Wow. This one was bleak, and difficult, and sad, but also so powerful. I didn't know a lot about the dust bowl before reading this, and it was fascinating but disturbing to learn about. A story of strength even in the worst of times.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

This was the story of a strong woman who struggled to live, love and raise her family during the hardships of 1930s Oklahoma. Based partly on the author’s own grandmother, it is a story of perseverance in the face of harsh adversity. The story is told to shed light upon how and why this woman came to be viewed as “the meanest woman in the world” by some of her relatives.

While I do not doubt the hardships faced during this particular period in history, I did find the amount of doom and gloom faced by this one particular woman to be a bit overdone and far-fetched. So while there was some interesting social/economic history here and a closer look at one hard-hit family, I came away wrung out emotionally from a story that seemed overblown to me.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #CentralAvenuePublishing for providing me the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Author C.H. Armstrong writes a compelling deep dive into Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl years in the early twentieth century. In The Edge of Nowhere, her main character is Victoria Hastings. And, my goodness, she does not lead an easy life.

The book is a letter from Victoria to her grandchildren. As it begins, she says, “At my core I am a survivor, and for that I have no regrets. I neither need, nor desire, forgiveness; and I sure as hell don’t want pity.” This is the capsule of her personality. Starting from a very young age, life is nothing but adversity for Victoria. She hardens herself to the world because not doing so would break her.

So, although there are some surprisingly sweet moments, this is an unhappy story about a strong woman. Just when you think something good happens for Victoria, it all goes south. But this is how life was (and is) for many women. Particularly during the Depression and in areas like Oklahoma where nature conspired against settlers. Armstrong isn’t afraid to get real, and I can appreciate that.

My conclusions
Armstrong is an Oklahoma native, and it shows. This book may not be about a happy life, but it’s a love letter to the grit and gumption of Oklahoma’s people. She truly tells the unvarnished truth, and some of her plot comes from her own family’s lives.

Armstrong’s writing is engaging. She inhabits Victoria and her straightforward nature, using spare prose and accented dialogue. The plot of this fight of a life is mostly well-paced. My only complaint is that the ending was decidedly abrupt. Even though I know the end was near, its clunkiness was jarring.

Still, if you want to explore the realities of Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl years, give this a go. It’s historical fiction at its most heartbreaking.

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing, and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This novel follows the life of Victoria Hastings Harrison Greene, the meanest woman who has ever lived. It starts off on her deathbed but goes back in time to when she was still a child and follows her life from a child to her mid-30’s.

The novel was a beautiful, but heartbreaking, portray of life before and during the Great Depression. Victoria faces hardship and loss as she loses her parents at a young age. Then she learns to open her heart again and falls in love with Will. This was my favorite part of the novel as Victoria was such a sweet, loving person. Life on the farm is portrayed quite well as there is plenty of work and hardships.

Life during the Great Depression was super sad as Victoria is trying everything just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. The introduction of the evil bank was perfect as it created a nice antagonist. I didn’t like the mother-in-law as I found her too stereotypically evil. She was written like a bad Disney villain in a book that didn’t need it. It felt like she was written for more drama in a novel where plenty of bad things happen naturally already.

The ending wasn’t very surprising as I knew what was going to happen with her new husband. The warning signs were all there, especially when his ex “fell down the stairs”.It was still heartbreaking to see Victoria try to do everything she can to keep her children safe, even at her own expense.

Overall this was a great historical fiction novel set during the Great Depression. Other than the mother-in-law I loved every part of it. It was a quick read that I managed to polish off in two days.

Thanks to Central Avenue Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Edge of Nowhere by C.H. Armstrong
Source: NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing
Rating: 5/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: As a native Oklahoman, this story spoke to me on a level that will not necessarily resonate with all readers. I can distinctly remember my grandparents telling me stories of their lives during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl and none of them ever really had a happy ending. So too, the story of Victoria Hastings Harrison Greene. What The Edge of Nowhere amounts to is Victoria explaining to her great extended family, those kids and grandkids who cannot even imagine the Great Depression nor the Dust Bowl outside of their history classes exactly what life has offered her and why she has come to be the woman they all know and despise. The story Victoria tells is one laced with fear, desperation, intense poverty, struggle, determination, and, for the briefest of moments true and pure love. Victoria’s story isn’t easy, it isn’t unique, but is, in fact the story of so many women and families during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. The loss, the sadness, the desperation, the fear was all very real, and those emotions are conveyed beautifully in this book. Though the story isn’t easy, and many bits are certainly fictional, the essence of the story is the story of many, many real people who not only survived, but did whatever they had to do to survive on of America’s darkest periods.

When I started The Edge of Nowhere I didn't know if I'd like or even attempt to finish. Wow. I'm so glad I did. It didn't take long to get wrapped up in the characters their story of life in Oklahoma. Amazing read and it gets all the stars!! Must read.

Based loosely on the strength of character of her own grandmother, C.H. Armstrong’s The Edge of Nowhere is semi-biographical. The author offers an insight into one woman’s perseverance against social inequality and economic decline during the early 20th century. Victoria’s unconquerable courage is highlighted in her determination to ensure the survival of her family in the face of multiple personal losses. A novel of tragedy, courage, hope and humanity.

The Edge of Nowhere is a great story of a woman who had to overcome many odds, and by doing so has become emotionally excluded from her family for being a hard woman. The story unfolds by her revealing past family truths to help them understand why she is the way she is.

Victoria goes through a lot and she isn't always likeable, but that is also what I liked so much about the novel. This book covers the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma. This book is also loosely based on Armstrong's grandmother's life.

Thank you to Netgalley, C.H. Armstrong and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this novel. 4/5 stars.

Man, I love a book that captures a time and a place. C.H. Armstrong has managed to do just that with The Edge of Nowhere. This is a family history - the story of how Victoria Hastings Harrison Green survived a difficult life. Victoria's life starts in Oklahoma during the Depression - and her need to survive starts early. She's what one would call "plucky" - and I loved her for that.

This is a book that manages to break your heart and piece it all back together in one sitting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Originally published in 2015, C.H. Armstrong's The Edge of Nowhere is a historical novel loosely based on the life of the author's grandmother. The novel offers the reader a peek into a time and place in American history not usually captured in today's fiction, and I’m glad I chose to pick it up.

The novel opens in 1992, and our heroine, Victoria, is dying, but before she takes her last breath, she wants to share some things about her past that her grandchildren don’t know. They see her as a cold, unfeeling old woman, and she's hoping learning about her life will help them view her in a better light.

We then jump back in time to the mid 1920s. Victoria's mother takes her own life after giving birth to a stillborn child, and her father, unable to cope with the loss of his wife, descends into a dark pit of depression. When he dies in suspicious circumstances, leaving Victoria alone on the family farm, she is taken in by a local midwife and raised alongside the midwife's own daughter. Victoria loves her adoptive family deeply, but she's determined never to fall victim to romantic love, seeing it as something that will make her weak. But when she meets the handsome and hard-working Will, she begins to believe there just might be room for love in her life after all.

She and Will eventually marry, and Victoria adjusts well to married life. She has some understandable fear around giving birth to children, but she manages to push her misgivings aside in order to raise a family with the man she loves. The reader thinks Victoria has finally found happiness, but it's unfortunately short-lived, and Will dies as a result of illness.

Now a widow with several children to care for, Victoria reverts back to the colder, harder version of herself that protected her so well after the loss of her parents. She and her children are poor, but Victoria is determined to keep food on their table and a roof over their heads, even if she has to make some terrible sacrifices in order to ensure their survival.

What follows is the gritty story of one woman's desperate fight for survival amidst the dust storms and overwhelming poverty of 1930s Oklahoma. If you're looking for a story that's full of sunshine and rainbows, The Edge of Nowhere won't be the book for you, but, if you love reading about strong-willed heroines who will stop at nothing to provide for those she loves, you'll definitely want to give it a try.

Victoria isn't the kind of heroine who will appeal to all readers. She's not soft-spoken and biddable, and neither does she give into her emotions easily. Her steady determination to keep her family together in the face of terrible tragedy struck me as being quite laudable, but her prickly nature might be a turnoff for those who prefer a different kind of heroine.

There are some rather graphic descriptions of domestic violence in the second half of the novel. I found them incredibly difficult to read, but these scenes added an extra layer of authenticity to the story of Victoria's life - and they were never sensationalized in an attempt to shock the reader. Instead, they felt very real, and I was able to understand how Victoria could have found herself in such an untenable position.

Make sure to have plenty of tissues handy as you read; I cried several times while reading this book. Victoria and her children went through some awful things, and I often found myself wondering how they could possibly deal with one more tragic event.

This is an intense read, one you might have to step away from at times; I normally love to completely immerse myself in the pages of a book, but I needed to take a few breaks from this one. The subject matter is extremely heavy, and while I'm pleased to have read The Edge of Nowhere, it's not a book I can imagine myself rereading.

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I liked this book Victoria was a good main character it was set durimg the great depression and alot was goimg on with victoria

I started off enjoying this book, from Victoria’s early beginnings I really felt for her as a character. I also enjoyed watching he fall in love and was heartbroken for her when it ended. However after this, the novel really went downhill for me. It became so depressing. It was one thing after another. It turned Victoria in an unlikeable character. It ruined it for me. It was a quick read though and I enjoyed it overall, just wasn’t as good as some of the historical fiction I’ve read lately.

