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Joseph Stein #2
Stein House
After three long months at sea, Helga Heinrich and her four children sail into the thriving Indianola seaport on the Texas coast in 1853 to begin their new life. They are determined to overcome the memory and haunting legacy of Max, her husband and their papa, who drowned in a drunken leap from the dock as their ship pulled away from the German port.
Helga is anxious to be reunited with her sister Amelia. And she's grateful her wealthy brother-in-law, Dr. Joseph Stein, fulfills his part of the bargain that brought the family to the new world, even without Max to run his mercantile store. Helga takes charge of Stein's massive boarding house overlooking the road to Texas's interior and the fickle waves of Matagorda Bay.
A woman of strong passions, Helga operates Stein House for boarders of all stripes whose involvement in the rigors of a town on the edge of frontier influences and molds all their lives: the cruelties of yellow fever and slavery, the wrenching choices of Civil War and Reconstruction, murder, alcoholism, and the devastation wrought by the hurricane of 1886.
Helga is anxious to be reunited with her sister Amelia. And she's grateful her wealthy brother-in-law, Dr. Joseph Stein, fulfills his part of the bargain that brought the family to the new world, even without Max to run his mercantile store. Helga takes charge of Stein's massive boarding house overlooking the road to Texas's interior and the fickle waves of Matagorda Bay.
A woman of strong passions, Helga operates Stein House for boarders of all stripes whose involvement in the rigors of a town on the edge of frontier influences and molds all their lives: the cruelties of yellow fever and slavery, the wrenching choices of Civil War and Reconstruction, murder, alcoholism, and the devastation wrought by the hurricane of 1886.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
302 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2013
62 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Myra Hargrave McIlvain
12 books40 followersMyra Hargrave McIlvain, a sixth-generation Texan, is a teller of Texas tales. Whether she shares the stories in her books, lectures, or newsletter, she aims to make the Texas story alive. She has freelanced as a writer of Texas historical markers and written articles for newspapers nationwide and for magazines such as Texas Highways. She has published twelve books—all Texas stories. Her most recent, The Knotted Ring, is the story of a young woman, pregnant with her slave lover's baby, who is forced to marry a man headed to Texas for a Spanish land grant. McIlvain lives in Austin with her husband, Stroud. She enjoys the company of a houseful of great grands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 23, 2020
I was excited to read this book as my ancestors “got off the boat” in Indianola after leaving Germany. They moved inland to Victoria and Cuero so they missed the hurricanes and the fire that ultimately destroyed this bustling port. Indianola was second only to Galveston at one point. And now there is nothing left of it but a historical marker on the side of the road.
I’m not sure what I expected from this book. Much of it was about the Civil War. And I just couldn’t get into the characters. They seemed like cardboard cutouts. Or the romance between Hel (who wants to be called Hell?) and Eagle. This story read like a bad soap opera to me.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I gained anything from reading this book about Indianola.
I’m not sure what I expected from this book. Much of it was about the Civil War. And I just couldn’t get into the characters. They seemed like cardboard cutouts. Or the romance between Hel (who wants to be called Hell?) and Eagle. This story read like a bad soap opera to me.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I gained anything from reading this book about Indianola.
March 27, 2014
Excited to begin this historical fiction about Texas, hurricanes, the Civil War and Reconstruction. I won this from Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
3/22 /2014 - after the first chapter I excitedly invited my husband to share this book with me. It has been a long time since I read aloud to him. The last book was "Cold Mountain". Even though reading aloud slows me down we are both enjoying the tale, the characters and the setting of this book.
3/26/2014 - This reading out loud is not working for me. So I got a copy for my reader and now I can stay up all night reading this book. Plot has quickened and Heinrich family face crisis after crisis. We are now approaching the Civil War and the tensions are building.
Romance becomes part of Helga's life. The hero brings her bluebonnet. How loverly. He also brings a freshly shot deer and a large cedar tree for hoists dinner. Can't help but love a man like that.
3/26/2014 I am finished and sad to let these characters go. I could go on eating highlights but you might as well read this book yourself. It contains so much life. And I cried along with Helga at the end. Let me just say this; life is full of change. And even if you live in one place for forty years life will surprise you. Even if you've experienced was, yellow fever, financial ups and downs, birth, deaths, marriage, children and grandchildren life continues to bring change and surprise. This is a story of family and of the matriarch who holds them together during every crisis and change.
