Edie

by Bob Bancks

In the early part of the twentieth century little girls were to play with dolls. Edie would rather play baseball and walk the creek banks looking for arrowheads with Pete, her one classmate at the one room Patterson School. She is tomboy and playing with Pete, even though he is the boss’ son, it didn’t matter. Friends were scarce in rural Iowa. One September, a red-headed Irish boy named Sean transferred to the one room school. To Edie, Sean was a nice six grader and nothing special. Sean endured Edie as a pesky third grader. In time, their fathers changed jobs. Sean moved to town and worked in a button factory. Edie’s family rented her grandmother’s farm and Edie moved to another rural school and left Pete.When Edie is seventeen, she meets Sean again at a dance. They immediately fell in love. Their romance ebbed and flowed because of the prejudices of the time. The Great War tears them apart. Edie helps her father on the farm and tackles many jobs considered not proper for a woman in the early 20th Century. Because of her work ethic, Edie becomes a champion for women’s rights.Sean comes home a war hero, but in Edie’s father’s eyes he is still a Catholic and Irish. Will fate intervene again? Pete becomes involved with criminal activities and brings the Chicago mob to rural Iowa. Edie is hired by her old friend as a chef to provide many sumptuous meals for his clients. One of these meetings turns ugly and puts everyone including Edie in danger.Will Edie survive to be the mother, wife, farmer, and friend of many in her neighborhood?

328 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2019

About the author

Bob and his wife, Jane, live on the family farm which was established in 1868 by his great grandfather. The farm has grown since its beginning , from the original 80 acres to 640 acres. Bob was raised on the farm. He worked and played there all his life. The pastures and corn fields are featured in his stories. Bob and Jane raised three sons and taught them the rewards of diligent work. After farming for 48 years they retired in 2008.

Bob started writing as a hobby. He had written some small essays before and some church skits, but never a novel. In fact, his first novel “The Nightgown.”

To his surprise, he discovered readers actually liked his prose. He continues to write using the thoughts from his many hours in the tractor or combine cab. His writings give a different perspective on the lives of rural America. His stories take the reader on a trip which reveals not all rural living is drudgery and heart ache, but there are many fun and romantic times involved.