This book was a tough one and touted as such. The greatness of the story stems from the heroine's strength alone. She's an admirable, inspirational, and hard woman who lived through the most difficult of times and persevered in her own way, blazing her own trail without apology. Her story sets up in a way that she's forthright in leaving explanations, untold confessions to her family starting us off so poignantly from the beginning.

The sacrifices and courage showcased in Victoria Hastings Harrison Green's story of survival stand out so very much. Equally, the author demonstrates profound love and loss through the recounting of a life lived through an era of time in our country that was built from hardship. The edge to Victoria's story comes from her staunch attitude to defy every heart wrenching challenge she faces.

This is a story that moves you because of how acutely real it seems and how touching the story is even in the sadness. The time in history is completely familiar to me but I felt as though I was transported to that time and understand so much better just how bad it was thanks to the writing of Armstrong. The characters are wonderful and developed strongly. The setting acts as another character in and of itself because of the great sorrows it brings. The writing beats as a living thing telling us so easily of the struggles and the joys of this woman.

The resiliency included in this novel is astounding. C.H. Armstrong breaks barriers within her richly historical story and vividly depicts that time with a heroine you won't soon forget. I found The Edge of Nowhere compelling for reasons so different than ones I get from my usual reading. This keen piece of fiction will certainly stay with me.

A harsh family saga set during the American Dust Bowl in the aftermath of the Great Depression, The Edge of Nowhere is the story of Victoria, a woman who in the course of her life encounters one tragedy after another and is forced by circumstances to make some truly hard choices.
Victoria's story is in part inspired by the author's grandmother, and it is clear that a lot of love, and a lot of research went into the creation of this book.
I don't want to go into too much detail about the plot to avoid spoiling the book for other readers, but suffice to say Victoria does not often have good luck, and even when things are going relatively well for her and her family, it is not long before tragedy strikes again. I found the story engaging and the characters fascinating, particularly Victoria herself. It was compelling to read about her transformation from excited young girl to pragmatic bride and stepmother and beyond to the embittered and hardened woman she became in later life. I felt the ending of the book wrapped things up a little too easily, but that does not detract from my enjoyment of the story along the way. The writing is very strong throughout, descriptive without being flowery, and I thought the author did a tremendous job of bringing the time and setting to life on the page,
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” meets Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird “ in this novel set in the Great Depression. Based on a true story the book revolves around the life of the main character Victoria Green and the hardships she faces making a life for her and her family when the whole community are struggling with the Depression and the dust storms affecting the state of Oklahoma. An interesting read but I found her character to be quite naive especially in the later half of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book.

I. Loved. This. Book. Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, The Great Depression and beyond you follow a young girl on a journey from a happy childhood to a woman that everybody, including her family, despises. How far would you go to care for your children when you have no money? This book is heartbreaking and filled with the human spirit. You do what you have to do to survive.

I live in Oklahoma so this story was hit close to home. As school children we learn about the Dust Bowl but not the heartbreak and misery. This is a book I will read over and over.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Once the child of a loving family during peaceful times, a shocking death shattered her life. Victoria came face to face with the harshness of the world. As the warm days of childhood receded to distant memory, Victoria learns to survive.

This is a heartbreaking story of choices and what a mother will do for her children, a fairly quick read.

3☆

After vowing never to marry, Victoria falls in love with Will, a gentle, strong farmer. Together, they make a family, and run a farm in Oklahoma. As the Great Depression and Dust Bowl threaten their livelihood, Will's appendix ruptures, leaving Victoria widowed, with nine children to support. Victoria, determined to provide for her children, makes certain choices, choices that change her forever. In the present day, Victoria tells her grandchildren about these choices, as she lays in her deathbed.

I really enjoyed this book. It felt as if my own grandmother was telling me a story. Well written, the book moved at a slow, but purposeful pace. I felt as if I really knew Victoria, and could feel her pain, anger, and determination throughout the whole story. I would love to read more from this author. Overall, highly recommended.

I spent most of this book wondering if Victoria would ever catch a break. And while the thought of everything she survived could be overwhelming and depressing, the book always felt positive. Victoria never really seemed to buckle under. I also spent a good portion of the book wondering how in the world she could have so many children. No wonder they didn't have enough money or food! Ms. Armstrong did a wonderful job of illustrating how difficult it was raising a family in Oklahoma during a little mentioned portion of American history. I thoroughly enjoyed following feisty Victoria and her tumultuous life.