it, and it is definitely not that. It's about almost every child in the book dying, which is not even historically accurate, mainly because we'd be extinct as a species is THAT many kids died.
The author can't come up with enough original material to cover all of her tragedies - she uses death by wagon accident twice (in the same family no less.) About half the families have a Down's syndrome child, about half the families have abusive husbands, and about a quarter of the women are prostitutes. I mean, come on. If you're going to go for historical fiction you've got to try a little harder. If you want crazy amounts of doom and gloom the author should have invented her own dystopian world where she could write whatever nonsense she wanted.
Even then her story is ridiculous. I mean at one point we're supposed to believe that a woman sitting right by her house smoking a cigarette (and had never been a smoker in the book prior to this scene) didn't know her house was on fire because of the wind direction? Really? She wouldn't have heard the crackling of the fire or more importantly her screaming children that were being burned alive? (Yes of course both of her children died.)
The hero was supposed to learn to love again after losing both of his parents and his brother in two separate freak accidents. Instead, in a series of three more tragedies, his wife and all three of his children die. Then, he rides off into the sunset never to be seen again.
I don't think I could have hated this book more. I need to remember this author's name so I make sure to avoid her at all costs.
This book is ridiculous. It's supposed to be a love story, but it is not. It is supposed to be about the love of the land, but it is not that either. It's supposed to be about questioning faith and learning to have it, and it is definitely not that. It's about almost every child in the book dying, which is not even historically accurate, mainly because we'd be extinct as a species is THAT many kids died.
The author can't come up with enough original material to cover all of her tragedies - she uses death by wagon accident twice (in the same family no less.) About half the families have a Down's syndrome child, about half the families have abusive husbands, and about a quarter of the women are prostitutes. I mean, come on. If you're going to go for historical fiction you've got to try a little harder. If you want crazy amounts of doom and gloom the author should have invented her own dystopian world where she could write whatever nonsense she wanted.
Even then her story is ridiculous. I mean at one point we're supposed to believe that a woman sitting right by her house smoking a cigarette (and had never been a smoker in the book prior to this scene) didn't know her house was on fire because of the wind direction? Really? She wouldn't have heard the crackling of the fire or more importantly her screaming children that were being burned alive? (Yes of course both of her children died.)
The hero was supposed to learn to love again after losing both of his parents and his brother in two separate freak accidents. Instead, in a series of three more tragedies, his wife and all three of his children die. Then, he rides off into the sunset never to be seen again.
I don't think I could have hated this book more. I need to remember this author's name so I make sure to avoid her at all costs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2025
Three and a half stars
1916 Ellen Webster arrives in Wyoming having been offered the teaching position at the local school. Wallace is not quite the town she imagined when she set out from Iowa where she had spent a year teaching. It feels strange compared to what she has been used to. But then she comes to love the prairie and also falls in love with cowboy Charlie Bacon Life is hard in the land with winter blizzards and searing summer heat. Ellen learns to be a rancher’s wife and in the friendship she forms with other women. One is Ruth McGinty, who is married to a cruelly abusive husband. The other is Gladys who used to work as a prostitute at the Columbine, a brothel, until she met and married Morris. Ellen befriends and tries to help poor Julia Brownell who is struggling to cope with the babies that arrive each year. And then there is the elusive reclusive Miss Ferguson. When tragedy strikes. They try and help each other. Despite the harsh life Ellen knows she is lucky to have a man like Charlie who loves her so much. It shows in the way he treats her. Sadly, not all men are like that with their wives and not all women can cope with the harsh life or treatment.
This book made me so angry. Angry at the treatment inflicted on women too often by their husbands the exception is Charlie. His love for Ellen shines like the sun in contrast to the heartless and cruel attitudes and behaviour of many other men. Then there is the harshness of the land and the lifestyle to combat
It is a story of great love, great heartbreak and great loss. It presents a stark picture of the lifestyle and the dangers. But the end left me stunned. It pulled my rating down a bit.
