Charity

The Charity Series #01

by Paulette Callen

The friendship between Lena Kaiser, a sodbuster’s daughter, and Gustie Roemer, an educated Easterner, is unlikely in any other circumstance but post-frontier Charity, South Dakota. Gustie is considered an outsider, and Lena is too proud to share her problems (which include a hard-drinking husband) with anyone else. On the nearby Sioux reservation, Gustie also finds love and family with two Dakotah Dorcas Many Roads, an old medicine woman, and her adopted granddaughter, Jordis, who bears the scars of the white man’s education. When Lena’s husband is arrested for murdering his father and the secrets of Gustie’s past follow her to Charity, Lena, Gustie, and Jordis stand together. As buried horrors are unearthed and present tragedies unfold, they discover the strength and beauty of love and friendship that blossom like wild flowers in the tough prairie soil.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, Romance, Queer, Mystery, LGBT, Fiction

364 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 1997

About the author

Paulette Callen grew up on the South Dakota prairie. In the early 70's she moved to New York City and decided to stay because she liked the coffee. After years as a resident of the Upper West Side she has returned to her hometown, living comfortably with her ghosts and her new companion Bodhi, a poodle/Shih Tzu mix.

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read. I am on one of the best streak of books I have been on in years and I sure hope it lasts all summer. As I have mentioned before, I have a love/hate relationship with historical fiction (lesfic) reads. I am always worried to read them because of how much suffering women have had in the past, but when I actually read them I’m almost always impressed. So I decided to purposely try to read more of them and was excited when YLVA approved this book for me to review from their back catalog.

One thing I noticed immediately is that this is not the “usual” lesfic book you might expect from YLVA. While one main character is a lesbian, the other main character is very straight and very married. I just assumed the two mains would fall in love but I was way wrong. I then realized that this book was originally published in 1997 by Simon and Schuster before this current edition was released by YLVA in 2013. Boy do I wish I would have known about this book in the 90’s but I can unfortunately see why this little gem of a book might have gotten overlooked back then.

This is a historical-fiction book with a little romance, and a mystery too. The romance is very light but it was sweet. There are no sex scenes in this book het or wlw. The main premise is about two women trying to make their way in a frontier town that is nearby a Sioux reservation. Lena, who is married to a normally nice man (but who is a mean drunk), wakes up to find that her husband is in jail for murdering his father. Gustie is a school teacher with a big secret that gives her nightmares. She finds herself more at home with her Lakota friends than the people of the town of Charity. Can Gustie get her life together or will her past come back to haunt her?

I do have to be honest that I did not care much for this book in the beginning. I found it a bit slow, and really hard to get into. I felt like I wasn’t connecting with the characters either. Luckily, that all changed by the second quarter of this book. Everything just clicks into place and I could not stop reading. I was up until 3 am not caring about being a zombie for work today because I just had to know how this book would finish.

Since this book follows two main characters, I was glad that both have good storylines. There are mysteries and secrets and plenty of drama that keept me turning the pages. The book is really well written and you can’t help but get transported into this frontier town. There are some tough subjects the book deals with like murder and abuse. This was also during the time that Native Americans were forced onto reservations and Christian educations so there are some heartbreaking parts too. But there were plenty of feel good moments and hope, to balance the book out so it didn’t feel too heavy. This is not a light read, but it sure is a good one.

I would absolutely recommend this to historical-fiction fans and even fans who like a bit of mystery. The book is slow to start, but keep reading because the story is worth it. I had accidently purchased the sequel to this book, a while ago, not realizing it was a book 2. Now I’m really glad that I have it and I’m excited I get to read more with these characters.

A copy was given to me for a honest review.

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Paulette Callen sure wrote something quite amazing here. She really transported me to turn-of-the-century South Dakota in all it's harsh beauty.

Charity has a rich storyline with compelling characters that came alive on the page. Paulette Callen gives us a strong friendship, major hardship, fierce love and unspeakable family drama all written with great care and elegance. It really blew me away and when I have mulled this over sufficiently I will certainly come back to the little town of Charity to read part two.

f/f

Themes: Lakota, love and loss, spirituality, the town Charity, the hardship of living with a good man who is a mean drunk, dark family secrets, that damned icehouse.