Read this book it is a rollicking good tale. Well written and finely paced.
Note: I have been reading this book along with O My America!: Six Women and Their Second Acts in a New Worldbecause the two books explore European women coming to America in their middle years. The books compliment each other by expanding on themes prevalent during mid nineteenth century. STEIN HOUSE was by far the most enjoyable of the two books.
3/22 /2014 - after the first chapter I excitedly invited my husband to share this book with me. It has been a long time since I read aloud to him. The last book was "Cold Mountain". Even though reading aloud slows me down we are both enjoying the tale, the characters and the setting of this book.
3/26/2014 - This reading out loud is not working for me. So I got a copy for my reader and now I can stay up all night reading this book. Plot has quickened and Heinrich family face crisis after crisis. We are now approaching the Civil War and the tensions are building.
Romance becomes part of Helga's life. The hero brings her bluebonnet. How loverly. He also brings a freshly shot deer and a large cedar tree for hoists dinner. Can't help but love a man like that.
3/26/2014 I am finished and sad to let these characters go. I could go on eating highlights but you might as well read this book yourself. It contains so much life. And I cried along with Helga at the end. Let me just say this; life is full of change. And even if you live in one place for forty years life will surprise you. Even if you've experienced was, yellow fever, financial ups and downs, birth, deaths, marriage, children and grandchildren life continues to bring change and surprise. This is a story of family and of the matriarch who holds them together during every crisis and change.
Read this book it is a rollicking good tale. Well written and finely paced.
Note: I have been reading this book along with O My America!: Six Women and Their Second Acts in a New Worldbecause the two books explore European women coming to America in their middle years. The books compliment each other by expanding on themes prevalent during mid nineteenth century. STEIN HOUSE was by far the most enjoyable of the two books.
February 8, 2014
Amazing.
I really, really loved this book. Thanks so much, Ms. McIlvain for writing it. It was fun to see names of towns and places I have known all my life. I was born in Corpus Christi and now live close to Galveston so all this history was taking place right here where I live.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I always love historical fiction so was happy to be able to read and review this book. It kept me interested from the first page. It is hard to believe how hard it was for families in the early 19th century and during the civil war. So sad that so many people died from disease and battles.
As usual, it was interesting to note, the women of this book were so strong. I can't wait to read this author's other books. Thanks for bring the past alive for me.
I really, really loved this book. Thanks so much, Ms. McIlvain for writing it. It was fun to see names of towns and places I have known all my life. I was born in Corpus Christi and now live close to Galveston so all this history was taking place right here where I live.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I always love historical fiction so was happy to be able to read and review this book. It kept me interested from the first page. It is hard to believe how hard it was for families in the early 19th century and during the civil war. So sad that so many people died from disease and battles.
As usual, it was interesting to note, the women of this book were so strong. I can't wait to read this author's other books. Thanks for bring the past alive for me.
February 9, 2015
I enjoyed this book. I believe times were very hard back then. Communication, medicine could have helped a lot. I think it would have been very difficult to live thru the Civil War! Especially, living in the south and not believing in slavery! Losing members of your family happened quite often between war and sickness, and even childbirth.
October 13, 2019
This author writes such intensely researched historical fiction that at times I thought it should be considered non-fiction. Having read the first book in this saga quite a while ago I was concerned when I started this one. Would I remember the first one? No worries as I immediately knew where I was in the story and what had occurred before this book.
The book begins in 1953 as a recent widow and her family settle in Indianola, TX. The central character Helga is the sister of Amelia from the first book. The pure grit and determination of Helga makes me think about how soft I have become in my life. The women of this era were so brave and physically fit just to endure the day to day survival. While tragedy is a constant in their lives, Helga still manages to find some joy and to support her children in the best way she can.
While the main character, like most women of this era, lives in her small community the outside world and issues are brought to her doorstep. The reader is allowed an insider’s view of slavery and the Civil War as well as the weather concerns of living on a coast.
