The Edge of Time

by Loula Grace Erdman, Linda Stephens (Narrator)

The Saturday Review of Literature proclaims The Edge of Time is "a fundamentally honest and literate telling of one of the lesser-known chapters in the American saga." Revered by readers for over 50 years, Loula Grace Erdman tells the story of a young couple settling in the Texas Panhandle in the 1800s.

10:15 hours

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical

11 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

ERDMAN, LOULA GRACE (1898–1976). Loula Grace Erdman, writer, daughter of August F. and Mollie (Maddox) Erdman, was born on June 8, 1898, near Alma, Lafayette County, Missouri. She attended Central Missouri State College (B.S., 1931) and Columbia University (M.A., 1941). She also studied at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Southern California, and West Texas State College. She subsequently moved to Texas and taught in the Amarillo public schools and at West Texas State College, where she eventually became novelist-in-residence and director of the Advanced Workshop in Creative Writing.

Erdman began writing in the 1930s, and by 1946 about fifty of her short stories and magazine articles had been published, as well as her first juvenile novel, Separate Star (1944), a book about career teaching. In 1946 she won the $10,000 Dodd, Mead-Redbook Award for The Years of the Locust (1947), a novel set in her native Missouri. In 1952 she received the American Girl-Dodd, Mead Award for The Wind Blows Free (1952), the first volume of a juvenile trilogy about a pioneer Panhandle family. She continued the story of the Pierce family in The Wide Horizon (1956) and The Good Land (1959). Room to Grow (1962), a novel about French immigrants who moved to the Panhandle via New Orleans, won her the Texas Institute of Letters Juvenile Award. She received both the Texas Institute of Letters Award and the Steck-Vaughn Award for A Bluebird Will Do (1973). Her other works include A Wonderful Thing and Other Stories (1940), Fair Is the Morning (1945), Lonely Passage (1948), The Edge of Time (1950), Three at the Wedding (1953), My Sky Is Blue (1953), The Far Journey (1955), Short Summer (1958), Many a Voyage (1960), The Man Who Told the Truth (1962), Life Was Simpler Then (1963), Another Spring (1966), Bright Sky (1969), A Time to Write (1969), and Save Weeping for the Night (1975).

Miss Erdman was a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, the Panhandle Penwomen, Delta Kappa Gamma, Kappa Delta Pi, and Phi Kappa Phi. As a career teacher who never considered abandoning teaching even after she gained recognition as a writer, she also belonged to the National Education Association and the Texas State Teachers Association.

Reviews

[Justin Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the 1880s and a young newlywed couple from Missouri catch the allure of homestead land in the Texas Panhandle. Some say the land's no good, but others make it sound like the adventure of a lifetime. The wife senses it's a bad idea, but her husband's all set and she hates to disappoint him. Later, after many brushes with death and starvation, he's the one who wants to return home a failure. She'll stand firm and stick with the land, out of brute determination.

In between is a light romance mixed with eco horror. The Texas Panhandle is the star character, by far, and dominates the story with its relentless wind, wildfires, drought and/or torrential rain, not to mention numerous other cruelties. Erdman kills off children, cats and cows without much remorse. At one point the happy couple are so hungry they become Panhandle "ghouls" who scour the land for Buffalo carcasses so they can sell the bones.

While the narrative tone is most often Hallmark historical romance, Erdman never shies away from the harsh realities of homestead life. These scenes are almost always focus on the couple failing to tame the land, and often barely succeeding to live another day. Characters are largely faceless stand-ins for historical anybodies, but they serve the purpose of giving the reader a glimpse of what life would have been like back then.

While the Panhandle is rarely glamorized, there is still a sense of Man vs. Wild that appeals. Even with all the dead bodies piled up, you root for the couple to not back down. There's even a sense of admiration for living through the unpredictable (but predictably awful) weather. Erdman does an excellent job of showcasing these people as a special breed of human. Very proud, stubborn, and probably a little stupid, but they impress us with their ingenuity and sticktoitiveness.

Not the type of book I would usually read, but managed to keep my attention. Probably because of all the gore!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child of Texas, I am always interested in books with that locale. In this book, first published in 1950, Loula Grace Erdman graphically tells of the grueling life of pioneers as they settle in the Texas panhandle. Right after their wedding Bethany and Wade start out in a wagon train from Missouri to Texas. Their home, when they, arrive is a dugout, isolated from neighbors. It is as if we are there with Bethany dealing with droughts, fires, floods, blizzards and loneliness. We've heard of these brave pioneer women before, but here is a personal view--someone we can relate to. It makes me wonder how and why these women endured these hardships. But we owe the settling of the country to such as these.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the spirit of Laura Ingalls Wilder, but with an older heroine. The book gently flows along telling life as it was for a newly married pioneer couple who created a life in Texas. It’s very sweet and not overdone like some pioneer books( i.e. the ones that make you feel like the Egyptian plagues are being visited on them). I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

[Sarah Coller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really special book---mainly because the author was so very wise. It reads with the undertones of a mother cautioning a daughter on the things that will make or break a marriage---things I never would have seen had I actually read this when my Mom gave it to me at 27.

The story is of newly married Bethany and Wade who leave Missouri to homestead on virgin land in the Texas panhandle. All the odds are against them and Bethany holds on to the thought that maybe Wade would rather be with her cousin, Rosemary, who he had originally planned to bring out West. Wade and Bethany overcome all the issues stacked against them, fighting with their love and courage, and Bethany learns in the end that it was she Wade wanted all along.

I enjoyed reading about these early homesteaders and all the challenges they faced. Family lore tells me my own great great grandparents lived in a dugout house in Oklahoma, raising 13 kids and riding out the Dust Bowl Days. Reading the story, I had a hard time imagining a dugout so I looked for some examples online. Wow---my current home would have seemed a mansion!

Most of the story was really well written and didn't come across as overly contrived. I did think they gave a little too much reverence to the preacher man. The scenes when the pastor came were kind of ridiculous (imagining the Israelites looking forward to Sunday for rest was laughable...). They treated that preacher like he was somehow holier than themselves and that weirded me out.

I also took issue with the way Bethany put down Mrs. Dillon. She is so kind otherwise, more than mere politeness, so it seemed out of place.

I thought the bit about fighting the fire with a cow carcass was incredible! So far I've not been able to find anything on that online, so I'm going to ask some friends to see if this is a thing.

I had a special surprise at the end…mom left notes! She says, "Jealousy can kill true love---Trust will nourish it." Very true words of wisdom indeed!

I have the first edition from 1950---I'd love to know what the afterword says that was added to later editions.

[Greta Marlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has its flaws, but its strengths are enough to make me forgive them all.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this at age 13 and loved it. Found it again read it at 63. Still loved it!

[Ricki McCallum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written book and it was written in 1950. I found it in my aunt's book shelf after she passed away. It looked interesting, so I decided to read it. It is the story of a young woman from Missouri who married a man and moved to the Texas Panhandle in the 1800's. They were homesteaders and suffered a lot being some of the first people to tame this part of the country. Most of the story is taken from diaries or journals and the book gives you a realistic sense of what living there in those times would be like. Characters are believable and the ending is so sweet. It is very realistic of those times.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I wish that Loula Grace Erdman had more of a following. Her characters are so well drawn; her understated plots so well developed. I've been reading her books for years - she wrote in the '40s and '50s; this one is still in print, but the others can also be found online. This is the story of a young homesteading couple and the difficulties they encountered in the Texas Panhandle in the late 1800s. Hard to put down. This was a re-read for me, but perfect for when closeted in my bedroom for a week conquering the big C.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 stars
This is a sweet piece of historical fiction of early Texas settlers in the Panhandle. It is very well written but being originally a 1950 publication, it is definitely rated G. I would recommend this for 11-14 year olds. The vocabulary is quite good and would be a positive experience for that age reader. I am being forced to use the Goodreads issue shown although mine was obviously a re-issue because the cover photo is different on my copy (and better.)

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pioneering in the Texas Panhandle - stark, lonely and dangerous.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good story. I believe it is fiction, but based on historical events. It is a pioneer story of a young couple who homesteads in Texas at a time when homesteaders, or "nesters" as they were called by ranchers, were unwelcome. The life there was harsh, as you would expect. But their faith in God held them through the tough times. It had a lot of things in common with what early homesteaders in North Dakota, where I live, had to face. The only complaint I have is that the ending left so much to the imagination, there MUST be a sequel, or you must make up your own ending. It was a let down at the end, to read such a good book and then have it end so undramatically. But it is still a book I would share with others.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder why after their bought their neighbor's claim, they didn't move to that dugout? It had 2 rooms, was closer to water, etc.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The young couple in this book exhibits incredible persistence and bravery against cruel Mother Nature in the Texas panhandle. The plot is a little shy on detail in my opinion, though.