All Gods Children

by Thomas Eidson

The time is the 1890s. The place is small-town Kansas, where Pearl Eddy, a young widow, is struggling to raise her four sons on a failing farm. Pearl may be the soul of goodness, but the odds against her are bad indeed. Her beloved late husband has left behind crushing debts. An illness has stripped her of sight, and her Quaker faith makes her an alien in a community where the narrow-minded rule. Prophet is a thirty-five-year-old black man - an ex-prize fighter turned hobo and thief - who becomes a target of hate in the lily-white town, and whose latest robbery sends him on the run for his life. A man who willingly lies, cheats, and steals to survive, he is the last person in the world whom Pearl should trust, much less protect from the posse tracking him down, yet she does both. And when a forlorn family of Japanese immigrants gone astray seeks shelter and work with her, she cannot find it in her heart and faith to turn them away. Now that Pearl Eddy incites the wrath of a mob for protecting a black man and an immigrant family, the town she has made her home turns against her. Thus the stage is set for a true grit story of challenge, courage, and sheer stubborn belief in doing the right thing.

Genres: Fiction, Westerns

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nearly forgotten, Eidson is one of the top Western writers, telling stories of a par with Cowboy Bill of the Texas Rangers (Texas is Proud). Overall, this story was a bit twee, a bit too politically correct with the heroes being a blind woman, a black man and some Japanese, with the villains being various white poor trash. Could he have played a better minority suite? The story kept me going despite the feeling that contemporary mores were being plastered anachronistically all over the Old West, and even a weak ending didn't distract too much from the tale, or tales, given the variety of sub-plots, romances and characters woven through. If only half of the novels I read attempted so many themes, the attractions of fiction might be all the stronger.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a descent novel, but I quite honestly don't think that I'd recommend it to anyone.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a joy to read. I am definitely going to read it again.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is a wonderful book. Courage, loyalty, love stand against cruelty, prejudice, racism, xenophobia in the late 19th century "wild west". It actually feels quite relevant today too....

[Dorinda Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Thomas Eidson's novels and this one didn't disappoint

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because the characters rang true. I identify with mothers that embarrass their sons and try to do the right thing but question their judgement. I see why those with a cynical world view would hate the ending but my experience is that people do make unpredictable choices.

[Carol Hislop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book by Thomas Eidson is good in my view. All of his books are set in the Wild West, but even if you aren't a fan of films like "the good, the bad and the ugly", "Shane" or "Gunfight at the OK Corral" I think you will enjoy reading Thomas Eidson's works.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pearl Eddy has settled in the prairies with her husband Matthew, after his death she struggles on alone, a Quaker woman raising her four sons.
Then into her life comes a black man, originally intent on robbing her and hiding out after an altercation.
Diametrically opposed in life with their beliefs and ways of living, this gentle but also fiery when roused blind little lady changes Mr Prophet’s life for the better.
As does the Japanese immigrant family Pearl tried to befriend in the face of Liberty’s hatred, bigotry and hostility.
This strange, disparate little family are thriving and against the odds getting on well.
But racism is rife and the township wants them out, even if that means ostracising Pearl and her children too.
Can this indomitable and spunky lady stand firm in her love, loyalty and pacifist nature against a whole town?
Wow, haven’t enjoyed a book so much in a while, I was absolutely hooked and devoured this.
Never read the author before and was a totally random buy and gifted to me by my sister along with another book from a charity stall.
So glad she picked it up, I adore the way he writes.
Told with empathy, laugh out loud humour at times and I adored old Kishimoto and Hercules the rooster.
They totally made the book for me.
His characters are outstanding and you could easily love or hate them.
They are flawed like Prophet, honest, cowardly, brave and a whole other gamut of human emotions and personalities.
He deals with social issues that were even MORE prevalent in that era with touching sensitivity but also brutal and graphic honesty that can make for uncomfortable reading but sadly was a part of history too.
The only downside for me was the animal cruelty, I found that hard to deal with as personally for me this is a trigger but at the same time freely acknowledge that as an historical novel, though it doesn’t make it right, these were harsh and tough times and part and parcel of life.
Overall this author could easily become a favourite as his characters were just so real and full of life and the story was engaging, grabbed me from the first page.

[Thomas Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much going for it: interesting characters, interesting motivations, and an interesting but choppy plot. I enjoyed much of it; the ending not so much and don't worry, I will not give anything away. If you know the story of Job, well, you will be reading a 19th century version of that Bible story, this time though in a small but growing Kansas town. A widowed mother takes on the role of Job here. She must face one trial after another, all the time never wavering from her Quaker beliefs and Christian faith. There's a guardian angel, who to me is the most interesting character in that we see him wrestling with his thoughts and decisions in every line of the book. He reminds me of Shane, but he's no White gunslinger silently seeking redemption. Here we have a Black man, a bare-fisted boxer, who somehow manages to get pulled into helping this widow keep from losing her farm. In today's language she would be called a progressive, in that she turns no one away who she needs a helping hand, including the protagonist and a Japanese family that in a nutshell has been cheated out of land they thought they had bought and were entitled to (this was at a time, however, when Asians weren't allowed to own land in the USA, so they had been taken and left homeless and targets of the town racists). As a Quaker she holds firm beliefs that violence is a sin, and there's a interesting conflict between she and Prophet, as he is known, who knows only violence and has had to use it several times in defense of himself and all on the property. This hurts her soul. Buck up while reading it because like Job, this poor woman suffers as does Prophet as he is also a target of violent racism. It's one plight after another. So we have an examination of faith and friendship and tolerance, all lofty ideas. Of Eidson's first 3 books, this one holds the most humor, which helps give the reader some needed comic relief. Eidson is a gifted writer and he paints beautiful pictures of the West with his words.