The book begins in 1953 as a recent widow and her family settle in Indianola, TX. The central character Helga is the sister of Amelia from the first book. The pure grit and determination of Helga makes me think about how soft I have become in my life. The women of this era were so brave and physically fit just to endure the day to day survival. While tragedy is a constant in their lives, Helga still manages to find some joy and to support her children in the best way she can.
While the main character, like most women of this era, lives in her small community the outside world and issues are brought to her doorstep. The reader is allowed an insider’s view of slavery and the Civil War as well as the weather concerns of living on a coast.
October 22, 2025
Great read
Thoroughly enjoyed this book on the history of Galveston. Highly recommend if you want to better understand the history of Texas, catastrophic and cultural events.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book on the history of Galveston. Highly recommend if you want to better understand the history of Texas, catastrophic and cultural events.
February 1, 2014
Stein House by Myra Hargrave McIlvain is a story about early settlement in Western Texas during the period of the American Civil War and Reconstruction (1853-1886). The reader follows the German immigrant family of Helga Heinrich, her two daughters, two sons as they arrive at Indianola, a city that is beginning to sprawl out and attract business ventures. Helga runs Stein House, a boarding house for travelers that stay on for various lengths of time.
The author says in her acknowledgement that the books was inspired by the true account of one man's drunken leap from a German pier to catch a departing boat full of German immigrants bound for America. From this premise, the author crafts a story about a widow having to raise her four children in an unknown land, among traveling strangers. What the reader gets is Helga, a woman who cares deeply for her four children and manages to create a family in the boarders at Sten House. Helga imparts this bit of motherly wisdom to her daughter Gretchen, who is a newly turned mother:
"Children aren't supposed to understand their parents' world. They're busy trying to understand their own."
History buffs will love the attention to detail, historical facts, maps, and photos that are in this story to help convey the time period. While I admit not being too keen on Texas history, as I read along I couldn't help but feel like I was drawn into this time period, standing next to Helga as Eagle is showing her how to use one of the first laundry washing machines, or feel Helga's heartache as the Civil War cripples one son and forces another to leave home.
Big thanks to the author for the autographed copy of her book, the nifty bookmark, and for offering the First Reads Goodreads giveaway. This was my first time winning an ARC and I was excited like a little boy waiting for my copy in the mail. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long, and boy was I happy to see Myra include a personal note as well, very thoughtful. That said, my review is my honest opinion free of any sort of biases.
The author says in her acknowledgement that the books was inspired by the true account of one man's drunken leap from a German pier to catch a departing boat full of German immigrants bound for America. From this premise, the author crafts a story about a widow having to raise her four children in an unknown land, among traveling strangers. What the reader gets is Helga, a woman who cares deeply for her four children and manages to create a family in the boarders at Sten House. Helga imparts this bit of motherly wisdom to her daughter Gretchen, who is a newly turned mother:
"Children aren't supposed to understand their parents' world. They're busy trying to understand their own."
History buffs will love the attention to detail, historical facts, maps, and photos that are in this story to help convey the time period. While I admit not being too keen on Texas history, as I read along I couldn't help but feel like I was drawn into this time period, standing next to Helga as Eagle is showing her how to use one of the first laundry washing machines, or feel Helga's heartache as the Civil War cripples one son and forces another to leave home.
Big thanks to the author for the autographed copy of her book, the nifty bookmark, and for offering the First Reads Goodreads giveaway. This was my first time winning an ARC and I was excited like a little boy waiting for my copy in the mail. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long, and boy was I happy to see Myra include a personal note as well, very thoughtful. That said, my review is my honest opinion free of any sort of biases.
July 30, 2014
Historical Fiction That Teaches
Set in the period 1853 to 1886 in the former town of Indianola on the Texas Gulf Coast, this book tells a fascinating tale of German immigrants and how they adapted to a difficult new life. They confront slavery on Day One, live through the turmoil leading up to the Civil War, suffer great losses during the war, survive reconstruction, and bravely forge new lives. That is, those who survived.
Characters are vividly presented, and their stories of struggle and triumph, of peace and heartbreak, and of life and death took hold of me. I cheered for them, grieved for them, laughed with them, and worried with them.
