The Hired Man by Sandra Dallas

 

The Hired Man by Sandra Dallas
5 Stars

Secular Historical Fiction

Standalone Book

Wow. Honestly y'all. This book blew me away. I have never read a Sandra Dallas book until now and while this had some heavier topics, I was completely immersed in the storytelling, the characters and the setting. (*See trigger warnings at the end if needed.)

Set in 1937 Colorado during the Dust Bowl period, lots of dust storms are brewing, food is scarce, times are hard, work is few and far between....We follow Martha Hellen, the POV throughout the story. She is I believe either 15 or 16. A young man by the name of Otis helps a young boy out of a dust cloud/storm and Martha Hellen's Mama wants to help him by letting him stay in exchange for work on their property. He is considered a "vagrant", an out of towner...not welcome by most of the community. However, they believe in helping the less fortunate....this leads to a story of heartache, loss, unknowns....

Like I said, I was completely immersed in this book. I listened to the audiobook for the first 50% (amazing narrator) and then there was soooo much going on, I had to stop and grab my e-book ARC because I NEEDED TO KNOW! 

I think what stands out for me on this is the ending with the twist - it TOOK ME OUT. I never saw it coming. 

Martha Hellen and her family - I loved them. Such good examples of parents during that time - good, hardworking people who had been through so much hardship but never gave up. Martha Hellen was a good friend, also someone who never gave up. 

What else can I say....I think the ending was brilliant honestly because it was so unexpected. I had to go back and re-read it like 4 times to make sure I was reading it right! That's how blown my mind was with it. 

I definitely want to read more of Sandra's books. She sure does tell a WILD and good story!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the complimentary ebook and audiobook to honestly read for review. All thoughts are my own.

*Trigger/Content Warnings: Death, Poverty, Language - 2 to 3 GDs, few other smaller words, situational language I guess you would say....I didn't care for the language personally. Sexual assault, murder, bullying, sexism - may be other things I missed but there is no romance really in this, it's a historical fiction story showing the realities of the hard things that happened during that time. It won't be for everyone but I really liked the story overall.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8421617259
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4sbNnCW
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