1916 Ellen Webster arrives in Wyoming having been offered the teaching position at the local school. Wallace is not quite the town she imagined when she set out from Iowa where she had spent a year teaching. It feels strange compared to what she has been used to. But then she comes to love the prairie and also falls in love with cowboy Charlie Bacon Life is hard in the land with winter blizzards and searing summer heat. Ellen learns to be a rancher’s wife and in the friendship she forms with other women. One is Ruth McGinty, who is married to a cruelly abusive husband. The other is Gladys who used to work as a prostitute at the Columbine, a brothel, until she met and married Morris. Ellen befriends and tries to help poor Julia Brownell who is struggling to cope with the babies that arrive each year. And then there is the elusive reclusive Miss Ferguson. When tragedy strikes. They try and help each other. Despite the harsh life Ellen knows she is lucky to have a man like Charlie who loves her so much. It shows in the way he treats her. Sadly, not all men are like that with their wives and not all women can cope with the harsh life or treatment.
This book made me so angry. Angry at the treatment inflicted on women too often by their husbands the exception is Charlie. His love for Ellen shines like the sun in contrast to the heartless and cruel attitudes and behaviour of many other men. Then there is the harshness of the land and the lifestyle to combat
It is a story of great love, great heartbreak and great loss. It presents a stark picture of the lifestyle and the dangers. But the end left me stunned. It pulled my rating down a bit.
March 18, 2023
Kind of a bland romance honestly. I’m glad they ended up together but the storyline just felt blah to me. I hated the parts with the spousal abuse too, those were horrible. I understand it was more part of the times but yikes!
🌀Synopsis
Ellen accepted a teaching position in Wyoming. She expects to learn the west and teach but she doesn’t expect to fall in love. She ends up falling for one of the locals- Charlie Bacon, and they are married shortly after.
They begin to build a great life together. Ellen finds a good community of people and an everlasting love with Charlie.
🌀Synopsis
Ellen accepted a teaching position in Wyoming. She expects to learn the west and teach but she doesn’t expect to fall in love. She ends up falling for one of the locals- Charlie Bacon, and they are married shortly after.
They begin to build a great life together. Ellen finds a good community of people and an everlasting love with Charlie.
April 18, 2023
I chose the author's latest because I loved her sensitive LITTLE SOULS, about the 1918 Flu Pandemic in Denver. I find WHERE COYOTES HOWL equally moving, a deft account of a prairie couple in Wyoming two years earlier. At the heart of this compelling tale is their extraordinary love that keeps them bonded through horrific weather, tragedies and travails. Highly recommended for lovers of the American West and stories of the brave settlers who made it their home
July 23, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Gosh, what a devastatingly sad little book this was. I don’t think anything good happens in the whole story, just one depressing thing after. I’m sure this was just how life was in that specific time and place, and it was well-written and entertaining, but I was not in the right headspace to read it.
Gosh, what a devastatingly sad little book this was. I don’t think anything good happens in the whole story, just one depressing thing after. I’m sure this was just how life was in that specific time and place, and it was well-written and entertaining, but I was not in the right headspace to read it.
June 10, 2024
This was so sad omg!
May 3, 2023
I don't often write actual reviews...but I feel this book needs a disclaimer. **SPOILER ALERT**
While the writing was very good, the story held my attention, and it was a quick, easy read, I feel it worth mentioning that this book is horribly depressing. I like a good "deep and touching" storyline, love Kristin Hannah, but this one was awful! So many depressing moments (which is understandable for the time frame/location), and the characters seem to overcome them with hard work and determination. But then it's almost like the author didn't know how to end it and just made it the most depressing ending imaginable!! There was no real "wrap up", the epilogue wasn't as redeeming as I think it was intended to be. I don't give 5 star reviews unless it blew me out of the water, and I wouldn't give this a 1 star review because the book held me up until the end. But ugh...there has to be a better way to end things than killing off the main character like that.
While the writing was very good, the story held my attention, and it was a quick, easy read, I feel it worth mentioning that this book is horribly depressing. I like a good "deep and touching" storyline, love Kristin Hannah, but this one was awful! So many depressing moments (which is understandable for the time frame/location), and the characters seem to overcome them with hard work and determination. But then it's almost like the author didn't know how to end it and just made it the most depressing ending imaginable!! There was no real "wrap up", the epilogue wasn't as redeeming as I think it was intended to be. I don't give 5 star reviews unless it blew me out of the water, and I wouldn't give this a 1 star review because the book held me up until the end. But ugh...there has to be a better way to end things than killing off the main character like that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2023
It’s really hard not to give this novel 5 stars. Heartbreaking and full of little details from women’s lives in the early 20th century in the western USA.