Having lived in Texas for nearly twelve years, I knew little to none of the history of that area of the Texas coast. The history presented is rooted in archival records, books about the civil war, the huge migration of Germans to Texas in the 19th century, and in those early decades of Texas’ tumultuous political history.
I learned a lot from Stein House. It is a book that entertains. It is a book that teaches.
I gave it a 5-star rating and of course highly recommend it. Enough said.
Earl B. Russell, Author
Cold Turkey at Nine
Set in the period 1853 to 1886 in the former town of Indianola on the Texas Gulf Coast, this book tells a fascinating tale of German immigrants and how they adapted to a difficult new life. They confront slavery on Day One, live through the turmoil leading up to the Civil War, suffer great losses during the war, survive reconstruction, and bravely forge new lives. That is, those who survived.
Characters are vividly presented, and their stories of struggle and triumph, of peace and heartbreak, and of life and death took hold of me. I cheered for them, grieved for them, laughed with them, and worried with them.
Having lived in Texas for nearly twelve years, I knew little to none of the history of that area of the Texas coast. The history presented is rooted in archival records, books about the civil war, the huge migration of Germans to Texas in the 19th century, and in those early decades of Texas’ tumultuous political history.
I learned a lot from Stein House. It is a book that entertains. It is a book that teaches.
I gave it a 5-star rating and of course highly recommend it. Enough said.
Earl B. Russell, Author
Cold Turkey at Nine
July 25, 2014
***I won this book from Goodreads First Reads Giveaway***
I would rate this 4.25 - 4.5 stars. If you enjoy historical fiction, this book is for you. The author kept a wonderful balance/blend of history & storyline. I loved her characters. Just wonderful. You really get to know everyone. Towards the end I would have liked to have read a tad less of dinner conversations and a little more about Helga's travel to San Antonio. This book was an absolute pleasure to read.
I would rate this 4.25 - 4.5 stars. If you enjoy historical fiction, this book is for you. The author kept a wonderful balance/blend of history & storyline. I loved her characters. Just wonderful. You really get to know everyone. Towards the end I would have liked to have read a tad less of dinner conversations and a little more about Helga's travel to San Antonio. This book was an absolute pleasure to read.
February 25, 2014
**I won this book from Goodreads First Reads Giveaway**
I really enjoyed this book..Myra Hargrave Mcilvain did a great job describing the characters and the town they lived in. Family tragedy at the beginning and the trials and tribulations of a family working very hard just to survive. Reading how lives changed and interacted with one another made this an enjoyable and sometimes sad read. If you like fictional history, you will like this book.
Thanks Goodreads!!
I really enjoyed this book..Myra Hargrave Mcilvain did a great job describing the characters and the town they lived in. Family tragedy at the beginning and the trials and tribulations of a family working very hard just to survive. Reading how lives changed and interacted with one another made this an enjoyable and sometimes sad read. If you like fictional history, you will like this book.
Thanks Goodreads!!
August 3, 2014
Interesting early frontier historical fiction, beginning in 1853, as 2 German sisters and kids reunite on the Texas coast. Boarding house living and a lot of hard work by good people...as they work to create a town, survive yellow fever/Civil War/Reconstruction and super bad weather. Let's just say the body count climbs as the years mount up. Leaves you wondering if you would have been strong enough to survive or would have left on the next train/boat out.
January 13, 2016
I saw "The Stowe" house when I lived in Brunswick, Maine in the late 50's but I was surprised that Harriet Beacher's novel was portrayed as being so popularly read in the Gulf Coast of Texas as supposed in this novel. I enjoyed the narrative nonfiction story of the Galveston tragedy by Erik Larson much more than this concocted story about the ghost town on Matagorda Bay.
They are correct about corn bread mixed in cold buttermilk, delicious and my favorite!
They are correct about corn bread mixed in cold buttermilk, delicious and my favorite!