5 stars

[Jem · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the rarest things in lesfic is beautiful prose--the kind that has a poetic and lyrical quality to it and its reading alone gives you much pleasure. Add to that the amazing imagery the descriptions evoke, and you get a book that magically transports you to another world and another time and lose yourself entirely in that world--a small town called Charity in turn of the century America. There we meet three amazing women--the diminutive but feisty Lena, town eccentric Gustie and the mysterious and slightly scary Jordis. These ladies are far from perfect, (its a joy to get into Lena's mind as she has a rather wry opinion on everyone and everything) but they do their best to get by in a male dominated world and amidst a small town mindset. There is an intriguing murder mystery and a romance to spice things up. My only complaint observation is that the romance isn't that well-developed, at least, not in the standard we are used to in lesfic. Which is probably the author's intent, as this book is more a character study of women (and a small town) that just happened to have a couple of women who love one another. I would also like to think, realistically, what choice did these two women have? It wasn't like there were any other lesbians within a few hundred miles of Charity. I'm sure like me, other lesfic readers kept hoping for the other women to discover alternatives..but alas, no matter how worthless/horrible some of the men were, it didn't happen. :) So if you're looking for a standard lesfic romance, look elsewhere. This is a historical fiction first and foremost.

One other thing I found really satisfying is the balance the author strikes in everything--from the characterizations to the plot and everything in between. No one is perfectly good or evil. I love all-around do-gooder Lena's 'evil' thoughts, Gustie's willingness to lie and even Jordis' readiness to kill. The Indians are portrayed realistically, as ordinary folks and occasionally victims of white vices/abuses but who also seemed resigned to the inevitability of their marginalization and are just trying to get by with as much of their dignity intact as possible. There is always some thread of religious spiritualism (be it Amer. Indian or Christian) running through the book as beliefs are such a major part of people's lives then. Yet the ending (Gustie's 'vision') is also perfectly apt. The review would be incomplete without a mention of the town itself Charity. It's like a character in the book--collectively small-minded, opinionated, judgmental of anyone who doesn't conform to its strict definition of 'normal' yet strangely protective and supportive when faced with outside threats.

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐ - Interesting read.

I an not sure what to say about this book. I was confused about what I was reading for about half the book because you are dropped into what feels like the middle of the story. It took me awhile to warm up to the characters. Once I got to about the 50% mark, I had a really hard time putting the book down and I just basically spent my entire Saturday finishing it. While there is a wlw relationship in the book and its a important this story is more well rounded with other important story lines and each one gets it's space to develop. I ended up being invested in them all and by the time the book ended, I thought to myself, "Damn! This was a really good book!" lol.

If you started this book and gave up or are thinking of giving up, I would urge you to give it until about 55% when stuff starts to come together and see what you think about reading to the end. I think it might be worth your time.

ps. i was not quite sure the time frame of this book at first and so to save you some head scratching, one of the dates mentioned in the book was 1899.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's a very well written historical novel and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great book in that genre.

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent story of love and friendship between women from different worlds and with different perspectives. Tinged with a hint of romance and a fair amount of family intrigue, it's a well thought out and extremely well written story of the friendship between Lena and her husband Will, the town drunk, and their friend Gustie who is struggling to find her own peace after grieving the loss of her lover Clare.

Highly recommended

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was like eating something that is complex in flavors each bite you taste something else. This book grew in story the longer I read it. It seems to be a story of the friendship of four women, four very different women, two of them Lakota Indians an unlikely friendship at the given time. The book has so many layers to the story and so much more to find out the longer that you read it. There is a killing and that is something that remains unsolved until the very end and it was done by a person you would never suspect. This book was told at a time when the Lakota were pretty much living on a reservation, relying on vouchers each mnth for their food, no longer able to hunt the land. There is a great prejudice between the whites and the Lakota. The book was sent to me as a First Reads, and I imagine I won it as the follow up to this book is going to be released soon...."Fervent Charity".
That is a good thing because once you read this book it leaves you wanting more....the story is finished it's just that the author weaves such good tales you want more of her work!

From Good Reads, the description of the book: The friendship between Lena Kaiser, a sodbuster's daughter, and Gustie Roemer, an educated Easterner, is unlikely in any other circumstance but post-frontier Charity, South Dakota. Gustie is considered an outsider, and Lena is too proud to share her problems (which include a hard-drinking husband) with anyone else. On the nearby Sioux reservation, Gustie also finds love and family with two Dakotah women: Dorcas Many Roads, an old medicine woman, and her adopted granddaughter, Jordis, who bears the scars of the white man's education. When Lena's husband is arrested for murdering his father and the secrets of Gustie's past follow her to Charity, Lena, Gustie, and Jordis stand together. As buried horrors are unearthed and present tragedies unfold, they discover the strength and beauty of love and friendship that blossom like wild flowers in the tough prairie soil