[Alison Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blind widow with four sons, working an indebted farm, shelters a black boxer on the run, with major consequences.
I loved the characters and their relationships in this story. Yes, it's about race relations, in the US, towards the close of the nineteenth century. But it goes further than that issue, to even bigger questions of principle - is violence ever justified? The characters aren't just mouthpieces for injustice. The two main characters especially - Pearl the widow, and Prophet the fighter - are eccentric and stubborn, drawn together by mutual vulnerability, but also pitted against each other. There's a coming-of-age subplot for Pearl's eldest son too, who finds himself caught between his mother's principles and his community. Hercules the rooster adds a touch of humour. We don't get a proper understanding of the Kishimoto family beyond the language barrier, so they come across as somewhat stereotyped at times. And the ending is perhaps a tad overdone - could have been a bit more nuanced. But overall very enjoyable, moving and thought-provoking.

[Jennifer Morefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It had lots of meat to it. A blind Quaker widow defends her land against those who would look at her as different and weird. She becomes even more ostracized when she provides a home for a black fighter and a Japanese family. It was just a great story w/lots of action and lots of lessons for life to think about. This was a solid read. I thought I read somewhere that this book was made into a movie. I would like to see it. It would likely be a great story to watch as well.

[Jeff Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third in this loose trilogy. Perfectly readable, but lacks the grip and passion of St Agnes' Stand and The Last Ride. I'd recommend those, but not this one. 1890s, small-town Kansas. A blind widow Quaker farmer with four children is the main character and rather unbelievably, she takes Prophet a black ex-prize fighter turned hobo and a Japanese immigrant family into her farmstead and under her wing. It just feels too contrived and neither the plot or the writing are up to the standards of the two earlier pieces: perhaps that's why it seems to have been out of print for over 20 Years.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 2 out of 5]

First book I read since my stroke, and it took me a really long time
to read it. A novel about a quaker widow, trying to raise her 4 boys within the religious tenets, she tries to help a black man and a Japanese family, but the townspeople
want to run them out of town and every incident escalates the violate that they face. 2 stars, okay

[Wendy Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute favourite of mine. I read it every couple of years and still cry at the end! Prophet is such a great character and struggles to stay on the straight and narrow, but has a heart of gold. This book draws you in from page one, and will definitely be one you won’t want to put down

[Ricky · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the brilliant Hannha's gift this fell short in my opinion. The story felt implausible in its characterisation and plot. I couldn't connect to the characters even though I wanted too. The ending also was predictable and again unlikely. The ingredients were all here for a great book, but in my opinion it fell well short from all his other great books.

[Anni Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some troubling views are depicted but they are a vital part if the story which is about tolerance, acceptance and faith. A widowed Quaker mother's conviction in helping every one she meets, even when the price for herself us intolerably high.

Some triggers
(racism, attempted rape, death).

[Juanita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I only read this in a Readers Digest Select Editions, I found it quite enjoyable. Got a little too "Hollywood" in the end though.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less masterfully crafted than his other works that I have read. Perhaps this should be listed as a young adult novel.

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story....hard to grasp the poverty but she handled it well. Good things sometimes come to good people.....really liked the way this story ended.

[Natalie Caisley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fab book.Heartfelt story and great characters.

[Jammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting characters and themes throughout this story. It’d make a good book club discussion.

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

In late 19th-century Kansas, a blind Quaker woman whose husband has died at the hands of his persecutors faces the challenges of raising three sons to share her ideals of nonviolence while sheltering an African American fugitive from mob violence (who makes his way in the world by fighting his way) and a Japanese American family unjustly set adrift by the community. It could have been a powerful story, but the writing is bad, with emotions unnecessarily contrived and a happy ending totally out of character with the rest of the narrative and simply not believable.

[Gary Mcgibbon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull, drab & very slow. Now for the good bits: Lack of interest or plot to keep the reader entertained. No depth or angle, nothing to urge you back.

I do love some of Thomas Eidson's work, such as: St Agnus' Stand, but this comes nowhere near that kind of literature!

I would however recommend this book...oh yes!

If you find that you are unable to sleep, then try this book. Works every time without the need for pills.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a long time ago and I remember it being very thought provoking and enjoyable as well. I think I need to read it again and see if it was as good as I remember because I haven't been as impressed with other books by this author.

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

[appx. 11/2002 - no comments]

[Kathryn Spurgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book this year. Definitely worth reading.

[HadiDee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some nicely done elements - the reveal of Pearl's blindness for example - and it’s an interesting plot but towards the end the list of difficulties became a bit farcical.

[Kim Faires · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good premise, but it seemed to fall apart at the end.

[Rachel Deeming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. Typical Eidson.