September 16, 2019
A friend recommended Stein House and I'm so glad she did. Historical fiction is my favorite genre so I naturally was drawn in. Being a Texan for 50+ years I have a passable knowledge of Texas history but didn't know much about the Indianola settlement, specifically in the years 1853-1886. In her Acknowledgments McIlvain explains how she came up with the inspiration for this book. In 1974 she was interviewing a woman in her midnineties about ancestors who had settled there when the woman casually mentioned an incident: "A widow and her children arrived in Indianola after watching their drunken papa and husband leap between the ship and the dock before falling to his death in the waters of Weser River. After all these years, that widow became Helga Heinrich of Stein House." What a fascinating way to begin this story. The research is extensive and includes a map and a few pictures. I learned so much about slavery, politics, railroad monopolies, the Civil War, Restoration, and way more that wasn't covered as thoroughly or as interestingly in my 7th grade Texas History class. By the way, I read a similar book several years ago by Erik Larson about the Galveston storm of 1900 which is also very good. I almost gave this book 5 stars but the intimate scenes between Helga and Eagle just didn't ring true for me - certainly there is the yearning when partners are separated but I didn't think including that much intimacy was necessary for the story. I really wish McIlvain would have added more about Helga's later life in Chappell Hill. Sounds like another book! I'm looking forward to reading The Doctor's Wife, the prequel to this one.
August 6, 2019
A family saga about a German American family living in Indianola, Texas between 1853 and 1886. It's a fascinating glimpse into what life might have been like for people living in what was once a thriving port and is now a ghost town.
I found it difficult to follow some of the character changes post 1865. I wondered how Eli fared, for example. And I found myself wondering who certain people named were later on. However, the family lived in a boarding house, so that is completely believable and understandable.
The author is a fair writer. The story was what really grabbed me and makes this a 4 star review.
I found it difficult to follow some of the character changes post 1865. I wondered how Eli fared, for example. And I found myself wondering who certain people named were later on. However, the family lived in a boarding house, so that is completely believable and understandable.
The author is a fair writer. The story was what really grabbed me and makes this a 4 star review.
September 12, 2017
Enjoyed reading this book as it is set in the same location and during the same time frame (1850's) that my ancestors immigrated to the US from Germany. It is clear that the author is well versed in Texas history and intersperses Texas history with her narrative. Camels in Texas. Texas during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Development of transportation, mule trains and then railroads. And finally, the hurricanes that hit that part of the Texas coast and destroyed Indianola.
September 29, 2017
This was a well-told story, and it left me wondering why anyone ever wanted to settle in Texas: Indians, hard lives of hard walk, children dying, and then horrible hurricanes! I was anxious the whole time I was reading it, but I was also riveted! We were fortunate to have the author speak to our Texas book club, and she is a born storyteller! I'm now looking forward to reading The Doctor's Wife, a prequel.
May 28, 2018
A story of Texas and the Immigrants who built it
Wonderful historical fiction with characters you feel you can reach out and touch. I learned Texas history I knew nothing about and I am a native Texan. Joy, fear, survival, love, families and realistic strong female characters live through hurricanes, yelliw fever and more. These are people who epitomize true Texas Pioneers.
Wonderful historical fiction with characters you feel you can reach out and touch. I learned Texas history I knew nothing about and I am a native Texan. Joy, fear, survival, love, families and realistic strong female characters live through hurricanes, yelliw fever and more. These are people who epitomize true Texas Pioneers.
October 6, 2025
Wonderful series.
I have never read about Texas and the Civil War. This story of a German family coming to Texas to settle along the Gulf, and all the issue they deal with. I have the last book to read, but I know I will always remember these books.
I have never read about Texas and the Civil War. This story of a German family coming to Texas to settle along the Gulf, and all the issue they deal with. I have the last book to read, but I know I will always remember these books.
May 9, 2017
Wonderful book!
I loved reading this book. It gives a good narrative of early Texas life. You can't help getting emotionally attached to the characters.
I loved reading this book. It gives a good narrative of early Texas life. You can't help getting emotionally attached to the characters.
May 30, 2018
Loved it! Wonderful book by a Texas author!
June 28, 2018
SueLynn lent/recommended these 2 books (this was written BEFORE the Doctor's Wife, but is 2nd chronologically); I have enjoyed them--mostly because of living so close to Indiandola.
December 1, 2019
Historical fiction at its best, Immigrant Germans navigating life in Indianola, Texas.
April 10, 2024
I moved to Texas 10 years ago. This is a great historical book of the German migration. This is the second time I have read this book.
March 30, 2025
Stein House
Great book! Every situation left reader with wondering to what was next.