[Celina · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ Lena Kaiser, a sodbuster's daughter.⁠
~ Gustie Roemer, an educated Easterner.⁠
~ Two Dakotah women: Dorcas Many Roads, an old medicine woman, and her adopted granddaughter, Jordis, who bears the scars of the white man's education.⁠
⁠
⁠
Whenever I decide to read a historical novel, I am always appalled by the way my mind can wonder away. History doesn't interest me much, and I usually avoid historical books because they usually contain contents that I prefer to avoid. Things like discrimination against others just make me feel rather vulnerable and the way books usually describe these scenes, it's like the brain is watching some fucked up movie on replay, when you finish reading the book. ⁠
⁠
⁠
Now Charity, was something to behold. There were moments when my heart broke. And then moments when I didn't have a clue about what the fuck was happening. Those poor people waiting for their good supply. And Gustie mourning, or Jordis and her brother's story, argh.. I cry. ⁠
⁠
⁠
It felt like I feel into some scenes, like I was reading and after reading a scene, that's when I understand what's happening. English as a second language can complicate reading like that. I can never read Shakespeare, hence why I rarely read hard-core history because it would take me days to get thru the book and then I might lose interest. That usually leads to reader's block. ⁠

[Jane Shambler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Callen that I have read. She transported me to another place and time and made me believe what I was reading. So I will definitely be looking out for her in the future.


Charity is a small town in America in the turn of the century. There we meet three women. Jordis was seriously scary, Lena who battles her way through and the there is the eccentric Gustie. The story is more historical than romance. I am not up on American geography but I am guessing Charity is in the middle of no where. So these woman had to learn to live in a male dominated world. I would actually argue the book is more a study off these women.


Nothing is put on and everything appears to be realistic from the towns people to the Indians. They all have their issues and problems. Callen portrays all of them pretty well.


If you want something different to the standard lesfic then give this a go. It adds something new into the mix. It is also very well written. Enjoy!



*ARC provided by publisher via Ylva Publishing*

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to write a review because this is such a beautiful book. It's set at the turn of the century in a town called Charity in South Dakota. I guess I love that it is about healing. There are two stories running through the book. One's a murder mystery and one's a love story between and Indian woman (the writer uses Indian not Native American) and a woman finding her way after losing community and her lover. I am really surprised that this book is kind of lost out there. Not popular when it deserves to be. The writing is beautiful and more than well done for a first time novel. I've been re-reading parts of it over the last two days. Can't let it go.

[Ashley Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came into my life via a book exchange and l am so glad I took the time to read it. The story is well-told, a story of love in many forms as well as an intriguing mystery that builds slowly to the very end. It also tells the tale of Indians and settlers and their prejudices of each other as well as giving a thoughtful look into life in a harsh land before modern conveniences.

[Blythe Rippon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful and lovely novel! Callen has a true gift for language and her characters are beautifully drawn without being sentimental. Her writing offers a great balance of in-depth description and crisp, natural dialogue.

[Jaie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting historical fiction. I thought the setting and characters were well developed. The pace was a little bit slow for me, which meant I read the book over a a period of days instead of in one go. Overall, I found it a very solid book with a good story.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like some spiritual and mystical stuff going on in your novels, this might be for you. Enjoyable plot and characters with a little mystery thrown in.

[Gerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charity turned out to be a darker fare than my usual reads, so I feel a few CNs may be in order here:

CN - Animal Abuse (short but highly graphic scene), Cutting, Racism

Charity opens with a murder, but the focus of the story is less that the friendship of a couple women living at the tun of the century, the 19th that is.
There's a lot of jumping back and forth in the timeline while the story unfolds and I have to admit that I got momentary lost a few times there.

The prose is striking though and kept me reading, my minor niggle with it is how the author for one of the characters tends to change the narrative view point from past tense to first person present which always felt a bit jarring to me.

Overall I would put this book in the Literature/Women's Fiction coner more than anywhere else.

[Ranger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little lost through parts of the first chapter which I think were flashbacks, but sometimes where a switch to a different characters voice. The story had deep character struggling with loss, love, faith, prejudice, and addition. I don’t see myself reading book 2, neither the writing nor story really pulled me in enough for a sequel.

[Seham]

They admit to cause no harm...oh, the bold is sick and in need for charity...poor m.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Low 3 stars. Not at all what I was hoping to read, but a decent story in its own right. I probably won't read it again.

[KELLY A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lushly written book defies "rules" and modern formulas of storytelling, allowing readers to draw closer to an authentic tale and exquisitely penned characters.

[Terry Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally from the east and well educated, Gustie Roemer, has now settled in Charity, South Dakota. Gustie is still considered by the town folk to be an outsider in spite of becoming the local school teacher.

Gustie and local woman, Lena Kaiser, a sodbusters daughter, strike up an unlikely friendship. Soon Lena is sharing problems with Gustie, she wouldn’t dream of telling anyone else. It’s good for Lena to have someone to confide in, as her husband Will is a drunkard and although not violent, his antics do give Lena cause for concern.

Gustie also strikes up a deep friendship with two women on the nearby Sioux Reservation. The old medicine woman, Dorcas Many Roads, who lives out at Crows Kill and her adopted granddaughter, Jordis. Jordis is known as a two spirit woman, which basically means she has the spirit of both man and woman in her. Jordis has had a white mans education and still bears the deep scars, which has made her somewhat bitter and defensive.

The quiet life on the prairie isn’t quiet for long. Lena’s husband Will gets arrested for murdering his father. Gustie’s past catches up with her and her deep dark secrets are revealed. Lena, Gustie and Jordis form a bond and stand together as true friends do. This doesn’t sit too well with the small minded white folks of Charity.

Deep, horrendous secrets within the small town that have remained buried for years are gradually exposed. Present day tragedies interweave throughout everyday lives. But, true friendship, love and strength prevail through their tough prairie lives.

I love a good western. This one is a blockbuster. I know this is a revamped, republished book, but I missed it the first time round. I’m so pleased it has seen the light of day again and with a sequel, Fervent Charity, no less. One which I can’t wait to read now.

This book is well written and from the scenic descriptions, I lost myself totally out on the prairie. All these characters, without exception, are fully developed and multidimensional. They all play well together. Even the baddies are great to read about.

The story is emotional, stormy, dark and turbulent, with many twists and turns throughout. If you are looking for a great book set in the old wild west where cowboys and Indians interact together, look no further. This should hit the spot. A definite re-read for me.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the late 1800's Gustie (Augusta) Roemer has lived in Charity, SD, for nearly 2 years and is finally becoming an accepted member of the community. She is the schoolteacher, a fine horsewoman, and very secretive about her past. Her best friend in Charity is Lena Kaiser, a young woman married to a handsome drunkard named Will. As the novel begins, Will is seen leaving the barn where his father lies murdered. Although no one can believe the mild-mannered Will could be the culprit, he is arrested and held for trial. Lena and Will have no money for bail or a lawyer but Gustie steps in and anonymously pays for whatever her friend needs.

Gustie leaves Charity frequently to visit Crow Kills, a lake near the Dakotah Reservation, where she secretly mourns over an unmarked grave. It is the burial place of Clare, a young woman Gustie loved who died shortly after they arrived in South Dakota after leaving their homes in the East. Gustie nearly died from grief after burying Clare but she was cared for by Dorcas and her grandaughter, Jordis, who nursed her back to health. Gustie and Jordis become devoted friends and fall deeply in love. The people of Charity cannot understand why Gustie prefers being with Indians than with 'her own kind'.

Charity is rocked by the murder of Lena's young brother but it is only the beginning of a mystery that dates back several decades. Lena, Gustie, Jordis and Will find themselves in danger as they try to uncover the secrets that someone is willing to commit murder to conceal.

This book reminded me quite a bit of "Cold Mountain" in that the descriptions of the land, water, trees, plants, and weather took up a great number of pages. The story itself is pretty good and the characters are fairly likeable. There is definitely an underlying political statement being made about the terrible way in which native Americans were treated. The mystery was intriguing but a bit convoluted and difficult to follow.

[Rebekah]

I've read this book before and remembered that it was quite good, so I gave it another go.

And I remembered correctly, the book is quite good. The writing is clear and flowing, but it possesses a somewhat lyrical quality to it in its descriptions.

The central women characters are women that you'd not only like to get to know, but would like to be. They are strong, wise, flawed, and painfully human.

The Lakota characters and their plight are very realistically and empathetically portrayed - but are not to be pitied. These are a strong, noble people, and one tends to feel sorry instead for the white folks of the small-minded Dakota town.

This novel could be described as an alternative Western, a mystery, or even a romance - but I think it's a story of love, friendship, forgiveness and acceptance. Very lovely!

[Terri Seydel · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring. didn't finish

[Bib · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had problem getting into the story. Could someone tell me who is the father of Julia's babies? Thanks.