The ending was 🤯😭
The ending was 🤯😭
August 14, 2023
3.75 - I'm always up for a good historical fiction that takes place in the truly wild west. I love the story of Charlie and Ellen, how they fell in love, made a life and faced all of the challenges head on.
April 23, 2023
This was a refreshingly different from the thrillers that I usually read. Sandra Dallas is an excellent writer and skillfully portrays the hardships of Wyoming prairie life. The characters, both good and bad, were well-drawn and authentic. The descriptions of the hardships endured will draw readers in. This will appeal to a wide range of readers.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, St. Martin’s Press and Sandra Dallas for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, St. Martin’s Press and Sandra Dallas for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
May 1, 2023
WTAF was the author thinking with that ending?? I like a depressing tale, it's one of my favorite "genres" give me some tough times, domestic abuse, deaths and heartache sure but don't just do me dirty with an ending like this one. I was perfectly content reading about this miserable ranch life and all of the neighbors- but then the last chapter happened. It didn't make me cry, just pissed me off and it is because of that I can't recommend.
I'm off to find a better Little House of the Prairie kind of book now.
I'm off to find a better Little House of the Prairie kind of book now.
May 7, 2023
I like an occasional story about hardships of life on the plains with a couple of strong female characters. I had a copy from NetGalley but instead listened to the audiobook, which was nicely done. The story was an emotional rollercoaster and by the end, I found it more depressing than most such books I've read. Very depressing, in fact. Enough said without throwing in spoilers.
July 18, 2022
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 18th, 2022
Sandra Dallas does a stellar job at evoking the historical West — in this case a small town on the prairies of Wyoming in the early 1900s. This is the story of two “ordinary” people of time — an imported schoolteacher and the cowboy she falls in love with. It’s a hard life and frankly that makes for a hard read. The tight friendships and support structure formed by the women who often live up to an hour by horse from each other can help but not quite overcome the relentless tragedies that occur — from weather, illness, starvation, and from (some) husbands that are just plain bad. Dallas never resorts to melodrama but then she doesn’t have to — the real life stories are (mostly) pretty awful. I’ve read every book that Dallas has written and will continue to do so, but I admit that this book left me pretty depressed — her depictions so vivid that (being the emotional sponge that I am) I couldn’t help but feel sad for all my new found fictional friends.
Sandra Dallas does a stellar job at evoking the historical West — in this case a small town on the prairies of Wyoming in the early 1900s. This is the story of two “ordinary” people of time — an imported schoolteacher and the cowboy she falls in love with. It’s a hard life and frankly that makes for a hard read. The tight friendships and support structure formed by the women who often live up to an hour by horse from each other can help but not quite overcome the relentless tragedies that occur — from weather, illness, starvation, and from (some) husbands that are just plain bad. Dallas never resorts to melodrama but then she doesn’t have to — the real life stories are (mostly) pretty awful. I’ve read every book that Dallas has written and will continue to do so, but I admit that this book left me pretty depressed — her depictions so vivid that (being the emotional sponge that I am) I couldn’t help but feel sad for all my new found fictional friends.
February 12, 2023
Well goodness, if this isn’t just about one of the saddest books I’ve ever read. It reminded me a bit of Little House On The Prairie. I loved the setting, and I also loved the characters. I will say that I wish there had been more with Charlie’s character- I felt as if he didn’t have enough scenes or speaking parts. I just wanted more detail between him and Ellen, which is the only reason I’m docking 1 star. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, overall! I was able to read it in one sitting. I definitely would say read this one when you’re in a good mental state… there are lots of melancholy events. I was devastated with how it ended, but it went well with the overall theme and message of the book. I will probably read more by this author. I enjoyed the writing style. She definitely knows how to make you feel emotionally invested in her books.
June 15, 2023
Sandra Dallas books are hit or miss with me and this was definitely a miss. I think the predictability and simplicity of the story contributed to my inability to connect to the characters. Possibly writing this story from a first person POV would have helped with more show and less tell. I found myself not wanting to pick up the book. Dallas has written some great books such as True Sisters and The Diary of Mattie Spencer so I can't give up on her.
February 25, 2023
Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas. Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ellen Webster comes to Wyoming in 1916 to serve as their town teacher. It wasn’t quite what she expected. Then she falls in love with a cowboy. Life isn’t easy on the land, but they love each other and the women of the town are there for each other.
This is one of those books that seems to exist for one reason: to rip your heart out. While likely an accurate display of frontier life in 1916 Wyoming, it is unbearably sad. You will learn a lot about a historical time period, and how women dealt (and didn’t deal) with it, but you will also cry buckets because it’s just plain sad. I loved how it was about the women of the frontier and how they support each other.
“Except for the way they loved each other, they were just ordinary, everyday folks. Just ordinary.”
Where Coyotes Howl comes out 4/18.
Ellen Webster comes to Wyoming in 1916 to serve as their town teacher. It wasn’t quite what she expected. Then she falls in love with a cowboy. Life isn’t easy on the land, but they love each other and the women of the town are there for each other.
This is one of those books that seems to exist for one reason: to rip your heart out. While likely an accurate display of frontier life in 1916 Wyoming, it is unbearably sad. You will learn a lot about a historical time period, and how women dealt (and didn’t deal) with it, but you will also cry buckets because it’s just plain sad. I loved how it was about the women of the frontier and how they support each other.
“Except for the way they loved each other, they were just ordinary, everyday folks. Just ordinary.”
Where Coyotes Howl comes out 4/18.
April 17, 2023
A detailed account of settling the west in Wyoming. It's the story of a small town told from the POV of a small family. It starts as Ellen, a newcomer to a developing town. They can't seem to keep a teacher for longer than a year. They either leave because they can't take the quiet, desolation, and weather or they get married and stay for the long haul. So Ellen arrives and makes a vow to stay through the year - she can do it, she won't give up.
From there, you get to know the town, the people and Ellen's life. It was a little slow to get going, at first, but then it became really easy to know which family was which in town and how they all tied together. It was nice to read how they all worked together but also didn't shy away from just how difficult it was to make it. There were lean year and hardship but the story was compelling and interesting. I found myself invested in the characters and I wanted them to succeed. Even though it broke my heart, the story moved me and I'm glad I read it! I really liked this one.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
From there, you get to know the town, the people and Ellen's life. It was a little slow to get going, at first, but then it became really easy to know which family was which in town and how they all tied together. It was nice to read how they all worked together but also didn't shy away from just how difficult it was to make it. There were lean year and hardship but the story was compelling and interesting. I found myself invested in the characters and I wanted them to succeed. Even though it broke my heart, the story moved me and I'm glad I read it! I really liked this one.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
January 30, 2023
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Im torn on this book- this book is well written and I really enjoyed the day to day details of life on the prairie of Wyoming during the turn of the 20th century, but jeez this novel is BLEAK!!!
The main characters are two young people- Ellen a naive city girl seeking adventure who answers a newspaper advertisement to be a school teacher, and Charlie Bacon, a lonesome yet earnest cowboy who dreams of owning his own ranch. They don’t have a single flaw between the two of them, and fall madly in love. Charlie buys the ranch and together they make it a home. The antagonist in the book is the brutal prairie weather, and the toll it takes on the lives of those who settle there. The newlyweds have one good year then its nothing but heartache and suffering for them and all their neighbors. So many children die.
3 stars because I really hated the ending- I really felt the reader deserved better.
Im torn on this book- this book is well written and I really enjoyed the day to day details of life on the prairie of Wyoming during the turn of the 20th century, but jeez this novel is BLEAK!!!
The main characters are two young people- Ellen a naive city girl seeking adventure who answers a newspaper advertisement to be a school teacher, and Charlie Bacon, a lonesome yet earnest cowboy who dreams of owning his own ranch. They don’t have a single flaw between the two of them, and fall madly in love. Charlie buys the ranch and together they make it a home. The antagonist in the book is the brutal prairie weather, and the toll it takes on the lives of those who settle there. The newlyweds have one good year then its nothing but heartache and suffering for them and all their neighbors. So many children die.
3 stars because I really hated the ending- I really felt the reader deserved better.
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