Highly recommend!
Looking forward to book number two!
Great book! Every situation left reader with wondering to what was next.
Highly recommend!
Looking forward to book number two!
November 3, 2025
Great story!
Great read for anyone enjoying historical fiction with some romance. This story helps to understand the engaging, wonderful & difficult times of years passed.
Great read for anyone enjoying historical fiction with some romance. This story helps to understand the engaging, wonderful & difficult times of years passed.
January 15, 2015
I did not like this book. I did like aspects of the book, but ultimately, I felt like this book missed its calling.
Summary: A german family moves to a gulf coast town in Texas in 1853. They live through a turbulent time in history, including diseases, hurricanes, and a civil war. The family struggles through good times and bad up to the year 1886.
This book has all the sappiness of a twilight book. The characters are excessively good people with one flaw assigned to each of them, sometimes a very tragic flaw. Their interactions are stiff and fake, with conversations typical of a disney movie, including fights which often last all of a paragraph before everyone apologizes and goes back to being happy with each other. The love scenes are just downright awkward.
What this book does right, and what kept it from being a one-star review from me, is the history. The author has obviously done her research with great care and attention, and incorporates the plot well in the historical events of the time. Lots of people die, which oddly enough I quite like, as it saves the sappy characters from sappy fates.
Like I said at first, this book missed its calling. This book was meant to be a very young adult book, I’m thinking maybe middle school or early high school level. The author has a nice, straight-forward style of writing which is easy to read and understand without any flowery language. This writing works very well for young readers. The sappy, simple-but-flawed characters would be perfect in that context. And with the historical background, this could have been an excellent book to use in schools. All that would be needed is taking out the awkward sex talk and shortening it up a bit.
I would recommend this book to someone interested in Texas history but doesn’t like reading history books. I would not recommend this to someone interested in well-written fiction.
March 20, 2015
Interesting Peek into Texas History
I liked the Gulf Coast setting of this story. The family that ran Stein House was likable, and the Stein House residents were all so different. I especially liked the Captain and Joseph. The characters weather Civil War, Reconstruction, financial crises, and storms. A bit too much exposition makes the dialogue sound a bit stilted at times; else I'd have rated this well researched book higher. Also, my Kindle edition was linked to Wikipedia in Arabic, which I don't read. Amazon offered to refund my money, but I was so hooked on the story I opted to keep the edition.
I liked the Gulf Coast setting of this story. The family that ran Stein House was likable, and the Stein House residents were all so different. I especially liked the Captain and Joseph. The characters weather Civil War, Reconstruction, financial crises, and storms. A bit too much exposition makes the dialogue sound a bit stilted at times; else I'd have rated this well researched book higher. Also, my Kindle edition was linked to Wikipedia in Arabic, which I don't read. Amazon offered to refund my money, but I was so hooked on the story I opted to keep the edition.
June 19, 2015
A story of strength and perseverance...
I'm always amazed by stories of immigrants to our country. What hardships and losses they faced! I enjoyed reading this saga of a family who were an important part of the thriving town of Indianola on the Texas coast. I could almost hear the wind howling as they endured the storms that racked the town and threatened to destroy their dreams. This book does a good job of combining fact and fiction and producing lovable characters. A fast, easy read.
I'm always amazed by stories of immigrants to our country. What hardships and losses they faced! I enjoyed reading this saga of a family who were an important part of the thriving town of Indianola on the Texas coast. I could almost hear the wind howling as they endured the storms that racked the town and threatened to destroy their dreams. This book does a good job of combining fact and fiction and producing lovable characters. A fast, easy read.
September 13, 2014
I received a copy of this book from Kirkus Reviews. Stein House is a historical fiction novel set in Western Texas during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. Originally, I thought this book was non-fiction, so at first I was a little disappointed. Yet, I thought this book was a very engrossing read. I think this book has great appeal to those who enjoy both nonfiction and historical fiction books.
October 10, 2016
Good story of life in early Texas era coastal town of Indianola. This town was wiped off the map by a hurricane in 1889. Town was not rebuilt as they had suffered several bad storms previously. Fairly accurate descriptions of life back then. The follow up book to The Doctor's Wife by Myra H. McIlvain.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews