What do you think?
Rate this book
Far From Uncertain: One Woman's Life of Crime and Other Righteous Deeds
A young woman on the run. A life built in the shadows. A story that refuses to be forgotten.At fifteen, Frankie ran from an abusive home with nothing but her wits and a gambler’s promise of escape. What she found was a world of speakeasies, bootlegging, and survival on the edge of the law. Now, decades later, her story is ready to be told—one of grit, defiance, and a woman who refused to be broken.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 24, 2026
3 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Want to Read
February 19, 2026"Far From Uncertain" made me certain of one thing: I’ll never read another novel by Teddy Jones past my typical lights-out time: around midnight. The author’s all-engrossing saga of an indominable 15-year-old girl who overcomes sibling violence, poverty, criminality and all manner of cruelty and finds the courage to forgive her “tormentors” and start over, kept me reading until the sun broke out of the morning haze surrounding Dallas. Beyond the spellbinding story, the fast-paced narrative architecture Jones employed to tell it—toggling chapters between the unbridled Lone Star of the 20s and modern-day Texas—kept me in some weird hypnotic state, entirely untethered from my surroundings.
So, if you can manage to miss a night of sleep, order "Far From Uncertain." Sure, you’ll curse yourself in the morning for staying up with the stars. But in your heart of hearts, you’ll also realize that your life was enriched by this masterful work of fiction that, in so many ways, will seem as real as the flyspeck town of Uncertain on the shores of Caddo Lake.
--George Getschow, Editor, "Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry," and executive director of The Larry McMurtry Literary Center, Archer City, TX
So, if you can manage to miss a night of sleep, order "Far From Uncertain." Sure, you’ll curse yourself in the morning for staying up with the stars. But in your heart of hearts, you’ll also realize that your life was enriched by this masterful work of fiction that, in so many ways, will seem as real as the flyspeck town of Uncertain on the shores of Caddo Lake.
--George Getschow, Editor, "Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry," and executive director of The Larry McMurtry Literary Center, Archer City, TX
April 24, 2026
Far From Uncertain was a emtionally told historical fiction.
I loved the way we start in 2000, with journalist Charles being sent to 90 year old Margaret's to do a personal interest story, however Margaret has a different agenda. She wants to tell Frankie's story. The narrative then alternates between the present (2000) and the past as Margaret tells Frankie's story, where we get a glimpse into both the dust bowl and the great depression.
Frankie's story is heartbreaking at times, but shows grit and resilience. We also learn about Margaret and the wonderful things she does to help others.
I loved the cameo of some characters from 'A Family of Good Women' but this one stands alone so you don't need to have read that one.
Overall it was a well written, well researched, emotional read.
I loved the way we start in 2000, with journalist Charles being sent to 90 year old Margaret's to do a personal interest story, however Margaret has a different agenda. She wants to tell Frankie's story. The narrative then alternates between the present (2000) and the past as Margaret tells Frankie's story, where we get a glimpse into both the dust bowl and the great depression.
Frankie's story is heartbreaking at times, but shows grit and resilience. We also learn about Margaret and the wonderful things she does to help others.
I loved the cameo of some characters from 'A Family of Good Women' but this one stands alone so you don't need to have read that one.
Overall it was a well written, well researched, emotional read.
April 15, 2026
A totally Amazing Story!
I loved this, inhaled the wild tale of Frankie and all she survived. It struck me that so many young girls today are in the same situation. So very sad. All I've got to say is thank God for Teddy Jones! She's an amazing storyteller and I can't wait to see what she's writing next. I'll remember this story for a long time.
I loved this, inhaled the wild tale of Frankie and all she survived. It struck me that so many young girls today are in the same situation. So very sad. All I've got to say is thank God for Teddy Jones! She's an amazing storyteller and I can't wait to see what she's writing next. I'll remember this story for a long time.
April 16, 2026
As I contemplated how to begin this review, I realized that reading this book changed me. Yes, it's fiction, but it imitates life in a gripping and unforgettable way.
I promise I won't leave any spoilers, but I will give you my thoughts.
The story opens with Margaret, a 90-year-old retired nurse getting ready for a newspaper reporter to arrive for an interview in June 2000. She ponders on how she's waited 75 long years to finally tell her story.
Charles Bailey, the reporter, is a character I instantly liked. He's only after this one lifestyle story, but he gets more than he bargained for and in the end it changes his life. That's all I'll tell you about him.
As they begin to talk, the story moves back in time to July 4, 1925 and a young girl who the year prior has changed her name to Frankie. The rest of the book is the unfolding of Frankie's story. And it's a story I will never forget. Suffering abuse from her brothers and father, with no protection from anyone, she's made a decision as she leaves home that day to never return. She is only 15. So when an older, handsome and charming man, Dix Bergeron, offers her a way out that night, she takes it and never looks back.
For a while, it's all good until it isn't.
Parts of the book were hard to read and there most likely should have been some sort of trigger warning, especially for women who may have suffered from abuse. Nevertheless, the story gripped me hard and didn't let go. The writing is descriptive, immersive and historically accurate. It has a satisfying ending, leaving me with the thought that the newspaper reporter will write Frankie's story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a raw, gritty tale.
I promise I won't leave any spoilers, but I will give you my thoughts.
The story opens with Margaret, a 90-year-old retired nurse getting ready for a newspaper reporter to arrive for an interview in June 2000. She ponders on how she's waited 75 long years to finally tell her story.
Charles Bailey, the reporter, is a character I instantly liked. He's only after this one lifestyle story, but he gets more than he bargained for and in the end it changes his life. That's all I'll tell you about him.
As they begin to talk, the story moves back in time to July 4, 1925 and a young girl who the year prior has changed her name to Frankie. The rest of the book is the unfolding of Frankie's story. And it's a story I will never forget. Suffering abuse from her brothers and father, with no protection from anyone, she's made a decision as she leaves home that day to never return. She is only 15. So when an older, handsome and charming man, Dix Bergeron, offers her a way out that night, she takes it and never looks back.
For a while, it's all good until it isn't.
Parts of the book were hard to read and there most likely should have been some sort of trigger warning, especially for women who may have suffered from abuse. Nevertheless, the story gripped me hard and didn't let go. The writing is descriptive, immersive and historically accurate. It has a satisfying ending, leaving me with the thought that the newspaper reporter will write Frankie's story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a raw, gritty tale.
December 19, 2025
I read an ARC of FAR FROM UNCERTAIN (publishing March 2026 from Stoney Creek Publishing), and oooh, does this story stick with you. It was so good I read it twice and was just as engrossed the second time as the first. Author Teddy Jones hooks, then slowly reels in her readers much the way main character Margaret does with a journalist to whom she's chosen to tell her long buried stories.
FAR FROM UNCERTAIN is among the top books I've read this year. Unforgettable.
Full review coming soon to Hall Ways Blog.
FAR FROM UNCERTAIN is among the top books I've read this year. Unforgettable.
Full review coming soon to Hall Ways Blog.
April 5, 2026
In Far From Uncertain: One Woman’s Life of Crime & Other Righteous Deeds (Teddy Jones), it’s 2000, and the oldest working nurse in the Texas panhandle is being interviewed for the local paper. She tells the story of the hard-scrabble life of a young girl who grew up in poverty, escaped a violent home to run off with a gambler, was groomed by the man calling himself her husband, and had to use her wits to survive. This is a gorgeous, moving, and heartbreaking historical novel about perseverance and courage. https://newbooksnetwork.com/far-from-...\
April 2, 2026
Far From Uncertain is my favorite book so far this year.
4.9 stars
A masterfully paced exploration of certainty and its absence, Jones’s latest novel follows a protagonist fleeing her eponymous hometown of Uncertain, Texas. Through the eyes of an unconventional 90-year-old, Far from Uncertain weaves a magical narrative of past misdeeds and present discoveries.
4.9 stars
A masterfully paced exploration of certainty and its absence, Jones’s latest novel follows a protagonist fleeing her eponymous hometown of Uncertain, Texas. Through the eyes of an unconventional 90-year-old, Far from Uncertain weaves a magical narrative of past misdeeds and present discoveries.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews